Articles by Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Jan. 20, 2017
Atlanta will be throwing a spectacular party for one of its favorite sons – baseball legend Hank Aaron.
On the evening of Feb. 3, the Atlanta community – along with the region’s top companies – will be holding “A Salute to the Life and Times of Henry Aaron” at the Delta Flight Museum.
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Jan. 20, 2017
When it comes to General Electric Co. and Atlanta, history is repeating itself.
In October 2015, Russell Stokes became president and CEO of Atlanta-based GE Energy Connections– becoming the highest-ranking GE executive in the state.
After just a year being in town, Stokes got tapped to become future chairman of the Metro Atlanta Chamber– a position he will assume in 2019.
Despite what others might say, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank has only good things to say about local fans.
Falcons fever has been contagious, and it’s only getting more heated the closer we get to Feb. 5 – the date of the LI Super Bowl between the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots.
The mayoral race is on – thanks to the Buckhead Coalition.
At the 28th annual meeting of the Coalition, the eight declared candidates for Atlanta mayor were given an opportunity to make their debut in front of a highly-influential business and civic group.
It was a preview of what’s to come over the next nine months when the various candidates will be jockeying for the top job in the city.
What a way to say good-bye to the Georgia Dome.
The Atlanta Falcons decisively beat the Green Bay Packers – winning the NFC and a trip to Houston to play in the Super Bowl.
For Arthur Blank, who has owned the Falcons for 15 years, it was a moment to savor. It was the realization of one of his greatest dreams – to have the Falcons play in the Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5.
By Maria Saporta As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Jan. 13, 2017 One of the most important boards in Atlanta is the Commerce Club board. Since the inception of the club in 1960s, the board has included the top CEOs in Atlanta — and it has traditionally been the private gathering place for […]
The prestigious Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage will be awarded to Georgia’s own – Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter.
The prize was announced Friday by Georgia Tech President Bud Peterson.
It is the first time that the Ivan Allen Jr. Prize is being awarded to a couple rather than an individual. They are being recognized for their partnership, courage and collaboration to improve human rights and alleviate suffering around the world.
This past Friday the 13th, the Center for Civil and Human Rights held a program titled: “Morehouse College and the Making of the Man” about Martin Luther King Jr.’s relationship with the institution.
Morehouse President John S. Wilson had committed to serve on the panel – a commitment he kept even though the College’s Board of Trustees was in town for a two-day meeting.
“I had gotten the decision I wouldn’t continue – about an hour before I got up there,” Wilson said Tuesday in an interview. “I knew then my contract had not been renewed.”
The Morehouse College Board of Trustees have decided to not renew contract of President John Wilson, who has been leading the prestigious institution for four years.
Wilson will serve until the completion of his current contract, which ends on June 30, 2017. And then “Dr. Wilson will pass the baton to a new President,” according to a release posted on the Morehouse website.
By Maria Saporta As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Jan. 13, 2017 Never before has someone turned over the chairmanship of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce to his brother – until now. Hank Linginfelter, the 2016 chairman of the Georgia Chamber, passed the gavel to his older brother, Bill Linginfelter, at the organization’s […]
By Maria Saporta The backdrop was surreal. As hundreds of Atlantans attended the Salute to Greatness gala at the Hyatt Regency in honor of Civil Rights legend Martin Luther King Jr., President-elect Donald Trump had engaged Congressman John Lewis (D-Atlanta) into a twitter feud. The attack was not only against Lewis, but against his Atlanta district […]
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Jan.6, 2017
Back in 1988, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter was a founding member of the nonprofit Project Interconnections — which provides housing for homeless people with mental illnesses.
The fate of Morehouse College President John Silvanus Wilson hangs in the balance as the institution’s board of trustees is meeting during the weekend honoring the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., a Morehouse Man.
Student representatives, however, were protesting the board meeting – saying they were being shut out of the discussions. The students held protests on Friday and Saturday, and they also sent out a petition through Change.org.
The developer of the former Doraville General Motors plant said Wednesday about $300 million in development is underway or poised to start over the next six months, as the massive transformation of the site cranks up.
The mixed-use development, which likely will total 10 million square feet over the next decade, is slated to rise on the site of the 165-acre GM plant, which has sat idle since it closed in 2008.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed announced Wednesday that the city would be transferring the title of the Adair School property to the Atlanta Board of Education.
He said he was agreeing to transfer the title because APS had just adopted an affordable housing policy that mirrors the city’s policy.
Atlanta’s new police chief – Erika Shields – was welcomed by the city’s business and civic leaders on Tuesday evening at the Commerce Club.
The reception, hosted by the Atlanta Committee for Progress and the Atlanta Police Foundation, drew nearly 300 people who witnessed a re-enactment of the swearing-in of the new police chief.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Jan.6, 2017
For four years, South Carolina-based WRS Realty has been pursuing a deal to buy Underground Atlanta – becoming the sole bidder to buy the property from the City of Atlanta.
But now, WRS has until the end of January to close on the sale of Underground, a transaction that has been delayed several times because of the complexities involved in the deal.
One of the quiet heroes of the Civil Rights movement – Dr. Leslie W. Dunbar – passed away Jan. 4, just three weeks shy of his 96th birthday.
Dunbar, a political science professor at Emory University professor until 1951, when he joined the Atomic Energy Commission as chief of community affairs.
By Maria Saporta As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Dec. 30, 2016 The Task Force for Global Health, based in downtown Decatur, is the second-largest nonprofit in the United States, according to Forbes Magazine’s 2016 list of the largest U.S. charities. The Task Force ranked second only to United Way Worldwide, which had […]
The sale of Turner Field to Georgia State University and Carter closed today – one of the most visible transactions during Mayor Kasim Reed’s administration.
Georgia State,, along with the Carter, Oakwood Development and Healey Weatherholtz joint venture, plan to build a mix of housing, retail, and athletic and academic space on the 68-acre site. Georgia State plans to convert Turner Field into a new home Panthers football.
