Category: ATL Business Chronicle

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on May 1, 2015

Two of Atlanta’s most civic-minded couples will be honored at the 2015 National Philanthropy Day on Nov. 3 at the Georgia Aquarium.

Tom and Ann Cousins, founder of the East Lake Foundation and instrumental in a number of other initiatives in Georgia over several decades, will receive the Philanthropist of the Year Award.

John and Mary Brock, who have been dedicated champions of Georgia Tech and several other civic causes, will be honored as Volunteer Fundraisers of the Year.

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on May 1, 2015

Peace may be on the horizon for the 2015 Nobel Peace Laureate Summit scheduled to be in Atlanta from Nov. 15 to 19.

A series of meetings and an Atlanta version of shuttle diplomacy appears to be leading to a working compromise where all the different entities will be able to come together to support the summit.

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on April 24, 2015

Atlanta-based ToolBank USA’s top donor — Stanley Black & Decker — has just renewed its support for a second $1 million gift.

The gift will be fulfilled over the next three years. The first $1 million gift was fulfilled over five years, which makes the current gift the largest ever received since ToolBank USA was founded in 2008 to provide tools used by charities.

By Doug Sams and Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on April 24, 2015

Two years into its plans to put more residential units and retail space around its train stations, MARTA continues to expand its transit oriented development program.

MARTA officials are targeting May 4 for the release of its latest request for proposals, this time for a mix of residential and retail development on 6 acres surrounding its Arts Center Station.

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on April 17, 2015

Amid all the uplifting talk of economic investment in the Westside communities of Atlanta, there’s a difficult reality. They continue to be among the most crime-ridden areas in the city.

That was one of the hard realities presented by Frank Fernandez, vice president for community development for the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, at a panel discussion on the revitalization of the Westside at the Rotary Club of Atlanta on April 13.

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on April 17, 2015

The Atlanta Housing Authority is hoping to ride the wave of revitalization near the new Atlanta Falcons stadium by seeking the interest of developers in the 12.4-acre site of the former Herndon Homes.

The authority has issued a request for qualifications seeking a “visionary master development partner” to turn the now-vacant property into a “vibrant, urban development with a mix of uses including office, retail, entertainment and mixed-income residential,” according to the agency.

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on April 10, 2015

The most powerful board in metro Atlanta today is arguably the one held by the five trustees of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation — the largest philanthropy entity in the state.

It is a foundation that shuns the spotlight, but this week, it had a rare occurrence — a change among its trustees.

By Amy Wenk and Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on April 10, 2015

As Centennial Olympic Park nears its 20th birthday, an effort is underway to raise $46.5 million to enhance downtown’s premier gathering space, one of the most catalytic legacies from the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

The Georgia World Congress Center Authority (GWCCA), the state agency that oversees the park as part of its 220-acre campus, is exploring the feasibility of the capital campaign to fund major improvements to the 21-acre green space.

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on April 10, 2015

In looking over her career, Wonya Lucas believes she was destined to become the new president and CEO of Public Broadcasting Atlanta — better known as the entity that oversees WABE-90.1 and Channel 30.

She is succeeding Milton Clipper, who has held that post since 1994.

Lucas is an Atlanta native who went to Morningside Elementary; Northside High’s School for the Performing Arts; Georgia Tech, where she studied engineering; and University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, where she got her MBA.

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on April 3, 2015

Two of Atlanta’s wealthiest business leaders and most generous philanthropists are focusing their efforts to help revitalize the Westside communities near the new Atlanta Falcons stadium west of Northside Drive.

Those two executives are Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons and co-founder of The Home Depot Inc.; and Dan Cathy, the CEO of Chick-fil-A.

By Maria Saporta, Ellie Hensley and Douglas Sams
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on April 3, 2015

Metro Atlanta’s newest movie studio will be the first major project at the site of the former GM plant in Doraville — a development that now has a new name — “Assembly.”

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on March 27, 2015

Two Atlanta nonprofits – Families First and Dad’s Garage Theatre – have been selected to receive the prestigious “Managing for Excellence” Award from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta.

The Award, sponsored by the Boston Consulting Group, is extra special this year because the two winning nonprofits each will receive a record $75,000 unrestricted grant along with the recognition. Previous years, the award came with a $25,000 grant.

By Douglas Sams and Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on March 27, 2015

Two longtime Atlanta real estate companies known for some of the most recognizable buildings on the city skyline are competing to develop a $300 million mixed-use project for Georgia Tech — the next expansion of Midtown’s Technology Square.

Cousins Properties Inc. is vying against Portman Holdings to develop the project. Cousins has also teamed with Houston-based powerhouse Hines.

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on March 27, 2015

Plans to host a 2015 summit of Nobel Peace Prize laureates in Atlanta have hit a major stumbling block because Mayor Kasim Reed has withdrawn the city’s participation.

The event, scheduled for Nov. 15-19, has promised to bring at least 21 of the 30 living recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize to Atlanta. Heads of state and thousands of students are expected to attend events at the Georgia Aquarium and Georgia World Congress Center. United Parcel Service Inc. and The Coca-Cola Co. have signed on as significant sponsors. A November 2014 gala kicked off fundraising.

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on March 20, 2015

One of the less-known nonprofits in Georgia — the Decatur-based Task Force for Global Health — is beginning to gain some visibility.

The largest nonprofit based in Georgia is one of the leading international players in promoting global health initiatives, including partnering with other organizations to provide vaccinations to prevent numerous devastating diseases in the developing world.

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on March 20, 2015

One of the less-known nonprofits in Georgia — the Decatur-based Task Force for Global Health — is beginning to gain some visibility.

The largest nonprofit based in Georgia is one of the leading international players in promoting global health initiatives, including partnering with other organizations to provide vaccinations to prevent numerous devastating diseases in the developing world.

By Maria Saporta and Douglas Sams
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on March 20, 2015

After Atlanta voters approved overwhelmingly a $250 million infrastructure bond March 17, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed will move forward on the sale of the Boisfeuillet Jones Atlanta Civic Center property and other city real estate assets.

The city is negotiating with up to three development teams that submitted bids to buy and redevelop the 20-acre downtown site — having asked them to submit their final and best offers.

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on March 13, 2015

The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation recognized that the best way to trigger reinvestment in a community would be through creating job opportunities.

So when Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank declared that the revitalization of the Westside neighborhoods would be equally important as building a new stadium for professional football and soccer, it was a given that new job opportunities would be part of the solution.

By Doug Sams and Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on March 13, 2015

Atlanta’s Major League Soccer team has launched a search for a site to house its new training facility — a project that could galvanize an urban community and become a magnet for the world’s most talented players.

The site could range from a minimum of 15 acres with four fields to as many as 40 acres with more than a dozen fields, said Darren Eales, the former English Premier League executive hired last year as MLS Atlanta president.

By Maria Saporta
Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on March 6, 2015

The Atlanta-based CDC Foundation has received the largest grant in its history — $29.9 million — from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The grant aims to help eliminate malaria on the island of Hispaniola by 2020 — through a consortium of several partners working in the region. Hispaniola includes the countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It is the only remaining island in the Caribbean where malaria is endemic.