Milo’s Tea has reached a huge milestone as they announce the continued growth of their Alabama operation and a newly expanded 15.5-acre headquarters in Bessemer. The new campus includes 150,000 square feet of production, shipping, storage, and office space.
That’s tremendous growth compared to the 30,000 square foot facility on 3.5 acres that opened just 15 years ago.
The new facility allows the company to fresh brew and bottle over 250 gallons of all-natural beverages per minute. Those beverages are housed in a 30,000 square foot cooler before they are shipped to over 13,000 retailers in 42 states.
The Milo’s Tea company has seen tremendous growth over the past few years. In 2013, it had just 56 employees. Four years later, that number has nearly tripled, as they now employ more than 150 full-time staff.
“When my grandparents Milo and Bea Carlton founded their restaurant, Milo’s Tea, in 1964 after my granddad returned from serving in World War II. The company’s philosophy was simple – use high-quality, natural ingredients, listen to your customers, and never sacrifice taste,” said Patricia Wallwork, CEO of Milo’s Tea Company. “This vision still guides the company today as we source natural ingredients, fresh brew all our award-winning beverages in Bessemer, and never uses added colors or preservatives.”
Milo’s Tea began the expansion project in 2014 by purchasing a building on Dublin Lane from the Bessemer Industrial Development Board. New 30,000 square foot coolers and shipping facilities were added to the property, enabling the company to store over 300,000 bottles of Milo’s Tea beverages. The company now has the capacity to promptly ship 100 trailers per day to ensure that the freshest products are on the shelves. The upgrades also included new water treatment technology, allowing employees to filter City of Bessemer water for the best-tasting result.
In addition to brewing their refreshing beverages, Milo’s Tea has had a long-standing commitment to the community.
“As a Certified Zero Waste Manufacturer, we have invested in research on reusing spent tea for more than 10 years and we are a leader in sustainable manufacturing. This is a direct result of our innovation and ongoing commitment to aggressive recycling programs which have a significant impact on our environment. The community of Bessemer is our home and we are dedicated to making a positive impact here. We currently donate tons of spent tea to the City of Bessemer golf course and area composting sites, diverting thousands of tons of waste from local landfills each year.”
Milo’s Tea thanks the City of Bessemer, Jefferson County, and the entire state of Alabama for their support and contribution to the company’s growth. City of Bessemer Mayor, Kenneth E. Gulley said, “Milo’s success is the city of Bessemer’s success, and we’re honored to know as they expand into new markets across the country their product is stamped as ‘Made in Bessemer, Alabama.’”
Auburn University has named Mickey Dean the new head coach of Auburn Tigers Softball. Auburn Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs announced on Thursday that the former James Madison coach will be making his way to coach on the plains.
According to Auburn Athletics, Dean is highly regarded across the nation for his unprecedented knack for success and ability to develop strong student-athletes. Jacobs assured the Tiger fan base that Dean is a “great fit for Auburn.”
“Coach Dean’s accomplishments at JMU are remarkable. He’s won consistently at every level throughout his career. He’s done it the right way, winning with class and integrity while graduating his student-athletes at a high level. Auburn already has a winning program and we’re going to get even better.”
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Dean’s hiring comes after head coach Clint Myers retired on August 24 following Title IX complaints brought forth by several former players. Fans hope that Dean will bring a breath of fresh air to Auburn’s already successful softball program.
In his 11 years coaching at the collegiate level, Dean led seven teams to the NCAA tournament and won nine conference championships. His programs have produced 76 all-conference players, 40 all-region honorees and seven all-Americans. During his five years at James Madison, Dean led the Dukes to five 40-win seasons, including a respective 52 and 50 victories in his final two seasons. Such astounding accomplishments earned Dean the title of conference coach of the year eight times.
“It is an honor to be named the leader of the Auburn softball program,” Dean said. “I want to thank President Leath, Director of Athletics Jay Jacobs, and the Board of Trustees for the exciting opportunity to lead this program. The future is bright for Auburn softball. We want the fans to be as excited as we are to come out and watch the program represent them in the highest standing.”
A native of Elkton, Virginia, Dean was previously the head coach at Radford and an assistant at Akron (2001-2002), Indiana (2002-2004) and Longwood (2005-2006). He has also coached at the professional and international level with the Chicago Bandits and the Venezuelan National Team.
Dean graduated from Elon University in 1987, where he was a four-year letter winning baseball pitcher. He and his wife, Liz, have a son named Isaac and a daughter named Caroline.
GULF SHORES, Ala. — The City of Gulf Shores and Auburn University announced a partnership yesterday that will bring a new satellite campus to the south Alabama beach town. Auburn’s $12 million expansion will include a new college facility featuring the College of Veterinary Medicine, studies on marine fisheries, and studies on organic horticulture.
Gulf Shores will construct the 24,000 square foot property and lease it out to the University. The satellite campus will sit on 26 acres directly northeast of the city’s business district.
“From the education component of our world, it means a lot,” Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft said on Monday. “To have a brand name partner like Auburn to initiate our campus plan as discussed is a significant step forward. It should make the rest of this easier, I would hope.”
The city will pay for the project using funding from revenue bonds to be repaid by Auburn through the lease agreement, and no “cash incentives” were included in the agreement approved by the city council.
University officials noted the desire to establish a coastal presence, and that they viewed an expanding Gulf Shores as an opportunity to do so.
“We looked at what is not just the potential today, but what will be the growth potential for the next five to 10 years,” Auburn Provost Tim Boosinger told Al.com. “The experts tell us this is the fastest growing area in the state and will continue to be. We want to have an opportunity to better serve people in the southern half of the state, especially along the coast. We don’t have that presence.”
Since the year 2000, Baldwin County is second only to Shelby County in overall population growth within the state of Alabama. According to U.S. Census data, from 2000 to 2010, Gulf Shores alone experience a population increase of over 93 percent.
Project construction for the satellite campus will begin in the spring or summer of 2017 and is expected to be finished 18 months from the start date.
U.S. Army war hero and Alabama resident Noah Galloway is releasing a new book that will chronicle his life story. Beginning with his upbringing in rural Alabama and going through his struggle with his life-altering injuries, Living With No Excuses will be Galloway’s first publication and is set for release on August 23.
Here’s how Center Street publications describes Galloway’s book:
Inspirational, humorous, and thought provoking, Noah Galloway’s LIVING WITH NO EXCUSES sheds light on his upbringing in rural Alabama, his military experience, and the battle he faced to overcome losing two limbs during Operation Iraqi Freedom. From reliving the early days of life to his acceptance of his “new normal” after losing his arm and leg in combat, Noah reveals his ambition to succeed against all odds.
To say that the Birmingham native has seen and overcome major obstacles in his 33 years is a massive understatement. The Army veteran was injured while on duty back in 2005, losing his left arm above the elbow and his left leg above the knee. But Galloway, now a personal trainer and motivational speaker, said he refused to dwell on his losses. Not only does he motivate others to persevere through hard times, he pushes himself to reach new heights.
In 2014, he described his struggle on the Ellen Degeneres show.
“There was a lot of anger,” he said. “You know, I was a very physical person. And being injured I thought all of that was over and I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself. And there was a lot of depression I went through… That took a few years of being miserable, and I hid it from my friends and family. I’d go out in public and say everything was fine, but then I’d sit at home and I would drink a lot, and I just kind of kept it to myself. It was hard in the beginning.”
But it was Galloway’s return to working out, which he’d been passionate about prior to his injury, that helped him get back on track.
“I joined a 24-hour gym so I could go in at like 2 in the morning,” he explained. “I was embarrassed of the shape I was in, my injury, everything. I had to figure out new ways to workout, what I was going to do. Then as I started progressing, getting stronger, healthier and fitter, then I felt ok to go in the middle of the day. I started running races. I started with a 5k, 10k, obstacle course races, marathons — anything I could do to push myself. I was hooked.”
Since then, Galloway has also delivered stirring performances on Dancing with the Stars and launched the No Excuses Charitable fund, whose mission is to “empower injured veterans through support of physical rehabilitative actives.”
He was honored by the Alabama Broadcasters Association (ABA) as their 2015 Citizen of the Year during their annual conference. The award is bestowed annually upon an Alabamian who’s exhibited extraordinary public service and made outstanding contributions toward the progress of the state.
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As Galloway thanked the organization for his award, he acknowledged his family members who attended the luncheon, including his father, sisters and fiance, Jamie Boyd.
“People ask me how I’ve gone on in spite of all of the challenges I’ve endured. I tell them the key is that I’ve had a very strong support system in my family and loved ones.”
A father of three, Noah currently resides in Alabaster, Alabama. He lives a custom home built by the Homes for Our Troops foundation.
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Birmingham, Alabama-based construction juggernaut BL Harbert International will build the University of Mississippi’s new $68.9 million arena, according to a statement released by the university on Monday.
The 230,000-square-foot arena will host 9,600 fans for basketball games. Construction is set to begin immediately and will be completed in late 2015, in time for the 2016 season. This will be the second SEC arena BL Harbert has constructed in recent years. They completed Auburn University’s new facility in 2010.
AECOM of Kansas City, Missouri is the architect for the project. They previously designed the FedEx Forum in Memphis and CenturyLink Field in Seattle.
“We are honored to build a marquee project for Ole Miss that will have a lasting impact on a college campus and its students for the next 50 years,” said Gary Savage, BL Harbert’s president of U.S. operations. “BL Harbert looks forward to working with AECOM and the University in providing the students with another great SEC Arena.”
The arena is the centerpiece of the Ole Miss’s recently launched Forward Together campaign, a multi-stage initiative to expand and update the university’s athletics facilities. It will include a private student concourse, courtside and baseline seating for students, three premium club areas for fans, and over 1,700 premium seats, all within an intimate seating bowl.
The arena will also include a five story parking garage with 800 spaces that will service the entire campus community.
“The placement of the arena is a long-term decision and will allow us to further enhance our athletics complex – better connecting athletics to the heart of the best campus in higher education,” the university explains on it’s Forward Together website. “This centralized location will create an impressive ‘front door’ for Ole Miss Athletics and a destination point not only on a game day – but every day of the week.”
BL Harbert is a privately owned construction company with U.S. and International operations providing pre-construction, construction, design-build and construction management services. It is currently building across the U.S. and in twelve countries around the world. The company reported $732 million in revenues last year.
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