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Why Delta’s Richard Anderson went from planes to trains

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As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Sept. 15, 2017

Make no mistake about it. Richard Anderson is now a railroad guy.

Anderson, the former CEO of Delta Air Lines Inc., became co-CEO of Amtrak — the nation’s passenger railroad system — in July. His co-CEO is Wick Moorman, who served as both CEO of Norfolk Southern Railroad and as Amtrak’s past CEO.

“I don’t work in the airline industry anymore,” Anderson was quick to say in a brief interview on Sept. 9 when he was in Atlanta to be honored at a gala of the American Cancer Society. “I work for Amtrak.”

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Column: GeorgiaForward forum back ‘to talk about the future’

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As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Sept. 15, 2017

After a four-year absence, the GeorgiaForward statewide forum is back.

Georgia Forward is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization aimed at improving the state by engaging business, political, academic and civic leaders to collaboratively shape a statewide policy agenda.

This year, the theme will be “Defining Georgia’s Prosperity.”

“We will explore how you can grow economic prosperity for all of Georgia, including rural Georgia,” said A.J. Robinson, chair of GeorgiaForward’s board. “We like to talk about the future.”

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Ceasar Mitchell: City Hall corruption scandal is ‘distressing; and ‘serious’

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By Maria Saporta Atlanta City Council President Ceasar Mitchell Wednesday afternoon issued a sharply-worded statement on the corruption case at City Hall in light of Tuesday’s indictment of Adam Smith, the city’s former chief procurement officer. Mitchell, who is running for mayor, has been spotlighting this issue of city contracts for the past several weeks, […]

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Column: Families First names Terry Tucker its new CEO

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As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Sept. 8, 2017

Families First, one of the oldest human service organizations in the state, has named Terry Tucker as its next CEO.

Tucker, who has a background in technology, entrepreneurship and nonprofits, has been serving as the chief strategy officer and general counsel for City of Refuge, a nonprofit that has been working to improve lives on Atlanta’s Westside.

In an interview on Sept. 5, Tucker said he was drawn to Families First for two reasons: its efforts improve the lives of children and families, and its commitment to providing data-driven programs to measure its impact on people’s lives.

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‘MAYNARD’ documentary trailer brings friends, family together

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A trailer of the “MAYNARD” movie was unveiled Saturday in the visitor’s center of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.

The documentary depicts the life of Atlanta’s first African-American mayor – Maynard Jackson Jr. – a leader who was larger than life in Atlanta and the nation.

The movie is undergoing final edits, according to filmmakers Maynard Jackson III and his  wife, Wendy Eley Jackson of Auburn Avenue Films.

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Keith Parker leaving MARTA better than he found it

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As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Sept. 8, 2017

The impending departure of MARTA General Manager and CEO Keith Parker the transit agency announced Sept. 5 comes at a pivotal time in the system’s history.

After 25 years in the transit industry — including five years at MARTA — Parker will be leaving this fall to become president and CEO of Goodwill of North Georgia.

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Huffington Post brings its ‘Listen to America’ tour to Atlanta

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The Huffington Post brought its “Listen to America” tour to Atlanta Friday – anchoring its bus and recording studios at Ponce City Market.

The tour is taking “HuffPost” to 25 cities across the country – especially communities that are “undercovered” by the online publication that was founded by Arianna Huffington.

“We are doing this tour so we can find stories that are not often told,” said Marc Janks, HuffPost’s director of multimedia. “We just want to listen to people in those cities across America.”

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Arthur Blank and Tony Ressler privately present their visions for downtown revitalization

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Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and Atlanta Hawks owner Tony Ressler both made presentations to the high-powered Atlanta Committee for Progress Friday morning.

The two team owners revealed their vision on how development and community revitalization around their sports facilities could transform downtown Atlanta.

The closed meeting, held in Cox Enterprises offices in Ponce City Market, included many of top business leaders in the Atlanta region as well as Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.

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Metro Atlanta Chamber to emphasize region as hub for ‘Internet of Things’

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The Metro Atlanta Chamber today is launching its latest initiative – IoT.ATL – at the GSMA Mobile World Congress meeting this week in San Francisco.

The initiative reflects Atlanta’s dominance in the area known as the Internet of Things (IoT) – the digital connection between items like cars and appliances and the internet. It is also a next generation of the Chamber’s Mobility initiative, which highlighted Atlanta’s strength in mobile communications.

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Purpose Built adds Atlanta’s Grove Park to its national network

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Atlanta-based Purpose Built Communities will partner with a new Grove Park neighborhood organization to revive a community in the same way the founders of the nonprofit have revitalized East Lake and areas around the country.

The Grove Park Foundation, a newly-formed nonprofit that grew out of the Emerald Corridor Foundation, joins the East Lake Foundation as the second Atlanta-based member of the Purpose Built Communities Network.

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CEO Keith Parker leaving MARTA

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MARTA General Manager and CEO Keith Parker is stepping down from a post he has held for nearly five years to take over management of Goodwill of North Georgia.

“We are deeply grateful for his stewardship and proud of the many strides we made as an agency during his tenure,” MARTA board Chairman Robbie Ashe said. “He leaves MARTA stronger and healthier than ever before.”

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Southern Co. decides to move forward on Plant Vogtle project

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Atlanta-based Southern Co. has decided to push forward with completion of an over-budget, behind-schedule nuclear expansion at Plant Vogtle rather than give up on what has ballooned into a $25.2 billion project.

Southern affiliate Georgia Power Co. filed a recommendation Thursday with the state Public Service Commission (PSC) to continue construction at the nuclear plant south of Augusta, Ga. The project’s co-owners, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities all supported the recommendation, Paul Bowers, chairman, president and CEO of Georgia Power told Atlanta Business Chronicle in an exclusive interview minutes after the announcement.

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Column: ‘Something transformational’ happening at Atlanta Ballet

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As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on August 25, 2017

As the Atlanta Ballet experiences an artistic transformation, it is launching the public phase of its “The Time is Now” campaign. The $23.5 million campaign is focused on the company’s artistic programming as well as building its endowment. So far, $15.1 million has been raised towards the campaign.

Posted inATL Business Chronicle

Column: Unprecedented effort underway to fight low literacy

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As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on August 18, 2017

Low literacy — whether it’s among youth or adults — hurts the state’s economic potential and is a leading cause of poverty.

Now an unprecedented collaboration is underway in Georgia to address low literacy with a multi-generational approach.

The Georgia Literacy Commission, which held its third public meeting in Tifton on Aug. 14, reflects that collaboration. Georgia’s First Lady Sandra Deal is one of the commission’s co-chairs along with Wendell Dallas of Atlanta Gas Light; Phil Jacobs, a retired AT&T Georgia president; and Teya Ryan of Georgia Public Broadcasting.

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Column: How Junior Achievement is changing education in Atlanta

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As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on August 4,, 2017

Don’t tell anybody, but Junior Achievement of Georgia is changing high school education in metro Atlanta.

It’s called the JA Academy, and as of the beginning of this school year, there are three up-and-running in three different school districts – each with hundreds of students being immersed in a new curriculum designed by JA of Georgia.

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