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.
My Maria’s Metro column this week on Music Midtown generated quite a bit of response and reaction (and it has been updated with a couple of corrections).
Here is a letter from Mark Banta, president and CEO of the Piedmont Park Conservancy. He was responding to both my initial comments as well as the stories that appeared on the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s website.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Sept. 23, 2016
The Fernbank Forest now will be the featured attraction of the Fernbank Museum of Natural History.
Starting Sept. 24, the expansion of the Fernbank Museum will be open to visitors – providing people of all ages and abilities to experience the largest old-growth Piedmont forest in the South
A transition in leadership is underway at the Atlanta Housing Authority.
Joy Fitzgerald, AHA’s president and CEO, announced Thursday that she’ll be retiring from the agency on Dec. 31.
At the same time, AHA announced that its board has named Catherine Buell as Fitzgerald’s successor. Buell has been serving as AHA’s chief operating officer since January.
When it comes to running an innovative company, the consumer is king, according to a prestigious panel of business leaders speaking Wednesday evening at Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business.
The discussion was moderated by the Aspen Institute’s president and CEO – Walter Isaacson.
The City of Refuge, a 20-year-old nonprofit serving Atlanta’s westside, will be expanding its vocational training and entrepreneurial services through $7.5 million in donations from the Chick-fil-A Foundation, the Coca-Cola Foundation and the City of Atlanta.
The donations were being announced today at a press conference at the City of Refuge with Coca-Cola CEO Muhtar Kent, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A and Bruce Deel, the founder of the City of Refuge.
Two prominent board members of the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership turned in their resignations Monday saying not enough emphasis is being given to the issues of equity and affordability.
The two board members are: Ryan Gravel, an urban planner to initially proposed the concept of the BeltLine in his Georgia Tech Master’s thesis; and Nathaniel Smith, founder of the Partnership for Southern Equity.
The 2016 campaign has been like no other, and that makes it difficult to poll, according to Peter Hart, a pollster for more than 50 years.
Hart was the weekly speaker at the Rotary Club of Atlanta on Monday, speaking hours before the first presidential debate of the General Election.
This post has been updated with a couple of corrections:
A week after Music Midtown entertained thousands of people – despite a steady rain on the second day – Piedmont Park is still in repair mode.
It is a delicate tightrope for people living in the heart of the city.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Sept. 23, 2016
The Imlay Foundation is making a $5 million grant – the largest in its 25-year history – to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Georgia Tech to help fund the development of pediatric therapies.
The grant also symbolizes the coming together of the two loves of Mary Ellen Imlay and her late husband, John Imlay, an Atlanta technology entrepreneur and philanthropist.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Sept. 16, 2016
A group of prominent Atlantans are seeking support for a Manifesto for Interfaith Cooperation, taking a visible stand against religious bigotry and to advance inclusion of all faiths.
The leaders behind the manifesto include philanthropist Thomas Glenn; the Rev. George Wirth; and Bill Clarkson, retired president of Westminster Schools.
Updated with memorial service information…..
A loving light flickered Thursday morning when Britt Pendergrast, 99, passed away.
Pendergrast, a progressive pacifist, environmentalist and civil rights advocate, was part of the dynamic duo – Nan and Britt – a couple that had been married for more than 76 years.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Sept. 9, 2016
At the annual “Crime is Toast” breakfast on Aug. 30, Atlanta business community celebrated a 30 percent drop in crime within the city limits since 2009.
Part of that success can be attributed to the Atlanta Police Foundation, which raises private dollars to support crime-fighting initiatives not covered by city tax dollars. “Atlanta can not be a thriving business center if it’s not safe,” said Dave Abney, CEO of United Parcel Service, which was the “Chief” sponsor of the breakfast. Abney, who knows Atlanta is the signature city in the region, said the community has to be diligent because “the world is watching.”
For decades, Gwinnett County has had opportunities to join MARTA and build rail service, but voters have turned down every proposal so far.
Rev. Harriett Bradley missed her bus transfer to get from Norcross to Lawrenceville so she ended up taking Uber to get to the Sierra Club transit forum earlier this month.
By Maria Saporta As one of 100 global cities selected by the Rockefeller Foundation, the City of Atlanta will be able to be better prepared to handle emergencies, such as severe weather-related events. The Rockefeller Foundation held a workshop at the Carter Center on Monday with dozens of stakeholders in the city to work on […]
Gwinnett today is paying the price for not approving MARTA decades ago.
Last week, the news came out that NCR – in addition to moving its headquarters to Midtown Atlanta – is going to be expanding its intown campus with a new 14-story tower. That will add another 1,800 jobs on top of the 3,600 moving with the corporate headquarters.
Atlanta was divided from 1960 to 1991 – the road builders versus the road busters.
Plans existed to build Interstate-485 through the heart of Virginia-Highland and to build a Stone Mountain Tollway that would have cut through the Druid Hills community and the historic Olmsted Linear Parks on Ponce de Leon.
The Atlanta Committee for Progress, the high-level board of business and civic leaders convened by Mayor Kasim Reed, had its best turnout ever Friday morning – even though the mayor couldn’t be there in person.
Instead, Reed, who is in Washington, D.C. for a meeting on the TransPacific Partnership with President Barack Obama, was video-conferenced into the meeting thanks to the facilities at the Washington, D.C. City Hall and Georgia Power’s headquarters in Atlanta.
By Maria Saporta and Doug Sams
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Sept. 9, 2016
Two ambitious new projects propose to bridge parts of Georgia 400 and the Downtown Connector to create new “beach-front property” in Atlanta.
On Sept. 7, Buckhead business leaders got their first look at new designs for a proposed half-mile long park over Georgia 400 that would give a district known for glass high-rises and sprawling luxury malls much-needed open spaces.
Original article on WABE by Maria Saporta More than 700 people from around the country descended on Atlanta from Sept. 7 to Sept. 9 to attend the International Development Association meeting at the Westin Peachtree Plaza. The event harkened back to 1977 – the last time the IDA came to Atlanta. At the time, Dan […]
For the past six months, a team headed by prominent planner and urbanist Dhiru Thadani has been working on an action-oriented plan for Atlanta’s Westside communities.
The team recently presented its draft Action Plan at the Transform Westside Summit, and now there will be about two months when community members and stakeholders will be able to respond to the recommendations and ideas.
