New Chamber CEO Kyle South hopes to bolster the region, Tuscaloosa hub

Since Kyle South's days at the University of Alabama, and then for nine years serving in the House of Representatives representing District 16, which includes parts of Fayette, Tuscaloosa, Lamar and Jefferson counties, the Druid City has felt like a second home.

Second of three, basically, moving between his hometown of Fayette, and driving down to Montgomery for the governmental work. On July 1, South became the new president and CEO for the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce, so Tuscaloosa has bumped up.

"I have a lot of ties here; my grandparents lived in Tuscaloosa most of my life," South said. After graduating from Fayette County High School, and attending Bevill State Community College, in 2004 he earned a bachelor's commerce and business administration, with a focus on marketing, from UA.

His grandfather, Stephen Vaughan, died in South's last year at UA. His grandmother asked him to take over the family business, so South became president and general manager of West Alabama TV Cable Co., a $5 million business, which sold in 2019.

"I was kind of thrown into the fire without a whole lot of knowledge and background," he said, but in scrambling to learn, he made connections at local, regional and state levels. He's held a seat on the board of directors of the Alabama Cable Telecommunications Association since 2008, while at home keeping active in the Fayette Exchange Club and Fayette Area Chamber of Commerce.

Those associations urged him into legislative service, he said. While his home remained in Fayette, South kept a residence in Tuscaloosa.

"Through my legislative experience, a lot of what we did evolved in and around what I would call the hub of west Alabama," he said. "The more successful Tuscaloosa is, the more successful the region. I think we kind of lift all tides from here."

Leaving the Legislature

After selling the business, he'd been looking for his next professional opportunity, but until friend Jim Page, who served in the chamber's top post for more than a decade, called to announce his departure, South hadn't pondered the position. He knew the group's reputation, and that Page's leadership had helped the group win 2021 Chamber of the Year from the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, an umbrella group serving 1,600 chambers, including 93 of the top 100 metro areas in the U.S. But South was a little late throwing his hat into the ring.

"I knew the team was very strong, and that I'd be walking into a great situation," he said. "They kept the train on the tracks for six months without a leader in place, which goes to show how strong the team is. Jim had them on a good path, and this (job) would keep me in the policy-making world."

Page made his departure announcement in late 2022, moving his family closer to where he grew up, in Morgan County, to become executive vice president of MartinFederal Consulting in Huntsville. The Chamber announced South as its new leader in April; he worked in the House of Representatives until the end of the legislative session.

Part of what appealed to South was that this is the chamber of a region, not just its hub.

"I think that's one thing that was a draw for me, that we are responsible for monitoring and boosting business not just in Tuscaloosa and Northport, but regionally," he said, as that's how he'd been working in Montgomery, with Tuscaloosa as focal point, but also boosting less-populated areas.

One thing he learned quickly was that leaving the Legislature didn't mean leaving politics.

"A wise friend told me long ago 'The closer you are to your constituency, the harder the job is,' in politics. Here the constituents are the businesses, and I think that's a good thing," South said.

Though he's only been in the job a few weeks, and is still in the home-moving process, "So far it's been like drinking out of a firehose," he said, laughing. "Pretty wide open."

The Chamber's five-year plan

Part of the rolling machinery he's jumping on includes "All In," the Chamber's five-year strategic plan, outlining as its priorities diversity, equity and inclusion; economic diversification; healthcare; infrastructure; public education and safety; quality of life in the arts and recreation; and easing barriers to the workforce, including childcare, housing and transportation.

"It makes the job easier for me, coming in new to the chamber world, that lays the path out," South said. "And obviously some fundraising comes along with all that."

In a broad sense, the "All In" plan seeks to focus efforts on education, health care, public safety, creating a greater workforce talent pool, and improving quality of life so the region can retain its UA, Stillman College and Shelton educated graduates, and draw others here as well.

South was talking with a Mobilian who said the port city's biggest export, sadly, was its talented young people.

"And I think that's even more of an issue here," he said. With nearly 40,000 students, and a football stadium that can hold as many people as there are in the city of Tuscaloosa, such largesse brings challenges, but also opportunities. Experience economies will grow more crucial, as will expanding on quality of life, and looking to models such as the state's Innovate Alabama, and outward.

As it has in seeking inspiration from places such as Chattanooga, Tenn., Greenville South Carolina, and Asheville North Carolina, the Chamber will next week take a benchmarking trip to Raleigh N.C., July 23-25, to track how the Research Triangle has integrated its numerous universities and colleges into a knowledge-based economy.

"We hope to learn what of that, maybe not of their scale, but what are we able to bring back, locally," South said. "The American Tobacco District is something we want to look into, its work as an incubator, an innovative district of sorts."

At the site of Durham's former American Tobacco Factory, a coterie of private business and government parties have developed the Durham Performing Arts Center and Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Added to that complex are residential areas, food, drink and retail, and spaces for small- or large-scale rentals, from parties and weddings up to conventions.

One initiative South hopes to bring to the chamber is opening dialogue with college students themselves, from the Student Government Association and elsewhere, to hear concerns. In a similar fashion, the chamber is trying to assist with the current city concerns regarding bar hours, seeking answers that both aids public safety and supports bottom lines.

"We often talk about wanting to retain that (educated) talent, but often our actions don't convey that," he said. "I think maybe we can be a convenor, maybe just get everybody to the table, and start to understand their wants, needs and desires."

South is encouraged by openness he's seen so far, and excited by the fact he's not the only fresh face in town, noting fellow UA graduates Justice Smyth, new executive director for the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority, and Jill Stork, new vice-president of Alabama Power's Western Division, based in Tuscaloosa, "... understanding that the UA Systems, and Alabama Power are probably are two biggest drivers of economic development."

"I think what you will see is cooperation and coordination between all interested parties, which creates opportunities just by itself," he said.

The Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama has an annual budget of more than $2.1 million, not including its financial management of West AlabamaWorks! and the West Alabama Chamber Foundation.

Reach Mark Hughes Cobb at mark.cobb@tuscaloosanews.com.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Kyle South seeks to foster collaboration in role as chamber president