Alumni to be inducted into Alabama Business Hall of Fame

Harbert College of Business alumnus Benny LaRussa Jr. (finance '82) and Samuel Ginn College of Engineering alumna Susan Story (industrial engineering '81) are among six class of 2025 honorees who will be inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame on Nov. 13 in a ceremony in Birmingham.

Established in 1973, the Alabama Business Hall of Fame honors individuals who have brought recognition to the state of Alabama through their business contributions.

LaRussa Jr. is the founder and CEO of Sterling Capital Management, a multi-asset holding company headquartered in Birmingham. Sterling Capital owns and operates three primary platform companies: Fenwick Food Group, which invests in and operates consumer-packaged goods businesses; American Pipe and Supply, a regional wholesale distributor of pipe, valves and fittings; and StoneRiver Company, which specializes in the acquisition, development and management of multi-family residential properties.

Through these businesses, LaRussa has helped grow companies that create jobs, strengthen communities and contribute to the regional economy.

LaRussa earned his bachelor's degree in finance from Auburn, then earned his master’s degree in public and private management from Birmingham-Southern College. In 1985, he joined John Oliver, Richard Anthony and Tom Broughton in the formation of First Commercial Bank, where he gained six years of valuable experience in the financial industry.

He serves on the board of directors for Security Engineers Inc., Quarterbacking Children’s Health Foundation, Ascension and the Joseph S. Bruno Charitable Foundation. He is deeply involved with the Joseph S. Bruno Study Abroad Program in Italy and has actively supported organizations such as the Bell Center for Early Intervention, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, UAB Comprehensive Diabetes Center, and Children’s Hospital of Alabama.

LaRussa also served on numerous other boards, including St. Vincent’s Health System, Bruno’s, Inc., Jack’s Family Restaurants, Synovus Bank of Birmingham, and as trustee for Birmingham-Southern College. He served on the Auburn University Foundation Board from 2015 to 2020 and chaired the Auburn University Foundation board from 2019 to 2020.

He and his wife Lynn reside in Birmingham. They have two daughters and four grandchildren.

Story is the retired president and CEO of American Water Works, Inc., the largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility company in the United States and a member of the S&P 500.

During her CEO tenure from 2014 until her retirement in 2020, Story led the company through remarkable growth, more than tripling its stock price and market capitalization. At the time, she was one of only 23 women leading an S&P 500 company, serving as a trailblazer for women in corporate leadership and inspiring countless professionals in the utility sector and beyond.

She graduated with an industrial engineering degree from Auburn and earned her MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She spent 31 years with Southern Company, where she held numerous leadership roles, including serving as president and CEO of Southern Company Services in Birmingham and Atlanta, and president and CEO of Gulf Power Company from 2003 to 2010.

Story’s professional and community achievements have earned her numerous accolades, including recognition as one of Birmingham Business Journal’s “Top 10 Women in Business,” a UAB Alumna of the Year, an Auburn University Distinguished Engineer and a member of the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. She was also named Woman of the Year by the Girl Scout Council of the Florida Panhandle and recently received the Auburn University Lifetime Achievement Award.

She currently serves or has served on the corporate boards of Dominion Energy, Inc., Carrier Global, Newmont Corporation, Raymond James Financial and American Water and lends her expertise to the Moffitt Cancer Center board of advisors in Tampa, the Pensacola Bay Area Impact 100, the Global Council of CEOs and the Florida Council of 100 CEOs.

Story and her husband, Joe, support charitable initiatives through the Story Family Charitable Fund, endowing scholarships at Snead State Community College and Auburn University for economically disadvantaged and first-generation college students, as well as various educational and health and human services efforts around the U.S. and world.

Learn more on the Alabama Business Hall of Fame website.