BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Yellowhammer Multimedia announced Monday that Senator Jeff Sessions will deliver remarks to a sold-out crowd at the upcoming Alabama Economic Growth Summit.
The Summit, which is set to take place this Thursday and Friday at The Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort in Hoover, will assemble the state’s top leaders in government, business, economic development and academia for a two-day event aimed at spurring the state toward being the country’s most attractive state for business.
Sessions will deliver remarks at Thursday evening’s celebration.
“Senator Sessions is a tireless fighter for working Alabamians and the embodiment of everything that makes our state so special,” said Yellowhammer Multimedia CEO Cliff Sims. “He is in Washington on the front lines of the fight against job-killing taxation, regulation and government spending, and we are honored to have him on the lineup for the inaugural Alabama Economic Growth Summit.”
Full details on the program can be found below.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18th
The Summit will kickoff at 7 p.m. with a celebration of Alabama’s recent successes — including the state’s selection asBusiness Facilities Magazine’s “State of the Year” — featuring live music by Act of Congress and a buffet dinner prepared by Ross Bridge’s award-winning culinary staff.
Act of Congress is consistently voted one of the “must see live acts of Alabama.” The band has performed throughout the United States and around the world. Last year they participated in their third tour as U.S. Cultural Ambassadors, led by the U.S. State Department. Dave Higgs of NPR calls them “one of the freshest sounding, exuberant bands in all of the known acoustic universe.”
Ross Bridge Executive Chef Robert Kamm was named 2015 “Chef of the Year” by the Alabama Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance.
Summit attendees wanting to stay the night at the 4-star Renaissance Ross Bridge can do so at a discounted rate while rooms remain available.
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19th
Governor’s Breakfast
Day Two of the Summit will kickoff with a breakfast hosted by Alabama Governor Robert Bentley
PANEL: Perspectives of the Business Community: An Interview with Alabama Business Leaders
Moderator:
– John D. Johns, Chairman & CEO, Protective Life Corporation
Panelists:
– J. Michael Kemp, President & CEO, Kemp Management Solutions
– G. Ruffner Page, President and Director, McWane Inc.
– Jimmy Parnell, President & CEO, Alfa
– James W. Rane, President and CEO, Great Southern Wood Preserving
PANEL: Site Selection Experts: National Economic Trends and Emerging Industries
Moderator:
– Greg Canfield, Alabama Secretary of Commerce
Panelists:
– Jason Hickey, President, Hickey & Associates (Clients ranging from consumer products and health care, to defense and renewable energy, including UnitedHealth Group, Lockheed Martin, General Mills & many more)
– Mike Mullis, President & CEO, J.M. Mullis, Inc. (Clients ranging from automotive and aerospace, to the food industry and data centers, including Toyota, Harley-Davidson, Boeing, FedEx, Nike, and many more.)
– Hartley Powell, Principal and National Leader of Global Expansion & Relocations Services, KPMG
– Ron Starner, Executive VP, Conway, Inc., and Site Selection magazine, an international corporate real estate publication based in Atlanta.
PANEL: Alabama’s Workforce Strengths: Capitalizing on Public-Private Partnerships
Moderator:
– Zeke Smith, Executive Vice President of External Affairs, Alabama Power Company
Panelists:
– Ed Castile, Director, AIDT; Deputy Secretary of Commerce
– Dr. Mark Heinrich, Chancellor, Alabama Community College System
– Jennifer Himburg, Young Farmers Director, Alfa; Workforce Structure & Alignment, Alabama Workforce Council
– Fitzgerald Washington, Commissioner, Alabama Department of Labor
PANEL: Planning for the Future: Industries Poised for Economic Growth in Alabama
Moderator:
– Mary Johnson, Director of News Services, Alfa
Panelists:
– Brian Hardin, Director of Governmental Affairs & Agriculture Programs, Alfa
– Dr. Arthur J. Tipton, President & CEO, Southern Research
– Carter Wells, Vice President of Economic Development, HudsonAlpha Institute of Biotechnology; Chairman, BioAlabama
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Andy Andrews
Mr. Andrews, an Alabama native, is an internationally known speaker and novelist whose combined works have sold millions of copies worldwide. He has spoken at the request of four different U.S. presidents and coached numerous CEOs of billion-dollar corporations, top-tier college and professional sports coaches, the Special Operations Commander for NATO, and many more.
Dave Ramsey called him the “Life Whisperer.” The CEO of AdvoCare credited his company’s 247% growth to Andy’s work with their leaders. A Chick-fil-A executive called his presentation a “once in a lifetime experience.” The New York Times said he has become “one of the most influential people in America.” And famed motivational speaker and author Zig Zigler called him, quite simply, “the best speaker I have ever seen.”
Andy will close out the morning session with a can’t-miss presentation.
Senator’s Lunch
A conversation with U.S. Senator Richard Shelby, facilitated by Yellowhammer Multimedia CEO Cliff Sims
PANEL: The Politics of the Right-to-Work Movement in the Southeast
Moderator:
Jim McLaughlin, President, McLaughlin & Associates
Panelists: (Tentative)
– Billy Canary, President and CEO, Business Council of Alabama
– Catherine Glover, President, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce
– Ted Pitts, President and CEO, South Carolina Chamber of Commerce
