• Subscribe
    • Franklin Living Magazine
    • Services
      • About Us
      • Subscribe
      • Policies
      • Terms of use
      • Submit a news tip
      • Submit a photo
      • Birth announcement
      • Birthday announcement
      • Engagement announcement
      • Wedding announcement
      • Submit a Classified Ad
      • Letter to the Editor
    • Classifieds
    • E-editions
    • Public Notices
      • Public Notices
      • Alabama Public Notices
    • Subscribe
    • Franklin Living Magazine
    • Services
      • About Us
      • Subscribe
      • Policies
      • Terms of use
      • Submit a news tip
      • Submit a photo
      • Birth announcement
      • Birthday announcement
      • Engagement announcement
      • Wedding announcement
      • Submit a Classified Ad
      • Letter to the Editor
    • Classifieds
    • E-editions
    • Public Notices
      • Public Notices
      • Alabama Public Notices

Franklin County Times
  • Home
  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyles
  • Obituaries
  • Records
  • Subscribe
  • Services
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Policies
  • Terms of use
  • Submit a news tip
  • Submit a photo
  • Birth Announcement
  • Birthday announcement
  • Engagement announcement
  • Wedding announcement
  • Submit a Classified Ad
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Classifieds
  • Public Notices
    Franklin County Times
      • Site logo
      • Home
      • News
        • Russellville
        • Red Bay
        • Phil Campbell
        • Franklin County
        • Photo Galleries
        • Sponsored Content
      • Sports
        • Belgreen Bulldogs
        • Phil Campbell Bobcats
        • Red Bay Tigers
        • Russellville Golden Tigers
        • Tharptown Wildcats
        • Vina Red Devils
        • College Sports
        • Sports Columnists
      • Opinion
        • Letters to the Editor
        • Columnists
        • Editorials
      • Lifestyles
        • Birthdays
        • Births
        • Couples
        • Food
        • Features
      • Obituaries
      • Records
        • Sheriff’s Report
        • Marriages
        • Land Transactions
        • Police Reports
      • Special Sections
      • Site logo
      • Home
      • News
        • Russellville
        • Red Bay
        • Phil Campbell
        • Franklin County
        • Photo Galleries
        • Sponsored Content
      • Sports
        • Belgreen Bulldogs
        • Phil Campbell Bobcats
        • Red Bay Tigers
        • Russellville Golden Tigers
        • Tharptown Wildcats
        • Vina Red Devils
        • College Sports
        • Sports Columnists
      • Opinion
        • Letters to the Editor
        • Columnists
        • Editorials
      • Lifestyles
        • Birthdays
        • Births
        • Couples
        • Food
        • Features
      • Obituaries
      • Records
        • Sheriff’s Report
        • Marriages
        • Land Transactions
        • Police Reports
      • Special Sections
    Franklin County, News, Russellville
     By  Kellie Singleton Published 
    1:22 pm Friday, October 18, 2013

    Russellville firm envisions growth through public and private partnerships

    While the economy remains gloomy for many businesses in North Alabama and news of the upcoming International Paper plant closing threatens thousands of local jobs, one Russellville-based company is taking a different approach – enabling business growth through collaborative public and private partnerships.

    Dick Hoffmann, president of Business Growth Ventures, Inc., headquartered in Russellville with offices in North Carolina and California, said he hopes to turn the economic tide in the Northwest Alabama area through his company.

    Business Growth Ventures, Inc. (BGV) is a regionally-focused business consultancy combined with a web and mobile application development company.

    According to Hoffmann, the result they offer to clients is a unique approach to “technology-enabled business performance and growth in the age of the Internet.”

    “We’re working to repeat a model in the Shoals area that has worked extremely well in Silicon Valley, in the Raleigh/Research Triangle area of North Carolina and in dozens of other cities throughout the country,” Hoffmann said.

    “The model we’re repeating is one of collaboration between local businesses, large corporate sponsors, universities, investors and government entities to create business and innovation ‘incubators’ – collaborative networks of support that enable business ideas to grow.”

    The Silicon Valley area of Northern California is famous for its collaborations between Stanford University, Santa Clara University and U.C. Berkeley teamed with local business and government support to create the powerhouse that has been the Silicon Valley experience since the 1970s.

    Likewise, the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina was created in 1958 by collaboration between IBM, local government and the three major universities: Duke, UNC and NC State.

    That collaboration helped put the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area on the map and led to one of the most important centers of technology and biotechnology in the country.

    “There is no reason why we can’t create another area like that in our section of Northwest Alabama,” Hoffmann said. “What makes those areas work more than anything else is that they’ve created a ‘culture of expectation’ – they expect to succeed and innovate, and they do it. The educational, business and government community supports them and nurtures that expectation. That is the goal of our initiatives.”

    Hoffmann spent the majority of his 30-year career working for Silicon Valley software companies serving Fortune 500 companies with technology-based solutions, and he believes this experience will allow him to offer a unique perspective when it comes to business expansion and growth.

    “My business partners and I have been lucky enough to work for and with some of the largest and most successful companies in the world,” he said. “Now we’re bringing what we’ve learned from those experiences to small and medium-sized businesses and to regional markets like the Shoals area.”

    According to Hoffmann, smaller companies can now access global resources and compete with the largest corporations. “The Internet gives you access to people, talent, resources and funding from anywhere on the planet like no other time in history,” Hoffmann said.

    “Ours is the first time ever in history when a person can start a small company in Russellville, Ala. and reach a billion people with a product or service. Technology and the Internet enable that kind of reach and that kind of growth. It’s a very exciting time.”

    Hoffmann’s company is already working with the Computer Science and Information Systems department of the University of North Alabama on an important first initiative.

    The graduating class of computer science majors working under the guidance of UNA’s CIS professor, Dr. David Nickels, and in collaboration with Hoffmann’s company is designing an electronic commerce database system for a local manufacturing company.

    “This project gives our students a view into the cutting edge of how products are marketed and sold on the Internet,” Nickels said. “They receive real world commercial experience to add to their resumes and UNA is able to help a local company at the same time. It’s a clear win/win for the university and for the Shoals area business community. We’ve already expressed interest in working on additional projects together.”

    Another key component of the company is deep expertise in the field of “collaboration” – the art and science of enabling people, teams and organizations to work together toward a common goal.

    It is this last piece that Hoffmann said is a key to enabling public and partnership collaborations to work.

    “It’s not easy getting different types of organizations and people with diverse talents to work together, but we’ve been very successful creating a model for success on very large, complex projects,” Hoffman said.

    “A kind of magic happens when this kind of collaboration is successful – one plus one begins to add up to three, four or five when you have multiple organizations contributing their talents and resources to a common purpose.”

    The idea for the “Shoals Area Business Integrator” (SABI) grew out of this collaborative approach. With its regional focus on areas like Northwest Alabama, the goal of BGV and its partners is to create models for growth that are unique to the local area and culture while incorporating the collaborative power of public and private partnerships.

    “It is often said that there is a unique spirit to the Shoals area,” Hoffmann said.

    “Most often that is related to the music industry, the river areas and the phenomenon of ‘the Shoals Sound’, but the cities of Florence, Muscle Shoals, Tuscumbia and Russellville each have unique character and pools of talent in many areas of business, art, education, technology, entrepreneurship and local government.  We seek to harness that energy and use it to drive economic growth in this area, with a unique Shoals twist.”

    Local politicians and leaders in economic development roles in the area are in support of this approach.

    In last year’s redistricting, the Florence area and UNA were added to Sen. Roger Bedford’s congressional district, so the collaboration between UNA and a Russellville company touches his constituent base in several ways.

    “Raising the economic tide in our area is something that we all have a vested interest in supporting,” Bedford said. “Tapping into the resources of UNA to help the productivity of a local business makes perfect sense. I’m delighted to see an approach that has worked well in other areas of the country put to work in our area.”

    Hoffmann, who has deep roots in Franklin County through his family’s successful business Distinctive Designs International, Inc., said entrepreneurship is in his blood and he is ready to put that to use in the place he calls home.

    “We just want to give the people of this area some hope that they can have a successful business or career right here in the Shoals area and in Franklin County,” he said. “This area doesn’t have to be stagnant when it come to business growth.

    “All it takes is the right type of connections, collaborations and networking, and we hope Business Growth Ventures can be a big part of that.”

    If you would like to talk with Business Growth Ventures about the growth of your business or project, or to work with the Shoals Area Business Incubator, contact them at growth@business-growth-ventures.com or 866-726-0249.

    Also on Franklin County Times
    PHOTO GALLERY: Jam at Sloss Lake
    Franklin County, Galleries, Lifestyles
    PHOTO GALLERY: Jam at Sloss Lake
    Griffin Traylor 
    July 9, 2025
    Auditor says city’s financial health is very good
    Main, News, Russellville, ...
    Auditor says city’s financial health is very good
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    July 9, 2025
    RUSSELLVILLE -- The city has received what its auditor called a “clean opinion” on its fiscal year 2024 audit, meaning no significant deficiencies or ...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    Place of Grace opens recovery home in Franklin County
    Franklin County, Main, News, ...
    Place of Grace opens recovery home in Franklin County
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    July 9, 2025
    The Place of Grace has opened a new recovery home in Franklin County, offering women a structured, faith-based environment to continue their journey a...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    Hamilton: Title II funding freeze is a concern
    Main, News, Russellville, ...
    Hamilton: Title II funding freeze is a concern
    Alyssa Sutherland For the FCT 
    July 9, 2025
    R U S S E L L V I L L E – Franklin County Superintendent Greg Hamilton is concerned about the status of more than $6 billion in federal education gran...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    Fire Department receives new $2.2M platform truck
    Main, News, Russellville, ...
    Fire Department receives new $2.2M platform truck
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    July 9, 2025
    RUSSELLVILLE Firefighters and city officials showed off the Fire Department’s new $2.2 million 100-foot platform fire truck in a safety demonstration ...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    Palmer certified for fourth term on Russellville Council
    News, Russellville, Z - News Main
    Palmer certified for fourth term on Russellville Council
    María Camp maria.camp@franklincountytimes.com 
    July 9, 2025
    RUSSELLVILLE – The city council approved a certificate of election stating Councilman David Palmer was the only candidate to qualify for Council Distr...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    Summer camps nurture faith, friendship and growth
    Columnists, Opinion
    HERE AND NOW
    Summer camps nurture faith, friendship and growth
    July 9, 2025
    Susie Hovater Malone Columnist During the summer many Franklin County youths enjoy attending summer camps, where they engage in hiking, swimming, spor...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}
    The prosperity we enjoy depends on Sea Lanes of Communication
    Columnists, Opinion
    The prosperity we enjoy depends on Sea Lanes of Communication
    July 9, 2025
    The Pax Americana, the period since World War II when there have been no major world wars, has led to the greatest period of freedom the world has eve...
    {"epopulate_editorials_prism":"epopulate_editorials_prism"}

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    ❮ ❯
    Latest Local News
    PHOTO GALLERY: Jam at Sloss Lake
    PHOTO GALLERY: Jam at Sloss Lake
    July 9, 2025
    Auditor says city’s financial health is very good
    Auditor says city’s financial health is very good
    RUSSELLVILLE -- The city has received what its auditor called a “clean opinion” on its fiscal year 2024 audit, meaning no significant deficiencies or ...
    July 9, 2025
    Place of Grace opens recovery home in Franklin County
    Place of Grace opens recovery home in Franklin County
    The Place of Grace has opened a new recovery home in Franklin County, offering women a structured, faith-based environment to continue their journey a...
    July 9, 2025
    Hamilton: Title II funding freeze is a concern
    Hamilton: Title II funding freeze is a concern
    R U S S E L L V I L L E – Franklin County Superintendent Greg Hamilton is concerned about the status of more than $6 billion in federal education gran...
    July 9, 2025
    Fire Department receives new $2.2M platform truck
    Fire Department receives new $2.2M platform truck
    RUSSELLVILLE Firefighters and city officials showed off the Fire Department’s new $2.2 million 100-foot platform fire truck in a safety demonstration ...
    July 9, 2025

    More Local News

    Latest Stories
    Municipal elections: Let your voice be heard on Aug. 26
    Qualifying for municipal races across the state, including Franklin County, closed on June 24 leaving several contested races leading up to the Aug. 2...
    July 9, 2025
    TVA surcharge to raise August bills for customers
    RUSSELLVILLE Electricity customers should expect higher bills in August as TVA passes along a surcharge driven by high summer demand and a recent outa...
    July 9, 2025
    Hutcheson participates in CCHS program
    Hutcheson participates in CCHS program
    PHIL CAMPBELL — Rising Phil Campbell High School senior Hudson Hutcheson spent most of his summer at the University of Alabama. An aspiring dentist, h...
    July 9, 2025
    Being struck by lightning was ‘shocking experience’
    Being struck by lightning was ‘shocking experience’
    RUSSELLVILLE — Lisa Henderson was lying on her bed, scrolling through social media sites on her phone and enjoying a cozy, rainy Sunday afternoon with...
    July 9, 2025
    Jeffreys named new head football coach at Red Bay
    Jeffreys named new head football coach at Red Bay
    RED BAY -- Tyler Jeffreys has been named the new head coach at Red Bay High School. Jeffreys is stepping in to replace Heath Childers, who recently re...
    July 9, 2025
    Latest Sports
    Jeffreys named new head football coach at Red Bay
    Jeffreys named new head football coach at Red Bay
    RED BAY -- Tyler Jeffreys has been named the new head coach at Red Bay High School. Jeffreys is stepping in to replace Heath Childers, who recently re...
    July 9, 2025
    Hamilton to play baseball at Blue Mountain College
    Hamilton to play baseball at Blue Mountain College
    RED BAY -- Red Bay High School’s Reed Hamilton has officially signed a scholarship to continue his education and baseball career at Blue Mountain Coll...
    July 9, 2025
    Allison tapped to lead Lady Bobcats softball
    Allison tapped to lead Lady Bobcats softball
    PHIL CAMPBELL -- A familiar face will be leading the Phil Campbell High School Lady Bobcats softball program next season. Darby Allison, a 2007 gradua...
    July 2, 2025
    6 local students accepted into FAME program
    6 local students accepted into FAME program
    Northwest Shoals Community College (NWSCC) has signed 6 Franklin County students to its 2025–26 Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education (FAME)...
    July 2, 2025
    Junior golfers hone skills through summer program
    Junior golfers hone skills through summer program
    RUSSELLVILLE -- A young generation of golfers teed off this summer at Twin Pines Country Club, thanks to a local effort to create opportunities for ch...
    July 2, 2025

    More Sports Stories

    x

    Sections

    • Home
    • News
    • Sports
    • Opinion
    • Lifestyles
    • Obits
    • Special Sections
    • Sponsored Content
      • Home
      • News
      • Sports
      • Opinion
      • Lifestyles
      • Obits
      • Special Sections
      • Sponsored Content

    Services

    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Advertise With Us
    • Policies
    • Terms of use
    • Submit a news tip
    • Submit a photo
    • Birth announcement
    • Birthday announcement
    • Engagement announcement
    • Wedding announcement
    • Submit a Classified Ad
    • Letter to the Editor
    • Sign Up For Our Free Newsletter
      • About Us
      • Subscribe
      • Advertise With Us
      • Policies
      • Terms of use
      • Submit a news tip
      • Submit a photo
      • Birth announcement
      • Birthday announcement
      • Engagement announcement
      • Wedding announcement
      • Submit a Classified Ad
      • Letter to the Editor
      • Sign Up For Our Free Newsletter

    Follow Us

    Copyright

    © , Franklin County Times