Six people have been chosen as this year’s inductees into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame at the University of Alabama.
Established in 1973, the Alabama Business Hall of Fame honors individuals who have brought lasting fame to the state of Alabama through their business contributions.
Here are this year’s inductees:
- Terry C. Anderson is the chairman and CEO of American Promotional Events, known as TNT Fireworks. Anderson earned his business marketing degree from the University of Tennessee, where he played football.
- Fournier J. “Boots” Gale III is of counsel at Maynard Nexsen PC, a Birmingham law firm. Gale was instrumental in founding Maynard Nexsen and served for many years as managing shareholder and chairman. He is a longtime board member of the Business Council of Alabama. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law.
- Benny LaRussa Jr. is the founder and CEO of Sterling Capital Management, a multi-asset holding company in Birmingham. Sterling Capital owns three primary platform companies: Fenwick Food Group, American Pipe and Supply and StoneRiver Company. He has a degree in finance from Auburn University.
- Tim Parker Jr. is chairman of Parker Towing Company, a commodities transportation company in Tuscaloosa that transports supplies throughout the Southeast. Parker earned a business administration degree from the University of Alabama, where he played basketball.
- William (Bill) J. Stevens is the retired CEO of Motion Industries, an industrial distribution company based in Birmingham. With Stevens as CEO, Motion’s sales grew from $1.85 billion in 1997 to $4.8 billion in 2014. He is a graduate of Samford University, where he played basketball.
- Susan Story is the retired president and CEO of American Water Works Inc., the largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility company in the U.S. and a member of the S&P 500. Story earned an industrial engineering degree from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She also was president and CEO of Southern Company Services in Birmingham and Atlanta.
The induction ceremony will be Nov. 13 at Haven in Birmingham.
