Maria Saporta, executive editor, is a longtime Atlanta business, civic and urban affairs journalist with a deep knowledge of our city, our region and state. From 2008 to 2020, she wrote weekly columns and news stories for the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Prior to that, she spent 27 years with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, becoming its business columnist in 1991. Maria received her Master’s degree in urban studies from Georgia State and her Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University. Maria was born in Atlanta to European parents and has two young adult children. She launched SaportaReport in February 2009.
By Maria Saporta
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has no intention to join the second administration of President Barack Obama.
At the Carter breakfast Thursday morning at the Atlanta History Center, Reed was asked directly whether he could guarantee that he would be mayor in 2017 if he were to be re-elected next year.
The mayor’s answer was an unconditional yes.
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Friday, November 2, 2012
JP Morgan Chase and the Brookings Institute have teamed up on an initiative to help cities become more globally competitive.
The Global Cities Initiative, a $10 million, five-year program, will be coming to Atlanta on March 19 and 20. It is one of five cities that will be part of the initiative in 2013. The other cities are Houston (May 14-15), Dallas (May 16), Denver (June 25-26) and Mexico City (Nov. 11-15).
By Maria Saporta
The Atlanta Falcons had a special guest for its Sunday night victory against the Dallas Cowboys — Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League.
Actually Goodell spent the better part of 24 hours in Atlanta — meeting with the fans, attending the game, visiting with retired NFL players, a special visit with Gov. Nathan Deal and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, and then as the keynote guest at the Rotary Club of Atlanta.
Asked about the merits of building a new stadium for the Atlanta Falcons, Goodell said: “It’s important, not just for the Falcons, but for the NFL.”
By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Friday, November 2, 2012
Breaking the cycle of generational poverty in metro Atlanta will depend on reducing the number of teenage pregnancies and providing early education for children in need.
Those are a couple of the findings in a new Atlanta Women’s Foundation research study that was done by The Schapiro Group after a year of comprehensive analysis, interviews and voter polls.
By Maria Saporta
One of the biggest challenges that the National Football League faces today is to make the experience of going to a game better than staying at home and watching it on a high-definition television.
That’s what NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told about 550 of the Atlanta Falcons’ most loyal fans at a Fans Forum at the Georgia World Congress Center before the team went on to win its eighth straight game in an undefeated season.
It was an unusual forum to ask: “Whatever happened to leadership?”
The occasion was a gathering of more than 20 years of alumni from the Regional Leadership Institute — a one-week immersion to get up-and-coming leaders to think regionally.
The Atlanta Regional Commission started the Regional Leadership Institute back in 1991 as the brainchild of then-executive director Harry West and former Gov. George Busbee.
By Maria Saporta
When the Atlanta Falcons play the Dallas Cowboys Sunday evening, there will be more on the line that just the team’s 7-0 record.
Roger Goodell, commissioner of the National Football League, will be in the house — where he is expected to visit with some of the Atlanta Falcons top sponsors as well as owner Arthur Blank.
Before the game, Goodell will be attending a “Fan Forum” at the Georgia World Congress Center in the Building C Ballroom beginning at 5:30 p.m. when Falcons fans can ask the commissioner any question on their mind.
By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Friday, November 2, 2012
Georgia is still one of the most important nonprofit centers in the country, according to the 2012 Philanthropy 400 list, which shows that five of the nation’s top 20 charities are based in the state.
The Chronicle of Philanthropy has been putting together this list for 21 years — measuring the amount that each charity receives in private donations. A total of 16 of the nation’s top 400 charities are based in Georgia.
By Maria Saporta
The Georgia Wildlife Federation has a new president and CEO.
The Federation’s board has selected Todd Holbrook, former deputy commissioner of Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources, to head the organization beginning on Jan. 1, 2013.
Holbrook, who lives in Conyers, is joining the Federation after spending 27 years with the Georgia DNR in several roles — assistant director of the Wildlife Resources Division and chief of Game Management.
By Maria Saporta
Literacy Action, Georgia’s largest nonprofit provider of adult basic education, has a new president and executive director — Austin Dickson.
Before joining Literacy Action, Dickson served as director of philanthropy for Action Ministries, a statewide, faith-based, homeless services and basic needs organization. He also has worked for the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta on its regional and environmental initiatives.
Dickson is a Texas native and a graduate of Texas Christian University. He earned master’s degrees from the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where he was the student body president.
By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on October 26, 2012
Agnes Scott College will publicly launch its $100 million “Greatness Before Us” campaign on Oct. 26.
More than half of the money — $58.2 million — has already been raised during the quiet phase of the campaign.
The same evening, the college also will launch its 1889 Society — for individuals and foundations that have given $500,000 or more to the institution, according to Elizabeth Kiss, president of Agnes Scott.
By Maria Saporta
Key state leaders believe the deepening of the Savannah Port will go forward no matter who is elected as president on Nov. 6.
Gov. Nathan Deal said Tuesday, after a Georgia Chamber of Commerce “State of the Ports” luncheon, that he was relieved when the project received final federal approval a few days ago.
“We are fortunate that they made this designation before the election,” Deal said. “It’s an indication that this won’t be held up for political reasons.”
By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on October 26, 2012
Atlanta’s presence at the national United Way organization continues to grow.
Atlanta native Stacey Stewart has become the first-ever president of United Way USA — the No. 2 leader within the international organization.
Stewart reports to Brian Gallagher, CEO of United Way Worldwide, who worked for the United Way of Greater Atlanta from 1990 to 1996.
There’s one statistic that overshadows all others when it comes to measuring Georgia’s economic strength nationally.
That statistic is how Georgia’s per capita income compares to the national average per capita income.
In 2010, Georgia’s per capita income was $34,531 while the national per capita income was 39,791. That means that Georgians made 87 percent of the average income of the country as a whole.
For George Berry, improving Georgia’s per capita income is the key to the state’s future. Berry is a former commissioner of the Georgia Department of Industry, Trade and Tourism (now Georgia Department of Economic Development) who served in that role during the administration of Gov. Joe Frank Harris in the 1980s.
By Maria Saporta
It’s hard to believe.
When Atlanta-based Newell Rubbermaid announced on Friday a major reorganization of its executive team, all the top executives were white males.
Now this is for a consumer-based company that has women as its main customers.
In unveiling its reorganization, the company also announced that Penny McIntyre, who had been head of the company’s consumer group, was leaving to pursue other interests. Two other executives were casualties in the reorganization — Ted Woehrle, chief marketing officer; and Paul Boitmann, chief customer development officer.
By Maria Saporta
The East Lake Foundation has named Lawrence Schall, president of Oglethorpe University, as its new board chair.
Schall , who is succeeding Lillian Giornelli as chair, will join the foundation’s 13-member board, serve a two-year term. Giornelli will continue to serve on the board as vice chair and as head of its fund-raising committee.
Schall said he sees his new role as the foundation’s board chair as an extension of his role as Oglethorpe’s president. Oglethorpe has been one of the partners at Drew Middle School, and Schall has been encouraging the university’s students and faculty to become more involved in the community.”
By Maria Saporta
So far this year, there have only been 171 new cases of polio in the world — and those cases were in only three countries — Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan. That compares to 467 new cases at this time in 2011.
In 1988, when Rotary International adopted polio eradication as one of its priorities, polio infected and disabled about 350,000 people a year in more than 125 countries.
On World Polio Day — Oct. 24 — Rotary Clubs across the world had reason to celebrate. Since 1988, Rotarians have contributed more than $1.2 billion towards the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on October 19, 2012
Georgia manufacturers don’t place a high premium on innovation and they don’t take advantage of research and development tax credits to invest in new technology.
Those are some of the results in the 2012 Georgia Manufacturing Survey that was released Oct. 16 at the Next Generation Manufacturing conference held at Georgia Tech’s Academy of Medicine.
By Maria Saporta
It has become one Georgia’s of the most-anticipated lists — the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation list of “Ten Places in Peril” across the state.
The 2013 list, the eighth annual list, was released on Wednesday morning. It includes a golf course, a log cabin and a rest stop. But the common theme among the 10 places is that the Georgia Trust hopes that by shining the spotlight on these historical locations, it will enhance the chances that they will be preserved.
“We hope the list will continue to bring preservation action to Georgia’s imperiled historic resources by highlighting 10 representative sites,” said Mark C. McDonald, president and CEO of the Trust.
By Maria Saporta
Expect Southwest Airlines to leverage its acquisition of AirTran by going international.
In a talk Monday to the Rotary Club of Atlanta, Gary Kelly, CEO of Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, said the airline plans to not only fly to AirTran’s current destinations but to other places in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and the northern parts of South America.
“Yes, we intend to keep the international destinations that AirTran is currently serving,” Kelly reassured the audience. “The demand for international travel is very, very strong. We think we have a lot of great opportunity to grow internationally.”
