Patricia “Sister Schubert” Barnes

• September 24th, 2021

Patricia “Sister Schubert” Barnes founded her bread company in her home kitchen using her grandmother’s yeast roll recipe and transformed the business into a national brand. Sister Schubert’s currently produces more than nine million rolls per day with distribution in each state in the country as well as abroad.

Barnes has become an icon and role model among entrepreneurs and philanthropists alike, as today she focuses primarily on charitable giving and civic engagement. She sits on numerous boards, including those of the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame, the Dean’s Board for the College of Human Sciences at Auburn University, and the Board of Trustees at Troy University.

An official culinary ambassador for the State of Alabama, a best-selling cookbook author, and a popular conference speaker, Barnes gives back on a local and global scale. As the company found success, Barnes made two promises to herself and to God: that she would care for children and feed the hungry. As a result, she founded Sasha’s Home, a first-of-its-kind orphanage in Ukraine, where children live in a loving environment with access to holistic care.

Closer to home, she directs bread deliveries to homeless shelters and food banks across the southeast region, along with shipments for relief efforts after natural disasters such as Hurricane Harvey and the tornado that struck Tuscaloosa in 2011. In addition, she travels the country sharing what she has learned about building a business, spending much of each year speaking to women’s groups and entrepreneurs. In 1997, the United States Congress selected her as a Woman of Distinction. She was also the recipient of the Kappa Delta Woman of Achievement Award in 2016 due to her extraordinary achievements both in her career and community.

Barnes attended Troy University, Auburn University, and The University of Alabama. She and her husband, George, reside in Andalusia. They have three daughters: Charlotte Wilcox, Chrissie Duffy, and Laura Barnes; two sons: Evans and Alex; and seven grandchildren.

Jeffrey Bayer

• September 24th, 2021

Jeffrey Bayer is the President, CEO and co-founder of Bayer Properties, LLC, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which specializes in developing, leasing, managing, and marketing mixed-use real estate properties nationwide.

As the President and CEO, Bayer founded Bayer Properties in 1983 with the mission to, “Create real estate environments that improve the quality of life in the communities we serve.” Since its inception, he has fostered the organization’s growth from a local property management firm to a national commercial real estate leader. One of the first outdoor lifestyle centers, The Summit in Birmingham, Alabama, was built in 1997. Bayer continues to attract premier lessees and cultivate community gathering places through developments like Cahaba Village and The Pizitz.

In 2016, Bayer was recognized as Birmingham Business Journal’s “Top CEO for Large Companies,” “2014 Executive of the Year,” and currently tops the publication’s list of “Most Influential Executives.”

The American Cancer Society, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Red Mountain Theatre Company have honored him. In 2014, he was the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center L’Chaim honoree.

Bayer serves on the board of directors for Leadership Alabama, is a board member for Leadership Birmingham and the Alys Stephens Center, and is an International Trustee for the International Council of Shopping Centers. He also sits on The University of Alabama President’s Cabinet, The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham President’s Cabinet Executive Committee. He became a board member for The University of Alabama Health Services Foundation in 2015 and serves on The University of Alabama Health Services Foundation Executive Committee.

Bayer received his Bachelor of Science in Marketing from The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business. Jeffrey and his wife Gail live in Birmingham and are members of Temple Emanu-El where he served as board president from 2005-2007.

They have two daughters, Annie Goldberg and Lindsay Shipp, and four grandchildren.

Don James

• September 24th, 2021

Donald James retired as CEO of Vulcan Materials in 2014 and as Chairman in 2015, after eighteen years in those leadership roles. During his time, Vulcan grew to be one of the largest public companies in Alabama. Vulcan’s enterprise value has grown from $2 billion when James joined Vulcan to $18 billion at the end of 2017. Prior to joining Vulcan in 1992, James was a partner in the law firm of Bradley, Arant, Rose, and White, where he served on the firm’s Executive Committee.

Over the years, James has been involved in many civic and community activities, including serving as Chairman of the Birmingham Museum of Art and The Mountain Brook Board of Education. He has served on the Boards of Birmingham Southern College, United Way of Central Alabama, McWane Center, Central Alabama Council of Boy Scouts, Children’s of Alabama, UAB Health Services Foundation, UAB Health System, Rotary Club of Birmingham, Independent Presbyterian Church Foundation, Hugh Karl Foundation, The University of Alabama President’s Cabinet, and The Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors.

On the national level, he has served on the boards of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Manufacturers Association. In 2009, James received the Corporate Citizenship Award from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington D.C. Currently, James serves on the Board of Directors of Wells Fargo and The Southern Company.

In 2009, James was selected to the Alabama Academy of Honor, a roster that is comprised of distinguished citizens of Alabama chosen for accomplishment or service greatly benefiting or reflecting great credit on the state. James grew up in Russellville and holds a Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration from The University of Alabama and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. He and his wife Anna live in Birmingham and have three children, Dr. Virginia Grace Cohen, Clarence W. James II, and Julia Lundin, and five grandchildren.

Charles McCrary

• September 24th, 2021

Charles McCrary has spent the entirety of his career, which has spanned 40 years, at the Southern Company and its Alabama Power Company subsidiary, which he led as president and CEO. At Southern Company, he served as Vice President for Southern Nuclear Operating Company and was President of Southern Company Generation, among other executive-level roles.

While at Alabama Power Company, he established a mutually beneficial partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. This partnership, known as the AP model, is recognized throughout the public utilities industry and has received awards from the industry and federal agencies. Variations of it have been adopted by the utility industry across the United States. McCrary is a current member of the Auburn University Board of Trustees and the boards of Regions Financial Corporation, Great Southern Wood Holdings, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. His business expertise is highly valued, demonstrated by his previous service as chairman of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and service on the boards of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International and Protective Life Corporation. He was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2003.

In 2015, the Alabama Power Foundation honored McCrary by founding The McCrary Institute at Auburn University. The Institute advances the research and development of new energy system technologies to improve the reliability and security of the power grid and related civil and industrial infrastructure critical to our nation’s operations.

McCrary attended Auburn University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He also earned his Juris Doctor from the Birmingham School of Law. He and his wife Phyllis reside in Birmingham and have two sons, Douglas and Alex, and five grandchildren.

Randy Owen

• September 24th, 2021

Randy Owen has been the frontman and lead vocalist of the legendary group, Alabama, the most successful and awarded band in country music history for nearly 50 years. They have 53 gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums, and 43 #1 singles, with over 80 million records sold.

Alabama has received more than 250 industry awards and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. Owen was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2013.

When he’s not on the road performing or writing songs, Owen stays busy operating his 3,000-acre working cattle ranch, Tennessee River Music, Inc., and raising 500 head of Hereford and Angus cattle on land acquired from many of his relatives and family friends.

Much of the acreage that composes the ranch was once sharecropped and rented by his family for row crops. In his youth, Owen plowed and worked those fields and picked cotton. He was also involved in 4H and FFA. The ranch, where Owen calls home, is in the Fort Payne vicinity. He grew up not far away in the community of Adamsburg in DeKalb County.

Much of his time is spent helping others through his humanitarian efforts such as launching the St. Jude Country Cares for Kids, an annual radiothon fundraising event that has raised more than $800 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, among numerous other charity events throughout the years. He received the Ellis Island Award for his charity work with St. Jude’s.

He has played a key role in disaster relief initiatives, including organizing and playing concerts to support rebuilding efforts from the tornadoes that struck Tuscaloosa in 2011 and the one that hit the city of Jacksonville and Jacksonville State University, his alma mater, in March of 2018.

Owen is a proud graduate of Jacksonville State University where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. He and his wife Kelly have been married for 43 years. Their children include daughters Alison Owen, who graduated from Jacksonville State University, and Randa Owen Starnes who graduated from Auburn University.

Their son Heath graduated from Samford University. The Owens have a total of six grandchildren.

James Pursell

• September 24th, 2021

James (Jimmy) T. Pursell, Sr. has made immeasurable contributions to business in the state of Alabama. He operates Pursell Farms, a luxury 3,500-acre outdoors-oriented resort located in Sylacauga. Pursell Farms hosts thousands of guests a year, all drawn to the property’s premier golf course, Orvis shooting grounds, and highly-appointed accommodations.

Upon completing his military service in 1956, Pursell was invited by his father-in-law to join the family fertilizer business, Parker Fertilizer Company. When Howard Parker died in 1964, Pursell became company president.

The Pursell family’s entrepreneurial spirit led to the establishment of Pursell Farms, which was once the site of the Old Hamilton Plantation. In 2003, the Pursell family opened Farmlinks™, the world’s first research and demonstration 18-hole golf course, on their farm.

After Pursell Technologies, Inc. was sold in 2006, Pursell Farms evolved into a premier regional family farm resort available for corporate retreats, leisure getaways, and weddings. Their corporate and family mission is to give, grow and honor. They strive to provide their guests with a superior service experience, thereby honoring the family name in all they do.

In 1976, Pursell and his wife, Chris, committed their life and company to Christ. The company was to operate according to Christian principles. The Pursells say their lives have not been the same since. Pursell’s initiative and Christian principles have earned him many leadership positions and awards. He helped establish the Fellowship of Companies for Christ International and has served on the Alabama Board of Directors for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

He served on and chaired the State of Alabama Ethics Commission for five years. For his contribution to the economy and welfare of the state, Pursell was presented the 1997 Alabama Farm-City Free Enterprise Award. He has also been active in a wide variety of philanthropic organizations and events including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

He has a proven interest in promoting business ethics education through his support of an endowed chair in ethics and the establishment of the Center for Organizational Cultures both in the Raymond J. Harbert College of Business at Auburn University, his alma mater. He also helped found the CHAMPS/Life Skills Program for Auburn student-athletes. Pursell was awarded the Auburn University Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.

Pursell grew up in Talladega, Alabama, and graduated from Auburn University in 1952 with a degree in business. After graduation, he served four years in the U.S. Air Force as a bombardier navigator during the Korean conflict. Jim and his deceased wife Chris have three children, Taylor, Chris (Fleming), and David, ten grandchildren, and eleven great-grandchildren. Pursell lives at Pursell Farms in Sylacauga.

John Rhoads

• September 24th, 2021

John L. Rhoads was well-known for applying his brilliance and technical skills in helping Alabama entrepreneurs launch their businesses as a nationally recognized leader in the accounting industry.

He started his career in 1942 at Ernst & Ernst, which eventually became Ernst & Young. He was made partner in 1967 and retired in 1980.

In the 1960s and 1970s, he served companies in Huntsville’s rapidly-growing aerospace sector, helping several become large publicly-owned institutions. As a senior auditing and accounting technical partner, he guided companies through their interactions with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Some of the industries he worked included aerospace, farming, healthcare, and manufacturing. For example, his financial expertise helped a Birmingham-area medical facility open its doors, grow, and proceed with a stock offering. He was admired by his colleagues for his insistence on adhering to the highest ethical standards of the public accounting profession.

As a result of his reputation, he served as Council Chairman of the Alabama Society of CPAs and President of the Birmingham Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants as well as a member of that organization’s National Board of Directors.

Rhoads was an ardent supporter of Alabama’s educational institutions, either by his service to the University of Alabama at Birmingham as an adjunct faculty member or through scholarship and program support.

That support at The University of Alabama takes form in the John L. & Margaret E. Rhoads Endowed Scholarships in the Accounting, Athletics, and Food and Nutrition programs, plus the John and Ann Rhoads Softball Stadium, built in 2000 and recently enhanced. Endowed scholarships at the University of Alabama at Birmingham support students in the Accounting program.

Rhoads was a longtime executive committee member of the Jefferson County chapter of The University of Alabama National Alumni Association, serving as its Vice President and Treasurer for over 20 years. He lived in Birmingham and graduated from The University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting.

Rhoads passed away in 2001; his widow Ann Rhoads passed away in 2021.