By Maria Saporta The high-powered Atlanta Committee for Progress witnessed the transition of leadership Friday morning when Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed passed a symbolic baton to his successor – Mayor-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms. The quarterly board meeting of ACP had planned for this meeting to be a time when it could meet with Atlanta’s next […]
Category: Maria Saporta
Articles by Maria Saporta
Posted inLatest News
Kerry Armstrong re-elected chairman of Atlanta Regional Commission
The board of the Atlanta Regional Commission unanimously re-elected Kerry Armstrong to serve a third two-year term as chairman at its meeting on Wednesday.
Armstrong, a commercial real estate executive, has served on the ARC board since 2008 as a citizen member representing a district that includes portions of Gwinnett County.
Armstrong was first elected chairman in 2013. His third term will begin on Jan. 1.
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Former City Council President Lisa Borders endorses Mary Norwood
Lisa Borders, a former president of the Atlanta City Council, is endorsing Mary Norwood for mayor.
Borders was a mayoral candidate in 2009, and she ended up coming in third – not making the run-off that included Kasim Reed and Norwood. At the time, Borders endorsed Reed, and many believed she helped put him over the top. Reed beat Norwood by just 714 votes.
Eight years later, the tables have turned.
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ACLU of Georgia hires former DeKalb CEO Burrell Ellis as its political director
Former DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis is joining the ACLU of Georgia as its first political director.
Andrea Young, executive director of the ACLU of Georgia, said Ellis was one of the first people to respond when the job was posted.
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Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed seeking to name Ryan Glover to MARTA board
With just a month to go before he leaves office, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is recommending a fellow Howard University alum to serve as a city appointee to MARTA’s board of directors.
Reed’s appointment of Ryan Glover will go before the Committee on Council and then the full City Council at their respective meetings on Monday.
Posted inMaria Saporta
Women gaining critical mass on Georgia company boards
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on November 3, 2017
A year ago, Atlanta-based Intercontinental Exchange Inc. only had one woman on its board. Today, the owner of the New York Stock Exchange has three, reflecting a growing trend among Georgia’s top public companies of having at least three women on their boards.
That’s one of the findings of the just-published 2017 OnBoard study of women directors and executives of Georgia’s publicly owned companies.
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Felicia Moore and Alex Wan promise a more independent Atlanta City Council if they win
The next president of the Atlanta City Council will seek to create a more independent body that will be dedicated to transparency and reforming the city’s procurement process.
The Center for Civic Innovation held a leadership breakfast Thursday morning with the two candidates in the run-off for City Council President – Felicia Moore and Alex Wan – two existing district Councilmembers.
Posted inATL Business Chronicle
Column: City of Refuge marks 20 years of transforming lives in Atlanta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on October 27, 2017
The City of Refuge, founded 20 years ago, has already helped transform 20,000 lives.
But to listen to founder Bruce Deel, a minister who founded City of Refuge, the nonprofit is just getting started.
Posted inATL Business Chronicle
The Loudermilks bring their business back to their former home in Buckhead
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on October 27, 2017
Charlie and Robin Loudermilk have come home.
The father and son have moved their business offices back into the building where they worked for decades.
Built in 1963, the office tower at 309 East Paces Ferry Road was the first high-rise in Buckhead. Charlie Loudermilk bought it in 1970 and for more than 40 years it served as the headquarters for Aaron’s Inc., the furniture and electronics rental company he had founded in 1955. Aaron’s used it as its home base until a couple of years ago, when the company moved to a new headquarters at 400 Galleria Parkway.
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Metro Atlanta Chamber taps Invesco’s Marty Flanagan in future leadership role
By Maria Saporta The Metro Atlanta Chamber has secured Marty Flanagan, CEO of Invesco, to serve as its chair in 2020, it was announced today at the business organization’s annual luncheon on the field of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in front of 2,000 people. The luncheon also had the symbolic passing of the baton from Jeffrey Sprecher, […]
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Kerry McArdle to become executive director of Literacy Action
Literacy Action, a nonprofit that provides adult basic education, has named named Kerry McArdle as its new executive director. She will begin her new role on Dec. 4.
McArdle is currently managing director of advancement at KIPP Metro Atlanta Schools, a network of eight public charter schools serving Atlanta’s underserved communities.
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An archeological site, a boat and a water tower make Georgia Trust’s 2018 list of Places in Peril
A boat and a water tower are among the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2018 list of the 10 “Places in Peril” across the state.
“It’s the first time we’ve had a boat,” said Mark McDonald, president and CEO of the Georgia Trust, which has been publishing the Places in Peril list for the past 13 years. “But it’s a Georgia boat with a Georgia pedigree.”
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Friends of English Avenue establishes Kevin Baker Music Program
At its annual lunch meeting Sunday afternoon at Lindsay Street Baptist Church, Friends of English Avenue launched the Kevin Baker Music Program to provide music lessons to children in the community.
It was the 11th anniversary of the organization, which was co-founded by John Gordon and Rev. Andrew Motley, senior pastor of Lindsay Street Baptist Church.
Posted inATL Business Chronicle, Maria Saporta
Civic Atlanta column: Operation Hope, SunTrust CEOs talk credit scores
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on October 20, 2017
John Hope Bryant, founder and CEO of Operation HOPE, sees the world through credit scores.
The average credit score for people living in the city of Atlanta is 670. An unnamed county south of the city has an average credit score of 602 while a county to the north of the city has an average score of 720. Credit scores are an indicator of the wealth in an area, and Bryant believes they are key in lessening the income divide.
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SART holds Atlanta mayoral run-off forum with Bottoms and Norwood
The Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable on Friday morning set the stage for the Atlanta mayoral run-off campaigns for City Councilwomen Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mary Norwood.
Both candidates described their platforms for making Atlanta a more sustainable city, and both seemed to be keenly aware that the environmentally-focused voters would be critical to winning the Dec. 5 runoff to succeed Mayor Kasim Reed.
Posted inLatest News
Remembering Traci Gibson Little – a special light in Atlanta
A week ago today, Milton Little texted me. “Removing life support shortly and letting her go.”
Less than two hours later: “She’s gone.”
She was Traci Gibson Little, Milton’s wife since July, 1993, and she had been his soulmate since they had met in December 1991. Their love for each other was infectious and complete.
Posted inATL Business Chronicle
The Masquerade commits to Underground
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on October 20, 2017
Underground Atlanta’s first permanent tenant will be long-time Atlanta music venue The Masquerade.
The concert venue known for its three stages – Heaven, Hell and Purgatory – has signed a lease to stay at least 10 years at the downtown project.
The Masquerade had first moved to Underground last November. At the time, it was pegged as a temporary location after the venue had to leave its long-time home on North Avenue when that property was bought for redevelopment.
Posted inLatest News
City of Atlanta pledges $60 million to buy remainder of BeltLine corridor
The City of Atlanta has agreed to allocate $60 million to Atlanta BeltLine Inc. for the acquisition of real estate along the 22-mile corridor.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed made the announcement at the ribbon-cutting of the one-mile extension of the Eastside Trail that connects the Reynoldstown and Cabbagetown communities.
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Metro Atlanta Speaks: regional support for transit continues to grow
Transit is becoming an easier sell in the Atlanta region.
That is the top finding from the 2017 Metro Atlanta Speaks – the fifth year that the Atlanta Regional Commission has commissioned a comprehensive survey of residents throughout the region. The results were to be released at the ARC’s State of the Region Breakfast on Friday morning.
Posted inATL Business Chronicle
Underground Atlanta project progressing well, developer WRS says
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on October 20, 2017
Since buying Underground Atlanta last April, WRS Inc. has been moving forward with development plans for the property.
WRS is partnering with Peak Campus, a student housing developer, to build a 700-bed building across from Georgia State University. The building also will have about 25,000 square feet of retail at street level. The student housing development should be open by the fall of 2020 for that school year.
