Articles from the Atlanta Business Chronicle
By Maria Saporta
Friday, Oct. 29, 2010
The drought of women leaders at the Metro Atlanta Chamber is almost over.
Carol Tomé, chief financial officer of The Home Depot Inc., will chair the influential business organization in 2012.
Only one other woman has chaired the Metro Atlanta
By Maria Saporta
Friday, October 22, 2010
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc. is making a $1 million donation to the National Center for Civil & Human Rights — a move that will bring the center one step closer to being built.
With Delta’s gift, the center has raised a total of $71 million. It needs to get another $14 million in donations before construction on the project can begin.
By Maria Saporta
Friday, October 22, 2010
In the weeks leading up to the Nov. 2 midterm elections, an uproar has erupted between the Obama administration and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over campaign finances and policy issues.
Unknown to most Georgians, sitting right in the middle of this political firestorm is one of the Atlanta’s top business leaders.
Tom Bell, formerly CEO of Cousins Properties Inc. and now executive chairman of the security services
By Maria Saporta
Friday, October 15, 2010
The Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce has rejoined the Regional Business Coalition of Metropolitan Atlanta after a four-year absence.
Because the Gwinnett Chamber is one of the largest business organizations in the region, if not the state, the coalition had been working hard to bring Gwinnett back into the fold.
Terry Lawler, the relatively new executive director of
By Maria Saporta
Friday, October 15, 2010
After years of marginal progress, women finally are gaining more of a presence on the boards of Georgia’s public companies.
For the first time ever, women hold more than 8 percent of all the board seats on Georgia’s 150 public companies. Specifically, women represent 8.6 percent of the 1,207 total board seats. Last year, they held 7.6 percent of all board seats, the previous high-water
By Dave Williams and Maria Saporta
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents voted Tuesday to table until November any action about a possible engineering school at The University of Georgia.
The vote came after Gov. Sonny Perdue warned the board the state university system should not launch an engineering program at UGA without studying potential adverse consequences or gaining approval from the political leadership and public.
By Maria Saporta
Friday, October 8, 2010
Georgia’s children took center stage Oct. 5 during the inaugural “Early Education Summit” in the studios of Georgia Public Broadcasting.
It was the kickoff event for the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students (GEEARS) — bringing together nearly 300 leaders from all over the state.
“We are beyond thrilled by the turnout today,” said Stephanie Blank, a philanthropist who is chairing the GEEARS board. “We have business and civic and government leaders from throughout the state and beyond.”
By Dave Williams and Maria Saporta
Staff Writers
The University System of Georgia Board of Regents voted Tuesday to table until November any action about a possible engineering school at The University of Georgia.
The vote came after Gov. Sonny Perdue warned the board the state university system should not launch an engineering program at UGA without studying potential
By Maria Saporta
Friday, October 8, 2010
They call themselves the “three amigos” — Pete Correll, Gerry Benjamin and David Crosland.
Three years ago, Correll, the retired CEO of Georgia-Pacific, teamed up with Benjamin, an investment manager, and Crosland, formerly with investment firm Arcapita Inc., to form a private investment firm called Atlanta Equity LLC.
They raised $109 million from about 70 investors, mostly from Atlanta,
By Maria Saporta and Dave Williams
Friday, October 8, 2010
The University of Georgia has failed to make much headway in past attempts to win permission to expand its engineering program from the state Board of Regents.
But people close to Georgia Tech, home to the fourth-ranking engineering school in the nation, are worried that this year could be different.
In fact, some Tech insiders do not believe an expected
By Maria Saporta
Friday, October 1, 2010
As the dean of Atlanta’s environmentally conscientious business leaders, Ray Anderson has been a “pioneer, someone who defines tomorrow, someone who has vision.”
That’s how former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin introduced Anderson, the recipient of the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper’s 2010 River Guardian Award, at its annual Patron Appreciation Dinner on Sept. 24 at the Georgia Aquarium.
Anderson, chairman and former CEO of Interface
By Maria Saporta
Friday, October 1, 2010
For dozens of nonprofit and civic organizations in metro Atlanta, AirTran Airways Inc. has been a godsend.
But there’s great community concern about whether that will continue once AirTran is acquired by Dallas-based Southwest Airlines.
Although AirTran is headquartered in Orlando, Fla., the discount carrier has treated Atlanta as a hometown. Its largest hub is here. Its largest base of employees is here. And five of its key officers call Atlanta home.
By Maria Saporta
Friday, October 1, 2010
A decade ago, Joe Leonard approached Herb Kelleher to see if he might be interested in a merger of both their airlines.
At the time, Leonard was CEO of AirTran Airways Inc., and Kelleher, the founder of Southwest Airlines, was CEO of the Dallas-based airline.
In all, Leonard talked to Kelleher four times about doing
By Maria Saporta
Friday, September 24, 2010
It was the 20th year reunion of believers. Every member of the “Atlanta Nine” was present. These were the nine Atlantans who believed that a Southern city could win the top prize in international sports — the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.
The believers met Sunday evening, Sept. 19, at STATS sports bar — itself part of Atlanta’s Olympic legacy.
By Maria Saporta
Friday, September 17, 2010
The 2010 campaign goal for Metro Atlanta’s United Way has been set — $80.2 million.
The campaign goal will be announced officially at United Way’s campaign kickoff on Sept. 22. But 2010 Campaign Chairman John Somerhalder, CEO of AGL Resources Inc., gave a recent interview with Atlanta Business Chronicle explaining his rationale behind
By Maria Saporta and Ben Smith
Friday, September 17, 2010
As the new general manager of the world’s busiest airport, Louis Miller will earn less than many of his counterparts in the industry, including his predecessor — much less.
Miller’s $221,000 salary for managing day-to-day operations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will be $32,000 less than his former salary at Tampa International Airport. Tampa, the nation’s 27th-largest airport and the 80th-largest in the world, handles as much passenger traffic as just one of Hartsfield-Jackson’s concourses. Miller’s
By Maria Saporta and Dave Williams
Friday, September 17, 2010
The next president of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce will be Chris Clark, a “public servant” who has been commissioner of the state Department of Natural Resources since November 2008.
As of Nov. 1, Clark will succeed George Israel, a former mayor of Macon who has been the business organization’s chief for the past seven years. Israel will stay on as president through the end of October.
By Maria Saporta
Friday, September 10, 2010
Maybe the local economy is looking up.
When the Woodruff Arts Center kicks off its 2010-2011 fundraising campaign Sept. 14, its goal will be more than what it raised during the last two years.
The goal will be $8.8 million, compared with last year’s goal of $8.6 million, which it missed by about 2 percent. The year before, it raised $8.6 million, about $400,000 short of its $9 million goal.
By Maria Saporta
Friday, September 10, 2010
Corporate governance is a key term in today’s business vocabulary as the public has gotten to know the failings of Hewlett-Packard Co.’s Mark Hurd, Enron Corp.’s Kenneth Lay and WorldCom’s Bernie Ebbers.
That wasn’t the case 15 years ago when Kennesaw State University formed its Center for Corporate Governance.
Today, the Center has become a national resource on corporate governance issues by conducting research, by serving as an
By Maria Saporta
Friday, September 3, 2010
The Atlanta office of the International Rescue Committee will hit quite a milestone on Friday, Sept. 3.
On that day, the Atlanta office will welcome its 20,000th refugee — Raeda, a single, Catholic woman from Baghdad who escaped persecution against ethnic and religious minorities by fleeing first to Jordan.
Now she will begin her new life in Atlanta with the help of the local office of the IRC.
