Induction Year: 2012

Richard E. Anthony

  • September 29th, 2021

“Destined to be a banker.”

Richard E. Anthony, 66, was born in Troy, Ala., and from the beginning, he was destined to be a banker.

His maternal great-great-grandfather founded Farmers & Merchants Bank in Troy in 1880. In 1906, his great-great-uncle founded Troy Bank and Trust. And his paternal grandfather was chairman and CEO of Commercial Bank in Andalusia, where he was succeeded by Richard Anthony’s father Eiland Eland Anthony Jr. In addition, his son, two brothers and two brothers-in-law are or have been involved in the financial services industry.

And while American bankers are sometimes painted as a tough bunch, Anthony guided Synovus to the No. 1 ranking on the Fortune Magazine’s list of the best places to work in America. “We try to do more than just compensate people,” Anthony said at the time. “People want more from an employer than just compensation.” Synovus employees call it a “culture of the heart.”

Anthony earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from The University of Alabama and continued his education at the University of Virginia where he received his MBA. He also graduated from the management and banking programs at Duke University and Louisiana State University.

The retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Synovus Financial Corp., a regional banking company headquartered in Columbus, Georgia, with banking offices in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee, began his banking career at AmSouth Bank where he served as Executive Vice President. As a co-founder of First Commercial Bancshares in 1985, he helped lead the company’s expansion into Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery, and Huntsville, using its Jasper community banking presence as a foundation.

Anthony was President of First Commercial Bancshares when it merged with Synovus in 1992. He became vice-chairman of Synovus in 1996, overseeing Synovus’ banking operations. In 2003, he became president and chief operating officer, then taking over CEO responsibilities in 2005. In 2006 he was named Chairman and CEO. His service at Synovus concluded in April 2012, when he retired as a board member.

His leadership responsibilities at Synovus covered a tumultuous period of financial stress and he led the company through two major capital raises, a dramatic restructuring, and a successful spin-off of Total Systems Services, its credit card processing subsidiary.

Civic affiliations have included: President, Birmingham Kiwanis Club; Captain, Monday Morning Quarterback Club; Leadership Birmingham; Leadership Alabama; The University of Alabama President’s Cabinet; the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration’s Board of Visitors; Member of the Board of Directors for the School of Fine Arts; Director of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama. He also led the United Way Campaign in Columbus, Georgia, and was Chairman of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.

Anthony served on the Board of Directors of the American Bankers Association, the Financial Services Roundtable, and Total Systems Services, Inc.

Anthony and his wife, Ginny, have been married 45 years and have two grown children, Richard Jr. and Lee, and six grandchildren.

He began playing golf at age eight and still plays. He played competitively at the junior and amateur levels in his teens and early 20s, winning a number of events including the Alabama State Junior Championship, The Future Masters Tournament, and the Alabama State Amateur Tournament.

John A. Caddell

  • September 29th, 2021

For John A. Caddell, the old saying that “what goes around, comes around” has a special meaning.

John A. Caddell, 82, of Montgomery, was President and Chief Executive Officer at Blount Construction where he was responsible for some of the largest and most challenging projects in the world and led the company to international prominence.

After 31 years at Blount and at the height of the company’s success, Chairman and CEO Winton M. “Red” Blount suddenly asked Caddell, then age 52, to leave the company. Most believed that this was to make room at the top for his son. Under no obligation, Blount extended to Caddell full salary and benefits for five years. Caddell left Blount, but within a matter of weeks founded Caddell Construction where he currently serves as Chairman of the Board. He built the new company into a major player in domestic and international markets including U.S. diplomatic facilities, federal courthouses, high-tech research and development centers, prisons, hospitals, airports, hotels, power plants, manufacturing facilities, military barracks, and an even longer list of unique specialty projects.

Ten years after leaving Blount, in 1994, Caddell bought out the construction division of his former employer and his company posted revenues of more than $100 million, a figure that doubled two years later. Years later, Red Blount wrote that firing John Caddell was one of the worst business decisions of his life.

Caddell earned a bachelor of science degree in building construction from the Georgia Institute of Technology and attended Harvard Business School’s AMP Program, the University of Virginia Advanced Management Program, and the Top Management Briefing Course-American Management Association. He also attended Officer Engineer Technical School, USAF Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and served two years in the United States Air Force.

Caddell began his construction career as an estimator with Blount Construction in 1952. He was promoted to Vice President of Blount in 1963 and assumed duties of President and CEO from 1969 until 1983.

Since he established Caddell Construction Co., Inc. in 1983, the company has become one of the most respected general contractors in the nation. Caddell Construction has completed more than $7 billion in public and private projects and received multiple national honors from construction industry peers. Caddell has become a premier contractor for U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide, including the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, and is among a handful of U.S. general contractors with the sophisticated management and technical systems to effectively direct this type of, especially challenging project.

Caddell Construction was recently ranked by the “Engineering News Record” as the 88th largest U.S. general contractor, the 28th largest U.S. design and build prime contractor, and among the top 30 “Green” contractors nationwide.

John Caddell served as President and Board Member of the Montgomery Chapter of the Associated General Contractors and was a member of the Montgomery AmSouth Bank Board of Directors. He is a Lifetime Board Member and Past President of YMCA and a member of the Montgomery Area Committee of 100. He has also served as a member of the Board of the Alabama Baptist Foundation, the Montgomery Area United Way, and the Advisory Board at Auburn University at Montgomery, the Advisory Board for Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Board of Trustees at Samford University.

In 1998, he received the Distinguished Alumni Center Achievement Award from the Georgia Institute of Technology College of Architecture. He was selected by the Alabama Associated Builders and Contractors as the 2004 Recipient of the Cornerstone Award for outstanding contributions to the construction industry; followed by election from the Associated General Contractors of Alabama to its Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2010, he received the Frank Plummer Memorial Arts Award for outstanding support and contributions to the fine arts from the Montgomery Business Committee for Fine Arts.

E. Grace Pilot

  • September 28th, 2021

Given her compassion for others less fortunate, it should come as no surprise that E. Grace Pilot of Mobile has built Pilot Catastrophe Services into the largest catastrophe adjusting firm in the nation, assisting thousands of disaster victims each year with an innovative approach to putting communities and families back together after disasters strike. Mrs. Pilot and her late husband Walter formed Burch and Pilot and Pilot Adjustment Services in Mobile in 1964 as an independent adjusting firm. In 1983, the couple decided to go into business for themselves and founded Pilot & Associates, Inc. Today, Pilot Catastrophe Services, Inc. employs thousands of employees inside and outside of Alabama with the corporate office in Mobile offices throughout the country and has grown into the nation’s largest catastrophe adjusting firm.

She has been active with the company in various capacities since its inception in 1983 and still serves as secretary/treasurer and director.

Mrs. Pilot was born in Silas in Choctaw County, Alabama, and is the third eldest of ten children. She married her high school sweetheart and the couple moved to Mobile in 1954. She worked with the Haas Davis Packing Company and later joined the Mobile Coca-Cola company in the accounting department before going into the catastrophe adjusting business. Through determination and hard work, she and her children have continued the legacy of her husband.

She is an active and past member of many organizations including the Alabama Baptist Children’s Home, American Society of Women Accountants, and is an honoree of the Alexis de Tocqueville Society Award given to members who show exemplary leadership in the United Way and the community. In 2005, Mrs. Pilot was honored by Beta Sigma Phi as the First Lady of Mobile for her ideas and commitment to others through her daily acts of love, friendship, and generosity.

The E. Grace Pilot Private Foundation supports her efforts to create a positive change in the communities in which she lives and contribute to causes of eternal value. The Foundation provides financial support primarily in the areas of education, community needs, and Christian ministry. The Pilot House of Hope in Shelby County, Alabama, is named in honor of her generous support. The house serves the needs of homeless mothers and their children and offers a safe place in which to live as they work toward independence.

She has served as a member of the board of trustees of Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes which has named Its training and conference center in Birmingham the Dr. E. Grace Pilot Conference Center in her honor.

She has served as special advisor to the president of Howard Payne University in Brownwood, Texas, and has been a generous benefactor to the University. In 1994, Howard Payne University honored her with the highest honor given by a university with an honorary Doctoral of Humanities degree. In 2010, “Grace Chapel” on the campus of Howard Payne University was named in her honor.

Mrs. Pilot is the proud mother of five children, sixteen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. All of the children are active in the family business. Mrs. Pilot is a member of Luke 4:18 Fellowship Church.

T. Michael Goodrich

  • September 28th, 2021

When BE&K was named one of “The Best Companies to Work for in America,” Michael Goodrich, then the company’s president, was quoted as saying, “We take care of our own.”

Michael Goodrich, 66, of Birmingham, went on to become chairman and chief executive of BE&K, a top engineering and construction company with headquarters in Birmingham. The company, which has sold to Houston-based construction giant KBR in 2008, provided engineering and commercial projects throughout the world.

Goodrich spent 37 years with BE&K, first as legal counsel when the company was formed. He became president in 1989 and became chairman and CEO in 2003.

Goodrich was born in Milan, Tennessee. He is a civil engineering graduate of Tulane University and received his law degree from The University of Alabama. He serves as a captain in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

During Goodrich’s tenure as CEO, BE&K had major offices in Wilmington, Delaware, Birmingham, Alabama, Raleigh, North Carolina, Houston, Texas, Helsinki, Finland, St. Petersburg, Russia, and Kwidzyn, Poland.

In 1990, BE&K became the first construction company to offer child care at construction sites. The company was recognized as one of the most family-friendly companies in the nation. The company’s family-friendly reputation earned Goodrich an invitation to participate in a business forum at the White House.

He serves on the Board of Directors of First Commercial Bank, Synovus Financial Corporation, AGI/Shorewood, LLC, and Energen Corporation. Following his service at BE&K, Goodrich started an investment management company, Goodrich Management Company.

Goodrich received the NOVA Award from the Construction Innovation Forum and the Excellence in Construction Cornerstone Award by the Associated Builders and Contractors.

He is a longtime supporter of the Boy Scouts of America and served on its national board since 2001 and was chairman of the Greater Alabama Council in 2000. He was awarded the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout awards by the Boy Scouts of America.

He is a former president of the Associated Builders and Contractors and a member of the National Academy of Construction. He is a member of Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Alabama.

He has been active with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Eisenhower Fellows. He is a member of the President’s Cabinet at The University of Alabama and The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Goodrich served as a captain in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from 1971-1972 and is a member of the Alabama Academy of Honor and the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. Goodrich is a member of South Highland Presbyterian Church where he has served as an elder and a deacon.

He and his wife, Gillian, were the 2011 winners of the Virginia B. and William Spencer Outstanding Philanthropist Award given by the Alabama Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals for their work in helping children in poverty and communities in distress. In 2009, Goodrich and his wife created the Mike and Gillian Goodrich Foundation to focus on education and neighborhood revitalization.

They have four children and eight grandchildren.

James S. Holbrook

  • September 28th, 2021

When Jim Holbrook became chief executive officer of Sterne Agee Group, Inc., revenue was $5 million. Today firm revenue is more than $350 million.

James S. Holbrook, Jr., 68 and now chairman, president, and chief executive officer, has remained at the helm of the investment bank for 22 years since the consolidation of its securities firm, Sterne, Agee & Leach, Inc. with First Birmingham Securities Corporation, the company Holbrook founded and operated from 1970-1990.

Sterne Agee was founded in 1901 and remains one of the few privately-owned brokerage firms in the country. The firm has more than 140,000 clients across all 50 states and manages more than $17 billion in assets. Sterne Agee Group, Inc. comprises seven subsidiaries.

Holbrook has kept the company’s headquarters in Birmingham, providing economic sustainability and employing more than 400 residents of the city and suburbs, and more than 500 statewide. The company employs 1300 people.

Holbrook began his affinity for the investment world after receiving his bachelor of arts degree in business and finance from The University of Alabama. His first job was in the Public Finance Group at R.W. Knight & Company in 1966.

Throughout his career, he has served on the Board of Governors for the National Association of Securities Dealers (now FINRA) and was Vice-Chairman of the National Business Conduct Committee. During that time Holbrook also served on the Corporate Finance Committee, the Sanctions Guidelines Committee, the Statutory Disqualifications Committee, and the Executive Committee.

At one point, he served as Chairman of the District No. 5 Business Conduct Committee. Holbrook is also a member of the SIFMA Regional Firms Committee and Management Roundtable.

Holbrook’s civic involvement includes The University of Alabama President’s Cabinet, the Alabama Business Hall of Fame Board of Directors, past Chairman of the Board of Visitors of the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration, and a member of the Commerce Executive Society. In 1999, Holbrook was made Honorary Member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the honor society at The University of Alabama serving business programs accredited by AACSB International.

To encourage the growth and development of the business community, Holbrook currently serves on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee for the Birmingham Business Alliance and in 2008 served on the Board of Trustees for the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. He also is a member of the Alabama Council of Economic Education Board and serves on the Robert E. Reed Gastrointestinal Oncology Research Foundation Corporate Board.

He has been a long-time member of The Newcomen Society, Alabama chapter, and Toqueville Society, as a partner of United Way.

Holbrook is married to the former Patricia Giltz. He has a son and a daughter and five grandchildren.

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