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Bradley Byrne

The Tennessee Valley Initiative will serve a 13-county region for north Alabama workforce requirements associated with the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure recommendations and continued economic development growth.

The regional effort includes $350,000 for state for recruitment (both inside and outside the state) and workforce training and $500,000 for 18 career counselors/coaches to help guide high school students to careers in the region that will be in demand.

Byrne said that a major challenge the initiative will address is the 120,000 people labeled as “under-employed” in north Alabama—those who could serve high-demand jobs but need to update their skills, become certified in a particular area or earn just an associate’s degree to qualify for new jobs. Continue »

L-R: Jim McCullough, Garry Byrum

The new 50,000 square-foot campus is LEED certified and will have classrooms, breakout rooms, offices and conference rooms and represents a capital investment of $12.3 million.

“This new campus will serve 350 students a day and can be expanded by as much as 25 percent. There will also be new technology for students to use such as simulators,” Jim McCullough, dean of DAU South, said. McCullough said the building will be finished by November.

Garry Byrum, director of operation at DAU South, said the school currently employs 75 and plans to have 115 employees. DAU recently hired 19 employees.

Mayor Tommy Battle helped break ground on the new facility and said the new campus will help in Huntsville’s workforce development efforts.

“This is going to be a great asset for Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal. This organization is going to help us fill jobs,” Battle said.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Chamber Chair Irma Tuder join the staff from Sentar in cutting the ribbon on its new facility in CRP. (Click photo to enlarge.)

The new facility provides more than 10,500 square feet of research and development facilities, multiple conference rooms, a state-of-the-art computer network defense lab and offices with room to grow. Sentar currently employs 40 people and expects to add 10 more by the end of the year.

Sentar’s latest business venture has been cyber security. Its work in this field recently helped the company win a contract from Sparta Inc. to support development of the National Cyber Range for the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA).

DARPA has been assigned to create the National Cyber Range, a test bed consisting of computers and computer systems on which cyber scenarios may be evaluated to assess the security of information and automated control systems.

According Peter Kiss, the company’s founder and CEO, the contract win will have a profound impact on the company and leverage it to gain exposure nationally.

"This allows us to participate in a high-visibility program on a national level," Kiss said. "We're on a great team with industry and academia, which increases our exposure in the whole cyber security world. It really is a big deal for us."

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle attended the ribbon cutting and complimented the company on its achievement. “When we were in New York recently [to present information to S&P and Moody’s], everyone said how great it was to hear a good story for a change. You are a part of the economic growth of this community.”

Members of the community joined at the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County to congratulate Jim Pillsbury on his promotion to Lieutenant General. Pillsbury will return to Huntsville with the Army Materiel Command (AMC).

For those keeping score, that would be three stars for him. Lt. Gen. Pillsbury assumed the duties as the U.S. Army Materiel Command's Deputy Commanding General on Dec. 8, 2008. Pillsbury is also serving as the executive director for conventional ammunition.

Surrounded by more than 150 leaders from across the region, Pillsbury thanked everyone and assured them he was looking forward to coming back home to the Tennessee Valley.
“We already have a lot picked out and we are ready to build,” said Pillsbury.

By the time the BRAC process is completed more than 4,700 new jobs will be transferred to RSA.

According to Joe Ritch, TV BRAC Committee Chairman, “It is important to maintain good relationships with those who have been here and will be returning. Those are the people making relevant decisions about the jobs that are coming to our region.”

Don Nalley and Nilmini Thompson

SPS is a woman-owned, (8a) certified small disadvantaged business that delivers program management and logistics support to the military on a worldwide scale. In addition to its office in Huntsville, the company has a presence in Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar and Afghanistan.

Don Nalley, Chair-elect of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors, has worked with SPS in the past and congratulated the company on its success.

“In a time of national economic downturn, SPS represents the best of what our community has to offer—superior delivery of products and support for our nation’s soldiers all over the world,” Nalley said. “We certainly appreciate that you have selected our community to expand your business and we are proud to have you here.”

SPS president and CEO Nilmini Thompson has been with the company since 2005 and has been a major factor in the company’s growth. Thompson applauded the community’s economy and said she looks forward to growing the company.

“Huntsville has one the most progressive economic outlooks in the Southeast region of the United States. SPS is proud to have relocated here and we look forward to a future of prosperous business growth,” Thompson said.

The report cites Huntsville’s low cost of living, high average salaries and strong presence of defense contractors as reasons why the community is an ideal location for employees looking for defense jobs.

To read the article online, visit www.fedsmith.com/article/1858/

Members are invited to participate in the Chamber’s Montgomery Trip 2009 Tuesday and Wednesday, March 10-11. The annual meeting is designed to advance the Chamber’s State Agenda and provide an opportunity to meet with key leaders in state government.

Legislature. Local business and elected leaders who participate in this visit also receive excellent networking opportunities with other community leaders, companies and potential customers while familiarizing themselves with Huntsville/Madison County’s critical state issues.

To maximize the exposure, the Chamber has extended the Montgomery trip to include parts of two days. There will be a reception Tuesday evening, March 10. The entire Alabama Legislature and key members of the Governor’s cabinet have been invited to the reception. Meetings with key education and transportation officials have already been arranged.

A $120 registration covers meetings, materials, breakfast, lunch and the reception. A $165 registration includes bus transportation to and from Montgomery, meetings, materials, breakfast, lunch and the reception.

Chamber members are eligible for a special discounted rate to stay in the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel and Spa at the Convention Center. To make reservations to the hotel, call 1-877-545-0311.

For more information about the trip, contact Tina Leopold at 535-2031 or TLeopold@hsvchamber.org. Attendees can also register for the Montgomery trip online at www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com.

2008 Edition

This publication will be included in all marketing efforts as the Chamber continues to attend and exhibit at workforce recruitment functions and meetings in 2009 geared toward attracting thousands of potential BRAC transferees. Similarly, the Chamber will be reaching out across the country to thousands of potential employees related to other new and expanding businesses in Huntsville/Madison County.

Front Row (L to R): Marty Kress (VCSI / NSSTC), Tom Baumbach (Dynetics President.) Back Row (L to R): Mike Graves (Dynetics Project Manager), David Freeman (VCSI), Kim Webb (VCSI), Charlotte Talley (NASA Marshall Space Flight Center), Greg Pruitt (VCSI), and Michael Stebbins (Dynetics Legal Counsel). Photographer: Stephanie Fenton/Dynetics (Click photo to enlarge.)

The new spacecraft will be called FASTSAT-HSV, short for the Fast Affordable Science and Technology Satellite – Huntsville. VCSI and MSFC have a flight opportunity agreement in place with the Department of Defense Space Test Program to develop and launch a spacecraft bus with five payloads, currently scheduled for December 2009. VCSI and MSFC also have a cooperative agreement in place that enables collaborative projects between the two organizations. Continue »

EMPOWER provides full-tuition scholarships, special enrichment activities and focused academic support which should allow students to better focus on their studies, according to Rhonda Gaede, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at UAHuntsville. Continue »

Click here for a detailed schedule. »