Alabama is home to diverse outdoor climates for adventures of all kinds, but that’s not all you can find here. Innovative companies and ambitious people call the state home too.
Haley Medved Kendrick, senior managing director of investment accelerators at gener8tor, relocated to Alabama as a child and has considered the state home ever since. For her, life in Alabama offers opportunities for growth and impact, both at work and outside.
When she’s not at work, she gets to enjoy Alabama’s beautiful outdoors. Natives and visitors alike can experience just how convenient outdoor adventures are in Alabama, with different terrains and activities just hours apart.
We spoke with Haley to learn about her role at gener8tor and to get her recommendations on experiencing Alabama’s outdoors like a local.
Can you tell us about your position with gener8tor?
gener8tor is a venture capital firm and startup accelerator that invests in and supports startups in communities around the world. It runs accelerators to catalyze community, mentorship, network, conviction and capital to bridge a community’s genius with opportunity. As senior managing director, I serve on the leadership team of our Investment Accelerator team. Our investment accelerators invest $60-100K and help high-growth startups gain specific business knowledge via a nationally ranked system and a 12-week investment-for-equity program.
What’s kept you in Alabama since moving here as a child?
I’m naturally drawn to making an impact wherever I find myself. Since entering the economic development field during graduate school, I’ve always seen many ways to add value here at home, so I keep waking up to do that.
What is your favorite way to spend time outside in Alabama?
My favorite place in the world is on the front of a speedboat somewhere on a lake in Alabama, specifically Smith Lake. If I could spend every weekend in the summer riding in the front of a boat with my husband, friends and dogs, I’d know I had made it. Getting worn out from a day tubing, swimming or canoeing, then passing out in a hammock by a firepit is the dream.
How did you get introduced to Smith Lake?
When I was a kid, my grandparents had a trailer on Smith Lake, and we’d spend summer holidays there. I distinctly remember the mornings I’d sneak out to sit on the pier and watch the fish-eating bugs as the sun came up, or afternoons on the screened-in porch listening to crickets as my grandpa burned the hot dogs to a crisp, just the way he and I liked them.
How do you get to enjoy Alabama’s outdoors during the work week?
Most workdays or weekends I get to enjoy the city trails through Birmingham either walking my dogs or riding my bike. When the weather is nice, a group of neighbors and I ride through the downtown sections of the Red Rock Trail System and spend some time around Railroad Park and City Walk.
What’s your favorite Alabama hidden gem?
The Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge is a great place to spend a day when I can get away for a full day or overnight. There are so many beautiful stretches of the Cahaba south of Birmingham that are incredible, and I’m always glad when I can make it out to canoe for a day.
There’s something for everyone in Alabama—whether you’re seeking adventure on your weekdays or a job that allows you to grow professionally and personally. Who knows what else you’ll find?
