Articles by Maria Saporta
The Gathering Spot at Northyards was jam-packed Friday morning to hear a conversation between Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy as part of the regular Transform Westside Summit meetings.
Both successful businessmen have made a personal and professional commitment to improve the lives of people living in the neighborhoods west of the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in some of the most historically-significant communities in Atlanta.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on May 5, 2017
A change of leadership is underway at Literacy Action, a 50-year old Atlanta nonprofit that focuses on the issues related to adult literacy.
Austin Dickson, executive director of Literacy Action since October, 2012, is resigning effective May 12 to move back to Texas so he can be closer to his family.
Dickson, a Texas native, is moving to the San Antonio area where he will serve as the executive director of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, the principal grant-maker in four Central Texas counties.
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on May 5, 2017
The Hyatt Regency Atlanta, with its iconic blue-domed revolving restaurant, has long defined the downtown skyline.
But the city’s second-largest hotel also turned the tide for what today is a giant hotel brand.
The 1,260-room hotel on Peachtree Street this week celebrated its 50th anniversary. Top hotel executives were in town to mark the occasion with two days of events, including Mark Hoplamazian, president and CEO of Hyatt Hotels Corp.
By Dougals Sams and Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on May 5, 2017
Mattress maker Serta Simmons Bedding LLC will move into a new consolidated Atlanta headquarters in 2019.
The company, which has been exploring options for a new campus for the past year, did not name the site in a statement released May 2 to Atlanta Business Chronicle. But, the Serta Simmons headquarters is widely expected to help launch the first phase of Assembly, the proposed $2 billion redevelopment of the former Doraville General Motors plant.
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on April 28, 2017
What a year of change for Genuine Parts Co.
In the past year, the company has moved its corporate headquarters from 2999 Circle 75 Parkway – right next to the new Atlanta Braves Stadium at SunTrust Park — to a little more than one mile east to 2999 Wildwood Parkway where it built a new headquarters. It had been at its former location since 1979.
The City of Atlanta is designating three historic buildings to be protected from demolition, according to Tim Keane, the city’s planning commissioner.
Keane made the announcement Thursday evening at the Atlanta Urban Design Commission’s 40th annual Awards of Excellence.
The Committee for a Better Atlanta held its version of political “speed dating” Thursday with four different forums with candidates running for Atlanta mayor and president of the Atlanta City Council.
But most of the buzz in the room circled around the one mayoral candidate who did not attend – Atlanta City Councilwoman Mary Norwood, who is ahead in the polls.
The City of Chamblee got another development boost Wednesday when MARTA held the official ground-breaking ceremony for the $25 million Trackside Project.
Parkside Partners, under the leadership of Kyle Jenks, is developing an office building with 80,000 square feet of office space and 13,000 square feet of retail. The first phase will house the headquarters of Pattillo Industrial Real Estate.
By Maria Saporta The City of Atlanta took a gamble when it bought land from Morris Brown College in 2014. According to recent court rulings, the City has lost its gamble – likely paying millions of dollars for land it ultimately will not own. The City and Friendship Baptist Church paid a total of $14.6 […]
The 6th annual Atlanta Summit on Global Health became a reunion of the past and present leaders of CARE – the Atlanta-based international relief organization.
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on April 28, 2017
Big changes are underway for Atlanta’s fourth-largest employer.
AT&T plans to relocate hundreds of its executives from Atlanta to its operations hub in Dallas and its entertainment hub in Los Angeles. About 300 jobs will leave Atlanta, including most leadership in the entertainment division. Atlanta Business Chronicle first reported the news on April 25.
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on April 28, 2017
As James Quincey becomes CEO of The Coca-Cola Co. on May 1, he faces a multitude of challenges — an embattled signature brand, stagnant growth of its market cap, consumers who want healthier beverages, and even the possibility that the company could be acquired by another global enterprise such as Belgium’s Anheuser Busch InBev NV.
DETROIT – Despite all the turmoil experienced by the biggest city in Michigan in recent years, a fierce pride of place shines through among members of the community.
Yes Detroit recently went through the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Yes, one of its recent mayors – Kwame Kilpatrick – resides in federal prison after being convicted on 24 federal felony counts, including fraud and racketeering. And yes, the City of Detroit has be losing jobs and population for 60 years.
The continuation of federal funding for public broadcasting is a matter of survival for several stations across the nation, according to Paula Kerger, president and CEO of the Public Broadcasting Service.
Kerger was the keynote speaker at the Rotary Club of Atlanta Monday, and she gave a special shout out to the two major public broadcasting entities in Georgia – Georgia Public Broadcasting and Public Broadcasting Atlanta.
The new Atlanta City Studio location opened Saturday morning in the heart of Cascade Heights – welcoming community residents, engaged citizens and several people running for public office.
The studio – which invites people to weigh in on how Atlanta should grow – is now in its second home. It had been based in northeast Atlanta at the Ponce City Market.
By Maria Saporta As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on April 21, 2017 Agnes Scott College is on a roll. The all-women liberal arts college recently completed its “The Greatness Before Us” campaign that had a goal of $100 million. Agnes Scott was able to exceed its goal by raising a total of $115.9 […]
The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation has made a catalytic $5 million gift to create the 16-acre Rodney Cook Sr. Park in the Vine City neighborhood.
Longtime Atlanta business leader Joe Bankoff is the new chairman of the Fulton County Arts Council, succeeding art collector Jerry Thomas.
The Fulton County Commission, at its meeting on Wednesday, April 12,, voted to approve Bankoff in that role. Bankoff has had a multi-faceted career in business, the arts and academia.
Upon hearing that AT&T is moving some of its executives out of Atlanta, the Metro Atlanta Chamber has had to shuffle its plans for future leadership.
Glenn Lurie, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Operations, was in line to become chairman of the Metro Atlanta Chamber in 2018. But the chair-elect informed the chamber that he is moving to AT&T’s headquarters in Dallas as part of a decision to move about 300 key AT&T leadership personnel out of Atlanta.
The City of Atlanta Tuesday unveiled the plans for the Grant Park Gateway Project – a new parking garage that will be located on the footprint of the existing eight acre parking lot next to Zoo Atlanta along Boulevard Avenue.
The $48 million facility is a 1,000-space parking garage that will look more than a park than a structure for cars. It will address parking demands while reducing traffic congestion and improving overall safety in the area, according to the city’s Media Advisory.
