Six to be inducted into Business Hall of Fame

Six executives whose business acumen ranges from finance to manufacturing to the culinary arts will be the newest inductees for the Alabama Business Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is Nov. 9 at Haven in Birmingham.

The class of 2023 members are Herman E. Bulls of McLean, Va.; 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.

Herman E. Bulls – Vice chairman of Americas, as well as international director and the founder of Jones Lang LaSalle’s Public Institutions practice, which serves governmental and higher education clients. Bulls is also the founder, president and CEO of Bulls Advisory Group, a real estate advisory and management consulting firm. He was co-founder, president and CEO of Bulls Capital Partners, a mortgage finance firm.

Thomas Hough – He has made significant contributions to the business community from Alabama to around the world. His career was largely spent in executive positions for accounting firm Ernst & Young. He also served on the boards and the executive committee of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Central Atlanta Progress, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, United Way of Metro Atlanta and as a trustee of the Woodruff Arts Center. He is past president of Capital City Club in Atlanta and served as a member of the USGA Executive Committee. Hough has served on corporate boards including Equifax, Federated Hermes, Haverty Furniture Cos., and Publix Super Markets.

C. Phillip McWane – Chairman of McWane, the Birmingham-based manufacturer of ductile iron products such as pipes, hydrants, and other critical goods used in construction and water infrastructure. McWane serves on the boards of directors or has served for Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Sloss Furnaces Foundation, the Birmingham Business Alliance Executive Committee, and McWane Science Center.

James W. Rane – Founder, chairman and CEO of Great Southern Wood Preserving, a company he founded in Abbeville, in 1970 and which has since grown to become one of the world’s largest manufacturers of pressure-treated lumber. Rane is a trustee at Auburn University and serves on the board of trustees of the Abbeville Methodist Church, board of directors of the Henry County Historical Group and board of directors of the Alabama Heritage Foundation.

Frank Stitt III – Owner and executive chef of Highlands Bar and Grill, Bottega Restaurant, Bottega Café, and Chez Fonfon in Birmingham. He is also a board member of the Jones Valley Teaching Farm and Pepper Place Farmer’s Market, both in Birmingham. Stitt served on the board of the Downtown Rotary Club of Birmingham.

Michael D. Thompson – Chairman of the board of Thompson Tractor Co., a dealer of heavy earthmoving machinery and engines through the south, and president and CEO of Fairway Investments. Thompson joined Thompson Tractor in 1977 and became president and CEO in 1986. Through his leadership, the company expanded its footprint, ranks of employees and lines of business.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.