Homewood Business Happenings - May 2023

Now Open

Neighbors Ice Cream has recently reopened at 715 Oak Grove Road under the new ownership of the Walker family. The West Homewood ice cream shop closed earlier this year but held a grand reopening on April 15.

Coming Soon

JP Morgan Chase has started construction on a new Chase Bank branch on the corner of Green Springs Highway and Oxmoor Road. The other Alabama locations are in Auburn, Tuscaloosa and downtown Birmingham as well as another new location currently under construction in Hoover.

Relocations and Renovations

McAlister’s Deli, a leading fast casual chain, has moved its Homewood location after nearly 20 years — the new location opened Friday, April 14. The relocated restaurant will introduce several upgrades, including window side pickup for digital orders and a reimagined interior. Located three blocks away from its original location, the new Homewood McAlister’s Deli is at 169 State Farm Parkway, Suite 104.

News and Accomplishments

Samford University recently held a groundbreaking for the forthcoming Campus Recreation, Wellness and Athletic Complex. This historic project will provide students and employees expanded opportunities to improve physical fitness and mental wellness as well as new spaces for recreation, events and community gatherings. The complex will also provide new practice and training spaces for the school’s Division I athletic teams.

Evernest, a national, full-service real estate and property management firm, announced recently that they have acquired Colorado-based ParkSide Property Management. The acquisition adds approximately 170 homes to Evernest’s Denver portfolio, and boosts the firm’s overall properties managed to almost 16,000 nationwide.

Chef Timothy Hontzas has been named a finalist for the second year in a row for the James Beard Awards for Best Chef: South. Hontzas is the chef and owner of Johnny’s Restaurant on 18th Street. The James Beard Awards annually recognize the top chefs and restaurants in the country. 205-802-2711

Personnel Moves

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System, which includes the UAB Callahan Eye Hospital Clinic in Homewood, has filled two senior positions in its leadership team. Brenda Carlisle was named CEO of UAB Hospital, and Susan Jennings has been named the chief financial officer for the Health System. Both had been serving in their respective roles in an interim capacity. Before assuming the position as interim CEO in November 2022, Carlisle had been vice president of clinical operations for UAB Hospital since 2017. Prior to joining UAB, Carlisle was chief operating officer, vice president of patient care services and vice president of operations at Brookwood Medical Center. She has more than 30 years of experience in nursing management and health care operations in medical facilities throughout Alabama and Florida. Jennings has more than 35 years of experience within the healthcare industry serving in a variety of roles focused on organizational financial health and strategic financial decision-making. Her responsibilities include financial reporting and budgeting for the Health System and UAB Hospital, as well as overseeing any debt/financing initiatives across the enterprise. She joined UAB in 2006. Prior to being named interim CFO of the Health System, she had been CFO of UAB Hospital since November 2018. Before that, she spent 21 years with Ascension Health in Birmingham, serving in several financial roles that culminated as vice president of Seton Health Corp. 205-325-8620

Storyteller Overland, an industry leader in the class B RV and adventure vehicle manufacturing space, has promoted Mike Austell to Vice President of Engineering. Mike joined the Storyteller team last April with more than 10 years of experience in the automotive industry. He spent two years as a mechanical engineer at Honda and four years as a mechanical design engineer at Fitz-Thors Engineering, where he gained high-level design skills. 888-999-7442

Anniversaries

Little Donkey, with locations in Homewood, Montgomery and Greystone, is celebrating 11 years of business this year.