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.
Two tenacious women from Georgia have been selected for the prestigious 2017 Horatio Alger Award – Valerie Montgomery Rice, president of the Morehouse School of Medicine; and Marcia Taylor, CEO of Bennett International who also is a philanthropist.
The Horatio Alger Association honors leaders who have overcome significant adversities to attain personal and professional success.
Update: The plan was approved by the Atlanta City Council in a 10-4 vote.
The Atlanta City Council today will hear a proposal to turn several streets in and around Underground Atlanta into private property.
Over the weekend, several concerned citizens and community activists wrote about the proposed legislation, which has not been introduced through the normal committee structure where they would be fully vetted.
In a spirit of cooperation, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, announced Feb 4 that he would be turning over 10 disputed property deeds to the Atlanta Public Schools “right away.”
Now 10 months later, the City of Atlanta has yet turn over those deeds.
In an interview Dec. 1, Reed said he has no intention to turn over those deeds unless APS agrees to require buyers to offer affordable housing.
The Covenant House, a refuge for homeless youth, holds a unique fundraiser every year.
It invites community leaders to sleep outdoors so they can get a taste of what it’s like to be homeless. The fifth annual “Sleep Out” happened Nov. 17, when a hundred Atlanta leaders slept outdoors on the campus in Northwest Atlanta.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Nov. 25, 2016
The Metro Atlanta Chamber, which will hold its 157th annual meeting Nov. 30 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, is unveiling its new strategic pillars as well as its 2017 leaders.
Jeff Sprecher, chairman and CEO of Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), will succeed SunTrust Banks executive Jenner Wood, who served as the 2016 MAC chairman.
Despite speculation to the contrary, the city of Atlanta will host the Peach Drop to ring in 2017.
The traditional New Year’s Eve celebration for 2017 was in doubt because the city is in the process of selling Underground Atlanta to South Carolina-based developer WRS Inc.
But Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said the city has decided to put off the closing of the Underground sale for a few days so it can host the Peach Drop.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has named Deputy Police Chief Erika Shields as the city’s next police chief.
The announcement was made Thursday morning at City Hall as the mayor thanked Police Chief George Turner, who announced Wednesday his plan to retire at the end of the year after 35 years with the department.
The news that Atlanta Police Chief George Turner is retiring from his post at the end of the year generated a disappointed buzz in the business community.
Dave Wilkinson, president and CEO of the Atlanta Police Foundation, said his phone had been ringing all afternoon with calls from business leaders upset that Turner would no longer be leading the force.
By Maria Saporta The Mercedes-Benz Stadium is on an accelerated construction schedule so it can open on time, but no one is ready to share the actual date of when it will open. Stadium builders and developers presented a progress report Monday morning to the Development Committee of the Georgia World Congress Center Authority, and […]
The death of Cuba’s longtime leader Fidel Castro last week will not impact Delta Air Lines’ plans to inaugurate service from Atlanta to Havana on Dec. 1, according to Ed Bastian, the airline’s CEO.
“Nothing has changed,” said Bastian, who called the Cuban market “fascinating” for the long term. He added the U.S. government is allowing flights into the island before many of the trade restrictions have been lifted, which will make the business model it a bit of a challenge.
Clark Atlanta University has been awarded $432,335 from the U.S. Department of Commerce as part of a $15 million investment by the Economic Development Administration’s Regional Innovation Strategies Program.
Now more than ever, it’s time to adopt the slogan: “Atlanta loves you.”
My regular readers know it’s not the first time I’ve suggested the “Atlanta loves you” moniker for our city.
I have long felt those three simple words said it all.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Nov. 18, 2016
The University of Georgia kicked off its $1.2 billion fundraising campaign Nov. 17 at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, using the occasion to announce the largest single gift it has ever received in its history.
Atlanta is fortunate to have a concentration of colleges and universities along with thousands of students who come to our city for school and never leave.
Among those schools there is one of the largest clusters of Historically Black Colleges and University, including Spelman College, the top-ranked HBCU, and Morehouse College, ranked No. 4 among HBCUs.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Nov. 18, 2016
In keeping with Atlanta’s tradition, the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium is being built with a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion.
The $1.5 billion construction project has contracted with 130 minority-owned and female-owned firms to create the new stadium for the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United soccer franchise.
When the city became part of the financing plan to build the stadium, the Atlanta City Council stated their desireto have it follow the city’s EqualBusiness Opportunity (EBO) standards. A goal was set at 31 percent minority participation.
The Nov. 8 election produced a major win for MARTA. Nearly 130,000 Atlanta voters, or 71.34 percent, approved a half-penny sales tax to expand MARTA within the city limits.
At the same time, the city voted to increase overall transportation funding by a .4 of a penny sales tax.
This is in addition to the one-cent sales tax that the city of Atlanta has been investing in the MARTA system since 1971 – when Fulton and DeKalb counties also voted in favor of the regional transit system.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Nov. 11, 2016
The recent ranking of the Philanthropy 400 by the Chronicle of Philanthropy showed little change among the order of Georgia’s major nonprofits.
The largest nonprofit in the state continues to be the Task Force of Global Health, which ranks seventh among all foundations nationally.
The other foundations in the top 25 are the National Christian Foundation (No. 9); the Boys & Girls Clubs of America (No. 16); Habitat for Humanity International (No. 20); and the American Cancer Society (No. 22).
More than 100 brave leaders from metro Atlanta are spending the night outdoors tonight (Nov. 17) as part of the Covenant House Sleep Out to help homeless youth.
Even Gov. Nathan Deal and First Lady Sandra Deal showed up to give support to the nonprofit, which has been providing shelter and support to the homeless youth.
Original Story on WABE by Maria Saporta The Georgia Historical Society unveiled a historic marker at Centennial Olympic Park on Nov. 1 to commemorate the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. The marker is between the Olympic Rings Fountain and Marietta Street across Andrew Young International Boulevard from the Metro Atlanta Chamber building. The last sentence on […]
By Maria Saporta The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation released its 12th annual 10 Places in Peril – shining the light on historic treasures that need attention. “We hope the list will continue to bring preservation solutions to Georgia’s imperiled historic resources by highlighting 10 representative sites,” said Mark McDonald, president and CEO of the […]
