Business

Mayor Woodfin strongly opposes concrete facility’s planned move to 5 Points West

THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES — Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin announced on Tuesday that he is opposed to a concrete company relocating to Five Points West from downtown. Sherman Industries, LLC has requested to place a concrete batch plant at 3420 Fayette Avenue in Five Points West. That will replace the existing facility on Second Avenue South, which has been in operation since the 1950s.

Published

7 years ago

May 11, 2019

Oakland Post

By Erica Wright

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin announced on Tuesday that he is opposed to a concrete company relocating to Five Points West from downtown.

Sherman Industries, LLC has requested to place a concrete batch plant at 3420 Fayette Avenue in Five Points West. That will replace the existing facility on Second Avenue South, which has been in operation since the 1950s.

Last week, the City Council on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution opposing the relocation. On Tuesday, Woodfin joined the council and neighborhood residents in fierce opposition to the move.

“As the mayor of Birmingham, I don’t want Sherman Industries concrete company relocated to the West End,” he said emphatically.

Woodfin said he also wanted to “set the record straight” on information that has been distributed about his office in connection to Sherman Industries. “I, nor anyone from my office, have met with Sherman Industries and the first time my office had contact with the company was on May 1st of last week when they reached out to us via email and requested a meeting,” said the mayor.

Woodfin said the concrete company also has not followed the proper steps in doing business in the city. “They have not met with me or anyone in my senior staff,” he said.

Woodfin did say he supports a public hearing, but that is just a first step. “I am in no position nor have the power to rezone that area but you do,” he told councilors, “and I believe it is incumbent upon all of us to unite and protect our residents from environmental injustice of any kind.”

The Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH) will hold a public hearing at the CrossPlex at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 6.

Walladeen Streeter, Bush Hills Neighborhood Association president, who lives in the area, said her residents will need help from the mayor and council.

“We on the western side of town, do not welcome Sherman Industries to our community . . . our health is very important just like yours and theirs,” Streeter told the council. “They show no concern to the citizens of the western area and we’re very upset about that because we are human… and they’re bringing the problems to us. We have children all around that area, we have new restaurants coming and the smoke, the dust goes right out there to them. We need you and we’re asking you to support us in every way that you can to stop that from happening.”

April Williams, a resident of the Bush Hills Neighborhood, said there is nothing good about a cement plant being in a high-dense residential area. “I’m not proposing it being in any residential area, but if it’s not good for Railroad Park and that area, surely we all agree it’s not good for CrossPlex and the Five Points West area.”

In a statement reported by AL.com, Kurt Milliman, Vice President and General Manager of Sherman Industries, said the company, “is committed to operating in a safe and responsible manner. We intend to be good neighbors and comply with all safety and environmental regulations that protect the health and safety of our employees and neighbors.”

In other business Tuesday, Councilor Clinton Woods drafted a resolution opposing the Alabama lottery bill without education funding.

Alabama is only one of eight states without a lottery and last week, the Alabama Senate passed a bill that would allow for a state lottery. It is now waiting for a vote in the House of Representatives.

Most lotteries across the county have money earmarked for education. Under Alabama’s proposal, the proceeds from the lottery, after administrative costs and payouts, would go into the state’s Trust Fund and General Funds.

Alabama is currently ranked 47th in the nation for education and estimated annual revenue from the lottery will be roughly $167 million.

“Here in Birmingham, I think it’s important to look at the additional needs we have when it comes to education, when we consider less than 20 percent of our students are reading at grade level and while Alabama has the number one pre-K program in the nation, all children don’t have access to it,” he said.

Council President Valerie Abbott said, “We talk about workforce development, jobs and our youth and this bill does nothing to help our youth with education. We have so many young people who can’t read at grade level and we do have a wonderful, nationally-recognized pre-K program that’s not available to all children in the state, so to me, this is an important thing.”

The council plans to send its resolution to Montgomery before the House votes.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Charleston County Parks to replace Folly Beach Pier

Don't Miss

Johnson Publishing’s archives in legal battle

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Business

How Oakland’s Courtsmith is Scaling its Business and Local Impact

OAKLAND POST — “As Courtsmith grew, scaling wasn’t just about selling more—it was about building the infrastructure to deliver consistently, with a strong supply chain and production process,” said Courtney Smith, founder of Courtsmith. “We needed the right kind of capital and partners to help us expand without losing the Oakland authenticity that made us who we are.”

Published

4 days ago

August 1, 2026

bpusa-syndication

With support from ICA Fund and JPMorganChase, founder Courtney Smith is strengthening his supply chain, creating jobs and expanding local production, and positioning the Oakland-born brand for long-term growth

When Courtney Smith founded Courtsmith in Oakland in 2014, he was building more than an athletic apparel company. A lifelong basketball enthusiast, Smith saw an opportunity to create performance wear that reflected the culture of the game—its style, community and sense of belonging.

From the beginning, Courtsmith was rooted in the idea that basketball is not just a sport, but a lifestyle and a community. The brand set out to make athletes look and feel good on and off the court while building partnerships that give athletes a stake in the products and stories they help shape.

“As Courtsmith grew, scaling wasn’t just about selling more—it was about building the infrastructure to deliver consistently, with a strong supply chain and production process,” said Courtney Smith, founder of Courtsmith. “We needed the right kind of capital and partners to help us expand without losing the Oakland authenticity that made us who we are.”

As the company grew, Smith faced a common challenge for small businesses: maintaining quality, reliability and authenticity of products while scaling—and having the resources to do so. The next move was not simply about expansion; it was about building the infrastructure to last.

That is where ICA Fund—a Bay Area impact investor, small business support organization and long-time partner to Courtsmith—came in. ICA’s relationship with Smith began in 2017 through its Growth Strategies advising program, and over time, the organization paired mentorship, technical assistance and capital to help the company grow with intention. More recently, philanthropic support from JPMorganChase helped ICA expand the range of capital products it can offer entrepreneurs like Smith, including options designed for companies that are ready to scale but may not be a fit for traditional debt products or equity investments.

“Too many great businesses stay stuck small without access to fair and flexible capital— ICA Fund’s role is to change that,” said Allison Kelly, CEO of ICA Fund. “With support from JPMorganChase, we’re able to provide founder-friendly financing alongside long-term partnership, giving entrepreneurs the tools they need to grow stronger businesses that create opportunity in their communities.”

The right kind of capital for a new stage of growth

ICA recently provided Courtsmith with a loan to help it buy a local manufacturing business, a major step toward bringing more of its production process closer to home, strengthening its supply chain, reducing costs, continuing its growth and creating local jobs.

The transaction also marked a milestone for ICA: the first time the organization approved capital for a merger-and-acquisition transaction. It reflects a broader expansion of the financing options it offers, supported by JPMorganChase’s American Dream Initiative, which aims, in part, to help power 10 million small businesses—up from seven million today—over the next several years with the capital, coaching, tools and practical policy support they need to thrive. It’s also an example of the kind of tailored support—delivered through trusted local pathways and the firm’s own relationships—that JPMorganChase provides to small businesses in the Bay Area, including our more than 295,000 small business clients.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and Courtsmith’s story shows how access to the right capital at the right time can unlock growth,” said Gwyneth Galbraith, Vice President for Global Philanthropy at JPMorganChase. “By supporting organizations like ICA Fund, we’re helping expand access to the kinds of financing and guidance entrepreneurs need to strengthen operations, create jobs and build lasting businesses across the Bay Area.”

Building with staying power

For small businesses, access to financing that fits their stage of growth can determine whether expansion is sustainable. A one-size-fits-all approach does not always work for companies with distinct cash-flow cycles, customer demand and operational needs. In Courtsmith’s case, the ICA loan gave the company a path to invest in its future while preserving the founder’s vision and control—and reflected the kind of flexible financing JPMorganChase is helping expand through its support of local community and mission-driven lenders.

Courtsmith’s trajectory reflects that momentum. The company reports that revenue grew 259% from 2021 to 2025, while its workforce expanded from four employees in 2017 to 13 in 2025, including growth in full-time roles from one to 11.

Behind those numbers is a company deepening its roots in Oakland through local partnerships, community presence and a model built to last.

“Courtsmith is about Oakland, representing the culture that raised us and creating opportunity for the next generation,” said Smith. “With ICA Fund and JPMorganChase in our corner, we can keep turning that mission into something people can see and feel in our community.”

Courtsmith’s next chapter is still being written, but the path is clearer: a founder-led brand with deeper local production capacity, a stronger supply chain, and a larger role in Oakland’s small business economy.