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.
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.
