A Birmingham tech company that has seen significant growth is looking to nearly double its employee count by the second quarter of 2022.
Birmingham
AL.com: Birmingham Business Alliance CEO Ron Kitchens steps down
Birmingham Business Alliance Chief Executive Officer Ron Kitchens has stepped down from his post, the organization’s executive committee announced Friday.
Alabama Inno: Prosper’s HealthTech Accelerator launches with five companies
The Prosper HealthTech Accelerator spring cohort has kicked off with five startups joining the program.
UAB News: Telehealth and therapeutic advances are focus of 2022 Rare Disease Genomics Symposium
The University of Alabama at Birmingham will present the ninth annual Rare Disease Genomics Symposium on March 4 virtually. The symposium is held every year in conjunction with World Rare Disease Day and is hosted by UAB, Children’s of Alabama, Alabama Rare and the Alabama Genomic Health Initiative, and the UAB Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
Alabama Daily News: Bill expands schools’ technology fund uses
A bill moving in the Senate would expand how schools can use their Advancement and Technology Fund money. The fund was created in the Rolling Reserve Act that caps the annual education budget. In good years, some of the excess money goes back to schools in the form of Technology and Advancement Fund dollars. The fund is never guaranteed and amounts vary.
Alabama Inno: ResBiotic expands leadership team
Birmingham startup ResBiotic has expanded its leadership team. The startup, which is a nutrition company focused on finding and producing probiotics for lung health, is expanding its employee count to include Maggie Belshe as chief customer officer, Nina Rance as chief of staff and Mani Kukreja as director of integrative health and wellness.
AL.com: Alabama House passes bill to allow local grants to expand high-speed internet
The Alabama House passed a bill today that county governments said was needed to help deliver high-speed internet to places where it’s not available. The bill, by Rep. Randall Shedd, R-Baileyton, passed by a vote of 101-0. It proposes an amendment to the state constitution, which prohibits counties and cities from providing grants or other things of value to private companies.
National Law Review: Alabama Allocates More Than $276 Million for Broadband Under American Rescue Plan
Broadband expansion in Alabama will be a hot topic in 2022 after the state legislature teed up over $276 million in broadband-related spending from funding provided under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The appropriations bill passed during the final day of a special session called specifically to divvy up ARPA funding for broadband expansion and other state priorities such as water/sewer investments and healthcare. The Alabama Legislature provided few details on how the broadband money will be spent, leaving implementation specifics to state regulators. The Legislature is expected to take up more broadband-related items in regular session this year, including action to allocate millions more in broadband funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Taken together, this federal funding represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to promote broadband deployment and adoption that deserves close attention by both service providers and state/local governments.
Read the full article at the National Law Review.
Alabama Inno: Teksouth secures $89 million multi-year contract
A Gardendale tech company has secured an $89 million contract with the U.S. Air Force.
Community Partnership Chat: Jones Valley Teaching Farm
In the next episode of our Community Partnership Chat, Verizon Policy’s Justin Tanner sits down with Jones Valley Teaching Farm’s (JVTF) Executive Director, Amanda Storey, to discuss how the farm encourages students and members of the local community to participate in food-based education. With both in-school and after-school STEM programming, JVTF is able to teach students about growing, harvesting, and cooking, while enriching the local community. Check out the full video for more info: