Day 18 of Mentor on Road, USA

“You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.”
-Swami Vivekananda

Day 18 of Mentor on Road, USA started early morning at 7 am as we had a 9 hour long road drive from Tampa to Birmingham, Alabama.

Birmingham is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Jefferson county. Birmingham was founded in 1871, during the post-civil war reconstruction period, through the merger of three pre-existing farm towns, notably, former Elyton. From its founding through the end of the 1960s, Birmingham was a primary industrial center of the southern United States. Its growth from 1881 through 1920 earned its nicknames as 'The Magic City' and 'The Pittsburgh of the South.'

From Birmingham's early days onward, the steel industry has always played a crucial role in the local economy. Though the steel industry no longer has the same prominence it once held in Birmingham, steel production and processing continue to play a key role in the economy.

In recent years, local steel companies have announced about $100 million worth of investment in expansions and new plants in and around the city. Vulcan Materials Company, a major provider of crushed stone, sand, and gravel used in construction, is also based in Birmingham.

Birmingham is the 10th largest banking center in the US as per a recent study. Birmingham is also a powerhouse of construction and engineering companies, including BE&K, Brasfield & Gorrie, Robins & Morton, and B.L. Harbert International which routinely are included in the Engineering News-Record lists of top design and international construction firms.

The Birmingham metropolitan area has consistently been rated as one of America's best places to work and earn a living based on the area's competitive salary rates and relatively low living expenses.

Mentor on Road, USA has entered the 15^th state of USA, Alabama. We started driving on 4^th June and have covered the following states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. We are yet to cover 30 more states in our journey ahead.

We stopped at Tallahassee for a delightful Indian lunch and then continued the journey to Birmingham. The weather was really nice and we enjoyed some light rains on our way.

Reached Birmingham at 8 pm and checked-in in a beautiful hill top hotel.

Tomorrow we have several events lined up from 8 am to 2 pm organised by our partner USCS, with Alabama International Trade Center affiliated with SBDC (Small Business Development Center), Alabama India Business partnership (AIBP) and Innovation Depot.

We look forward to an interactive session with Indo-US Chamber of Commerce and take the trade relations to a higher level. Currently the trade between India and US amounts to $100 billion. It has a potential of reaching $500 billion in future.

Alabama International Trade Center was established in 1979, by Dr. William R. Bennett, Emeritus Professor of Marketing and International Business at The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration. In his honor upon retirement, the Center was designated as the William R. Bennett Alabama International Trade Center. It operates as a federal-state partnership program between the University of Alabama and the U.S. Small Business Administration, promoting SBA’s export financing programs in Alabama.

AIBP affiliates with parallel domestic and international organizations, develops governmental contacts in the US and India to bridge an access to business communities in Alabama and India, arranges business workshops and seminars on trade between US and India and organizes meetings for those looking for business opportunities to enter into joint ventures, or to invest in Alabama or India.

The Innovation Depot is a combined facility for the City of Birmingham's Entrepreneurial Center and UAB's Office for the Advancement of Developing Industries (OADI). The two centers have worked together under the Entrepreneurial Center's management since 2001. The name "Innovation Depot" was chosen to reflect its proximity to Birmingham's Railroad Reservation, the "incubator" of industrial development in the late 19th century. The 145,000 square-foot facility is designed to house as many as 75 small businesses and employ as many as 500 workers.

We hope the journey ahead stays as exciting and effective as it has been till now. 

Jai Ho! (Let victory be yours)