Business

City Council opposes relocation of concrete facility to Five Points West

THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES — The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution opposing the relocation of a Sherman Industries concrete facility to Five Points West.The resolution was passed, 9-0, during the Council’s first evening meeting of 2019.

Published

7 years ago

May 3, 2019

Oakland Post

By Erica Wright

The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution opposing the relocation of a Sherman Industries concrete facility to Five Points West.

The resolution was passed, 9-0, during the Council’s first evening meeting of 2019.

“It is my firm belief that this will further impede the quality of life for residents in District 8,” said Councilor Steven Hoyt, who represents the district where the proposed facility would be located. “The residents in the Five Points West area need to be included in this project and deserve more transparency. So far that has not been the case.”

Sherman Industries, LLC has requested to place a concrete batch plant at 3420 Fayette Avenue in Five Points West. That will replace the existing facility on Second Avenue South, which has been in operation since the 1950s.

Dora Sims, President of the Five Points West Community, said residents want a chance to share concerns and get more details.

“Birmingham has one of the highest air pollution rates in the country. The A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Club, the CrossPlex are located right there and we’re concerned about how this would affect the air quality in our community,” she said.

During the meeting, Mayor Randall Woodfin announced that the Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH) will hold a public hearing regarding the permit application from Sherman Industries as a result of the neighborhood opposition. That JCDH public hearing will be held at the CrossPlex at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, 2019.

Vicky Moore, president of the Central Park Neighborhood Association, said she doesn’t want big companies to move into the community without input from residents.

“Give us the common courtesy and respect that you would give any other municipality,” she said. “Let us be able to make a conscious decision as to what we want in our community and what we do not want in our community.”

Councilor Wardine Alexander said she was disappointed by the lack of communication. “I found this out on Facebook . . . I know Birmingham was built as an industrial town, but companies that are interested in our neighborhoods need to [know] we want to live in residences like everyone else. We want our air quality to be safe and we don’t want those businesses . . . in areas that are residential.”

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.