Articles by Maria Saporta
A game of musical chairs is underway in downtown Atlanta as United Way of Greater Atlanta is getting closer to selling its office tower.
United Way said it is “extremely likely” that it will move its offices next door to the Loudermilk Center in the space that will be vacated by the Atlanta Regional Commission.
The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is awarding its 2016 Hilton Humanitarian Prize of $2 million to the Atlanta-based Task Force for Global Health.
The Task Force was selected by a jury for its contributions to improving the health of people living in extreme poverty.
The Task Force for Global Health is the largest nonprofit organization in Georgia.
It’s been 25 years since the “compromise” that created Atlanta’s Freedom Parkway.
To mark the moment, dozens of Atlanta’s veteran protesters and citizen activists attended a 25th anniversary reunion on Sunday afternoon at Dellwood Park – part of the Olmsted Linear Park.
Manuel’s Tavern officially reopened Aug. 6 on its 60th anniversary.
Hundreds of people flocked to the gathering spot and watering hole that has been closed since late 2015 for renovations.
Although the space configuration of the Tavern has slightly changed, the spirit was still the same.
For the people who want to save the building that housed the Engineer’s Bookstore, they can celebrate a short-term victory.
The new purchaser of the building has announced plans to tear it down and turn it into a EZ Mart gas station with a food and liquor store.
One of the most popular trees in Piedmont Park – a hundred-year-old magnolia tree – toppled over last Friday with its root plate cracked.
The magnolia stood majestically near the bridge between the park’s two lakes. Its low-hanging branching were at a perfect height for climbing, something I loved to do when I was growing up.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on July 29, 2016
For the United Way of Greater Atlanta, the 2015-2016 campaign was a strong year with several encouraging signs. For starters, the campaign exceeded its $77.7 million goal by $100,000 — raising $77.8 million, according to David Mangum, president and COO of Atlanta’s Global Payments Inc. and chairman of the 2015-2016 campaign.
The Atlanta Regional Commission is planning to move its offices to Peachtree Center from its current home at the Loudermilk Center.
“We are moving to the heart of downtown,” said Kerry Armstrong, chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission who is also an executive with Pope & Land.
One could measure the impact of Dennis Hoffarth by the dozens of people who showed up at a memorial service for him on Saturday at Atlanta’s Southface.
It had been at least a decade since Hoffarth had lived in Atlanta.
But a resounding theme of people who spoke was how Hoffarth had changed their lives.
The city of Atlanta and MARTA are planning major transportation investments in two separate sales tax referendums that will go before voters in November.
If approved, both taxes would generate hundreds of millions of dollars a year for a myriad of improvements including expanded streetcar or light rail lines, improved bus services, new multi-use trails and road upgrades into complete streets.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on July 22, 2016
The Center for Civic Innovation, already known for taking an unconventional approach to solving community problems, turned a fundraising event into a comedy show.
The event on July 14 ended up transforming six civic leaders — Bill Bolling, Alicia Philipp, Kate Atwood, Ayesha Khanna, Ann Cramer and Frank Fernandez — into improv comedians (with the help of professionals.)
The theme of the evening was “Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems” — which was described as “a playful spin on the woes of both raising money and giving it away.”
Original Story on WABE by Maria Saporta Manuel’s Tavern is being refurbished inside and out. The Coca-Cola Company is restoring the painted Coke sign that has graced the tavern’s wall for decades. A hundred years ago, one of Coca-Cola’s top advertising tools was painting larger-than-life signs on the sides of buildings all over the country. […]
Fayetteville, Ga. civic leaders and Chick-fil-A Inc. CEO Dan Cathy on Thursday detailed plans for a massive mixed-use development with three distinct districts adjacent to Pinewood Studios.
The 234-acre new urbanism community, Pinewood Forrest, will have more than 1,200 residences and 270,000 square feet of office, restaurant and retail space.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on July 15, 2016
Atlanta-based Purpose Built Communities, the national nonprofit established to replicate the successful transformation of Atlanta’s once-troubled East Lake neighborhood to other communities in the nation, is expanding.
“Purpose Built is working with more cities and more prospective cities than ever before,” said Shirley Franklin, who has been executive chair of Purpose Built for about a year after serving as the organization’s CEO since January 2011.
Franklin, who served as Atlanta’s mayor from 2002 to 2010, has turned the day-to-day leadership responsibilities to David Edwards, the nonprofit’s CEO, and Carol Naughton, its president.
“The board feels really good about the progress,” Franklin said.
A new leader has been named to run the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, the private sector nonprofit that complements the efforts of the publicly-supported Atlanta BeltLine Inc.
Rob Brawner, who has been working with the Partnership since its inception in 2006, will be the new executive director. He succeeds Chuck Meadows, who has been at the helm since November, 2014.
Jack Fralin began painting signs when he was only 15 – becoming a jack of all trades while working for his father.
Today at the age 52, Fralin is finally acknowledging he is a wall sign painter. After trying several other careers, he always returned to practicing this specialized skill.
Grady Hospital is going greener.
The Grady Health Foundation has received an $850,000 gift from the Kendeda Fund to create a Green Revolving Fund, a financing tool to invest in sustainability projects, such as energy efficiency, water conservation and renewable energy.
The Grady Health System will match the Kendeda grant, which will produce cost savings through investments in future sustainability projects.
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and his entire cabinet met in a closed session for more than two hours Monday morning with members of the Black Lives Matter movement and other people who have been taking to city streets protesting killings by police.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on July 8, 2016
The Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, already in dozens of cities around the country, now is turning its focus on Atlanta. As a way to better understand Atlanta, Laureus is partnering with nonprofit group Families First to help with community engagement efforts before deciding how best to invest its resources.
The reason for the Atlanta focus?
By Maria Saporta The iconic painted Coca-Cola sign on the iconic Manuel’s Tavern is being restored in time for the bar’s grand reopening. A specialty painter based in Roanoke, Va., Jack Fralin, will begin working on the sign restoration on Monday – blasting off the paint down to the brick before hand-painting the sign back […]
