Hot-dip galvanizing plant opening in Semmes

Construction is underway for a new hot-dip galvanizing facility in the Semmes area. Quality Galvanizing LLC, a subsidiary of Threaded Fasteners Inc., will own and operate the facility.

The building will be located at 2650-C Schillinger Road, N. The site will encompass some 12,000 square feet in total, with 10,000 square feet dedicated to the galvanizing line and small office area and 2,000 square feet for storage. The facility will feature a new galvanizing line for TFI, with a kettle capable of holding 44 tons of molten zinc and a gross capacity of 6,000 pounds per hour.

The new company plans to hire six to eight galvanizing technicians early next year. Those interested in applying for a position may send a resume and cover letter to: Human Resources, Quality Galvanizing LLC, 3200 Crichton St., Mobile 36607.

Quality Galvanizing is a member of the American Galvanizers Association, a trade group that promotes safety and best practices in the galvanizing industry and also provides technical support and educational materials about galvanizing. To learn more about the hot-dip galvanizing process, visit the American Galvanizers Association website.

• Old Majestic Brewery will occupy a 10,000-square-foot former 1920s brick cotton warehouse building at 650 St. Louis St. in downtown Mobile. Relocating from Greenville, Mississippi, the top of the brewery’s roof will encompass a glass skylight and several 10-foot-wide by 13-foot-high windows will front the property. The warehouse is being dismantled, restored and historically reassembled in LoDa’s “Automobile Alley” Historic District. 

The brewpub will be adjacent to the Cheese Cottage, which is to open soon in a restored 1930s Pure Oil Service Station located at 660 St. Louis St., and directly across from Olde Mobile Antiques, located in the former Nash Automobile Dealership in the 600 block of St. Louis Street, according to Bob Isakson, president of Lafayette Land Company.

Heather Huffman with NAI Mobile represented the owners of the Old Majestic Brewery. J. Antone Green with Bellator Real Estate and Development worked for the landlords.

• Providence Medical Group, the physician network of Providence Hospital, is expanding to the Eastern Shore with a new office in Fairhope and a new name. The practice, located at 411 N. Section St., Suite B, opened Nov. 1 as Ascension Medical Group Providence at Fairhope, according to a news release.

Julia Ellison, D.O., will practice family medicine at the Fairhope office. She earned her doctor of osteopathy degree from the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and completed a residency in family medicine at the University of South Alabama. 

• Sola Salons is leasing 4,468 square feet of retail space in Eastern Shore Plaza, 10200 Eastern Shore Blvd. in Spanish Fort, and plans to open next spring. Angie McArthur with Stirling Properties represented the landlord. John Vallas with Vallas Realty worked for the tenant.

• Per Sharon Wright with White-Spunner Realty, an acre lot at the corner of Edwards Avenue and Greeno Road in Fairhope was acquired by Century Bank for $375,000. Plans are in place to build a new branch office on the site by 2018. Jeremy Freedman of Bellator Real Estate and Development represented Century Bank. Wright worked for the seller.

• Bay Area Clinical Associates LLC is leasing 2,400 square feet of office space at 3925 Springhill Ave. in Mobile. The company is relocating from its current space and plans to open in early 2018. Jill Meeks, leasing executive with Stirling Properties, represented the tenant. Pratt Thomas with Merrill P. Thomas Co. worked for the landlord.

• According to Amber Dedeaux with Vallas Realty, the Injury Treatment Center property at 3101 Springhill Ave. in Mobile, formerly under lease by center owner Dr. Scott Walker, was recently acquired for $245,000 by Walker.

• A 17,000-square-foot former bowling alley site located at 204 E. Michigan Ave. in Foley on 1.5 acres was picked up for $475,000 by a South Florida speculator. Stacy Ryals, managing broker with Hosteeva Realty in Gulf Shores, worked for the buyers.

Mobile unemployment declines to U.S. average
The city of Mobile’s unemployment rate declined to 4.2 percent as of September 2017, according to a report from the Alabama Department of Labor, matching the national average.

The numbers reflect a decrease from an August 2017 rate of 5.4 percent and a significant decline from a September 2016 rate of 7.4 percent. Estimates were prepared by the Alabama Labor Department in cooperation with the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, based on 2016 benchmarks.

“Existing businesses continue to expand, offering more job opportunities to our citizens,” Mayor Sandy Stimpson said in a statement. “The interest level in Mobile from prospective employers and investors has never been higher, and we will continue to build on this momentum until the unemployment rate is zero.”

Approximately 3,000 more people are working in the city of Mobile now than in September 2016, according to the study. Over the past year, Mobile has announced several new workforce opportunities including the Wal-Mart Distribution Center, the Amazon Sortation Center, the expansion of Airbus and Airbus suppliers, and most recently the relocation of SSAB’s headquarters from Chicago to Mobile. 

Stuart joins Sam Winter & Co.
Mobile-based real estate sales and marketing firm Sam Winter & Co. recently announced the addition of agent Bry Stuart to the locally owned firm.

A Mobile native, Stuart attended the University of South Alabama, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in communications. He worked at Ion South Pharmacy as a nuclear pharmacy technician prior to obtaining his real estate license in 2016.

“We are excited to have Bry join our team. His sphere of influence among family, friends and business associates brings value to our company and its clients. Mobile is a relationship town and contacts such as his are very helpful in matching buyers and sellers, as well as providing resources for the real estate transaction itself. We are looking forward to having him work with us,” owner/broker Sam Winter said.