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.
The Morehouse School of Medicine has received a $3 million gift from one of Atlanta’s most beloved couples – Henry “Hank” and Billye Suber Aaron.
The gift will be used to expand to expand the Hugh Gloster Medical Education building and create the Billye Suber Aaron Student Pavilion, the School announced on Friday.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on September 11, 2015.
Atlanta Falcons executives view MARTA as one of the top selling points of the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
As evidence, they are working with the City of Atlanta on a pedestrian bridge that will cross over Northside Drive to connect the Vine City MARTA station with the new stadium.
The City of Atlanta has issued a request-for-proposals for a “design-build” 15-foot-wide and 110-foot-long pedestrian bridge over Northside Drive to “provide pedestrians safe and unimpeded access” to the Mecedes-Benz Stadium. Proposals are due Sept. 30.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on September 4, 2015.
As artistic director of the Atlanta Ballet for 21 years, John McFall has seen company go through thick and thin. When he arrived in 1994, the Ballet didn’t even have a development office.
“In the 21 years, there have been plenty of times when I put my head on the pillow, and I didn’t know if we’d be here in a week’s time,” McFall said in an interview Sept. 2. “There were probably a half dozen times in 21 years, which really isn’t so bad. They were more frequent earlier on.”
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on September 4, 2015
Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons football and the Atlanta United soccer teams, envisions the area around the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium being redeveloped into a mixed-use town center connected to Centennial Olympic Park with green space extending all the way into the Vine City and English Avenue communities.
In an extended interview on Sept. 1, Blank described the area around the new stadium as a combination of the development around the new SunTrust Park and a downtown Piedmont Park.
By Maria Saporta Last Thursday afternoon, two preservationists took Craig Richard, the CEO of Invest Atlanta, on a tour of 10 historically significant, but endangered, African-American buildings in the city. Mark McDonald, president and CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation; and Sheffield Hale, president and CEO of the Atlanta History Center; wanted to […]
The most fuel-efficient mode of transportation is becoming even more efficient. Norfolk Southern on Sept. 1 unveiled its new “Eco” Locomotive, a technological advancement that will further reduce reduce emissions and increase fuel efficiency for transporting freight by rail.
So here are the facts. It is far better for the environment and far more fuel efficient to move more freight by rail than over roads. Obviously the same would be true in moving people.
The campaign to save the Bell Building in the heart of downtown is gaining steam.
The Atlanta Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Atlanta) and the Georgia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Georgia) sent a compelling letter to save the building to Brad Ferrer, an executive at CNN who holds influential positions at Georgia State University.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on August 28, 2015.
When it comes to civic involvement, the Atlanta community should not be overly concerned about Southern Co.’s proposed $12 billion acquisition of AGL Resources.
AGL CEO John W. Somerhalder, in an interview on Aug. 25, said AGL will continue to be a stand-alone unit with its own management team and board. And he said if one wants to look at how AGL will operate in the future as a Southern Co. subsidiary, all you have to do is look at the Georgia Power model.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on August 28, 2015
What a splashy week for Mercedes -Benz USA in Atlanta. If folks in town had not realized that Mercedes-Benz USA has moved its headquarters to Atlanta, they probably know now.
The week started on Monday, Aug. 24, when Mercedes-Benz officially announced it had signed a 27-year agreement for the naming rights to the new Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United stadium.
Apparently I’m not alone in my distaste for the proliferation of closed sidewalks in our city.
Dozens of people let me know they agreed with last week’s column complaining about the epidemic of closed sidewalks, especially during new construction.
The refrain was the same. We can, and should, do better if we want to really be a cosmopolitan city.
The Food Well Alliance, which was formed about a year ago, held its first major event Saturday – Healthy Soil, Healthy Community Festival – at the Truly Living Well urban farm.
Hundreds of people showed up during the festival to learn more about how to encourage and provide greater access to healthy foods – especially in communities that have been described as food deserts.
And one way is to grow food in metro Atlanta through community gardens and urban farms.
John Grant, CEO of 100 Black Men of Atlanta, will soon become the executive director of the new “Celebration Bowl.”
Grant, who has led 100 Black Men of Atlanta for 14 years, will be leading the new post-season college football bowl game, owned and operated by ESPN Events. The inaugural Celebration Bowl is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 19 at the Georgia Dome, and it will air live on ABC at noon.
In 2007, the Coca-Cola Co. pledged to return 100 percent of the water it uses by 2020.
The soft drink company is announcing on Tuesday at the World Water Week in Stockholm that it expects to meet that ambitious goal by the end of the year.
Its combined efforts have put Coca-Cola on track to be the first global food and beverage company to replenish all the water it uses back to communities and nature.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on August 21, 2015
Zoo Atlanta continues to get help from its friends.
It has just received a $1 million gift from the Georgia Power Foundation as part of the $20 million capital campaign called “A Grand New View: Elephants, Events and Expansion.”
That brings the total fundraising so far to $6 million, according to Raymond King, president and CEO of Zoo Atlanta.
Atlanta’s new motto? “Sidewalk Closed.”
One of the unfortunate by-products of developers and companies investing in Atlanta’s real estate is how sidewalks disappear when their projects are under construction.
In just a few blocks in Midtown – between Piedmont Avenue and Spring Street and from 4th Street to 14th Street – dozens of “Sidewalk Closed” signs have popped up.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed pledged to do all he could to preserve the historic Gaines Hall on the Morris Brown campus.
Gaines Hall, which was built in 1869 and was one of the original buildings in the Atlanta University campus, caught on fire last Thursday evening. Gaines Hall currently is owned by Invest Atlanta, the city’s economic development agency which acquired the building earlier this year as part of the Morris Brown College property sale.
Mercedes Benz and the AMB Sports & Entertainment (owner of the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United) announced a 27-year naming rights agreement Monday morning.
But neither side disclosed the dollar value of the deal – which will extend through 2042 – two years between now and when the stadium opens in 2017 plus 25 years.
Atlanta’s two largest utilities – the Southern Co. and AGL Resources – are becoming one.
Southern Co. announced Monday morning that it is acquiring AGL Resources in a $12 billion transaction – one that will create a leading electric and gas utility in the nation.
Gaines Hall – one of the most significant historic buildings in Atlanta – must be saved.
That is the “rallying cry” from two leading preservationists about the 1869 vacant dormitory on the Morris Brown campus that went up in flames Thursday night.
Mark McDonald, president and CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation; and Sheffield Hale, president and CEO of the Atlanta History Center; went together to see Gaines Hall on Friday to see for themselves the extent of the damage.
A calm and composed President Jimmy Carter faced the media Thursday morning to update the world about his cancer and answer as many questions as he could.
The briefing attracted an onslaught of national and local media attention – probably more than the Carter Center has seen in decades – despite all the significant initiatives that the former president has launched from his base in Atlanta.
