About

Creating a State of Investment.

Opportunity Alabama is an economic development organization focused on transforming Alabama’s communities through public and private investment in physical spaces and places. We help communities leverage diverse funding sources for projects and initiatives that improve quality of place and re-energize local economies. Founded in 2018, OPAL has been cited as a national leader in OZ-based economic development by Forbes Magazine and the New York Times and attracted over $5M in national philanthropy and federal funding since its inception. We work with developers, property owners, economic development professionals, local community leaders, and investors to support projects that move communities forward with new workforce housing, market rate housing, mixed-use development, historic revitalization, industrial development, and more. Our goal is to improve economic resilience and quality of place for communities.

Our Team

Alex Flachsbart

Founder & CEO 

[email protected]

Lindsay Edwards

Chief investment officer

[email protected]

Becky Carpenter

Chief Development Officer

[email protected]

Demetrius Faulk

Commercial Real Estate Associate

[email protected]

Megan Warren

Chief Compliance Officer & Director of Accounting

[email protected]

Meri Margaret Fank

Development Associate & Director of Marketing

[email protected]

Pope Lake

Investment Associate

[email protected]

Board of Directors

Wendi Boyen

Community Development Lending & Investment Leader, Regions Bank

Greg Barker

President & CEO, Economic Development Partnership of Alabama

Tony Smoke

Retired, Alabama Power

Clay Ryan

Sr Vice President, External Affairs, Alabama Power Company

Larry Lewis

President, ProjectXYZ

Corporate Structure

Operating as a non-profit parent company, OPAL runs technical assistance programming and a benefit corporation subsidiary (OPAL Investments, BC), which raises and invests capital into our statewide network of real estate deals.