News for September 2011

BASS organization moving to Birmingham

From the article “BASS to move into Colonial Center Blue Lake in Birmingham” by Michael Tomberlin in The Birmingham News:

BASS LLC has found a home in a Blue Lake in Birmingham. The fishing and media organization, which is moving its headquarters from Orlando, has picked an office building off U.S. 280 for its new base. Officials say BASS LLC plans to take just more than 15,000 square feet of space in the Colonial Center Blue Lake at 3500 Blue Lake Drive. Like The Summit retail center across Interstate 459, the building is in the city limits of Birmingham, honoring a commitment by BASS to land in the city. “We’re in the process of getting ready for it,” BASS co-owner Don Logan said of the move. “We’re going to be out in the U.S. 280/I-459 area, and we plan to be there Nov. 1.” Logan said the move should bring around 50 employees to Birmingham and position the company to grow.

Birmingham Mayor William Bell said the Blue Lake site is a good fit for BASS. “With the recruitment of almost any company, easy access to interstates is very important,” Bell said. “That was definitely a major factor for BASS and a big advantage for a city of Birmingham location so close to I-459, east-west and north-south interstates, and our airport.” Bell said Birmingham won the project after competing with other cities in central Alabama. “The city is a natural fit for BASS when you consider the quality of our workforce and the fact that Alabama is known throughout the world for its love of fishing, many beautiful lakes and rivers, and, in general, a quality of life that is second to none,” he said. “We appreciate BASS and its decision to locate in Birmingham and look forward to making the transition from the present headquarters in Florida easy and seamless.” Birmingham is offering an incentives package to lure BASS here, but the particulars are not complete. “We have assisted in identifying possible state incentives, but local incentives are still being discussed,” Bell said.

The headquarters move will bring the company’s Bassmaster, BASS Times and Fishing Tackle Retailer magazines and online operations; the Bassmaster Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic fishing tournament tours; sales management positions; tournament management jobs; and corporate executive positions. The move will not include the television production company operated by BASS co-owner Jerry McKinnis. That will remain in Little Rock, Ark. David Fullington, senior vice president of leasing at Colonial Properties Trust, handles leasing duties for the Blue Lake building. “We are thrilled to have BASS LLC locate their headquarters at Blue Lake and think they will be a great, positive addition,” Fullington said. Fullington said the BASS lease gives the four-story, 160,000-square-foot building an occupancy rate close to 76 percent. The mirrored-glass covered building was built in 1982 and renovated in 2008.

BASS is based in Celebration, Fla., near Orlando, but it was founded in Montgomery in 1968 by Ray Scott, who sold it in 1986. ESPN Inc. took control of BASS in 2001, and Logan led a group of investors who purchased the company from ESPN almost one year ago. Logan, a retired Time Inc. executive who once ran Birmingham magazine publisher Southern Progress Corp., now lives in Mountain Brook and also owns the Birmingham Barons baseball team. Dave Rickey, spokesman for the Birmingham Business Alliance, said BASS is a big catch for the metro area. “We’re going to work with them to ensure everything is finalized and their move to Birmingham goes well,” Rickey said.
For lodging at the best fishing lake in Alabama, stay on the shore of Logan Martin Lake at Treasure Island Bed and Breakfast
For the complete article please see http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2011/09/bass_to_move_into_colonial_cen.html.

 

Edited: September 14th, 2011

Newsweek names Alabama and Auburn to list of “most beautiful” colleges

From the article “Alabama, Auburn make Newsweek’s ‘most beautiful’ college list” by Chris Pow on al.com:

The University of Alabama and Auburn University are used to making the top 25 rankings, and now thanks to Newsweek and The Daily Beast, they rank as two of the most beautiful colleges in the nation. The magazine put Alabama at No. 3 and Auburn at No. 15 on their “Most Beautiful” list, one of more than 20 lists ranking U.S. colleges in categories ranging from “Happiest Schools” to “Best Food.” For the “Most Beautiful” category, the magazine weighted rankings and grades produced by websites PopCrunch,The Best Colleges and College Prowler on the attractiveness of both students and campuses. Four other SEC universities were ranked as one of the 25 most beautiful schools. Ole Miss topped the list, with Florida at No. 5, Georgia at No. 8 and Kentucky at No. 12. Auburn was the sole SEC representative on the “Most Service-Oriented” list, coming in at No. 23. A study by Newsweek and Washington Monthly determined these rankings by analyzing participation of students and alumni in service organizations and colleges’ involvement in service.

For the complete article please see http://blog.al.com/tuscaloosa/2011/09/alabama_auburn_make_newsweeks.html.

Edited: September 7th, 2011

Barber Motorsports Museum wins “First in Class” at Pebble Beach Concours

From the article “Barber Vintage MotorsportsMuseum makes it 2-for-2 at Pebble Beach Concours” by Doug Demmons in The Birmingham News:

The trophy is only half the size this year but the achievement was twice as large for the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum. Barber once again entered one of its vintage motorcycles in the Pebble Beach Concours and once again brought home the trophy this week for first in class. The annual Pebble Beach Concours in California is one of the nation’s most prestigious vintage automotive shows and competitions and only recently began accepting motorcycles as part of its competition. Barber has entered the invitation-only competition twice and has now won twice. “It signifies that the best collection in the world is here in Birmingham, Alabama,” said Jeff Ray, the museum’s executive director. “We are tickled to death to get two in a row.”

This year Barber was invited to bring its 1956 MV Agusta, an Italian-made bike that was ridden to a world championship by John Surtees, the only racer to have won world titles for motorcycles and cars. Surtees, who won a Formula One championship in 1964 in a Ferrari that is also in the Barber collection, went with the bike to Pebble Beach. After racing the bike for two seasons in 1956 and 1957, Surtees later acquired it and restored it. Barber acquired the bike in 1989 but has kept it as close as possible to the condition it was in when it was in competition. “This is how it looked when it was raced,” said museum founder George Barber. “We’ve been a steward of it,” Ray said. “There’s nicks and bumps and bruises. It’s not perfect. It never was perfect.” Even the grips on the handlebars remain cracked from use. And that’s part of the charm and authenticity that judges look for, Ray said.

Another thing that impressed the judges was the fact that while many bikes have to be started using rollers, the MV Agusta was jump started the way the bikes were back then. “That was the true Italian GP style,” Ray said. “Thankfully it started every time.” It also helped that Surtees was present to answer questions about what the bike looked like and how it performed when he raced it. “John was better than a sheet of paper because he was there,” Ray said. The Barber Museum didn’t enter last year’s competition when the focus was on early American bikes. The first win came when the competition highlighted British-made bikes. Next year’s is scheduled to be on German motorcycles. But with two wins in two competitions, the museum is hoping to bring some recognition to the state and the museum as the home of one of the best collections in the world. “We’re proud to win this thing for Alabama,” Barber said.

For the complete article please see http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/08/barber_vintage_motorsports_mus.html.

Edited: September 1st, 2011