Ensley Rising is part of the broader research file because archived material and local reporting place Mike Abebe in the same Birmingham development context as Carlton Brown and Gizman Abbas.

Scope: This report compares archived web captures, the current Ensley Rising website, BirminghamWatch reporting, and entity references. It does not claim private knowledge of any internal relationship or later separation.

Archived Ensley Rising Page

The archived Ensley Rising website preserved by the Wayback Machine is a key source for the older team context.

Wayback Capture Ensley Rising archived website

Archived November 21, 2020 by the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
Ensley Rising Wayback screenshot showing team members
Archived Ensley Rising team capture showing Mike Abebe, Carlton Brown, and Gizman Abbas in principal roles.
Current-site update: The current Abebe Ventures leadership page now uses a newer Mike Abebe headshot and publishes a fuller company biography. The older Ensley Rising capture remains useful background for identifying Abebe in archived development material, without changing this report's scope: Ensley Rising remains an Abebe background lead, not a confirmed St. George Crossing connection. Open Abebe.com leadership page.

Current Site Contrast

The current public Ensley Rising website remains online, but the live team material reviewed during this archive pass no longer shows Mike Abebe listed. The current site still shows Carlton Brown and Gizman Abbas in the team section.

Live Website Ensley Rising

Current public website reviewed for contrast with archived captures.

Ramsay-McCormack Reporting

BirminghamWatch reported in 2019 that the City of Birmingham selected Ensley District Developers, LLC for the Ramsay-McCormack Building, naming a developer team that included Irvin Henderson, Carlton Brown, Mike Abebe, and Gizman Abbas.

Local Reporting City Allocates $4M in Emergency Funding to Rehab Ramsay-McCormack

BirminghamWatch article published October 22, 2019 by Sam Prickett.
"a team of developers that includes Irvin Henderson, Carlton Brown, Mike Abebe and Gizman Abbas"

Separate Alabama Lead: Abebe Blackbelt Ventures

The entity research file also includes Abebe Blackbelt Ventures LLC in Alabama. At this stage, the archive has not confirmed that Abebe Blackbelt Ventures LLC is connected to Ensley Rising or the Ramsay-McCormack project. It is included here as a separate Alabama property/entity lead that may need additional review.

Property PDF Highway 199 Site - Tuskegee, Alabama

Macon County site document listing Abebe Blackbelt Ventures LLC as the current owner of the Highway 199 and Midway Road site.

State Entity Control No. Principal Office Registered Agent Status Related Site
AL Abebe Blackbelt Ventures LLC 000-866-410 2513 31st St SW, Birmingham, AL 35221 Mekonnen Abebe Exists Highway 199 and Midway Road, Tuskegee, AL

Working Notes

Verified

BirminghamWatch named Mike Abebe, Carlton Brown, and Gizman Abbas in the Ensley District Developers team context for Ramsay-McCormack. A Macon County site PDF also lists Abebe Blackbelt Ventures LLC as the current owner of the Highway 199 and Midway Road site. These are separate documented facts unless additional records connect them.

Observation

The archived Ensley Rising capture shows Mike Abebe in older team material, while the current live site reviewed here does not show Mike Abebe in the visible team list. Abebe Blackbelt Ventures appears to be a separate Alabama lead unless more source material ties it back to Ensley Rising. The updated Abebe.com leadership page now provides a current company profile to compare against the older archive trail.

Open Question

Additional source records are needed to determine whether Mike Abebe's role ended, changed, or was removed from the website for another reason. Additional records are also needed before connecting Abebe Blackbelt Ventures LLC to Ensley Rising.

Related Thread

Direct Invest Group

Carlton Brown, Mike Abebe, and Gizman Abbas also appear together in archived Direct Invest partner material.