Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama

Economy

In the 1970s and 1980s, Birmingham's economy was transformed with investments in bio-technology and medical research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). UAB is now the area's largest employer and the largest in Alabama with a workforce of about 20,000. Birmingham is also a leading banking center, serving as home to three major banking companies: AmSouth Bancorporation, Compass Bancshares and Regions Bank. SouthTrust, which also had been headquartered in Birmingham, was acquired by Wachovia in 2004. Telecommunications provider BellSouth has a major presence with several large offices in the metropolitan area. The city is also a powerhouse of construction and engineering companies. It started with Rust Engineering International and has grown to many other construction and engineering companies such as BE&K, Brasfield & Gorrie, BL Harbert International, and Dunn Construction, all of which are in the top 100 engineering and construction companies in the world.

Related Topics:
University of Alabama at Birmingham - AmSouth Bancorporation - Compass Bancshares - Regions Bank - SouthTrust - Wachovia - 2004 - BellSouth

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Major Employers

• Accenture
• Alabama Power
• Alagasco, an Energen Company
• AmSouth Bancorporation
• BE&K - international construction and engineering company
• BL Harbert International - international construction company that is also a division of Harbert Management Company, was one of the construction companies contracted to build the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• BellSouth - once headquartered in Birmingham, it still has its major operations and a second headquarters in the area
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama
• Books-A-Million - third largest bookstore chain in the U.S.
• Bruno's Supermarkets
• Buffalo Rock
• Caremark Rx - formarly MedPartners Inc., which was the largest physician practice management company with its headquarteres in Birmingham
• Compass Bancshares
• Drummond Company, Inc. - one of the largest coal producing companies in the world and also the largest merchant coke producer in the U.S.
• EBSCO Industries - the largest private company in Alabama with diverse operations in publishing, manufacturing, and real-estate development
• Energen
• Harbert Management Company - billion dollar international company started by John M. Harbert
• HealthSouth - the nation's largest outpatient clinic company
• Liberty National Life Insurance Co. (now owned by Torchmark)
• McWane Corporation - manufacturer of fire hydrants, industrial valves, pipes and flanges
• O'Neal Steel
• Protective Life - insurance provider
• Regions Financial Corporation
• Royal Cup Coffee, Inc.
• Saks Incorporated - department store operator
• SONAT - also known as Southern Natural Gas Company, now a division of El Paso Energy
• Southern Research Institute - pharmaceutical, automotive, and chemical defense research firm
• Torchmark - insurance provider
• University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Vulcan Materials Company- largest producer of construction aggregates and industrial chemicals
• SouthTrust Bancorp - now part of Wachovia

Corporate Headquarters In Birmingham

Alabama Power, AmSouth Bancorporation, BE&K, BL Harbert International, Books-A-Million, Brasfield & Gorrie, Bruno's, Buffalo Rock, Compass Bancshares, Drummond Company, EBSCO Industries, Energen, Harbert Management Company, HealthSouth, Liberty National Life, McWane Corporation, O'Neal Steel, Regions Financial Corporation, Saks Incorporated, SONAT, Southern Research Institute, SouthTrust, Torchmark, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Vulcan Materials Company all have their corporate headquarters located in Birmingham.

Related Topics:
Alabama Power - AmSouth Bancorporation - Books-A-Million - Buffalo Rock - Compass Bancshares - EBSCO - HealthSouth - Saks Incorporated - SouthTrust - University of Alabama at Birmingham - Vulcan Materials Company

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Fortune 500

Birmingham has 9 Fortune 500 companies: AmSouth Bancorporation, Compass Bancshares, HealthSouth, Protective Life, Regions Finacial Corporation, Saks Incorporated, SouthTrust Torchmark and Vulcan Materials Company.

Related Topics:
Fortune 500 - AmSouth Bancorporation - Compass Bancshares - HealthSouth - Saks Incorporated - SouthTrust - Vulcan Materials Company

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• Note: Although HealthSouth is not currently on the list due to the fact they have not been able to post earnings because of an accounting scandal, although they are set to post earnings in 2005 that will put them back on the list.

Some of the privatley held compaines headquartered in Birmingham such as: BE&K, Brasfield & Gorrie, Drummond Company, Inc., EBSCO, Harbert Management Company, McWane Corporation, and O'Neal Steel have annual revenues exceeding one billion dollars.

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