Articles by Maria Saporta
The moment was priceless. A man was walking along the Eastside Trail of the Atlanta BeltLine on Sunday morning wearing a T-Shirt with a peace sign and the following words: “Make Music – Not War.”
The man walked up to a green piano placed on the BeltLine as part of an inspirational initiative called: “Pianos for Peace.”
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Aug. 26, 2016
The pioneering environmental organization Southface has named Andrea Pinabell to be its next president beginning Jan. 1.
Pinabell currently is the vice president of sustainability and global citizenship of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, where she has been for five years.
By Doug Sams and Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Aug. 26, 2016
It’s been 15 years since John Williams ran Post Properties Inc. Since then he’s started one of the country’s fastest-growing real estate companies. But no matter what he does, Williams may always be known best for the apartment company he started when he was 26 years old.
“Everywhere I go people introduce me as the founder of Post Properties,” Williams says.
When the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority announced a deal to sell the 67-acre Turner Field property, it chose to make the announcement next to the statue of Hank Aaron hitting his 715th home run.
Although the Atlanta Braves will be moving to Cobb County after this season, the Hank Aaron statue will remain in the city.
The Home Depot Foundation is stepping up its commitment to veteran related causes to $250 million by 2020.
The foundation announced the increased commitment Thursday morning as it kicked off its sixth annual “Celebration of Service” campaign.
The Atlanta City Design Project will invite local residents to hear a national perspective from an outsider.
On Sept. 1 at 6 p.m. at Atlanta’s Central Library, Arthur C. Nelson, a professor of urban planning and real estate development at the University of Arizona, will help Atlanta answer several key questions as part of the City Design Project.
During the politically volatile season when some people mistakenly mention Arabs, Muslim, Islam and terrorists as if they were interchangeable, voices of reason and understanding are hoping to be heard.
One of those voices is Abe Kasbo, an Arab American who was born in Aleppo, Syria.
Renew Atlanta – the City of Atlanta entity in charge of investing the $250 million infrastructure bond referendum – has paid $15.2 million on projects and has another $64.3 million in projects under contract.
That was part of the report that Faye DiMassimo, general manager of the Renew Atlanta program, gave to members of the Atlanta Committee for Progress Infrastructure Task Force on Monday morning at a meeting in the Old City Council Chambers.
Atlanta-based PulteGroup is in a state of transition.
It recently reduced its workforce – both national and at its corporate headquarters – to lower its overhead costs. It survived a public attack from its founder – William Pulte – against the board and CEO Richard Dugas. And the board is now searching for a new CEO given Dugas announcement that he plans to step down by May 2017.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Aug. 19, 2016
On the day Judy Monroe began her new job as CEO of the CDC Foundation, Feb. 1, the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus was a public health emergency of international concern.
“It changed my starting point,” Monroe said in an interview about her first seven months running the private foundation that supports the work of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Task Force for Global Health – the largest nonprofit based in Georgia – received a significant endorsement this month. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation awarded the Task Force with its 2016 Humanitarian Prize – which comes with a $2 million grant.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on August 19, 2016
When Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank decided to build a new stadium next to the Georgia Dome several years ago, he had a parallel motive.
“We wanted this to be game-changer for the Westside, a catalyst,” recalled Blank, during an interview Aug. 10 with Atlanta Business Chronicle. “We will get the stadium built. But changing the Westside is going to be a 20- to 30-year commitment.”
More than 400 people came to a community meeting at Grady High School Tuesday evening to explore turning the Monroe Drive-Boulevard corridor into a complete street.
By Doug Sams and Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Aug. 19, 2016
Parrot Heads now have a reason to flock downtown.
Jimmy Buffett’s rapidly expanding Margaritaville Holdings plans to bring its restaurant concept to the emerging tourism district around Centennial Olympic Park.
History was celebrated – and made – Thursday in the ground floor gathering space of Vinings Bank.
At one end of the room, former Gov. Roy Barnes (a Democrat) was sitting next the man who forced him into political retirement – former Gov. Sonny Perdue (a Republican), and they were all smiles, happily agreeing to get their picture taken together. Perdue jokingly mentioned how time can change former political foes.
Following an outpouring of support for Henri Jova’s round bank building on Monroe Drive, the Atlanta BeltLine Design Review Committee Wednesday afternoon failed to support the building of a multi-story, self-storage facility on the site.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Aug. 12, 2016
Helen Smith Price could not have been more prepared when she was tapped in April to become the new president of The Coca-Cola Foundation.
Price has served as executive director of the foundation since 2001, joining the company in 1993. As the protégé of her predecessor, Ingrid Saunders Jones, she also has seen how the Foundation has evolved over the years.
The best hope to pass the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement will be during the lame duck session of Congress, top business and government leaders said at a lunch program organized by the World Affairs Council of Atlanta.
One of the most popular trees in Piedmont Park – a stately magnolia near the bridge between the two lakes – toppled over in late July when its root plate cracked. The city quickly cut it down because it posed a danger to the public.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Aug. 5, 2016
Two of the nation’s top 25 chief financial officers are based in Atlanta — and both of them are women, according to a new report from ExecRank.
Carol Tomé, CFO of The Home Depot Inc., was ranked No. 9; and Kathy Waller, CFO of The Coca-Cola Co., was ranked No. 23.
