Correspondent Tom Wilmer reports from Birmingham, Alabama, where he explores the town’s post-Civil War roots as a premier American steel producer—and current economic development and revitalization initiatives—with David Fleming of REV Birmingham. Ty Malugani at the Sloss Furnaces National Historical Landmark shares insights about the historic Sloss Furnaces, at one time one of America’s largest blast furnace pig-iron producers. A visit with Lashana Sorrell at the statue of Vulcan, the world’s largest cast iron statue, perched on a mountaintop overlooking the city, is followed by a conversation with Valerie Collins Thomas, principal at the Val Group. Thomas serves as an ambassador for people considering relocating to Birmingham. Frank Stitt, owner/chef at the Highlands Bar and Grill—proclaimed the "Most Outstanding Restaurant in America" in 2018 by the James Beard Foundation—talks about his passion for Southern cuisine and locally-sourced ingredients.
You are invited to subscribe to the Lowell Thomas Award-winning travel show podcast, Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast Directory, Apple Podcast, the NPR One App & Stitcher.com. Twitter: TomCWilmer. Instagram: Thomas.Wilmer. Member of the National Press Club in Washington D.C. Underwriting support provided by the Society of St. Vincent De Paul.