Source: Birmingham News

A coffee battle is brewing in Birmingham.

Baton Rouge-based Community Coffee has infiltrated the Birmingham market with a new sales and distribution center in the Oxmoor Valley.

Matt Saurage, chief executive of the 91-year-old company, said he believes Birmingham needs another strong regional brand to compete at the retail level in grocery stores, Walmart and convenience stores, as well as in what is termed “on-premise” sales at restaurants, offices and hotels.

“Our business is balanced in both of those areas,” Saurage said.

The move could create battlefields for two of Birmingham’s oldest companies.

Red Diamond Coffee & Tea Co. — a family-owned enterprise that turned 104 years old this year — has staked a claim on the local coffee market with an emphasis on dominating retail sales as the “hometown” coffee company. Bill Bowron, the fourth generation of his family to lead the company, opened a new 65-acre corporate campus in Moody last year to support efforts across the nation.

After 114 years, Royal Cup has fortified its position in the Birmingham market with on-premise sales with local and chain restaurants in the metro area, small and large companies and several hotels and convenience stores. The company, which operates throughout the United States, has been owned and operated by the Smith family for generations.

But don’t look for Saurage to plan to decimate his rivals. That’s because he views those companies as friends rather than enemies.

“Community Coffee is a family-owned business and we have been friends with the Bowron and Smith families for generations now. The same is true of Henry Bright, who started O’Henry’s,” Saurage said. “It’s a small industry when you get down to it. We think very highly of those coffee companies and they represent something that’s unique in the South.”

Though it may be friendly competition, Community will be bringing competition nonetheless, Saurage said.

“We believe there is an unmet need in Birmingham today and that’s for a brand of coffee that can serve across the spectrum from your in-home brand to the coffee you have at work to the coffee you experience when you’re out for dining and entertainment,” he said.

A spokesman for Bowron at Red Diamond declined comment. Efforts to reach Royal Cup officials were unsuccessful.

Randy Adamy, who purchased the O’Henry’s operation from Bright 11 years ago, said having another coffee company operate in the area — even one as large Community — won’t oversaturate the market.

“Coffee is like a lot of other commodities in that there is a wide demand for all kinds of coffees,” Adamy said. “It’s a friendly business, but that’s not to say we’re not all competitors as well.”

Community Coffee’s beachhead in this percolating battle is an 11,200-square-foot sales and distribution center at 340 Industrial Drive. Sonny Culp of Graham & Co. leased the property to Community Coffee, which was represented by Howard King of Watts Realty.

The building includes 2,500 square feet of office space; the remainder is warehouse and distribution space…

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][ read entire article at al.com ][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Source: Birmingham Business Journal

With a manufacturing base, proximity to several interstate highways and a number of industrial parks, the Birmingham region is clearly attractive to the railroad industry.

That was particularly true in the case of Norfolk Southern, which announced plans in 2009 to invest $112 million to build an intermodal facility in McCalla.

Rudy Husband, director of public relations for Norfolk Southern, said the Birmingham region was underserved when it came to intermodal facilities.

“With the growth that’s going on in Jefferson County and the surrounding six counties and you tie that in to the Crescent Corridor project, it became clear to us that we needed to have a much larger terminal,” Husband said…

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][ Read entire article at bizjournals.com (subscription required) ][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Source: Birmingham Business Journal

It’s no small trick, finding a place to transfer manufacturing materials from trains onto trucks.

Yet developers located just such a patch of ground in their efforts to create the CSX Intermodal Facility in Bessemer.

“Birmingham is topographically challenged in the first place.

Trying to piece together 25 acres of flat property can be a real challenge,” said Jack Brown, vice president at Graham & Co., who worked on the deal…

Source: Birmingham Business Journal

Liberty Pipe’s new home within the 115-acre Interstate Industrial Park in Bessemer bears little, if any, resemblance to the Pullman railway manufacturing facility that once occupied the site.

To revive the building after six dormant years, developers renovated the electrical system, removed five large paint booths, replaced roof tiles, added drive-in doors and undertook office renovations.

The $6.7 million project helps build upon a broader vision for the industrial park.

With wide structural bays, cranes in place and an existing rail infrastructure that would be hard to recreate, the site has natural attractions, including the existing structures themselves…

[ Read entire article at bizjournals.com (subscription required) ]

Source: Birmingham Business Journal

Eagle Fence Distributing LLC has purchased a site in Fultondale with plans to move its operations from Warrior, Ala., and expand its distribution and manufacturing base.

Birmingham’s Graham & Co. said it represented Eagle Fence in the purchase of the former 84 Lumber facility in Fultondale, north of Birmingham. According to public records, Eagle Fence paid $400,000 for the 16-acre site.

Eagle Fence’s proposed new home, which also houses a 66,000-square-foot building, will serve as its Southeast regional distribution facility for the metal fencing products it will make, said John Coleman of Graham.

And with a bigger footprint and increased manufacturing base, Coleman said the company plans to add employees to its roughly 20-person operation.

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][ Read entire article at bizjournals.com ][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Source: Birmingham Business Journal

International Wines has purchased a new building off West Oxmoor Road and plans to expand its burgeoning wine distribution business.

The Birmingham-based company bought a 41,000-square-foot warehouse for nearly $1.8 million on Snow Drive, according to public records. The warehouse is a stone’s throw from its current location, which is also on Snow Drive.

With the wine business making a comeback, the company will utilize both locations and increase its inventory space to serve all the major markets in Alabama, said Seth Poole, vice president of sales.

“People will trade down (on wine) and as they stay at home more, they drink more at home,” said Poole. “The business did see a downturn probably at the beginning of 2009, but the second half finished pretty strong and business is good.” …

[ Read entire article at bizjournals.com ]

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]

Source: Birmingham News

A Pennsylvania company will invest $5 million and create 80 new jobs with a new plant in Bessemer.

Liberty Group of Morrisville, Pa., will set up a regional pipe coatings plant through its Liberty Coating Co. in a 131,000-square-foot building in Bessemer’s Interstate Industrial Park, officials said. The building is part of the Pullman-Standard rail car manufacturing operation on 216 acres there. A formal announcement is expected today.

Liberty’s move will bring much-needed jobs to the metro area, where unemployment was at 9½ percent in November, the most recent figure available.

Liberty applies anti-corrosion and mechanical protective coatings inside and outside of pipe used by the natural gas, oil, petrochemical, and water and wastewater industries. The Bessemer operation will be used to store, process and coat pipe.

Don Barder, president of Liberty Coating, said in an interview that his company has been looking in the Birmingham area for about 18 months, drawn by the large number of pipe manufacturers operating here.

“We feel there is an opportunity to grow our business there and throughout the region,” Barder said. “We look forward to expanding what we do in the Northeast and mirroring our success in Alabama.”

Barber said the company might establish a regional sales and distribution operation at the site.

Barder said his brother, Joe Barder, will be the operations manager of the new facility. He said 30 percent of the company’s business in the Northeast is in pipe coatings and company officials see opportunities for growth in the Southeast. The company also provides coatings for other industrial applications.

Mark Byers, Deborah McGill and Hurston Raley of EGS Commercial Real Estate Inc. represented Liberty in its site search. Graham and Co. manages and leases Interstate Industrial Park.

Byers said the potential Liberty found in Birmingham caused the project’s parameters to expand.

“It started as a much smaller project and grew into a larger project as he put his business plan together and saw the opportunity he had in this market,” Byers said.

Byers said although there has been some industrial leasing activity in the metro area recently, deals of this size have become rare amid the downturn. He said to his knowledge, the lease with Liberty is among the largest in the last 12 months.

Liberty was formed with the purchase of a former Halliburton company in 2001. Barder said the facility should begin operating in February and will eventually have 80 or so workers.

[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][ read entire article at al.com ][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Source: The Birmingham News

The Birmingham Airport Authority has paid more than $7 million for 25 acres of land and nearly half a million square feet of industrial building space next to its air­cargo operation, an indication the airport may have big plans for industrial growth.

Al Denson, director of the Birmingham­ Shuttlesworth International Airport, said the purchase gives the cargo operation room to grow in the future.

“We are very excited to continue expan­sion and development of our cargo pro­gram,” Denson said.

State and local economic development officials share in that excitement. They have called for improvement to Birming­ham’s aviation and aerospace infrastruc­ture to put the metropolitan area in better position to capitalize on the state’s efforts to lure more companies in that industry.

Gov. Bob Riley in a recent interview said at least two aviation projects are consid­ering Birmingham.

“I think aviation and aerospace are going to be huge going forward,” he said.

Riley confirmed he has been involved in recruiting a helicopter project that has the metro area on its list of possible sites.

The 25 acres the authority purchased are nestled between its newly expanded cargo facility and Interstate 20/59 off 50th Street North next to Alabama Aircraft In­dustries’ vast airplane refurbishing plant.

Known as the Air Indus­trial Center, the site has 498,150 square feet of leased and vacant warehouse, manufacturing and office space. The two southern­most buildings of the Air In­dustrial Center, which house Steward Machine and Kennametal, were not part of the sale.

The center buildings are home to A-588 and A572 Steel Co. Inc., as well as Tasco LLC. The three indus­trial buildings nearest the cargo apron are vacant.

Jack Key and Ogden Dea­ton of Graham & Co. ap­proached the airport au­thority almost two years ago when three buildings near­est the cargo facility tract were vacated.

Key said the authority had considered buying the prop­erty 20 years ago when it last was on the market. He said recent expansions and property purchases at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport made it likely there would be more interest now than then.

“We thought this would be property they would want, given the growth that has been taking place at the airport,” Key said.

That was the case and the authority, after negotiating some requirements such as asbestos removal from one of the buildings, finally closed on the purchase this month, the brokers said…

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][ read entire article at al.com ][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Source: Birmingham News

A South Carolina-based company is investing $1.5 million to set up a manufacturing operation in Alabaster that will create as many as 15 jobs in its first year.

Supreme Cores Alabama Inc. will operate in a 21,000-square­ foot industrial building on a 10-acre site where it will produce mold cores made of sand and res­ins to foundries in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.

The company is an expansion of Lancaster, S.C.-based Supreme Cores of the Carolinas Inc. Christopher Grossmann, who is establishing the Alabama opera­tion, said Supreme Cores already supplies several companies here and the new facility will allow it to do more for them and add new customers.

“We’ve got a customer base al­ready established and there are other opportunities for us in the area,” Grossmann said in an inter­view. “The product we manufac­ture is somewhat fragile, so it be­comes a selling issue because customers are concerned about what could happen to some products shipped from South Carolina. We feel like there has been a reluctance to do more business with us because of that, so we think we can add to our business with an operation here.”

Grossmann said produc­tion is slated to begin in mid-February, and Su­preme Cores plans to oper­ate one shift and expand to 15 employees in the first year.

The company was formed 11 years ago in South Carolina and contin­ues to grow, he said.

April Gray was project manager with the Alabama Development Office who worked with Supreme Cores along with James Dedes, executive director of the Shelby County Eco­nomic & Industrial Devel­opment Authority.

Jack Brown of Graham & Co. brokered the lease with Supreme Cores Alabama. Lumpkin Development owns the building, which is on Shelby County 87, and is completing the work to add offices and finish the inte­rior for the company.

Brown said the company had several requirements for a site with flat land to add the silos it needs for the materials it uses in pro­ducing the cores. He said being located near Shelby County was also important because executives who are moving here plan to live in that area.

“I’m glad we were able to find the right space,” he said. “This will be a good addition to the area.”

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][ read article at al.com ][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Source: The Birmingham News

A Birmingham law firm is expanding its office with the purchase of a building in Liberty Park.

Friedman, Leak, Dazzio, Zulanas & Bowling P.C. has purchased the office now occupied by real estate investment company Equity Resources LLC. The firm is investing $2.4 million in the building, including the purchase price and tenant improvements.

Friedman Leak now occupies about 12,000 square feet at the Colonnade and is moving into larger quarters in Liberty Park, said Dan Lovell of Graham & Co, who represented the firm in the deal.

Its new office, set among the woods at 3800 Corporate Woods Drive, covers more than 16,600 square feet and features lots of glass and high-end finishes. “They have been looking to purchase a building for the last 12 to 18 months and really thought the timing was good to be a buyer,” Lovell said.

Friedman Leak obtained a loan from the Small Business Administration to complete the deal, Lovell said. Rates for such loans are now at historic lows of around 5 percent, and President Barack Obama’s administration has waived several fees, he added. The firm is expected to move in Dec. 1.

With 14 attorneys, Friedman Leak is a general litigation firm with a focus on blasting and mining law, commercial litigation and insurance litigation. The firm, which is about 11 years old, has been growing in recent years, said partner Tommy Dazzio. “It’s a good market for us to try to buy something, and we love this location,” he said. “It took a while to determine whether it would work, but we feel like Liberty Park is an area that’s going to continue to grow.” [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][ read article at al.com ][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]