Here is today's summary of economic development news, a free service of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, representing Alabama's private sector investment in economic development. If you enjoy NewsFlash, thank an
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Huntsville-based Digium has been acquired by Sangoma Technologies Corporation for $28 million.
Founded in 1999, Digium is the creator of open source communication software Asterisk, the UCaaS (Unified Communication as a Service) platform, the Switchvox premise-based phone system and other products.
The deal is expected to close Aug. 31 and creates a company with more than 300 employees.
Downtown Gadsden businesses and people received four awards at Main Street Alabama's annual Awards of Excellence, the organization announced Monday.
The awards included nods to Historic Preservation (Campbell Development, LLC), Architectural Design (414 Broad, LLC), Public/Private Partnerships (Gadsden United Way) and Community (Bart Dawson, of Chase Building Group, for pub crawl work).
"These awards give us an opportunity to say thank you to the people who have made downtown Gadsden successful," said Kay Moore, director of Downtown Gadsden, Inc. "We nominate these people because they work hard."
Auburn Regional Alabama Launchpad kicks off 2019 Startup Competition
By David D. Dorton
August 24, 2018
AUBURN, Ala.- The Auburn Regional Alabama Launchpad Competition is returning to the Auburn area for the second year in a row, giving local entrepreneurs an opportunity to compete for funding and receive valuable mentoring as they develop their business ideas.
After concluding the 2018 competition where
three of the 11 participating start-ups were awarded funding, the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA), the City of Auburn, Auburn University and the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation (ARTF) have again partnered to bring the regional Alabama Launchpad Startup Competition to the greater Auburn area. The Auburn Regional Alabama Launchpad is set to begin in October with startups competing for a share of up to $50,000. New ventures and startups from five counties in East Alabama-Chambers, Lee, Macon, Russell and Tallapoosa- are invited to begin submitting applications on Oct. 1.
Birmingham Airport Authority to hire air service consultant
By Angel Coker
August 27, 2018
The business community has long called for more direct flights out of Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport to draw new businesses to the Magic City, among other things.
The Birmingham Airport Authority is taking up that torch as it seeks to hire an air service consultant to work alongside its staff to recruit new airlines and attract more routes.
"The city of Birmingham is experiencing a revival under the new administration, and this is the time for the Authority to build upon the city's synergy by doing everything within our capacity to bring the city, businesses and community leaders together to promote economic development," said Toni Herrera-Bast, public relations and marketing manager for the BAA. "In the coming months, we will be paving the way for stronger partnerships and innovative approaches for realizing our passengers' top priority: access to more nonstop flights."