Teamwork and Heart: It was refreshing to hear Shipt’s CEO Bill Smith share the company’s story of commitment to family, excellence, human capital, and future generations. Smith, originally from Birmingham, brainstormed the idea after a trip to the grocery store with his wife and small children. Smith sought to make the shopping process easier and within three weeks, 1,000 Birmingham residents signed on before he wrote the first lines of Shipt’s code.

The evolution of Project Unicorn (Shipt), a product created as a result of an entrepreneurial spirit, is a testament to our state’s inherent values of family, hard-work, dedication, and persistence. The estimated 881 highly-skilled jobs created over time showcase our state’s positioning as a leader in technology and innovation. Congratulations, Birmingham and Jefferson County, on this win, and thank you to Shipt for choosing to expand your operations within Alabama.

http://www.alreporter.com/2018/07/13/shipt-announces-over-800-new-jobs-in-the-birmingham-area/

​Teamwork: Today marked the official opening of the Terris Tatum Tennessee River Intake Facility. The facility is a partnership between Madison Utilities and the Town of Triana and the result of efforts led by Mr. Terris Tatum. Access to adequate water and sewer are critical to the economic development process. Thank you to all who have worked over the course of the past several years to make this happen. #Our67

Teamwork translates into a better quality of life for Alabamians. Today Governor Kay Ivey announced the expansion of Shipt, an online grocery delivery service, which will add up to 881 new jobs to its metropolitan Birmingham headquarters. It was a pleasure to join the Shipt team, members of the Jefferson County and City of Birmingham delegation, and local business leaders at this announcement. Congratulations to all, and thank you to Shipt for investing in Alabama! #Our67

Job openings here: https://www.shipt.com/careers/openings/

This morning, Huntsville International Airport announced new service via Frontier Airlines with direct flights to Orlando and Denver, which is advantageous for aerospace and government-related travel to these areas. The airline offers low-cost options for leisure travelers as well. Introductory pricing is as low as $39, and flights start in October 2018.
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Frontier operates multiple Airbus aircraft, whose plant is headquartered in Mobile. #MadeInAlabama #Our67

Thank you to the Alabama Forestry Association for hosting a Shoals Area Regional Reception in Florence this evening. It was great to share ideas about economic development with Mayor Steve Holt at the event.
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Forestry is one of Alabama's dominant industries and therefore plays a key role in our state's economy. The Alabama Forestry Association promotes good stewardship of our renewable forest resources for the benefit of society and the forestry community and endorses candidates who are pro-business and who understand the importance of free enterprise.

It was an honor to witness Run for the Fallen travel through Alabama today on their trek from California to Arlington National Cemetery. Founder John Lutz lost his son in Iraq and organized the run to commemorate the lives of the fallen and the Gold Star Families who remain forever changed. #Our67

Huntsville Run-In at Veterans Park / Ceremony at Fleet Feet

It was a joy to start the day out in Henegar with breakfast, then a parade, and finally the annual Sand Mountain Potato Festival. The best part of the morning, however, was hanging out by the Coke machine with the most beautiful baby in DeKalb County. #Our67​

Recently we celebrated one year of Google Fiber in Huntsville, a monumental achievement. Access to broadband is a request that virtually every major corporation desires when locating within our state. Yesterday we began talks about the importance of Google Fiber's presence in rural areas of Alabama as well. #Our67

​Earlier in the year, Governor Kay Ivey signed the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Act, which authorized the creation of a broadband accessibility grant program. The bill, sponsored by Senator Clay Scofield and Representative Donnie Chesteen, also created the Alabama Broadband Accessibility Fund. This is a great start to achieving the goal of bringing accessibility to all areas of Alabama.

Teamwork: Over the past few years, GE Appliances has made noteworthy investments in facilities around the United States, and GE’s most recent announcement is a testament to the company’s confidence in Alabama’s workforce, business climate, and quality of life.
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The expansion of GE Appliances’ manufacturing facility will generate another significant economic boost for Decatur and Morgan County. Every high-paying primary job creates an estimated 2.5 secondary/service-related jobs, resulting in more folks employed and spending money in and around the Decatur area – which is excellent news that a hardworking, dedicated community deserves. #Our67

​Read more here - Alabama Political Reporter Article: ​http://www.alreporter.com/2018/07/02/governor-ivey-announces-ge-appliances-to-create-255-jobs-with-expansion-in-decatur/ 

God has given many of us a spiritual gift of influence over others - whether it be our families, our coworkers, our community - sometimes all three.

Every day, we have a choice to build up or tear down. And when making that choice, we have to ask ourselves - are we going to criticize those who, in our own eyes, do wrong or we do not agree with? Or, are we going to ask God to help us view them the way He sees them - in the way He crafted them and their personalities.
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Public life has taught me to build up and to see others through lenses of Grace, just as God sees us. This is why over the course of my career I have made it a point to highlight people who wake up every day to genuinely make a difference on behalf of Alabamians. Here is one of them. Keep up the great work, Twinkle Cavanaugh. #Our67

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to speak again with Jeanne Payne, who serves as Director of Development for the Cook Museum of Natural Science in Decatur. Jeanne cultivates relationships and advocates for education every day in her career and has served on a number of boards and committees over the years in the Decatur-Morgan County area.
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The quality of life of Alabamians benefits greatly because of Jeanne and people like her who take the time to become skilled in their craft. That being said, I just wanted to take the opportunity to say, thank you, Jeanne, for all you do! #Our67

Today's Alabama Space Authority meeting focused on economic development and the aerospace industry. Our state is leading our nation in developing the talent and technology to compete in the present-day space race.
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Huntsville is rich in technological history. While walking the halls of the Space and Rocket Center after the meeting, I was blessed to run into two NASA Emeriti - Billy Neal and Bart Fay. Thank you to all, past and present, who have worked to advance the industry of aerospace and aviation. #Our67