The Wharf at Orange Beach has reached 84 percent occupancy with 12 new tenants moving in and three expansions by existing occupants, according to a news release. The property also hosted nearly 2 million visitors in 2016, making a significant economic impact on the city and surrounding region. 

“The Wharf is thrilled to see attendance growth year over year,” Kristen Guenther, management team leader at The Wharf, said. “Each of these new tenants along with current partnership developments will help continue to diversify our property offerings, making it an all-inclusive destination.”

New tenants include:

• Moxie, November 2016 — a cardio fitness space focusing on creating health and wellness by strengthening mind and body in unison;

• World Food Championship, November 2016 — occupies office space after its on-property event last year;

• Flowers by the Shore, January 2017 — a local floral retailer with over a 20-year footprint in the area;

• Carney Realty, February 2017, in the office suites — a Realtor offering home buying and selling services;

• The Intracoastal, March 2017 — previously known as The Hot Spot Music & Grub, a waterfront venue providing musical entertainment from regional musicians;

• Gulf Shores Power Sports, April 2017 — a powersports dealership now open off Wharf Parkway on the second floor;

• First Cahawba Bank, April 2017, in the office suites — a new business space that will serve as a loan production office;

• Sawgrass Consulting LLC, April 2017, in the office suites — providing engineering, surveying and construction management services throughout the Southeast;

• Gulf Coast Brokers, April 2017, in the office suites — a full-service real estate brokerage firm specializing in residential, second homes, commercial and vacation rentals;

• Orange Beach Lifestyle & Performance Medicine, spring 2017 — relocating from its Canal Road location, medical professionals provide preventative health-related care;

• Blue Water BBQ Co., May 2017 — a new eatery slated to occupy the previous Hot Spot Music & Grub space, offering a full selection of Southern barbeque;

• Burris Farm Market, May 2017 — permanent setup for open-air farmers market with full line of locally grown fruit and produce.
New expansions encompass:

• Sea la Vie Boudoir, October 2016 — design store for home and office décor expanded floor plan to offer broader selection of bedding, mattresses, accessories and more;

• The Southern Grind, March 2017 — local coffee house has doubled in size and now sells art, home décor and gifts;

• High Seas Design House, summer 2017 — opened in 2012, company provides digital solutions.

The Wharf has also made many infrastructure updates including new light fixtures, professional landscaping and expanded seating at the Amphitheater.

“Our goal is to provide the best possible on-property experience for visitors and locals alike, and to do that, we are in a constant state of improvement,” Guenther said. 

Jeff Barnes with Stirling Properties managed the new tenant arrivals at The Wharf.

Mobile Cryotherapy recognized by BCA
Mobile Cryotherapy, located on 6345 Airport Blvd. in West Mobile, was named the recipient of the Business Council of Alabama’s “University of South Alabama’s Small Business Game Changer” award.

Mobile Cryotherapy was awarded a complimentary full slate of corporate partner benefits for the 2017 football regular season, including game tickets and parking, in-venue logo recognition and exposure through both game day publications and radio.

The award was presented at last weekend’s South Alabama Jaguar college football spring game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

“Small businesses are the economic engines of Alabama,” BCA president and CEO William J. Canary said. “The BCA recognizes that small businesses provide a majority of jobs for Alabamians.”

Cryotherapy is the brief exposure in a cryogenic chamber to extreme cold for medical treatment of injuries and inflammation, according to owner Samantha Bloodworth, who applied on behalf of the company, which employs about five people.

“The core purpose of our business is targeted towards the recovery and wellness of athletes,” she said. “Our efforts focus to reach these individuals through team sports in the community such as local high schools, colleges and regional teams.”

Last summer the BCA and the USA’s Department of Athletics partnered to announce the opportunity for a state-based business with 50 or fewer employees to explain why a 2017 Jaguars football sponsorship would be game-changer for them.

A panel of judges reviewed the submitted applications blindly based on the creativity, originality and principles expressed in each 150-word entry. The competition was open only to small businesses in Alabama with good-standing BCA membership status. Additional eligibility restrictions applied.

The BCA is a nonpartisan statewide business association representing the interests and concerns of nearly 1 million working Alabamians through its member companies and partnership with the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama. The BCA is Alabama’s exclusive affiliate to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.

Southern Light’s McGriff tapped by FCC
Mobile-based Southern Light, a regional provider of fiber optic infrastructure solutions in the Southeast, recently announced the appointment of General Counsel Kelly McGriff to the Federal Communications Commission Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee.

The committee was recently formed by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to explore solutions for broadband deployment across the country.

“The committee will focus on developing specific recommendations on how the FCC can encourage broadband deployment across America,” Pai said.

“Southern Light is thrilled by the appointment of Kelly McGriff to the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee,” Andy Newton, president and CEO of Southern Light, said. “Kelly has worked on deployment issues for years, and he will pull on frontline experience to offer progressive solutions.”

“It is my great honor to serve on the Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee,” McGriff said. “For years, we have encountered regulations and misperceptions that have hindered the deployment of fiber optic networks. We are ready to tap our real-world experience and work with other committee members to offer free-market solutions.”