Category: St. Clair Business

Goodgame Company

Celebrating seven decades of building relationships

Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Mackenzie Free

It’s hard to miss a Goodgame Company truck crisscrossing Pell City and St. Clair County these days. Multiple projects across the community have those bright red trucks, emblazoned with the familiar, oval-shaped Goodgame logo, moving at as rapid a pace as the buildings they engineer going up.

It’s not an overnight success story by any means. It has been seven decades in the making. But in each of those seven decades, one principle has been the guide. Beyond the brick and mortar, it’s the relationships Goodgame Company has built that has more than 90 percent of its clients returning for more.

As the 70^th birthday approached this year, President Jason Goodgame, his mother, Connie, and his sister, Janna Masters, wanted something special to commemorate the history of the company its patriarch, Adrick Goodgame, built.

Welding in shop area of Goodgame Company’s headquarters

Jason was looking online for some hunting clothes, and he came across the artwork of Dirk Walker, whose hunting and fishing series was featured. He was naturally drawn to the work, so he contacted him about commissioning a painting, not knowing Walker’s studio was only two blocks away.

They met. They talked. Walker created a hand sketch. And what evolved as the portrait was a compelling mosaic of scenes that tell the Goodgame story, reflections of 70 years.

It now hangs as a focal point in the company’s lobby, a reminder of Adrick’s legacy. “It turned out to be perfect,” Goodgame said. “It’s something we will cherish and keep forever. Dad would be proud of it.”

Parallel to the portrait, the company created a video series that “symbolizes us,” he said. It was an opportunity to celebrate 70 years of what relationship building means to the clients and employees alike. “Pell City has been good to us. There are not many contractors who don’t have to travel out of town to work. There are not too many opportunities like this in our business.”

It all goes back to the relationships. Right now, you’ll find those red trucks at sites virtually around every corner – First Baptist Church of Pell City, Pell City Police Department’s new headquarters and Pell City Fire Department Station 2, to name a few.

Just completed was TC Customs at Town & Country Ford. Douglas Manufacturing Rulmeca Group, Ford Meter Box, Allied Mineral Products and Eissmann Automotive are among others completed in recent months.

On the drawing board for the future is Helms Healthcare and others. Those relationships just keep on building, and so does the Goodgame family legacy.

Before Adrick Goodgame died in 2023, his son said, “we talked about the transition and what it would look like. We talked about it, but we were not prepared” for the loss of the architect of their family business. His shadow still looms large over the company he built from a metal fabrication shop to a major player on the state stage in the construction industry.

“You have to understand, for 20 years, we spent six days a week together. We talked about goals and where we were headed,” but they daily discover the details Adrick simply “took care of.”

An adjustment? Yes. But with a page from his playbook, they have adapted, changed to meet the needs, and they’ve grown even more because of it.

It was Adrick’s signature ability – adapting and changing to meet the market’s needs. Whenever there was a major shift in the market, Adrick Goodgame was there to meet it with a new business plan, whether it was the Great Recession in 2008 or the post COVID years in 2019.

“We’ve changed how we do business and who we do business for. The company does design- build-negotiated work, which has brought their repeat business to well over 90 percent. One client called it “a one stop shop.”

“It’s that relationships piece,” Goodgame explained. “If we grow, we still maintain our relationships. Through the years, we have maintained our base” in addition to the new business.

He credits the business retention to a continuing philosophy of community focus. They grow their own workforce, providing educational opportunities that earn employees certifications and management and supervision roles.

They invest in their employees and continue to treat them as family, honoring their years of service and providing perks like the recent “Boot Day,” where every employee was given a new pair of boots, a steak lunch and the afternoon off.

The mindset Adrick handed down to the next generation has not changed. He taught them well.

It’s family. It’s adapting to change. It’s relationships. “The loss,” Goodgame said, “is the hardest part.”

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New businesses boost holiday options for St. Clair

Story by Paul South
Staff and submitted photos

As the number of rooftops, restaurants and retail shops continues to grow in Pell City, local entrepreneurs are expanding the options for residents looking to shop and find personal services close to home.

They are also a sure-fire way to draw more business to town from across the county and region.

Three relatively new businesses are part of that momentum. Stonehouse Antiques and Mercantile offers a mix of antique, vintage and new merchandise for customers updating their homes or looking for one-of-a-kind pieces.

Little Stitches & Co. specializes in children’s clothing for newborns, toddlers and children up to age 8, giving families a local option for boutique-style apparel.

Inside Little Stitches, customers will also find Heirloom Salon Studio, which provides hair services in the same convenient location.

Here’s a glance at each of these new holiday stops:

Stonehouse Antiques & Mercantile
3440 Martin Street South,
Suite 12, Cropwell

Becky Anderson has always loved to dabble in antiques and restoration, painting and refinishing furniture. The former surgeon’s assistant first indulged that love at an antique mall in Illinois. Now, she shares that passion at her Cropwell shop, Stonehouse Antiques & Mercantile, which opened in late August.

Her love of antiques and vintage items was born of necessity. “When I was young, we didn’t have a lot,” she said. “I knew I wanted the house to look nice, so… I refurbished and repainted and restored on my own. You remember that show, ‘Design on a Dime?’ I’ve been designing on a dime my whole life, even before the show was popular.”

At Stonehouse, shoppers can browse 2,100 square feet of antiques, vintage items and some new items. Two or three vendors also have spots in the store, offering more variety.

“I’m always proud of the furniture I bring in,” Anderson said. “I try to pick real quality. Whether it’s vintage or antique or some new or fairly new piece. I try to make sure that it’s quality and I’m not passing along junk to somebody.”

There are times in her hunt for antiques that she finds an item that her post-purchase research reveals to be worth 10 times what she paid. It’s a moment straight out of PBS’ Antiques Roadshow. But the cornerstone of her pricing is fairness.

“I don’t try to put that kind of price on it,” she says. “I put a price on it that’s reasonable. But the piece is worth the price that I put on it.”

An example: She once found a pair of colorful Asian Foo dog bookends – symbols of good fortune – that she found that were worth $200 to $500. She sold them for $85.

“I still made money, and the customer got something that was really worth something,” she said.

Along with the larger items, Stonehouse also carries small gifts, perfect to give to teachers, classmates or friends. Watercolor print greeting cards are also available.

On Wednesdays, shoppers can purchase fresh loaves of homemade sourdough bread from Brittle Heaven, the wildly popular candy and baked goods shop.

“It’s usually gone by the weekend,” Anderson said.

It began to look like Christmas even before the calendar turned to December. Stonehouse is set to host a Christmas open house in mid-December.

“Some people have theirs in October or November,” she said. “I’ll have Christmas inventory out then, but to me, a Christmas open house ought to be special. I’m not knocking anyone who does it early. But as far as food, or something to eat or drink, mine will probably be after hours.

The store may also stay open later during the holidays.

Stonehouse is not a giant antique mall, and that means personalized attention.

“We’re quaint. We’re not some big antique mall that takes all day to go through,” Anderson said. “We’re a store that people can just pop in and get a little gift, greeting card or a loaf of homemade bread. We won’t pressure them into buying something else while they’re there.”

She added, “We have people who come in all the time just to look, and that’s fine, too. People will come back if you treat ‘em nice.”

Little Stitches & Company
Children’s Boutique
Heirloom Salon

1801 1st Avenue South, Pell City

Two of Pell City’s newest businesses have taken families to another level in a unique concept. Sisters-in-law Abbye Grimes and Tina Dailey operate two distinct shops under the same roof on First Avenue South.

Grimes owns Little Stitches & Company Children’s Boutique, and Dailey owns Heirloom Salon. Both shops had their grand opening in October. Little Stitches is an ideal spot for quality children’s fashions, and Heirloom can add its special styles for customers for holiday events or any time a woman wants to look her best.

While there’s an old adage warning against going into business with family, Grimes and Dailey make it work – joyfully.

“Honestly, we love being together every day,” Dailey said. “Most of my customers shop with (Abbye) anyway, so it just clicked.”

Grimes agreed.

“We’re living a girl dream, I guess you could say. We get to be together every day even though our jobs are completely opposite. It’s fun being together.”

At Little Stitches, after four years of selling kids’ clothing online from her home, Grimes decided to move to a brick-and-mortar shop.

“We really just ran out of space in my home office,” she said. “I was looking for places to rent and found this place. The timing was perfect.”

She added, “When I was looking for places, I wanted to be open by Oct. 1 because of retail season. We’re in prime shopping season. … It really just worked out.

Grimes carries children’s clothing from newborns to size 5 and a small selection of children’s sizes 6 through 8. Grimes hopes to expand her inventory in 6 through 8 “as soon as we can.”

Among the brands Little Stitches & Company offers are Paty, TRVL, Noodle & Boo, Warmies and other top brands.

Noodle & Boo offers skin and laundry care products for babies and new mothers with sensitive skin, including shampoos, soaps and detergents.

Warmies are stuffed toys that bring comfort and joy not only to children, but to people of all ages. After being warmed in the microwave, the toys ease stress and anxiety.

“They’re really big,” Grimes said. “We completely sold out of them and had to restock.

Paty offers timeless baby clothing from onesies to gowns and dresses made for softness and comfort. TRVL Designs offer quality accessories for babies and the entire family.

Grimes wants to create a warm environment in the store. The same is true at Heirloom.

“We want everyone to feel welcome,” Grimes said. “I want people to come in here and feel happiness and joy. That’s the goal, also to feel loved and wanted.”

Among the many special items at Little Stitches are those “coming-home” outfits for newborns coming home for the first time. That outfit becomes a timeless keepsake.

“A lot of that is what we specialize in,” Grimes said. “It’s very sentimental to be a part of that.”

The store also features popular “gender reveal” festivities. “That’s really special,” Grimes said.

At this time of year, Little Stitches offers outfits for the holidays and beyond.

A former teacher, Grimes started the online clothing business as “something to do, and it just kind of took off,” she said. “It’s never too late to start something different, never too old to do something you want to do,”

Like her sister-in-law’s store, Tina Dailey’s Heirloom Salon wants to create an inviting environment. Her mom was a hair stylist for four decades, and Dailey has done hair for 10. She calls her shop, separated from Little Stitches by French doors, “a luxury color and extension salon.”

She specializes in hair extensions and coloring. In fact, she’s offering 50 percent off all extension hair.

Like any beauty salon or barber shop, Heirloom is where customers can hang out and visit with friends old and new while having their hair done.

What does Dailey like best about the work she does?

“That I get to make women feel beautiful every day,” she said.

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Helms Healthcare opening second location in Pell City

At 90 days after opening Helms Healthcare in Vincent, Dr. Rock Helms could see his business plan was working. Be a good listener and deliver personal, quality healthcare like days gone by, and patients will follow.

One thousand patients three months later are testament to that.

It didn’t stop there. At the eight-month mark and approaching 2,000 patients, Helms announced that he will be opening a second location in his hometown of Pell City.

Targeting May 1, 2026, Helms Healthcare plans to open the new location near the industrial park at Comer Avenue and John Haynes Drive. Helms is renovating an existing building to accommodate the medical offices, an imaging center and infusion suites.

The 7,500-square-foot building is space he said is going to be developed into “really nice” state-of-the-art imaging center with a cutting-edge CT scan capable of a comprehensive range of diagnostics for coronary cardiovascular risk.

Cardiac imaging of this caliber will be able to serve certain patients for precision cardiovascular screening, which may not be covered by insurance. But, Helms predicts by 2030 in the healthcare industry, it will be standard and covered. “The fact that we’re going ahead now tells you just how good the technology is.”

The new clinic will offer extended hours for urgent care and a full-service lab. They are adding new staff – CT technician, laboratory technician, ultrasound technician and more office and support staff.

At present, the Vincent clinic is led by Helms with the assistance of three certified nurse practitioners.

Jonathan Windham, CRNP, one of four providers now at Vincent clinic. More will be added.

Helms will divide his time between the Vincent and Pell City clinics, but plans call for the physician roster to increase to meet the needs. “We expect to quickly grow providers over the next 24 months,” he said.

The decision to return to Pell City with a significant presence was guided by his ties to his hometown. Pell City, he said, has “excellent healthcare with multiple services available. It is my community, and I want to maintain that level of care and build on it.”

While he acknowledges the tremendous strides made with Helms Healthcare since its inception only eight months ago, he stressed that it was not a solo effort. It came from “the Lord and good work of good people.”

As for returning the practice of medicine to days gone by, he said Helms Healthcare will continue this path of care. “When you call, a person answers the phone. They’re happy to see you. They care. All those things are really important.”

He expects Helms Healthcare to “continue to grow and be marked by excellence and doing it in a loving, old fashioned way. I don’t want that to go away.”

In 2001, Helms founded Northside Medical Associates in Pell City, beginning with only a handful of providers and staff. He grew it into an expansive campus of medical facilities, a pharmacy, urgent care and multiple specialties and locations in other communities with over 200 employees.

After selling the practice and fulfilling contract commitments, he founded Helms Healthcare in Vincent.

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Gilreath expands to new location

Story and photos by Carol Pappas

From ink to digital presses, from invitations and business cards to signs, vehicle wraps and at bed printing, Eddie Gilreath and his family have seen it all. Just like the printing industry itself, Gilreath Printing & Signs has evolved over the past 32 years.

A new era has dawned for the family-owned company with the opening of their new facility a block from their old location in downtown Pell City.

Jeremiah Gilreath under special lighting system

The difference? A state-of-the-art, 10,000 square foot facility that is expected to grow to meet the current needs of the varied formats in the printing industry and well into the future.

Gilreath Printing began in an 800 square foot building behind where Pell City Coffee Company is now. At the five-year mark, they outgrew it. He eyed a piece of property on Cogswell Avenue at the corner of 20th Street, which had been vacant for 30 years. A friend was building custom log homes at the time, and he asked if he could build one for his office on that lot.

The lot’s owner, Johnny Turner, sold it to Gilreath, they built their office in that log home, “and we had plenty of room.”

“Or so we thought,” said son, Jeremiah, who has taken the lead in operations today.

In 2004, they started printing signs. Their first wrap – vinyl signage that conforms to the contours of a structure like a vehicle or a window – came in 2008. It was on their own vehicle – a Ford Explorer.

Now, the business is 50-50 printing and signs. They even do wall wraps and offer any type of advertising specialty.

New cutting-edge equipment giving them the ability to print directly on any substrate, has been added. Many more technological advances are on the way. “When we started, we didn’t even have a computer,” said Susie Gilreath, Eddie’s wife and Jeremiah’s mother.

More cutting-edge equipment allows Gilreath to meet the needs of customers

As they walk through the new, spacious facilities, they talk about their ability to do the job better, faster, and at competitive pricing. The newly installed equipment helps them meet demands of the future and grow their business in the right direction.

A suite of offices is just beyond the lobby with a glass window that lets visitors see the open bay area, where work is done. That vantage point allows them to observe the whole operation.

Through the window, a freshly wrapped service van is spotted, ready to be pressed into duty by Allen Service Company. A Mustang wrapped especially for Talladega Superspeedway sits nearby under a special lighting system that allows the Gilreath crew to do their work without reflections and shadow.

Digital printers of all shapes, sizes and capacities anchor the center of the floor, and a flurry of activity is ongoing throughout the day by family and long-term employees. There’s even a third generation, Jeremiah’s son, Brody.

The log cabin still stands at the corner of Cogswell Avenue and 20th Street, ready to lease, Gilreath said.

The Gilreaths still believe in doing the right thing, creating value and helping businesses get results.

As for the size and scope of the operation as it heads into the future from its new headquarters, it’s all in a day’s work at Gilreath Printing & Signs.

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New OB/GYN services at St. Clair Hospital

Dr. Sarah Whitehead seeing patients in Pell City

UAB St. Vincent’s Women’s Health is expanding gynecologic services to UAB St. Vincent’s St. Clair. Dr. Sarah Whitehead will now be holding gynecology appointments at the Pell City hospital located at 7063 Veterans Parkway.

Whitehead is accepting new patients, and appointments can be scheduled by calling the main office at 205-939-7800. Patients should specify UAB St. Vincent’s St. Clair facility when making an appointment with Dr. Whitehead.

Whitehead is board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology and provides gynecologic care to girls and women of all ages.

She strives to provide compassionate service to her patients by listening to and understanding their needs.

She has a special interest in treating polycystic ovary syndrome and helping patients achieve their weight loss goals.

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Bella Vista Winery

An event venue for every occasion

Story by Paul South
Photos by Mackenzie Free
Submitted Photos

At James and Margie Sanford’s winery, nature’s bounty is on full display. While seven varieties of native bronze and black Alabama muscadines ripen on the vine as they ready in the rich soil for future harvests, eagles soar overhead.

Red foxes prowl the 21-acre property, where the breathtaking scenery, like a perpetual postcard, changes daily.

So, the name of their vineyard fits – Bella Vista Winery – Italian for “beautiful view.”

During the holiday season, indeed all year long, Bella Vista is open to serve an array of wines and to host celebrations of every kind, from small weddings and events to everyday visitors who want to raise a glass at one of St. Clair County’s most breathtaking spots.

As a way to realize return on investment until they were ready and approved by the state for the winery, the idea for an event space took root. A pavilion was built in early 2024.

“We knew (the winery) was a little bit down the road (timewise), so we invested our time and money into building this nice, covered pavilion,” she said.

So far, Bella Vista has hosted several weddings, with more on the calendar in the future. To be clear, the business markets itself as a winery that can also host small events – micro-weddings, baby showers, birthdays and the like.

“If it can be done with 50 people max, (the winery) is a good fit for that,” Margie said. “In the pavilion, we can handle 80 people or more. But if it’s rainy on the day of your event, we have to have a backup space to bring it inside and be comfortable.”

She added, “We’re not going to advertise ourselves as a venue going forward. We’re going to advertise as a winery with space for small events.”

For Margie, who spent more than 20 years as an event planner in the Birmingham area, and James, who worked in sales, the winery is a dream come true.

“Margie and I enjoy traveling, and we enjoy going to wineries,” James said. “(Opening a winery) is something we’ve talked about for a long time. It’s something we decided to dive into with both feet.”

In their winery wanderings, they learned lessons they now apply at Bella Vista. The laid-back vineyard vibe is different from the volume-driven restaurant business.

“One of the things that we found when we were going to all these wineries was a synergy in the kind of people that come to these places,” Margie said. “And it’s people who are looking for a place to meet their friends and get away and enjoy an afternoon and not feel like they are having a meal and being rushed away so the table can be flipped for somebody else.”

Here, “we want people to come hang out with their friends,” she added. “We encourage people to bring a board game or something that they enjoy doing.”

The Sanfords are candid: This is not a kid-friendly place. “It’s a place for adults to come chill out, have a glass of wine and get things off their minds for a little while,” James said.

The Sanfords have obtained a license to sell wines obtained through distributors. Bella Vista sells wine from Georgia’s Chateau Elan Winery & Resort and from Childress Vineyards, a Lexington, N.C., winery owned by famed NASCAR team owner Richard Childress. But Bella Vista’s inventory also has a global perspective, carrying wines from all over the world.

Bella Vista Winery has an eye on the future. “We named it a winery for marketing purposes, with the hopes to have a local producer/distributor that could sell us wine made with our own fruit under a private Bella Vista Winery label.”

Along with the Muscadines, the winery property is home to peach, pear and apple trees that are still maturing, awaiting harvest time a year or two down the road.

The Sanfords are also considering planting other varieties of grapes.

While wine, fruit and fauna are the stars of the picturesque property, vineyards are a human endeavor. What have the Sanfords learned about themselves? It seems they are perfectly paired, like a nice cabernet with gruyere cheese. Thirty-three years of marriage and 40 years together can build that kind of pairing. You could call it a classic vintage. They met in high school.

“I’ve learned that my wife is the backbone of this whole thing. As far as dealing with the bureaucracy and the paperwork and that kind of thing, she is the backbone,” James said. “She studies and makes sure all the I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed.”

Margie agrees. But also trumpets her husband’s building skills. The pavilion is his handiwork.

“I’m the business end. But James has been in construction. He has the ability to take something that’s not working and figure out a workaround,” Margie said. “We’re very much doers ourselves, and I’ve always thought he can do anything. If I can dream it, he can do it.”

She added, “We’ve learned that where one doesn’t necessarily have a strength, the other can kind of lift up. We balance each other.”

The vineyard regularly hosts “Sip, Paint, & Repeat” nights that have been a big hit. The nights can involve painting on wine glasses or other media with the help of local artists.

The vineyard, in cooperation with the St. Clair County Health Department, serves flatbread pizzas and charcuterie. The winery is also open for small groups and businesses to host holiday celebrations. A photographer was onsite in late November for Santa pictures or Christmas family portraits.

As winter closes in, the low-maintenance native Muscadines bide their time. They seem to pair perfectly with Bella Vista’s chilled out atmosphere that Margie and James Sanford have created, perfect for small events and gatherings, all enjoying great wine.

“We’re not a party place,” Margie said. “It’s just more laid back.”d someone would come in and not love it the way we do and tear it down,” Tami said. “It doesn’t need to be torn down; it needs to be loved.”

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