Latest Reports

By Maria Saporta

After conducting a national search for a new dean, Georgia Tech’s College of Architecture ended up picking the internal choice.

Steven P. French, associate dean for research and professor of city and regional planning, will become dean of Georgia Tech’s College of Architecture on July 1.

He will succeed Dean Alan Balfour, who announced last August that he intended to step down in June and rejoin the architecture faculty.
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By Maria Saporta

The 2013 Coca-Cola Co. annual meeting began more like a fireside chat between CEO Muhtar Kent and the legendary Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, the largest shareholder of the soft drink company.

For most shareholders attending the annual meeting at the Cobb Galleria Centre, Buffett’s presence was a pleasant surprise. Buffett had served on Coca-Cola’s board for 17 years; and his son, Howard Buffett, has been a director since 2010.

As Buffett walked on stage, the crowd of 850 shareholders and guests gave him a warm welcome.
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By Maria Saporta

The environment certainly seemed to be front and center on everyone’s mind on April 22 — the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day.

Georgia Power announced that it had reached a deal to import wind energy from Oklahoma to Georgia by 2016. The move was applauded by several environmental organizations across the states — groups that don’t often find themselves on the same side as Georgia Power.

“We applaud Georgia Power for taking a strong step forward on 21st century clean energy solutions,” said Colleen Kiernan, director of the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club.
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By Maria Saporta

Five candidates have been named as finalists to become president and CEO of the Atlanta BeltLine Inc. (ABI) — three from Atlanta and two from outside the state.

The Atlanta BeltLine executive committee selected the five finalists on April 17 in a closed session, but the names were not made public until eight days later because they had to make sure to touch all the bases, according to people involved in the search. The Korn/Ferry International firm assisted in the search on a pro bono basis.
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By Maria Saporta

One can add Ben Bernanke, president of the Federal Reserve Bank, to the list of people in admiration of Tom Cousins.

Although most people in Atlanta know Tom Cousins as a real estate leader and developer who founded Cousins Properties, Cousins has gained national notoriety for his philanthropic efforts in the redevelopment of the East Lake Community.

At the Federal Reserve System’s Community Affairs Research Conference in Washington, D.C. on April 12, Bernanke’s speech showcased Cousins and his foundation’s redevelopment of East Lake as a national model of lifting a community in a holistic way.
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By Maria Saporta

More than a year ago, Delta Air Lines CEO Richard Anderson believed that having MLT Vacations under its own roof rather than in Minnesota made great business sense.

So on Wednesday afternoon, Anderson and Gov. Nathan Deal cut the ribbon on MLT Vacations new headquarters on the campus of Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines. The move has meant 100 new jobs in Atlanta so far with the promise of more to come, according to John Caldwell, president of MLT Vacations, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines.

“I was very involved,” Anderson said. “We took the decision that they were going to move here.
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By Maria Saporta

When the new president of CNN Jeff Zucker addressed the Atlanta Press Club on Monday, he emphasized the importance of Atlanta to the 24-hour news organization.

“I know that people know that I’m the first chief executive of CNN not based in Atlanta,” said Zucker, who lives in New York and had spent nearly his entire career with NBC. “I did not make my first luncheon with the press club of New York. Atlanta will continue to the home of CNN, and Atlanta will continue to be the backbone of CNN.”

Zucker did say that CNN does have a lot of programming based out of New York, and that is not going to change, but he went on to say that he is in Atlanta on a regular basis. And he added that we live in a virtual world.
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By Maria Saporta

After four months as MARTA’s general manager, Keith Parker is reorganizing his executive team.

MARTA is expected to announce on Monday a realignment of its management organization and four new members of its executive team, MARTA spokesman Lyle Harris confirmed.

Gone is the position of deputy general manager. Parker decided that the transit agency would be able to streamline costs by no longer having that position. MARTA’s former deputy general manager, Dwight Ferrell, resigned just one day after Parker started his post on Dec. 10, 2012. At one time, Ferrell had been in the running for the top MARTA job.
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By Maria Saporta

Sometimes you just have to take things in your own hands.

That the situation that Jim Durrett, a MARTA board member and executive director of the Buckhead Community Improvement District, found himself in on Saturday morning.

He was waiting for his wife and brother-in-law near the Lindbergh MARTA Station on Saturday morning reading an email on his iPhone. All of a sudden, someone grabbed the iPhone out of his hands and started running.

Durrett, a super well-fit 50-something, bolted after the young man who had stolen his iPhone. Not only did he catch the guy and retrieve his iPhone. Durrett also took a picture of the guy with the very phone that had been grabbed out of his hands. Continue reading →

By Maria Saporta

As Georgia Tech’s College of Architecture prepares to enter a new era, it is taking time to remember its past.

Any day now, the College of Architecture will be naming its new dean from three finalists — two outside candidates and one internal one.

Although Georgia Tech has had an architectural program for more than 100 years, the College has only been in existence since 1976 and has only had three deans during that tenure — William Fash (1976 to 1992), Thomas Galloway (1992 to 2007) and Alan Balfour (2008 to present). Douglas Allen served as an interim dean from 2007 to 2008 following Galloway’s sudden death.
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