press@hooverchamber.org 

 

3-1-2010 - Greystone Residents Seek Sponsors for Alabama Symphony Orchestra Event mboggswriter@bellsouth.net
10-27-09 - Greg Powell Wins Alabama Small Business Champions Award http://www.fiplanpartners.com/news.htm
05-08-09 - Office Depot Discount Program  
05-20-09 - Leukemia and Lymphomia Society Man & Woman of the Year A Huge Success

04-27-09 - Princeton Baptist Medical Center Expansion  

 

 

 

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HOOVER, AL - May 8, 2009 - Office Depot offers exclusive discount program to Hoover Area Chamber Members - Office Depot - This is a discount program which allows Chamber members to receive special discounts on all their office supply needs.  Up to 10% off web pricing for select items. FREE Next-Day deliver of in stock items. In - store discounts.  196 Key Items on your "Hot Buy List" including paper and an extensive toner list. Ability to create your own custom core or "Hot Buy List", up to 30 items.  Office Supplies, furniture, business machines, copy, print and promotional items, coffee and break room supplies.  Access to a private website for order placement (https://bsd.officedepot.com/).  Your choice of an account billing (invoice) account or a credit card account, or both!!!
No contract / No sign - on fees.  Additional Order Size Discounts: 1% off for Orders > $150; 1.5% off for Orders > $200; 2% off for Orders > $300. The greatest part of this partnership is that your employees can take part in the program as well.  Below is a secure website link that you can go to get started taking advantage of these great discounts. This is also the link that your employees can use to link their personal credit/debit cards to receive the discounts as well. http://odams.officedepot.com/registrations/portal.php?a=50879023
Please let me know if you have any questions or if I can help you in any way. I look forward to working with you and hearing back from you.
Mickie Manning, Territory Development Manager, Office Depot / Birmingham, AL, phone: 205-945-2650 x: 210; fax: 205-945-2649; email: mickie.manning@officedepot.com

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March 1, 2010

Greystone Residents Seek Sponsors for  June 19, 2010 Alabama Symphony Orchestra Event

There is a citizen movement going on in North Shelby County- a symphonic citizen movement to be exact. A group of Greystone residents plans to bring the Alabama Symphony Orchestra to Greystone Golf & Country Club this summer to perform a free outdoor POPS concert.

According to ASO Executive Director Curt Long, this is an unprecedented effort in Shelby County. This is the first time, residents there have organized to raise funds to bring the full symphony to their neighborhood, and invite the community at-large. 

We are currently in the fund-raising stage to make Symphony on the Green a reality, said Mindy Boggs, co-chair of the Greystone Symphony Committee.  If a business wants to attract and maintain customers from the greater Greystone/280 area, we hope they will consider the many benefits of our Title Sponsorship. As a Title Sponsor, that business will have a unique opportunity to set themselves apart from competitors, as well as support the community and our state’s symphony. Only 10 Title Sponsorships are available, at $5,000 each. Four Title Sponsor commitments have already been made.           

In addition to other promotions, Mrs. Boggs said each Title Sponsor will be featured in a 60 second TV commercial run throughout the day, 30 days before the event, as well as on a jumbotron, the day of the event. Title Sponsor spots are to air during normal hours of operation daily, in high traffic areas of the Founders Clubhouse, the Legacy Clubhouse, and the Tennis Clubhouse. Imagine all the foot traffic we get at Greystone Golf & Country Club during peak golf, tennis, and wedding season. Everyone who comes through those doors will know who to thank, and will remember your business supported this community effort. 

According to Mrs. Boggs, Title Sponsors will receive 10 passes for access to the VIP Tent and Clubhouse, plus complimentary buffet meals, and many other amenities before, during, and after the event.

It is a great win-win opportunity, said Roy Sewell, Symphony Committee Co-Chair and Legacy Homeowners Association Board Member. We have an arrangement with ASO which allows most of the $5,000 to be tax-deductible, in accordance with the law. There is a $2,000 retail value assigned to the Sponsor benefits and for most businesses that is a tax-deductible marketing expense. We expect the Title Sponsor story to be heard thousands of times, 30 days leading up to the event, and by hundreds of people the day of the concert. We believe the investment will pay for itself with a return in sales and new customers.

The really exciting thing is we are trying to make this event free to the public. We encourage ANY business, any group, to invite others to join them at this event.  The grounds will be open two hours before the concert to allow people to spread their blankets, set up camp chairs and enjoy food, fun and fellowship at this beautiful venue, said Boggs.                                      
 
Individuals, as well as other community partners, such as the Greystone Residential Association, Greystone Golf & Country Club, and the Greystone Ladies Club support efforts to create a new signature event for the Greystone community. For years, Greystone hosted the Bruno Memorial Golf Classic, which brought nationwide attention to that area of Shelby County.  If sufficient sponsorships and donations are achieved by March 30, 2010, the free outdoor concert event will be held Saturday, June 19, 2010, with a rain date of June 20.

For Sponsorship information Contact: Mindy Boggs, Co-chair, Greystone Symphony Committee 205-995-1094, or (cell) 205-218-4303. mboggswriter@bellsouth.net

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Birmingham Entrepreneur Wins Regional Small Business Champion Award =====  BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Oct. 27, 2009--

Greg Powell, President/CEO of fi-Plan Partners receives the NFIB Small Business Champion Award for Alabama and the entire Southern Region.  More info at http://www.fiplanpartners.com/news.htm.

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May 2009 - Leukemia and Lymphomia Society Man & Woman of the Year A Huge Success

Birmingham's Man & Woman of the Year Grand Finale was held on Thursday, May 14th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at B&A Warehouse. The event that featured entertainment, dinner, silent and live auctions along with the announcement of the Man & Woman of the Year. David Ramsey from Heritage Auctions auctioned fabulous trips, dinners and more.

Man & Woman of the Year is a nine week fundraising competition among individuals in the community that benefits The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). Candidates are judged solely on a philanthropic basis and the individuals who raise the most funds will be awarded the title of "Man of the Year" or "Woman of the Year". Candidates include Mike Brown, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP; Jerry Chambers, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama; Marcie DeBardeleben; Elizabeth Reich Pittman; Debbie Hawkins, Alabama Power Company.  Candidates participate in this competition in honor of those afflicted by blood cancers. This year the candidates were inspired by our Girl of the Year, Carolyn Thompson and Boy of the Year, Garrett McDonald. Carolyn is a six-year old kindergartener at Briarwood Christian School. She was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) on January 5, 2007, at the age of four. She is in remission, doing very well and will finish her chemotherapy treatments in May 2009.  Garrett is a seven year old second grader. He was diagnosed with ALL T-cell on April 9 2004 when he was almost 3 years old.  He underwent 2 years of chemotherapy and 10 days of radiation.  He finished treatments on May 10, 2006 and is doing great.. 

The five candidates solicited donations, corporate sponsorships and auction items to raise funds for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. At the end of the evening, over $131,000 had been raised to support LLS's mission to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families. The woman raising the most funds and earning the title "Woman of the Year" was Marcie DeBardeleben. She raised over $43,000! Jerry Chamber, with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama was crowned "Man of the Year". He is a former member of the Board of Trustees for the LLS Alabama/Gulf Coast Chapter and raised over $29,000.

The Man & Woman of the Year Grand Finale was presented by Alabama Plate Cutting Company, Inc. and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama. Other sponsors for the event included: Brasfield & Gorrie; Burr & Forman, LLP; The DeBardeleben Foundation and C. Crawford Williams. 

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BIRMINGHAM, AL --- Princeton Baptist Medical Center's $72 million expansion and renovation project has been unanimously approved by Alabama's Certificate of Need Review Board. The project includes renovation of 60,000 square feet of existing space - primarily the renovation of the hospital's 16 surgery suites - and the addition of 90,000 square feet including surgical recovery space, improved patient and visitor access, and better way finding.

"Clearly this is very good news and we are excited about the State Certificate of Need Review Board's unanimous approval of Princeton's expansion plans," said Keith Parrott, Princeton president. "This campus expansion will allow us to continue the high level of care our patients expect and deserve, and we anticipate breaking ground in late 2009."

As the first Baptist Health System hospital - purchased in 1922 - Princeton Baptist has a long history of serving and resonding to the needs of the many communities the hospital serves. The project is Princeton's first capital investment at this scale in more than 30 years.

 

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BHS Announces Plans to Build Hospital in Hoover named Hoover Baptist Medical Center 

 Baptist Health System (BHS) announced today its plans to build a hospital in Hoover, Alabama, the only city in the state with more than 60,000 residents without a hospital.  Shane Spees, BHS President and CEO, was joined in making the announcement by Hoover Mayor, Tony Petelos. 

 "Our health system was formed in 1922 to fill a void in healthcare services.  Today, we're announcing our intentions to fill a void in healthcare services in Hoover, which has matured greatly over the past several years, growing to be the sixth largest city in Alabama," said Spees.  "But access to healthcare in Hoover is essentially the same as when the city was established in 1967.  Pending regulatory approval, our intention is to build a much-needed hospital in Hoover."

 Baptist officials will file today with the State Health Planning and Development Agency (SHPDA) a request for an amendment to the state's Health Plan which would allow the System to move licensed hospital beds from Princeton Baptist Medical Center to the proposed Hoover Baptist Medical Center.  If the amendment is adopted, Baptist officials plan to seek approval to move up to 140 beds, and offer a full complement of clinical services at the new hospital, including a physician-staffed, 24/7 emergency department.

 "Access to healthcare is critical.  And the City of Hoover, which has experienced explosive growth over the past several years, has great quality of life, great schools, as well as ample business opportunities.  But we lack critical access to healthcare," said Mayor Petelos.  "The announcement today means we're one step closer to meeting that need for our community."

Within the first six months of taking office in 2004, Mayor Petelos commissioned a study to assess the City of Hoover's need for a hospital.  "The report clearly showed that with our population growth, the need existed.  And as we've continued to grow, the need is even greater today," said Petelos.

Said Spees, "This is an exciting time for Baptist Health System with major investments planned at Princeton, a new bed-tower project underway at Shelby, and recently completed projects at Walker and Citizens Baptist Medical Centers.  Hoover Baptist is a major growth initiative for our System, and we look forward to working with SHPDA and members of the Statewide Health Coordinating Council through the regulatory process for approval to build Hoover Baptist Medical Center."

Jennifer Dodd - Marketing and Public Relations Director

Princeton Baptist Medical Center

783-3526-phone - 783-7882-fax

 

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Local dealer honored at the 2008 Air Conditioning Contractors of America 

Expo in Colorado SpringsBirmingham, Alabama, February 8, 2008- Charlie Conklin and Michael Tortomase of Sentry Heating, Air Conditioning, and Plumbing has been named as a recipient of the 2008 President's Award from Carrier Corp., a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX). After an extensive evaluation, dealerships were selected and honored at a ceremony held February 8 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in conjunction with the 40th Annual Indoor Air Expo ? Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) Conference. Each year, the President's Award is presented to an elite group of Carrier Factory Authorized Dealers (FAD) who exemplify Carrier's model for operational excellence, business effectiveness and delivering the best in cutting edge technology to consumers. 

Charlie Conklin founded sentry in 1987. In 2003 Michael Tortomase came on board to form the plumbing division. Sentry specializes in service and repairs of HVAC plumbing systems. They also specialize in custom energy efficient, environmentally safe HVAC systems for your home, office, or industry.

"This year's recipients achieved their business goals while delivering exceptional customer value and successfully positioning the Carrier brand in their respective markets," said Karie Johnson, manager, Programs and Promotions, Carrier North America. This award presents the opportunity for the recipients to serve as role models, share ìbest practicesî and offer peer mentoring to cultivate excellence across the dealer group. 

 

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The Jefferson County Environmental Services Department, under the direction of the Jefferson County Commission, has the responsibility to collect, transport and treat sanitary sewage in Jefferson County. Jefferson County maintains over 2700 miles of sewer lines throughout the area.

 

When sewer lines are blocked, wastewater backs up until it overflows from manholes or building plumbing fixtures into storm drains, creeks or buildings. These overflows are referred to as Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs). SSOs violate the Clean Water Act and render Jefferson County subject to fines and other legal action. Investigations by Jefferson County Environmental Services Department have shown that grease is the leading cause of dry weather SSOs in the county and many of these dry weather SSOs have

been determined to be caused by Fats, Oils and Grease (FOG) from food

service facilities.

 

When grease is disposed of directly into the sewer system it cools, solidifies and combines with other foreign materials in sewer line. Over a period of time this will restrict the flow through the pipe and in some cases completely block a sewer line.

In 2005 approximately 60% of SSOs were found to be caused by grease from

food service facilities. In response the Jefferson County Commission has implemented the Grease Control Program (GCP). This program is one of many steps taken by Jefferson County to eliminate SSOs and comply with the Clean Water Act and the Consent Decree. The Clean Water Act requires the elimination of all sanitary sewer overflows in our county.

The purpose of this program is to decrease the amount of fat, oil and grease being discharged into the sanitary sewer system and thereby reduce the number of dry

weather SSOs. The Grease Control Program will be evaluated periodically and will be modified as necessary to maximize its effectiveness.

 

Facts about the Grease Control Program: * In October 2006, the Jefferson County Commission passed the Grease Control Ordinance #1778

* The Grease Control Ordinance covers approximately 3,000 food service facilities that are connected to the sewer

* Jefferson County GCP is a section of the Barton Laboratory Division of the Jefferson County Environmental Services Department

* There are 1671 Food Service Facilities that have filed an application for a GCP permit

* Grease Control Program inspectors began inspections of Food Service Facilities in June 2007

* The number of Food Service Facilities that have been inspected is 1610, as of April 2008

* There are 117 Food Service Facilities that have been determined, through inspection, to be non-compliant

* 16% of the Food Service Facilities in Jefferson County have attended training and information classes 

 

Basic Components of the Grease Control Program:

* All Food Service Facilities are required to file an application for a permit and pay the permit fee

* The program requires a set schedule for the pumping and cleaning of traps and interceptors. Traps must be cleaned every 90 days and interceptors must be cleaned every 14 days

* All Food Service Facilities are required to keep detailed documentation of where and how the grease is being disposed

* Food Service Facilities must develop and implement an employee training program to assure Best Management Practices for proper disposal of grease

* Food Service Facilities are inspected on an annual basis

 

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