Local staffing company Genesis is holding a ribbon cutting for their new 6,700-square-foot corporate headquarters located at 3517 Laughlin Drive in West Mobile this Thursday, from 4 to 6 p.m., sponsored by the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce.
The company is moving into a larger footprint from a previous space located at 6159 Omni Park Drive. Established in 2013, the family-owned industrial and technical staffing firm currently has seven offices in six states, employs upwards of 40 employees internally and has been witnessing tremendous growth.
“We are looking to expand our brick and mortar presence,” Genesis president Clarissa Hamilton said. “Right now, we have offices in Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama.” She went on to say the company anticipates adding 20 more offices regionally over the next several years.
Keep Mobile Beautiful (KMB) has been awarded two grants totaling $6,000 to establish an urban orchard behind the Strickland Youth Center located at 2315 Costarides St. in Mobile. Approximately 100 fruit trees will be planted and tended by probationary youth and community volunteers on the Strickland campus adjacent to the Three Mile Creek Greenway.
The goal of the project is to enhance curb appeal around the campus and greenway, teach at-risk youth valuable job skills and provide better food options to low-income and minority residents in surrounding neighborhoods. The grants were provided by Keep America Beautiful, UPS and Alabama Power Foundation.
In an update, Braided River Brewing Company owner David Nelson reported having beer barrels delivered and is currently in the process of installing them. They will also be rolling out their “founders club” at the LoDa ArtWalk in November. As previously reported in Lagniappe, the local business is leasing some 5,500 square feet on the ground floor of the 53,000-square-foot Wheeler Lofts apartment complex at 450 St. Louis St. The grand opening for the business is slated for January 2020 and the brewery plans to offer canned and draft beer as well as a range of specialty beers.
The Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS) recently executed a lease for some 25,825 square feet of office space at the Bel Air Office Complex located at 3100 Cottage Hill Road in Midtown Mobile, just south of The Shoppes at Bel Air. ADRS will occupy the entirety of building seven in the 127,170-square-foot professional office complex. Allen Garstecki and Guy Oswalt of JLL represented ADRS. Jay D. Roberds II, SIOR, and David Dexter of NAI Mobile manage leasing at the complex.
According to restaurateur Shaul Zislin, owner of Baldwin County-based eatery and family event space The Hangout, city approval has been granted for build out on a new 10,000-square-foot, six-story, mixed-use property at 101 W. Beach Blvd. in Gulf Shores. The footprint is currently occupied by former retailer Surf Style, but plans are in place to raze the space soon to make way for the new project, which is anticipated to include condominiums and retail space.
Angie McArthur with Stirling Properties recently reported new retailers setting up shop in West Mobile at 7695 Cottage Hill Road inside Cumberland Place. 4 Queens Boutique recently opened and is leasing 600 square feet of retail space. Class 101 College Finance and Planning Advisors is leasing 1,200 square feet of office space with expectations to open later this year. McArthur handled the work for both tenants.
Clint Flowers with National Land Realty reported $3.3 million was recently paid by Baldwin County administrators to acquire almost 540 acres of land located in Loxley off of Highway 49. Future plans for the site may involve recreational development, according to Flowers who managed the transaction. The property is currently undeveloped and wooded, but includes road frontage as well as access to utilities.
Shana Jordan, owner of marketing firm Oyster Shell Strategy, recently reported expanding into a larger 1,100-square-foot office space located at 127 Dauphin St., Suite 103 and 104, in Downtown Mobile. Jordan also reported adding two key new hires: a new director of event management, Maggie Robertson, and a new director of development, Richard Hopkins.
Taylor takes the helm at Exchange 202
Josh Taylor was recently tapped as the latest face of operations and community relations for what many consider the area’s original co-working space, Exchange 202, located at 202 Government St. in Downtown Mobile.
As reported previously in Lagniappe, the collaborative, shared space concept was first seen in larger metro markets such as San Francisco and New York in the early 2000s prior to migrating to mid-tier markets such as Mobile.
The 10,000-square-foot former Red Square space first opened in October 2015 and was the original home for successful local startups such as CigarClub.com and Fishing Chaos, as well as being the launch pad for the similarly designed, public/privately partnered incubator tech hub Innovation PortalAL
Additionally, the new title of “entrepreneur in residence” indicates a significant shift in skill sets desired to run the space, according to co-owner and biggest tenant, Brad Custred, local owner and CEO of Slingshot Inc.
“We believe small businesses are the backbone of our economy and if we can help them thrive, everyone wins,” Custred said. “We brought Josh in as the ‘entrepreneur in residence’ because we were looking for someone who has built successful businesses, had knowledge and experience that would bring real value to our members and could be a leader within our community.”
A native of New Orleans, Taylor moved to the area in 2002 to attend college at the University of Mobile and graduated with a degree in theology and remained here. Taylor also went on to earn a master’s degree in pastoral leadership from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Prior to launching his own business, he served in pastoral ministry for 15 years, most recently as the executive pastor at Mars Hill Church on Downtowner Boulevard. Taylor currently is the owner of ReStory Marketing, a firm that works with nonprofits on implementing marketing strategies, using a storytelling framework called StoryBrand.
“The future of the Exchange is about helping businesses reach the next level of growth,” Taylor said. “We want to be more than just a place to get work done, we want to be a resource to help businesses grow and contribute to the economy.”
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