The Birmingham Corporate Challenge presented by Hibbett | City Gear is gearing up for its biggest year yet with 50 Birmingham-based companies slated to compete. Held June 8 - 10 at the Homewood Athletic Complex, our field day style event gives corporations a stage to grow company culture and increase brand awareness while giving back to our local philanthropic partner, Redemptive Cycles.
Corporations will compete head-to-head in beloved events such as PNC’s Tug-of-War, BlueCross Blue Shield’s Dodgeball Bracket, McLeod Software’s Cornhole Tournament, Hibbett | City Gear’s 5K, and 12 other competitions. Businesses will compete against other companies of similar size in order to earn points and take home the coveted Corporate Challenge Championship Belt.
“Now more than ever, the pressure is being put on companies to cultivate a top-notch culture,” said Summer Hall, Culture Director for Knight Eady and Corporate Challenge Team Director. “In a post-COVID, pro-work from home world, companies are finding that their culture has shifted. The truth for many is that corporate in-person interactions have been minimized. This is why we believe Birmingham Corporate Challenge has really taken off this year. Companies are hungry for ways to connect employees face-to-face and create memories outside of the office and away from the computer screen.”
While a majority of the competition takes place on the field, companies can also earn points by fundraising for philanthropic partner, Redemptive Cycles. Fundraising from Birmingham Corporate Challenge is used to directly fund Redemptive Cycle’s Earn A Bike & Sliding Scale Repair programs. These programs provide low-income individuals and those experiencing homelessness with bicycles. In 2021, Redemptive Cycles donated over 480 bicycles and completed 368 sliding scale repairs. Funds from Birmingham Corporate Challenge directly supported these efforts.
In addition to reaping internal benefits and making a difference in their community, participating companies are provided opportunities to deepen their professional relationships with other organizations.
“To help cultivate community, we’ve established an Athlete Village where all teams will congregate on Saturday, the primary competition day,” said Hall. “This provides the opportunity for teams to grow their networks and meet other young professionals. While this is a competition, we do want to encourage camaraderie and help deepen relationships– that’s what this is all about.”
Participating organizations range in size from less than 50 employees to over 300 employees and include companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, Protective Life, PNC, Alexander Shunnarah Trial Attorneys, KPMG, Milo’s Tea Company, Fleetio, Spartan Invest, and ITAC Solutions. The full list of participating teams can be found here.
For more information about the event, sponsorships or to register a team, contact Summer Hall at summer@knighteady.com.
