About Us
Who We Are
GUMBO Board Members
Current:
Chairman—Tommy Lee, Vulcan Inc.
Vice Chairman—Patrick Bussey, President of Bussey Capital Management LLC
Secretary/Treasurer—Donna Watts, President of South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce
Herb Malone, CEO of Gulf Shores/Orange Beach Tourism
J. Gary Ellis, Alabama Gulf State Park
Anthony Kaiser, EXIT Realty Gulf Shores
Greg ALexander, Coastal Alabama Business Chamber
Greg Leatherbury, Hand Arendall
Donna Givens, Baldwin EMC
Frances Holk-Jones, Frances Holk Insurance Company/State Farm
Dr. Joe Wilkins, Columbia Southern University
Wade Bradford, National Bank of Commerce
Administrative Assistant - Mell Davis
Ex-Officio, Non Voting Members:
Robert Craft, Mayor-City of Gulf Shores
Tony Kennon, Mayor-City of Orange Beach
John Koniar, Mayor-City of Foley
Robert "Bubba" Lee
Governmental Relations:
Martin Christie, President of Christie Strategy Group
Most of us were born and raised in Baldwin County and all of us are dedicated to working toward a better future for this unique area of the state.
GUMBO's Mission
The south Baldwin County area is no longer a collection of small communities. We are a coalition of regional communities located in one of the fastest growing areas of Alabama. With that growth comes enormous opportunities and challenges.
We must work together to take advantage of these opportunities and meet these challenges. Local office holders, including mayors, county commissioners and legislators, want and need to hear from business leaders about our area’s needs for the future. Most importantly, they want to hear a united voice with a clear message.
Due to the dynamic and explosive growth of our region, a unified strategy must be developed and communicated accurately to support the growing infrastructure, workforce needs and product development.
GUMBO is committed to working with the mayors of our local municipalities, members of the Baldwin County Commission, our local legislative delegation and our leaders in Washington, D.C., to focus attention on our needs and provide the infrastructure necessary to move this region forward while preserving our unique identity and environment.
GUMBO also provides the mechanism to pool our financial resources to engage professional representation in Montgomery to lobby effectively for our area and make policy makers aware of challenges facing south Baldwin County.