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One day last week, workers hoisted scaffolds to the top of the AmSouth Center and removed the letters of the bank's name from the downtown office tower that Birmingham banking legend John Hand built three decades ago. The gleaming letters, taller than a man, were lowered to the ground, stacked up and hauled away by the workers, who probably didn't pause to think about the symbolism of their job. One person who did is John A. Hand III, a vice president at Merrill Lynch in Birmingham and the grandson of the man who helped create AmSouth and the tower that bore its name. The removal of those letters - a prelude to AmSouth's $10 billion combination with neighbor Regions Financial Corp. - left him feeling a sense of loss even though he understands the business forces behind the deal that will result in the disappearance of AmSouth's name.
Consider the story of Paul "Red" Adair, the famous hellfighter from Texas who flew all over the world to put out oil-well fires.
Now think about a lot of Iowans doing something similar, if less glamorous - taking expertise developed here and selling it around the world, enriching the home state in the process.
That's what Adair and many others in the oil business did for Texas.
The oil industry grew up in the Lone Star State after the discovery of vast oil fields there early in the last century. In the rough and tumble of a new industry, unique knowledge and expertise were developed about oil exploration, production, finance and all kinds of specialties such as fire fighting.
Today, Texas is no longer the oil-production center of the world.
Northampton County should have sought bids for a construction manager to oversee the $45 million courthouse addition, instead of hiring a firm that did previous work at the government complex, auditors say.
The county controller's office says the county does not have a valid contract with Alvin H. Butz Inc. of South Whitehall Township.
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The pace of new home construction in Ottawa slowed in September, in line with the national trend. New home starts dipped by over 13 per cent in September to 420, compared to 484 in the same month last year. Both single-detached and multiple starts were lower, but developers are showing a preference for multi-family developments as the price of single-detached homes continues to escalate beyond the reach of many buyers. Despite the September dip, home starts so far this year have been noticeably stronger than 2005. Total starts have reached 4,299 units since the beginning of the year, up 18 per cent over the first nine months of 2005. Builders took advantage of a warm winter to get an early start on the 2006 season. "The home construction decline observed in the single-detached home segment is continuing," says Pascal-Yvan Pelletier, Ottawa market analyst for Canada Mortgage and Housing.
Alabama 4-H will start construction this week on a $7 million Environmental Science Education Center on Lay Lake that takes its mission to heart right down to how the facility is built. The 17,500-square-foot, two-story project is seeking a gold certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design from the U.S. Green Building Council. The council recognizes projects where the construction methods, materials and design have a minimal impact on the environment and incorporates energy efficiencies and other practices. To get gold certification a design has to earn 39 points based on the council's criteria. The Alabama 4-H Environmental Science Education Center is designed to qualify for 45 points. It's a fitting approach given the building's mission to teach Alabama youth and educators about protecting and enhancing the environment.
MONMOUTH - It will be January before area residents know whether or not they will have a new rock quarry in their rural neighborhood.Cessford Construction has spent weeks trying to obtain approval to develop and operate a rock quarry near Monmouth, east of U.S. 67 and south of 225th Avenue.On Wednesday officials with Cessford Construction appeared before the Warren County Zoning Board of Appeals to request an extension in order to discuss the proposed limestone quarry at a future meeting. Since the courtroom at the Warren County Courthouse was packed with concerned residents, the board granted the extension request."We want to take the time to get as many answers as we can for the people who have questions," said zoning board chair Ron Moore.This is not the first time the board has delayed a decision on the proposed rock quarry.
The Federal Reserve's Beige Book report on Oct. 12 says the Southeast's economy remained a mixed bag in September, just as it was for the past several months. Further declines were noted in Southeast housing markets in September. The majority of builders and Realtors reported activity was down from a year ago and inventories continued to rise. New home construction was below year-ago levels in most parts of the region. .
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