Reggie Copeland: Serving the City of Mobile

by T.Bruce MacKinnon

As a 28-year veteran of the Mobile City Council, some of that time as Council president, and even longer as a successful local businessman, Reggie Copeland (RC) has a unique perspective on Mobile business development and the area’s economy. During his tenure on the City Council, he had a hand in bringing to fruition many major Mobile-area projects, including Magnolia Grove Golf Course, Hank Aaron Stadium, Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center and the Reggie Copeland/Newton Cox Tennis Center named in his honor. He recently sat down with Bay Business News’ T. Bruce MacKinnon (TBM) to talk about his long career serving the Mobile community and the promise of its future. 

TBM: You saw and accomplished so much over 28 years and seven terms on the Mobile City Council.  Can you talk about a few highlights from those years? 

RC: One of my favorite success stories over the years is the development of Magnolia Grove Golf Course. I called the local golf architect here who directed me to a firm in Atlanta. We did a feasibility study, and it was felt that, by building a golf course out at Magnolia Grove, it would be very successful. We were hoping for an 18-hole golf course. It turned into a 54-hole course and a great success. It worked out beautifully.

Helping get the Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile Convention Center built was another major accomplishment. It allowed Mobile to become a destination point rather than a quick stop to visit the USS Alabama battleship. It brought people here to spend some time and money. Before that time, in the mid-to-late 1980s, nobody was downtown doing anything. But once the Convention Center got built in 1993, a couple of restaurants opened, a couple of bars opened and then it began to spread. Look at it today. It is fantastic to see people come out for activities like Art Walk. 

More recently, Mayor Sandy Stimpson has done a good job on getting Bienville Square renovated. And, we are seeing progress on the Mobile Civic Center, as well. 

TBM: What was most interesting and exciting to you about serving on the Mobile City Council? 

RC: The fact that people could get to me very easily was great. Prior to the City Council being formed, there were phone calls to the mayor or the city commissioner. It was difficult to get them right away. There were just three of them, and they were often busy. But people called me, and I returned their phone calls in a short period of time. If they didn’t get me at the City Council, they could get me at home. I went to a lot of neighborhood meetings and found out what people wanted. I worked closely with the County Commission. I was always available, and I enjoyed that aspect of serving. 

TBM: When you left the City Council, were there certain projects or initiatives that you hoped would be continued or taken up by the Council at that time?

RC: The renovation of the Mobile Civic Center was on our mind. We had gone to visit with some of the people who were interested in helping do the job. So that was one of the things that was discussed while I was still there. Now, they’re going to tear down the old Civic Center. This project is underway.

Prior to my leaving the Council, I did make a simple little request to Mayor Sam Jones. It was to make Saint Louis Street a two-way street. Saint Louis Street was a one-way street going east, and it was the widest street downtown. I said let’s make it two ways because there are a lot of empty buildings. If we could make it a two-way street, it would be a gold mine for somebody to come in there and use those buildings, that would then be more accessible. This was done. Now, we’ve got the courthouse on the corner of St. Joseph and St. Louis streets. There’s Greer’s downtown, then Precision Engineering taking up a whole block. There are apartment buildings and breweries. It’s great. 

TBM: How would you compare Mobile at the time that you left the City Council to now?

RC: It’s fantastic now. We’ve had good leadership over the years with the mayors I worked under, including Mayor Mike Dow and Mayor Sam Jones. I got along great with Sam Jones. We worked well together. I loved working with Mike Dow, too. He was amenable to AA baseball, and we got Hank Aaron Stadium built and brought the Mobile Bay Bears to town while he was mayor. The stadium was built under budget and on time. We had the grand opening, and that was great. Mayor Dow and I celebrated that. That was a good thing for the city.

Mayor Sandy Stimpson is doing an outstanding job for the city. He’s a great businessman. He’s an all-around mayor. He’s very professional, and when he goes somewhere to represent the city of Mobile, you’ve got a high-class representative.

TBM: What are some of the positive things that you see happening in Mobile currently?

RC: A lot of people don’t realize what the Industrial Development Board (IDB) is and the work they do. It is important work for the city in helping attract new businesses and helping established businesses grow. The IDB has the responsibility of reviewing applications for tax abatements within the City of Mobile. These applications come from new and expanding companies that need the tax abatements as an incentive to locate or expand in Mobile. The board is also allowed to abate the personal and real non-educational property taxes for up to 10 years for a qualifying project. This has helped us get big companies to Mobile, like Airbus and Austal. 

TBM: When you left the City Council, how was the transition back into private life and business? Did you miss any aspects of being involved with the City Council?

RC: I was on the council for 28 years. My wife, Betty, encouraged me to run my last term. I was planning to retire, but she and Mayor Jones encouraged me to run one more term. She died during that term. I was privileged to have her and five great children, four boys and a girl. Betty was my number one fan. She supported just about everything that I did. A lot of times when I would go door to door, she’d be on one side of the street, and I’d be on the other. So, we were together a lot.

After that last term, when I announced I would retire, some people contacted me. One was Tommy Thompson, executive vice president with Turner Supply Co., which is a privately owned company that serves industrial and manufacturing businesses through the distribution of supplies and services. He wanted me to come and work for them because I knew a lot of people in industry. We worked out the logistics of working at the office and how often. Initially, it was four days a week. Over time it became three and then two days a week, until I said I think I’ve done all I can to help you. While I was with them, I helped them gain contacts and business with Airbus, among others. Tommy became a real close friend, and Turner Supply is a good company. They do a lot in the community, are big supporters of the Mobile Chamber, and they gave me something to do.

TBM: What kind of advice would you give to young people thinking about going into local politics or public life?

RC: You have got to love serving people. I’ve been doing that for a long time, even back when I was in the Boy Scouts, and as a member of the Jaycees, among other associations. As City Council president, I was recruiting for the American Red Cross to get blood donations for a couple of years. I think service to other people in your community is the main thing. When you’re young, your ideas might be a little different than when you’re older, but first, you have got to serve the people, and you’ve got to be available to them. I was so available. I was the guy pushing to get 311, so we could have an organized way to hear from the community and be able to direct the calls and handle the concerns. As a young person you have the energy for this service.