Four of Atlanta’s Historically Black Colleges & Universities are receiving a $50 million boost from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. It is the largest gift Blank has made to higher education in Atlanta. In November 2019, Arthur Blank made a $50 million gift to his alma mater, Babson College, based in Wellesley, Mass., to […]
Author Archives: Maria Saporta
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.
Posted inMaria's Metro
Atlanta-based Cortland caters to those who choose to rent rather than own
When looking for a name for his apartment development company, Steven DeFrancis turned to one of his favorite books, The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand. The lead character in the book is architect Howard Roark, who strives to design a perfect multifamily community — Cortlandt. DeFrancis settled on the name Cortland, dropping the “t” to simplify […]
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Atlanta Committee for Progress selects its 2026 board chair
The 2026 chair for the Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP) will be Andrew Schlossberg, president and CEO of Invesco, an Atlanta-based independent investment management firm. Kathy Waller, executive director of the highly influential business and civic group that advises Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, said Schlossberg will succeed Michael Russell, the CEO of H.J. Russell & Co., who is […]
Posted inMaria's Metro
Transit in Atlanta is at a crossroads
As Atlanta Beltline Inc. celebrates its 20-year anniversary, it is still up in the air on how the city will move forward to build out the vision for transit. The most tangible Beltline rail project is putting light rail on the Eastside Trail, extending the downtown streetcar to the Beltline and continuing the rail to […]
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Shaky Knees at Piedmont Park: creating a city within the city
Moving the Shaky Knees Music Festival from Central Park in the spring to Piedmont Park in the fall went as smoothly as could be expected. Shaky Knees held its annual festival from Sept. 19 to 21 at Piedmont Park. Reading messages on Next Door and other social media apps, the level of outrage was minimal. […]
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Georgia Research Alliance celebrates 35 years at the Governor’s Mansion
For the first time in its 35-year history, the Georgia Research Alliance held its quarterly board meeting at the Governor’s Mansion on Sept. 18. Appropriately, the location meant the meeting was filled with reverence and symbolism. The meeting was unlike most GRA board meetings because it focused less on its operations and more on its […]
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Expanded Civil Rights center reaffirms Atlanta’s role in the movement
When the National Center for Civil and Human Rights first opened in June 2014, Atlanta proclaimed its rightful place in history as a place that championed civil and human rights. The development of the Center helped solidify Atlanta’s identity on the global landscape. The National Center for Civil and Human Rights is undergoing a major expansion, […]
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Leadership transition at Atlanta-based Concessions International
Concessions International (CI), an airport concessions firm founded in 1979, will have new leadership beginning on Oct. 6. The company was founded 45 years ago by the late H.J. Russell and two business partners – Felker W. Ward Jr. and Jesse Hill Jr. In 1999, Russell bought out his two partners, and CI became totally […]
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Biography of former U.S. Sen. Wyche Fowler offers lessons for today
One could spend all day listening to Wyche Fowler recount tales of his colorful life in and out of Atlanta, Washington, D.C. and Saudi Arabia. Fowler’s political and diplomatic career has spanned decades, starting with the civil rights era in Atlanta and the nation’s capital. Now, there’s a biography that chronicles his life, focusing primarily […]
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Atlanta leaders exploring best site for new Amtrak station
All aboard! Let’s pick the best location for a new Amtrak station in downtown Atlanta. The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and the City of Atlanta have joined forces to conduct an in-depth $625,000 Passenger Rail Station Alternatives Study to determine where a new Amtrak station should be built in Atlanta. ARC, through federal funds, allocated $500,000 […]
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Goodbye print: AJC will cease printing the newspaper by 2026
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will sunset its print publication by the end of the year, AJC Publisher Andrew Morse told staff members at a town hall meeting Thursday morning. It is the end of an era. Going back 157 years, the AJC, through its predecessor publications, has been delivering its news through an actual newspaper. As […]
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Atlanta Dogwood Festival needs $250,000 for 2026 event
Atlanta’s most historic festival could soon be history. The Atlanta Dogwood Festival, a ritual of spring since the Great Depression, is pleading with the community to help cover a $250,000 shortfall so the nonprofit can put on the 2026 festival. The festival, which would turn 90 in 2026, needs to raise the money by Nov. […]
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Insider or outsider? Atlanta City Council president voters have clear choice
The election for Atlanta city council president promises to be the most highly charged race in the city in 2025. By the end of qualifying on Aug. 22, only two candidates had put their hats in the ring — Atlanta City Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet and Rohit Malhotra, a nonprofit leader who is on leave […]
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Georgia Chamber revives Blanchard Award, giving it to Shan Cooper
Jimmy Blanchard has been one of the leading voices in the Georgia business community advocating for the practice of servant leadership among CEOs. The Georgia Chamber of Commerce recently decided to give greater visibility by reinstituting and renaming the Blanchard Servant Leadership Award. It revived the award on Aug. 20 at the Chamber’s 2025 Congressional […]
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Metro Atlanta leaders going to D.C., Maryland and Virginia on LINK trip
The Atlanta region’s 28th LINK trip will be headed to the Greater Washington D.C. area, beginning on Aug. 20 through Aug. 23. The focus this year will be on the suburban communities outside Washington D.C. in Maryland and Virginia. The suburban-focused trip is a stark contrast to the 2024 LINK trip that was held in New […]
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U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff: CDC vital to U.S. and global health
Georgia is privileged to host “the world’s preeminent epidemiological agency,” U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Georgia) told the Rotary Club of Atlanta of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “All of us, regardless of our political stripes, are proud of the CDC,” Ossoff said. “I grew up full of pride at this amazing organization, […]
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Bad decision: GSU still plans to tear down 148 Edgewood
Georgia State University, it’s in your own best interest to save 148 Edgewood. An urban university, such as Georgia State, must contribute to the historic fabric of our city — not destroy it. Preservationists, civil rights leaders, business organizations, civic leaders, GSU alumni (me included) and Downtown advocates have all been urging Georgia State to […]
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New CEO of Blank Family Office has been named
Andrea DeMarco will be the new CEO of the Arthur M. Blank Family office, effective on Oct. 6, the Blank Family of Businesses announced today. DeMarco will report directly to Arthur M. Blank, chairman of the Family Office, which includes chief of staff support, family services, security and transportation, while actively learning the businesses and […]
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Tom Cousins, 93, a developer and civic leader grounded in faith and community
Update: Friends and family are invited to a celebration of life for Thomas Grady Cousins at noon on Thursday, August 28, 2025 at North Avenue Presbyterian Church in downtown Atlanta. The service will be followed by a reception at East Lake Golf Club from 2-4 pm. The service also is being live-streamed through this link. […]
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Deal announced on proposed acquisition of Norfolk Southern by Union Pacific
If Union Pacific Corp. is successful in acquiring Norfolk Southern, Atlanta would lose the headquarters of one of its newest Fortune 500 companies. Both companies announced Tuesday morning that they intend to merge both railroads to create “America’s First Continental Railroad.” If approved, the combined company would provide seamless rail service from coast to coast. […]
