Sharron Mendel Swain, Author at Bham Now

Meet 4 teachers bringing hands-on learning to this new 6-12 STEM program in Birmingham—apply now

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STEM teachers at Birmingham's Magic City Acceptance Academy — T.R. Freeman, Trevor Hauenstein + Lisa Balazs. Photo via Bham Now

For a while now, we’ve been telling y’all about Magic City Acceptance Academy (MCAA), a new tuition-free public charter school for 6-12 grades opening in West Homewood in fall 2021. We did a deep dive into the school’s plans for their Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) program so prospective parents can decide if this is the school for your kiddo. If it seems like a fit, they’re taking applications now for rising 6-12 graders for the 2021-22 academic year.

9 tips to navigate Birmingham’s crazy housing market right now

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Gwen Vinzant and Ryan Grater in a new home they’ve just listed. Photo via Matthew Niblett for Bham Now

Last month we asked if Birmingham’s housing market is in a bubble. The answer is probably not, and still, anyone who’s trying to buy right now has some wild stories to tell. So, to help potential buyers navigate Birmingham’s crazy housing market, we reached out to Gwen Vinzant and Ryan Grater from RealtySouth’s Gwen Vinzant Team to get their expert advice. Here’s what they said.

Why is it so hard to hire in Birmingham right now + when will it get better?

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hiring in Birmingham, event with Central Six AlabamaWorks! — Remember when people used to have in-person hiring events? Photo via Central Six AlabamaWorks!

Every once in a while, something big rocks the notion of “business as usual.” After digging into the question of what on earth is going on with Birmingham’s labor market, it’s fair to say the pandemic is the thing that’s done it in 2020-21. Keep reading to find out what we learned about why it’s so hard to fill certain jobs and what we can do about it.

7 ways you can organize your closet with one Birmingham-based designer

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two women looking at their closet, organize your closet — Designer Megan White of Closets by Design with a client. Photo via Riley Campbell for Bham Now

As more people transition from home back to the outside world, we’re looking at our closets with a different eye. What needs to go? What do we keep? Maybe we’ve gained a few pounds from the stress of the last 14.5 months, and it’s time for a closet makeover. We reached out to designer Megan White of Closets by Design for her top pro tips for the rest of us. Here’s what she said.

5 reasons you need to go to the Funky Food Truck Festival June 12, 1-5PM at Cahaba Brewing

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Chris Papp, Birmingham Cousins Maine Lobster franchise owner. Photo Cousins Maine Lobster

After a year of “what the heck?” AIDS Alabama’s 5th annual Funky Food Truck Festival is back and better than ever. Head to Cahaba Brewing this Saturday, June 12 from 1–5PM for food trucks like Cousins Maine Lobster, vendors and more. Keep reading to find out all the details.

Check out downtown Bham’s new farm + market—opening June 18 [PHOTOS]

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On June 18, Yellow Hammer Farms, a whole new kind of urban farm opens its doors in downtown Birmingham, and it’s not like anything you’ve ever seen before. Keep reading for all the details.

These twin redheads love nursing—find out why

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The Aycock twins, nurses at Brookwood Baptist — Twins Sarrah and Hannah Aycock both work as nurses at Brookwood Baptist Medical Center. Photo via Jacob Blankenship for Bham Now

Today we’ve got a fun story of twin redhead nurses. Yep, you read that right: sisters Sarrah and Hannah Aycock both work at Brookwood Baptist Medical Center, part of Brookwood Baptist Health. Keep reading to learn why they love nursing.

Is the Greater Birmingham Area housing market in a bubble right now? Local experts speak up

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outdoor entertainment spaces are hot, Birmingham housing market bubble — Everybody wants room to entertain outside now. Photo via LAH Real Estate

June 1 kicked off National Homeownership Month, and the US housing market is as hot as an Alabama summer. You can’t look at the news without hearing talk about whether we’re in a housing market bubble, and if so, when the bubble will burst. To learn about the current state of our local housing market, we reached out to four Realtors and three experts. Here’s what they told us.

Honest advice led this nurse to pursue an Executive MBA + how it changed her career

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I don’t know too many people who haven’t been rethinking almost everything since the pandemic started. For Angie Kurosaka, like many others, that self-reflection led her to go back to school. Since the fall of 2020, this seasoned healthcare professional has been studying at the University of North Alabama (UNA) for her Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA). Keep reading to find out why she chose to do this now, and how you can, too.

11 things these 2 love about Huntsville, their new home town, incl. Straight to Ale

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Jay and Ashlee in their new home town of Huntsville. Photo via Jacob Blankenship for Bama Buzz

We’ve been hearing for a while now how fast Huntsville is growing, so we wanted to talk to some people who moved there recently to find out more about the hip and happening parts of the city. Meet Ashley and Jay, who moved to Rocket City in December 2020 and find out how they found their new home and why they love it.

Here are just a few of their favorites:

Honest Coffee
Stovehouse
Straight to Ale
Rocket City Trash Pandas
Hays Nature Preserve

For the complete list, plus the low-down on how RealtySouth’s Relocation Services made getting settled into their new home a breeze, read the full story.

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9 local favorites in Chelsea, including a boutique winery + 3 reasons why families love it

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The Turner Family in Chelsea — The Turner family. Photo via Jacob Blankenship for Bham Now

In the hottest market anyone can remember, we thought it would be fun to visit Chelsea, a fast-growing area with affordable houses, to find out why locals love it. We talked with resident Bryant Turner of ARC Realty to get the inside scoop. Keep reading to find out what we learned.

Inspired lives + better communities: an insider view of Truist’s culture

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Wes Lee from Truist, Truist's culture — Wes Lee is a big fan of Truist’s culture. Photo via Jacob Blankenship for Bham Now

Whatever you’re looking for, it’s always good when the culture, purpose, mission and values line up. For banker Wes Lee, alignment helped him decide to embark on a career at BB&T now Truist, back in 2012. We interviewed him to look under the hood of Truist’s culture. Here’s what we learned.

1 Birmingham-based biz just sold for $1.2B: meet the founder + find out what he’s planning now

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Shegun Otulana founder of Therapy Brands and Harmony Venture Labs — Shegun Otulana. Photo supplied

When Shegun Otulana followed his brother to Birmingham from Nigeria in 1998, he knew he wanted to build big things. Just yesterday, May 18, KKR closed on its acquisition of Therapy Brands, one of the companies Otulana founded, for a hefty price tag of $1.2 billion. We reached out to Otulana to find out what he’s working on now.

Find out why 3 Birmingham-Southern grads’ creative careers are thriving

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BSC grads — Jada Cato at graduation with Darby Burgess and Meryem Tunagur. Photo via Peoples Management

It’s always a breath of fresh air to meet people in their 20s who are rocking creative careers. So, I was pretty excited to chat with three recent Birmingham-Southern College (BSC) grads to find out how their years on The Hilltop shaped them and influenced what they’re doing now. Keep reading to find out what we learned.

Healthcare design of the future. We asked the pros {PHOTOS}

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Comprehensive Cancer Center, healthcare design trend — Light streaming through the windows at UAB’s Comprehensive Cancer Center. Photo via Williams Blackstock Architects

Since healthcare has been at the forefront of so many discussions over the past 14 months, we were curious what doctor’s offices of the future might look like. We reached out to three experts at Williams Blackstock Architects (WBA): principal architect Joel Blackstock and interior designers John Beason and Ashley Handley. Keep reading to find out what we learned.

Author: Sharron Mendel Swain

Meet 4 teachers bringing hands-on learning to this new 6-12 STEM program in Birmingham—apply now

9 tips to navigate Birmingham’s crazy housing market right now

Why is it so hard to hire in Birmingham right now + when will it get better?

7 ways you can organize your closet with one Birmingham-based designer

5 reasons you need to go to the Funky Food Truck Festival June 12, 1-5PM at Cahaba Brewing

Check out downtown Bham’s new farm + market—opening June 18 [PHOTOS]

These twin redheads love nursing—find out why

Is the Greater Birmingham Area housing market in a bubble right now? Local experts speak up

Honest advice led this nurse to pursue an Executive MBA + how it changed her career

11 things these 2 love about Huntsville, their new home town, incl. Straight to Ale

9 local favorites in Chelsea, including a boutique winery + 3 reasons why families love it

Inspired lives + better communities: an insider view of Truist’s culture

1 Birmingham-based biz just sold for $1.2B: meet the founder + find out what he’s planning now

Find out why 3 Birmingham-Southern grads’ creative careers are thriving

Healthcare design of the future. We asked the pros {PHOTOS}

SQL Developer

Sr Software Engineer

Registered Respiratory Therapist – NICU

Patient Registration Representative Emergency Department

Medical Technologist – Blood Bank

Sales Development Representative

K-4th Grade Lead Teachers

Staff Nurse Float Pool

Business Systems Administrator

Content Producer Internships