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 […]
Since the PATH Foundation was established in 1991, more than 235 miles of multi-use trails have been developed in metro Atlanta. And PATH is showing no signs of slowing down.
Twice a month, the Transform Westside Summit has been meeting for a breakfast gathering at the City of Refuge to explore initiatives to revitalize the communities on the west side of Northside Drive.
Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin took pride in how the Democratic National Convention’s Platform Committee was able to find a progressive compromise between the party’s two top candidates – former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Franklin served as the co-chair of the Platform Committee along with another former mayor – Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on July 8, 2016
For 25 years, the PATH Foundation has been building multi-use trails wherever it could around Atlanta — segment by segment.
Now PATH is in the midst of a $15.8 million campaign to help connect the various segments so that metro Atlanta will eventually have a regional network of trails.
The James M. Cox Foundation has contributed $6 million to the campaign, The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation awarded PATH $4 million, and The Coca-Cola Foundation has contributed $500,000.
By Amy Wenk and Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on July 8, 2016
The developer planning to buy and remake Underground Atlanta has contracts to buy more than a dozen additional buildings in south downtown that have sat blighted for years.
Mount Pleasant, S.C.-based developer WRS Inc. has under contract about 14 buildings along Peachtree Street that sit south of Underground.
Those properties, such as the Metro Mall at 73 Peachtree St., include a collection of row-style buildings totaling about 240,000 square feet that once made up the heart of downtown Atlanta’s retail district.
In a spirit of consensus, the Fulton County Commissioners and the mayors of the 13 Fulton County cities, not including the City of Atlanta, reviewed the proposed list of transportation projects that would be covered by a proposed .75 percent of a penny sales tax in a TSPLOST vote on Nov. 8.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on July 1, 2016
Although Atlanta was not selected to be General Electric’s future corporate headquarters, the process did lead to GE increasing its investment in the city.
On June 27, the company announced that it will locate the North American headquarters of GE’s Digital Operations in Atlanta – initially bringing 250 jobs to the Midtown area.
It reaffirms the comments Chris Carr, Georgia’s commissioner of economic development, made last December after the state found out it had been cut as a candidate for GE’s corporate headquarters.
For decades, I have looked at the Breuer-designed Central Library and longed for the building that used to stand at that same corner, the Carnegie Library: a statuesque building that had adorned that site from 1902 until it was demolished in 1977. Leaders at the time said the building was too old and would cost too much to renovate.
What were we thinking?
Fulton County, minus the City Atlanta, has put together a draft list of transportation projects for the next five years with the potential revenue ranging from $484 million to $655 million.
The Fulton County Commissioners are holding a special called meeting on Thursday morning with the mayors of the 13 Fulton County cities not including Atlanta. At that point, they will review a draft of the project list, which they helped put together.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on July 1, 2016
Developers of the Doraville Assembly project are putting together a financing alternative so the redevelopment of the 165-acre former General Motors plant can regain momentum.
“Plan B” would include a combination of government grants and loans as well as the creation of the Assembly Community Improvement District, which has already been approved by the City of Doraville.
Atlanta Business Chronicle reported April 15 that time is running out for the initial plan for the project due to a disagreement between the city of Doraville, DeKalb County officials and DeKalb School Superintendent Stephen Green, who has refused to allow the system to take part in the funding the project through a tax allocation district (TAD).
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on June 24, 2016
The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta is on a mission. It intends to have $1.6 billion in assets by the end of 2018 — nearly doubling the $950 million it had at the end of 2015.
Alicia Philipp, the organization’s CEO, is convinced that goal can be reached. Already the Foundation receives about $100 million in new philanthropic funds every year from individuals, foundations and estates.
“That is absolutely awesome,” Philipp said. “But the potential is so much more from this community. We need to more actively and proactively promote philanthropy in Atlanta.”
Starting July 1, MARTA will set aside 1 percent of its annual capital budget – about $2.5 million a year – for a public art program.
As an example of how the increased investment in art will help transform the city’s landscape, MARTA and its partners unveilled its first installation on Wednesday evening at the King Memorial MARTA Station – a good excuse for a community party.
By Amy Wenk and Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on June 24, 2016
Publix Super Markets Inc. is eyeing the Atlanta Civic Center as the site of a new intown grocery store.
Houston-based Weingarten Realty Investors is in advanced talks with Publix to anchor its planned $450 million redevelopment of the aging civic center, according to sources.
Weingarten has the 19-acre site at Piedmont Avenue and Ralph McGill Boulevard under contract for $30 million from the city of Atlanta. It plans to demolish the civic center’s existing buildings and build 250,000 square feet of office space, 222,900 square feet of retail, a grocery store, 250 condos, 386 apartments and townhomes.
By Maria Saporta
As published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on June 17, 2016
Egbert Perry couldn’t be more proud of the three new people who have been elected to Fannie Mae’s board — describing them as part of the organization’s new leadership.
Perry, who is board chairman of Fannie Mae and also CEO of Atlanta-based commercial real estate developer Integral Group, described the three leaders as “seasoned executives.”
Atlanta’s first African-American mayor, Maynard Jackson, was elected in 1973 when he was only 35. He went on to become a national pioneer – establishing affirmative action and joint venture programs to better integrate the economy – both in Atlanta and throughout the United States.
And producers are working a documentary about his life.
