Mobile Business Roundup: Naval Yard Unveils MNY Collective, Storylight Books Gets a Home, Infirmary Adds High-Risk Pregnancy Telemedicine

Mobile’s business community had a busy first week of November. Between Saturday, Oct. 31, and Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, the Port City saw a sweeping new industrial campus proposal on its waterfront, a new high-risk pregnancy telemedicine service, a renovated workforce training space at a local community college, a leadership change at one of the area’s largest employee-owned manufacturers, and a run of ribbon cuttings, awards and holiday shopping programs aimed at keeping dollars in local stores.

Here is a detailed look at the developments that shaped Mobile’s business landscape this week.

New and upcoming openings

Storylight Books finds a permanent home on Hillcrest Road

Independent bookseller Storylight Books is preparing to open its first permanent storefront at 857 Hillcrest Road in west Mobile. Owner Jessica Lee previously operated Storylight as a mobile bookstore, bringing her inventory to customers at events and pop-up locations before deciding to put down roots.

The Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a ribbon cutting for Wednesday, Nov. 11, and the store’s grand opening is planned for Saturday, Nov. 14. Storylight will specialize in romance, fantasy and independently published titles, a niche that has grown rapidly among readers in recent years and one that sets the shop apart from general-interest booksellers in the market.

The move from a mobile operation to a brick-and-mortar shop is a notable milestone for a small, independent retailer, and it adds another locally owned business to the Hillcrest Road corridor just as the holiday shopping season begins.

AdoptionRocks celebrates with a ribbon cutting on Grelot Road

The Mobile Chamber also scheduled a ribbon cutting for Thursday, Nov. 5, for AdoptionRocks, located at 6001 Grelot Road, Suite H. The organization provides adoption education, mentoring and resources for birth parents, adoptive families and children, offering support to everyone involved in the adoption process.

Business development and expansions

Mobile Naval Yard unveils The MNY Collective

The week’s largest announcement came from the waterfront. On Thursday, Nov. 5, Mobile Naval Yard announced The MNY Collective, a proposed industrial and innovation campus to be developed within the company’s 355-acre waterfront property.

Plans call for shared manufacturing, testing and research facilities that would serve shipbuilders, maritime suppliers, defense contractors and technology companies. Planned facilities include an advanced manufacturing complex and an innovation center.

The concept is built around shared infrastructure. Rather than requiring every company to build and equip its own facility, a collective campus model allows tenants to share specialized space and equipment, which can lower the cost of entry for smaller suppliers and technology firms that want to work alongside larger shipbuilding and defense operations.

Mobile Naval Yard is now seeking prospective tenants, partners and investors for the project. No construction timeline, total investment figure or tenant list was included in the announcement, so the scale and pace of the project will depend on how much interest the company is able to attract.

The proposal fits into Mobile’s long history as a shipbuilding and maritime center, and it arrives as the region continues to compete for defense and maritime manufacturing work along the Gulf Coast.

Infirmary Health launches maternal-fetal telemedicine clinic with UAB Medicine

Infirmary Health formally announced on Tuesday, Nov. 3, a new maternal-fetal telemedicine clinic developed in partnership with UAB Medicine. The clinic is located at 1720 Springhill Avenue, Suite 401, and held its ribbon cutting on Oct. 29.

The clinic connects patients with specialists who treat high-risk pregnancies while allowing those patients to continue receiving much of their care locally. Maternal-fetal medicine specialists care for expectant mothers with complicated pregnancies, and telemedicine partnerships of this kind are designed to reduce the need for patients to travel long distances to see a subspecialist, a meaningful benefit for families in southwest Alabama.

Bishop State shows off renovated barbering facility

Bishop State Community College showcased its renovated Barbering and Hairstyling instructional facility at its Carver campus, 414 Stanton Road, on Monday, Nov. 2.

The updated space supports hands-on training, professional licensing preparation and career development for students entering the barbering industry. Barbering and cosmetology programs prepare students for state licensing and give graduates a direct path to employment or to opening their own shops, making them an important part of the college’s workforce development mission.

Business leadership

Threaded Fasteners promotes Jerrad Douberly to president and COO

Mobile-headquartered Threaded Fasteners Inc. announced on Monday, Nov. 2, that Jerrad Douberly had been promoted to president and chief operating officer, effective Nov. 1. Billy Duren remains the company’s chief executive officer.

Threaded Fasteners is an employee-owned manufacturer and distributor that operates 24 locations across 10 states and has more than 450 employee-owners, making it one of the more significant privately held industrial companies headquartered in Mobile.

Chamber news and recognition

Elevate Workforce named November Small Business of the Month

The Mobile Chamber selected Elevate Workforce Inc. as its November Small Business of the Month. The woman-owned staffing company, located at 3709 Lakeside Drive South, Suite D, provides workforce services for industrial, construction, manufacturing and other employers. The Small Business of the Month program recognizes Chamber member companies for their contributions to the local economy.

Outside Chief Legal earns six Best Law Firms rankings

Mobile-based Outside Chief Legal LLC announced on Thursday, Nov. 5, that it earned six regional rankings in the 2027 edition of Best Law Firms. The firm, headquartered at 56 S. Conception St. in downtown Mobile, was recognized in practice areas that include commercial litigation, corporate law and construction law.

New business programs and activities

Mobile Ballet’s renamed Nutcracker Shopping Card returns

Mobile Ballet announced on Wednesday, Nov. 4, that more than 50 retailers in Mobile and Baldwin counties will participate in its renamed holiday shopping program, the Nutcracker Shopping Card.

The $50 digital card provides 20% discounts at participating businesses from Saturday, Nov. 7, through Monday, Nov. 16, subject to individual store restrictions. Proceeds support Mobile Ballet programs and scholarships, giving shoppers a way to save on holiday purchases while supporting the arts in the community.

Programs like this one benefit local retailers by drawing shoppers into their stores at the start of the holiday season, while the participating business community helps fund a local arts organization.

Mobile Chamber expands its Holiday Gift Guide

The Mobile Chamber announced an expanded 2026 Holiday Gift Guide that will include food, experiences and services in addition to traditional merchandise. Member businesses may submit products or services for consideration through Tuesday, Nov. 17, and the guide is scheduled to launch on Friday, Nov. 27, which is Black Friday.

Broadening the guide to include restaurants, experiences and service businesses gives more Chamber members a chance to reach holiday shoppers, not just traditional retailers.

Innovation Portal hosts national manufacturing and cybersecurity institute

Innovation Portal, Mobile’s downtown entrepreneurship hub at 358 St. Louis St., hosted a Nov. 5 visit by Manufacturing x Digital, the national Digital Manufacturing and Cybersecurity Institute. The program focused on industrial innovation, digital manufacturing and cybersecurity opportunities for Gulf Coast companies.

The visit comes as manufacturers across the region adopt more connected, data-driven equipment, which brings productivity gains along with new cybersecurity responsibilities for companies of every size.

The week in perspective

Taken together, the week’s announcements show activity across nearly every part of Mobile’s economy: heavy industry and defense on the waterfront, health care in midtown, workforce training on the campus of a community college, professional services downtown and small, locally owned retail in west Mobile. With the holiday shopping season now underway, several of the programs announced this week, including the Nutcracker Shopping Card and the Chamber’s expanded gift guide, are aimed squarely at encouraging residents to spend their holiday dollars close to home.

South Alabama News will continue to track openings, expansions, leadership changes and other business developments across Mobile and the surrounding region in its weekly business roundup.