The CornerThe Corner

SouthWest Mobile County Chamber of Commerce

May 2019 Serving All of South Mobile County Serving All of South Mobile County

Sandy Stimpson

LUNCHEON

Mayor of Mobile

“In Step With Progress”

Jeff L. Schmitz

Board of Directors Jeff Brinson - Southwestern Consulting

Stephanie Chestnut - Dick Russell’s BBQ

Laura Hittson - W. C. Griggs Elementary

Russanne Howell - Farmers Insurance

Cindy Imsand - Mobile’s Best Storage

Tammy Lyons - Family Security Credit Union

Delores McLaney - McLaney Senior Dance

Wes Pipes - Individual

Curtis Polk - BLP Mobile Paints

Joe Summersgill - Mobile Co. Water, Sewer & FPA Teresa Taylor - AIM Mail Center Della Wade - Individual

Chamber MissionChamber MissionChamber Mission

Our Chamber’s mission is to foster, promote, advance, and Our Chamber’s mission is to foster, promote, advance, and Our Chamber’s mission is to foster, promote, advance, and improve the civic, commercial and general business interests improve the civic, commercial and general business interests improve the civic, commercial and general business interests

of the surrounding areas and to cooperate with other of the surrounding areas and to cooperate with other of the surrounding areas and to cooperate with other communities promoting objectives for the improvement of communities promoting objectives for the improvement of communities promoting objectives for the improvement of

our business and the welfare of our community.our business and the welfare of our community.our business and the welfare of our community.

2019 Officers President Pete Riehm NAI Mobile

1st Vice President Tiffany Ginn Uniti Fiber

2nd Vice President Chris Black Integrity IT Services

Secretary Cadie Gaut Payroll Vault

Treasurer Bryan Dewberry Midtown Mortgage

Pete Riehm, SWMCC President

Message from the President

Advisory Board Theresa Orrell (Past President)

Polysurveying of Mobile

Kay Peace (Past President)

Individual

Ruth Robinson (Past President)

Mobile Memorial Gardens Cemetery

Dena Pigg (Past President)

Alabama Power

Community Center Staff

Executive Director Tina Poiroux tpoiroux@swmcchamber.com

Rental Specialist Ashley Rester arester@swmcchamber.com

Event Specialist Susan Williams

Glennan Palframan

Maintenance George Davis

Office number: 251.666.2488

April has been another busy month in Southwest Mobile County. Your Chamber hosted our first Membership Appreciation BBQ with delicious Dick Russell’s BBQ; we had a great turn out and fun was had by all. We will definitely be doing it again next year! The monthly Chamber Coffee was also well attended with plenty of new faces showing up again for the beneficial and fun networking.

New membership applications have been strong, but for some reason renewals have been lagging. We have at this point 149 members, but we have 48 outstanding renewals from last year! If we had 100% retention, we could set a new membership record with 200 members! Southwest Mobile County is booming and your Chamber is thriving. We don’t want to leave anyone behind, so please be sure to renew for 2019 ASAP. These are exciting times, so recruiting new members is easy – just share our success stories. Let’s break 200 in 2019! The campaign for our first ever South Mobile County Magazine is well underway and we met our minimum goal, so there will be a new magazine this year. The original campaign expired, but we have extended the deadline to 8 May to give everyone a chance to get their orders in. Alliance Publishing has a distinguished track record producing high quality Chamber magazines. Please contact Keith Lott or Tina for more information. Please look for more information about our 2019 TALL program in this newsletter. TALL provides leadership training with local business for select local High School Seniors; and those Seniors also receive $1500 scholarships. We are now accepting applications for the next class. Our May lunch is our awards lunch when we award the “Business of the Year” and “Volunteer of the Year.” And our guest speaker is Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson. RSVP now because we will have a FULL house. We will also have the 5th annual Chamber Prayer Breakfast 0700 Thursday morning 2 May 2019 at the Chamber for the National Day of Prayer. Southwest Mobile County has been abundantly blessed, so please join us to thank our Creator and pray for His continued blessings!

MAY CALENDAR

2

21 Coffee with the Chamber

When: May 21st 7:30am

Where: Tillman’s Corner Community Center

Contact: 251-666-2488

Cost: Free to attend

Sponsor: Touching Hearts Senior Care

1 SWMCC Business Luncheon

When: May 1st (Networking 11:30am) 12:00-1:00pm

Guest Speaker: Mayor Sandy Stimpson

Where: Tillman’s Corner Community Center

Contact: Chamber Office 251-666-2488 Cost: $12 for Members and $15 for Potential

Members

Sponsors:

16

National Day of Prayer Breakfast

When: May 2nd 7:00am

Where: Tillman’s Corner Community Center

Contact: 251-666-2488

Cost: Free to attend

Sales Training Workshop - Jeff Brinson

When: May 16th 9:00am

Where: Tillman’s Corner Community Center

Contact: 251-666-2488

Cost: Free to attend

27

Chamber Networking Social

When: May 30th 4:30pm - 6:30pm

Where: Family Dental of Mobile 1924 Dauphin Island Pkwy Ste D | Mobile, AL 36605

Contact: 251-666-2488

Cost: Free to attend

30

Our office is CLOSED on May 27th for

Memorial Day. We will resume regular

business hours on Tuesday, May 28th.

SouthWest Mobile County Chamber of Commerce

May 1, 2019

Networking 11:30 am / Meeting 12:00-1:00 pm

SMALL BUSINESS LUNCHEON

Guest Speaker: Mayor Sandy Stimpson

Caterer: Luncheon Sponsor: Menu:

Please RSVP to 251.666.2488 or info@swmcchamber.com

$12 for Members & $15 for Potential Members

Sandy's mission is for Mobile to become the safest, most business and family friendly City in America by 2020. His visionary goal to unite the City, known as One Mobile, has empowered every Mobilian to have a voice. He was first elected as mayor of Mobile in 2013. During his first term, he worked hard to address issues of public safety, fiscal responsibility, downtown revitalization, and blight eradication. He was reelected by a landslide in 2017. Sandy's civic and business endeavors, both locally and statewide, have been numerous and varied. He has served on the boards of the Boys & Girls Club of Southwest Alabama; the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce; the Alabama Policy Institute; the Business Council of Alabama; the University of Alabama President's Cabinet; and the University of South Alabama's Board of Trustees.

Sandy graduated from the University of Alabama in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering. He spent nearly forty years in the lumber manufacturing business. Sandy and his wife Jean have been married since 1975 and have four grown, married children and twelve grandchildren. They are longtime, active members of Ashland Place United Methodist Church.

T.A.L.L. Graduation

We will be honoring our 2018-2019 T.A.L.L. students at the business luncheon.

Beef Tips with Gravy

Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans

Rolls

Bread Pudding

Sweet and Unsweet Tea

1608 Rochelle Street Mobile, AL 36693

251-666-1141

Guest Speaker: Mayor Sandy Stimpson

Congratulations Small Business of the Year Finalists

The student body at Griggs currently has 683 students, including 447 (65%) Caucasian, 146 (21%) African American, 69 (10%) Hispanic,

11 (2% Asian), and (9) 2% American Indian/Alaskan Native. Many of our students live in non-traditional homes and are being raised by a

single parent, grandparents, or other family members. An increase in the number of students who are doubled-up or who live in hotels has

been noted over the past several years.

As a 21st Century School, Griggs is at the forefront of the district in technology implementation with SMARTBoards, document cameras, student/teacher laptops, and iPads/tablets in every classroom. Our

interactive Media Center offers a combination of eBooks and printed materials, as well as collaboration areas for student and teacher use.

Griggs has two fully operational computer labs plus a Cyberstation, which incorporates a T. V. Studio, an interactive whole group

instructional area, and three collaboration tables. As an Alabama Math, Science, and Technology (AMSTI) School, our teachers receive on site professional development and opportunities to participate in

Professional Learning Teams.

Our mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.

This mission means so much to me as a person serving in this club because often times we see the light in children dim tremendously by their situations big and small. We offer these children opportunities that they may not otherwise have a chance to participate in. At the Boys & Girls Club we offer a variety of programs ranging from Academic Success, Career and Life Skills, Social Recreation, Athletics, Arts and more. We have an Afterschool program from August to May and a Summer Program from June to July. During our summer months we heavily focus on Summer Brain Gain a program designed to prevent summer learning loss. We hope to continue impacting lives, because GREAT futures Start Here!

W.C. Griggs Elementary School

SERVPRO The SERVPROs in Mobile County (SERVPRO of South Mobile County, SERVPRO of Southwest Mobile, SERVPRO of North Mobile County, and SERVPRO of Mobile Northwest) are independently owned by the Mayhall family. The Mayhall family has proudly been a part of the Mobile community for four generations and have been serving the greater Mobile area for nearly a decade now. Our company core values are what truly drives everything that we do. In addition to reinforcing the level of service we provide to our clients; our core values drive us to give back to the amazing community we serve. The Mayhall’s firmly believe that what we do is about more than the services we offer, it’s about what we can do for others. From that principle evolved SERVPRO Serves, which became home to such programs as Feeding Firefighters, Fridays at the Firehouse, and Crawfish for a Cause. We truly enjoy giving back and have plans to expand the program even further through our Caring Closet.

We also take pride in being a “one-stop” shop and offer a full line of cleaning and remediation services to meet the needs of our clients. In addition to fire, water, and mold, we also provide floor, HVAC and textile cleaning, as well as climate-controlled contents storage. As a member of the national network of more than 1,500 SERVPRO franchises, we are also an active Storm Response Team, traveling all over the country to help those in need after a natural disaster. Thank you Mobile, for allowing us to serve you and we look forward to continuing to do so in the future!

Servpro of South Mobile County W.C. Griggs Elementary Boys & Girls Club of South Ala.

Greer’s is 5th generation family owned and operated with 30 local community grocery stores and 4 Ace Hardware Stores serving families in AL, MS and FL. We love the grocery and hardware business and have for 103 years since 1916 with

our roots established in downtown Mobile. We look forward to our newest

specialty, fresh focused Greer’s location coming soon on St. Louis Street! Greer’s Team Vision “to bring added joy, well-being and value to people’s lives!” and our Team Mission ”Enthusiastically continue to improve our team, customer service, values, community involvement and performance!” are what our Greer’s Family of 800 + Associates strive to put into action at work each day! We truly

believe God, Family then Greer’s!

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER BREAKFAST MAY 2, 2019 Tillman’s Corner Community Center

5055 Carol Plantation Road | Mobile, AL 36619

251.666.2488 or Info@swmcchamber.com to RSVP

Tillman's Corner Area Learning Leadership program was established to encourage and enable future leaders of our Community. It is our great pleasure to introduce our sixth

class of T.A.L.L. students that were chosen by their submitted applications and letters of recommendation.

Through their hard work, volunteerism and dedication to this program these students are developing opportunities

to meet business men and woman that are mentoring them through the processes of their future endeavors. By

completion of this program these students have had the opportunity to be eligible for scholarships and open door opportunities to be successful in the work force. Join us in

congratulating our 2018-2019 Tillman's Corner Area Learning Leadership Class. It has been a pleasure getting to know each of these students. The have had many hours together learning more about the world in which they live in today. Beginning with an instructional lecture from Jeff Brinson a certified Sales Coach at Southwestern Consulting to visiting the City Council and Pre-Council meetings with

the Mayors Staff. Receiving leadership advice from Councilmen, John Williams. They toured the Evonik

Corporation and learned about job safety and product management. Judge Naman and Chief Probation Officer at

Strickland, Michael Dekle were very important in imparting vital information on “Creating A Change”. The experience

these students have received in such a short time has been priceless. They have volunteered with the Chamber over

600 hours and enjoyed many activities over the past 8 months. Contact Tina Poiroux at

tpoiroux@swmcchamber.com for applications for the upcoming year.

7:00 A.M.

Outstanding Officer of the Month

Over the past couple of years, one of the things I have found when working with business owners is that many of them do not have any idea who their target customer or client is. The fancy term for this is a User Persona. Defining your user personas is important as it helps you hone in on people that have a higher likelihood of actually purchasing from you.

When we build out user personas for our clients some of what we define is the following: What is the person’s name? What do they look like? Are they male or female? Are they in a certain age range? Are they part of some minority group? What interests them? Do they make a certain amount of money? Where do they hang out online? Where do they hang out in the real world? Are they part of any organizations? Do they have any special skills or talents? This list could go on and on but I think you get the idea. Defining the items above should happen before you even get started on things like branding or advertising. It shapes everything about the business. Think of a clothing retailer. If I ask you who the target audience is for Brooks Brothers you probably conjure up images of someone that dresses fairly conservatively. Counter that with H&M, you probably think of a young trendy person. Both sell clothes but defining their target audience has defined everything about their business. If you are a business owner, take time to write down your user personas. You are not saying that you will not do business with people outside of that defined group. You are just giving yourself some guidelines by which to operate in both your branding, your brand experience, and your advertising. Make sure to add Blue Fish on social media for additional updates and helpful tips. Marcus Neto

The Mobile Police Department Precinct 2 has named Cpl. Darrell Tucker as Outstanding Officer of the Month for April. Captain Jonathan Lee congratulated Cpl. Tucker at the SWMCC monthly Business Luncheon. During the month of April, he provided exceptional and unparalleled service to the citizens of Mobile that perfectly encapsulates his professionalism and dedication to protect and serve. His dedication is gratefully acknowledged and appreciated.

Business Insight

MOBILE DOWNTOWN AIRPORT (BFM) OPENS MAY 1ST 2019

Mobile, Alabama. – Low-fare carrier Frontier Airlines announced the addition of Mobile, Alabama, a new city in the Frontier network, with non-stop service from Mobile Downtown Airport to Denver International Airport and Chicago O’Hare

International Airport. To celebrate the new routes, Frontier is offering a special introductory one-way fare of $39 which is available now on flyfrontier.com. These will be the only non-stop flights from Mobile to both Chicago and Denver.

“We are proud to bring our unique brand of Low Fares Done Right to Mobile,” said Jonathan Freed, Director of Corporate Communications for Frontier Airlines. “With flights beginning May 1st, we will make air travel more affordable for everyone

in the greater Mobile area. And Mobile Downtown Airport is more accessible to the region. We look forward to making it easier for people to fly, and for people to fly more often.”

Frontier is focused on more than low fares. The carrier offers customers the ability to customize travel to their needs and budget. For example, customers can purchase options a la carte or in one low-priced bundle called the WORKSsm. This

bundle includes refundability, a carry-on bag, a checked bag, the best available seat, waived change fees and priority boarding.

Member News

May 21, 2019 7:30 am

Drop by SWMCC on your way to work! Start your day off right with a hot cup of coffee and networking!

No cost to attend!

Attendees are asked to give a short introduction about their business. Don’t forget your business

cards!

Sponsored by: Touching Hearts Senior Care

RSVP at 251.666.2488 or info@swmcchamber.com

Congratulations, Karen C. Simmons. She was named Business Woman of the Year 2018 by Women's Business Alliance.

Sales Training Workshop With Jeff Brinson

May 16th 9:00 am

Tillman’s Corner Community Center

Habits of Top Producers 7 Skills to master to be a

Top Producer- Sniper vs Pray approach to prospecting

Learn:

RSVP to info@swmcchamber.com or

251-666-2488

Stirling Properties commercial real estate company was awarded the management contract for Schillinger Place shopping center at 2502 S. Schillinger Road, Mobile. Schillinger Place is a roughly 69,000-square-foot neighborhood retail center located at the southwest corner of Schillinger and Cottage Hill roads in West Mobile. Currently it is 70 percent leased with tenants including soon-to-open Club 4 Fitness, Pizza Hut, Mediterranean Sandwich Co., Port City MMA, New China One, Mediacom, Down South Native, Zeal Boutique, Vape-It, West Mobile Liquors, Brian Casey State Farm and Nail Express. Planned landlord updates to the shopping center include a renovated exterior façade, upgraded lighting and parking lot sealing and striping. The former Winn-Dixie space is being subdivided into two retail areas: Club 4 Fitness will occupy 30,000 square feet and plans to open in the spring; the remaining 22,181-square-foot area is available for lease.

Angie McArthur, broker associate with the local Stirling Properties office, was the leasing agent in the transaction.

The Performance Lab, a baseball, softball, gym, sports training and coaching facility, has leased some 29,750 square feet of warehouse space next door to Get Air Trampoline Park at 842 Schillinger Road in Mobile. The Performance Lab is owned and operated by a local investment group currently making improvements and modifications to the property. A grand opening was held in March. The facility will possibly offer a broader selection of sports training services for customers in the future. The transaction was handled by Sharon Wright with White-Spunner Realty.

John Delchamps with Merrill P. Thomas Co. Inc. reported Glazed Doughnuts is now leasing some 1,000 square feet of retail space in Olympic Plaza, 7251 Theodore Dawes Road in Theodore, near a Walmart Neighborhood Market. The confectionary plans to open this spring. Angie McArthur with Stirling Properties worked for the landlord in the transaction. Delchamps represented the tenant. Some 9,500 square feet of commercial development located near the intersection of Cody Road and Airport Boulevard in West Mobile is underway, according to Leigh Dale Younce with JLL. Currently, 4 AM Cookie Dough leases roughly 1,700 square feet and Cajun Corner some 2,300 square feet of retail space at the site. Younce and Buff Teague with JLL worked for the developer on the project. John Delchamps with the Merrill P. Thomas Co. Inc. represented the owner and tenant, Atlas Oil, on a five-year lease of a 4,000-square-foot building sitting on one acre at 5589 Todd Acres Rd. Taylor, Michigan-based Atlas Oil is nationwide a fuel supplier and logistics company that is new to the Mobile area.

Real Estate Corner by Ron Sivak

THANK YOU TO THE SPONSORS OF EACH SCHOOL

Mobile Memorial Gardens Cemetery

Payroll Vault

Polysurveying of Mobile

AIM Mail Center #153

Dick Russell’s BBQ

Elaine Sessions

BLP Mobile Paints

SouthWest Mobile County Chamber of Commerce

May Chamber Networking Social

RSVP to info@swmcchamber.com or 251.666.2488

Thursday, May 30, 2019 4:30 - 6:30 PM

Please join us at Family Dental of Mobile

1924 Dauphin Island Parkway STE D Mobile, AL 36605

This event is open to the public

Free to attend

Hors d'oeuvre Beer, Wine and Non- alcoholic Beverages will be provided by Family Dental of Mobile

Star Students

Brelan Turner from W.C. Griggs Elementary School

Lalee Spragg from Meadowlake Elementary School

Madison Hoyt from Pearl Haskew Elementary School

Evelyn Dickson from St. Elmo Elementary School

Caden Wiggins from Cottage Hill Christian Academy

Kinley Davis from Nan Gray Davis Elementary School

CORPORATE SPONSORS

Platinum

PAYROLL VAULT

INTEGRITY IT SERVICES

Gold

EVONIK

THE GROUNDS

Silver

Bronze

OLIVE GARDEN

HUNTINGTON LEARNING

CENTER

MOBILE MEMORIAL GARDENS

FUNERAL HOME

BOYS & GIRLS CLUB OF SO. ALA

TOUCHING HEART SENIOR CARE

MOBILE MEMORIAL GARDENS

CEMETERY

POLYSURVEYING OF MOBILE

BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY

FAMILY SECURITY CREDIT UNION

NAI MOBILE

Friends of the Chamber

THE HOWARD FAMILY

DICK RUSSELL’S BBQ

ZIPPY MART

New Members:

Membership Renewals:

Alabama Power Company

Franklin’s Starter & Alternator

Keep Mobile Beautiful

Kings Automotive

Lighthouse Baptist Academy

Surge Church

MainStreet Family Urgent Care

Midtown Mortgage

New Horizons Credit Union

Southwestern Consulting

St. Elmo Elementary School

State Farm Insurance -

Joey Strickland

Zippy Mart

Alsco Linen & Uniform Service 2900 N Navy Blvd.

Pensacola, FL 32505 850-433-3106

Sheila Clark Realtor at JWRE Mobile

6337 Cottage Hill Road Mobile, AL 36609

251-802-5720

State Farm Vvonaka Richardson

5253 Hwy 90 W Suite D Mobile, AL 36619

334-407-8982

Speegle, Hoffman, Holman & Holifield, LLC

Jennifer Holifield 5 Dauphin St Ste 301

Mobile, AL 36602 251-694-1700

Farmers Insurance Will Hudson Agency

6925 Cottage Hill Rd Ste F Mobile, AL 36695

251-405-2999

Blue Fish Marcus Neto

920 Dauphin Street Mobile, AL 36604

251-287-9707

EverLoved Veterinary Dr. Lydia Sullivan

251-229-1043

Rick Thompson 6721 Grelot Road Ste A

Mobile, AL 36695 251-622-6966

Landshark Promotions Chrissy Robinson

7856 Westside Park Dr Ste B Mobile, AL 36695

251-259-5432