The Alabama Business Hall of Fame has announced the six men it will induct this year at a ceremony in November.
The inductees are Herman E. Bulls, of McLean, Virginia; Tom Hough, of Atlanta; C. Phillip McWane, of Mountain Brook; James W. Rane, of Abbeville; Frank Stitt III, of Birmingham; and Michael D. Thompson, of Birmingham.
The six will be inducted into the hall of fame, established in 1973 and located at the Culverhouse College of Business at the University of Alabama, during a ceremony Nov. 9 at Haven in Birmingham.
More information about the event, including ticket and sponsorship information, can be found at the Alabama Business Hall of Fame website.
Here’s a little more about this year’s inductees:
Herman E. Bulls, a Florence native, is vice chairman, Americas, as well as international director and founder of Jones Lang LaSalle’s Public Institutions practice, which he created to serve governmental and higher education clients.
Tom Hough’s career was largely spent working for the Big 4 accounting firm Ernst & Young, leading the firm’s Americas Assurance Practice when he retired in 2014. A golfer at the University of Alabama, Hough also co-chaired the 1986 U.S. Amateur Golf Championship and the 1990 PGA Championship.
C. Phillip McWane is chairman of McWane Inc., the Birmingham-based manufacturer of ductile iron products such as pipes, hydrants and other goods used in construction and water infrastructure. He is a graduate of Auburn University.
Jimmy Rane is chairman and CEO of Great Southern Wood Preserving, which he founded in Abbeville in 1970 and built into one of the world’s largest manufacturers of pressure-treated lumber. He graduated from Auburn and Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law.
Frank Stitt is the owner and executive chef of Highlands Bar and Grill, Bottega Restaurant, Bottega Café and Chez Fonfon in Birmingham. Highlands Bar and Grill won the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Restaurant in 2018.
Michael D. Thompson is chairman of the board of Thompson Trailer Co., a dealer of heavy earthmoving machinery and engines throughout the South, as well as president and CEO of Fairway Investments. Fairway Investments has holdings in 10 states. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama.
Go here for more information about the inductees and the event.
