By Maria Saporta
April in Atlanta. Dogwoods. Azaleas. Warm days. Cool nights.
It’s no wonder why we celebrate our place on earth during the month of April.
So the speech that the Right Honourable John Gummer, Lord Deben of the British House of Lords gave at Southface’s Visionary Dinner at the 200 Peachtree building on March 31 keeps playing in my
By Maria Saporta
Friday, April 8, 2011
The leading flag bearer for “new nuclear” in the United States — Atlanta-based Southern Co. — is as committed as ever to a nuclear renaissance.
That is despite the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 10 — an event that is leading many utility companies and foreign governments to put their nuclear plans on hold.
But not Southern Co., which is moving forward with its plans to build two new nuclear units (Units 3 and 4) at Plant Vogtle near Augusta — the first new nuclear projects in the United States in three
By Maria Saporta
A Georgia passenger rail advocacy organization is moving its headquarters from Atlanta to Macon.
Georgians for Passenger Rail, founded in 2009, has been promoting the development of rail travel throughout the state.
But the organization has been focusing most of its efforts on creating passenger rail
By Maria Saporta
Friday, April 1, 2011
For 26 years, the No. 1 advocate for Atlanta’s trees has been Marcia Bansley.
As a tree’s age can be measured in rings, Bansley’s tenure as the founding executive director of Trees Atlanta can be measured in trees. Under her leadership, Trees Atlanta has planted or distributed 81,000 trees.
Now Bansley has decided to retire, effective in mid-May, when she intends to begin studying architecture. She will join Trees Atlanta’s board.
Filling in as interim director will be Connie Veates, a past president of Trees Atlanta’s board.
By Maria Saporta
Friday, April 1, 2011
Atlanta business leader Dick Anderson is headed to Washington to become chief operating officer of the Federal Reserve System, effective April 18.
Anderson, a former executive of BellSouth Corp. and AT&T Inc., also will serve as director of the Federal Reserve System’s management division. In all, about 1,000 people will be under his supervision.
“To me, it’s the marriage of business and public service,” Anderson said. “It is a really high impact policy-making organization during the biggest economic challenge that we have faced in recent times. What makes it so appealing is that it is so central to the economy.”
By Maria Saporta
A long-time parks and green space advocate — Margaret Gray Connelly — is bringing new life to Park Pride, the leading Atlanta-based nonprofit focused on our region’s public
By Maria Saporta
A Fair Share for Transit Rally attracted more than a hundred leaders and citizens from a couple dozen organizations and governments on Tuesday evening at the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot.
The bottom line — the 2012 referendum for a new regional transportation sales tax should have a fair share for transit and not be dominated by funding for roads.
But what is a fair share?
That was the question I asked numerous people attending the reception.
The first person I asked was Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.
“I’m not going to say,” said Reed, who is a member of the Atlanta Regional Roundtable,
By Maria Saporta
Friday, March 25, 2011
A partnership between a builder, a developer, a public relations executive and a homeless shelter is growing great rewards — literally.
Downtown Atlanta unveiled its first community garden March 23 in a what will be a unique way to provide healthy food, job training and therapy to more than 500 homeless and recovering men currently served at the Atlanta Mission.
The Atlanta Urban Garden is located on a 2.36-acre property, managed by The Integral Group LLC, has sat vacant waiting to be sold and redeveloped. The land sits across Centennial Olympic Park Drive from the
By Maria Saporta and Urvaksh Karkaria
Friday, March 25, 2011
AT&T Inc.’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile will put Atlanta in the catbird seat in wireless communications.
AT&T Mobility, the wireless arm of Dallas-based AT&T and the fastest-growing part of the company, is headquartered in Atlanta.
“I think this deal and this merger can be nothing but good news for Atlanta,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, in an exclusive interview March 23. “Atlanta will be home to a unit of AT&T that is the growth engine, that will continue to grow for the foreseeable future, and that’s a good thing.”
De la Vega also said that plans call for AT&T Mobility’s headquarters to remain in Atlanta
By Maria Saporta
Georgia can become a “poster child” for balancing environmental and economic interests, according to Allen Barnes, director of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Environmental Protection Division.
Barnes was the keynote speaker at Friday morning’s Environmental Awards presented by the Atlanta Business Chronicle at the Georgia Aquarium.
“Environmental sustainability and economic sustainability can and must co-exist,” Barnes told the breakfast gathering. “Georgia can be the poster child of that principle.”
Barnes added that Georgia has a great concentration of Fortune 500 companies that
By Maria Saporta
Gov. Nathan Deal hinted that progress is being made in the private water negotiations with Alabama and Florida, during a “Meet and Greet” event Wednesday evening at the Georgian Club in Cobb County.
“I’m working diligently,” Deal told the gathering elected and civic leaders invited by the Council for Quality Growth. “This is the kind of thing you can’t even tell your wife about, and I can’t tell you either. I think you are going to be pleased by what we are going to produce.”
Deal said he was encouraged by the latest court hearing on the appeal of Judge Paul Magnuson’s ruling that would drastically reduce the amount of water metro Atlanta can withdraw from Lake Lanier in July 2012 if an agreement is not reached. But Deal said Georgia can’t rely on the possibility of a
By Maria Saporta
Friday, March 18, 2011
For the first time since 2007, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc. is launching a new national advertising campaign. The theme is “Keep Climbing.”
Simultaneously, the airline is launching a marketing campaign aimed specifically for an Atlanta audience by reaffirming its local ties to the community. The title of the Atlanta campaign is: “It’s more than headquarters. It’s home.” The ads also include a logo that says: “70 years as Atlanta’s hometown airline.”
Just one perk of the Atlanta celebration is that Delta has been sponsoring free valet service at Lenox Square and Phipps Plaza for the month of March.
By Maria Saporta
At a pivotal moment for metro Atlanta, a major transition in leadership is underway.
Chick Krautler, director of the Atlanta Regional Commission, announced today his plan to retire on June 30 after 11 years with the planning agency.
Krautler’s retirement follows the departure of two other key members of the Atlanta Regional Commission’s senior team — Tom Weyandt, the agency’s director of comprehensive planning; and Tony Landers, ARC’s director of community services.
At the same time, ARC is playing an integral role in helping put together a list of projects that would be included in the regional transportation sales tax referendum scheduled for August, 2012. The project list must be approved in October.
By Maria Saporta
Friday, March 18, 2011
A broad-based coalition of business, civic and community leaders are urging Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed to do everything he can to prevent the Atlanta Public Schools from losing its accreditation.
The blue-ribbon Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP) told Reed March 14 that the school system must become his top priority and that he should explore every avenue available — including state involvement — to break the governance logjam that currently exists on the Atlanta Board of Education.
While leaders fell short of calling for a state
By Maria Saporta
The Mayor of Midtown has left us.
Larry Steven Collins was the man who knew everybody’s name when they walked in the door at the Sig Samuels drycleaner at the corner of Monroe Drive and Eighth Street.
Collins, 54, passed away on Wednesday, March 16 after two years of fighting ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
It’s hard to describe what a vital community role Sig Samuels and the Collins family have played in Midtown. It has been the unofficial gathering spot and meeting ground for people picking up or dropping off their laundry.
The windows of the historic looking storefront often are plastered with all kinds of community notices and election posters.
By Maria Saporta
Georgia Tech pulled out all the stops when it honored former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn with the inaugural Ivan Allen Prize for Social Courage on Tuesday.
Not only was Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed present to give a talk saying that both former Mayor Allen and Sen. Nunn had served as an inspiration for him.
Then both of Georgia’s U.S. senators — Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss — gave their good wishes to Nunn via a pre-taped video.
And then President Barack Obama appeared on screen thanking Nunn “on a very personal level” for being available when the president sought his advice and vision.
“I’m overwhelmed,” Nunn said in a speech
By Maria Saporta
Morehouse School of Medicine has named Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice as dean and executive vice president effective June 1.
In her new role, Dr. Montgomery Rice will oversee the school’s “academic enterprise and guide the continued advancement of the school’s patient care, research, community health, and education and training programs,” according to a news release.
Montgomery Rice currently is director of the Center for Women’s Health Research and professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology in the Division Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Meharry Medical College in Nashville.
She is a nationally-renowned reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist.
“Dr. Montgomery Rice is a dynamic leader
By Maria Saporta
Friday, March 11, 2011
United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta will announce March 11 that it has met its annual campaign goal for the first time since the 2007 campaign — albeit by a slim margin.
The 2010 goal had been set at $80.2 million, and United Way leaders will announce that it raised $24,500 over their goal.
The campaign was led by John Somerhalder, CEO of AGL Resources Inc., who had agreed to lead the campaign two years in a row.
“It took me two years to get it basically right,” Somerhalder said. “Every step along
By Douglas Sams and Maria Spaorta
Monday, March 14, 2011
Cousins Properties Inc. has won the right to bid on a project that would turn a downtown Atlanta collection of parking lots and rail-lines known as the “Gulch” into a transit hub.
Cousins (NYSE: CUZ) beat out other local developers including Jacoby Development Inc. and H.J. Russell & Co.
The Georgia Department of Transportation, which has been looking for a master developer to build the terminal, selected Cousins on Monday afternoon.
By Maria Saporta
Egbert Perry made history Tuesday morning.
Perry — founder, chairman and CEO of the Integral Group — became the first African-American to chair Central Atlanta Progress in its 70-year history.
Perry succeeds Taylor Glover, president and CEO of Turner Enterprises, who served a two-year term of the downtown business organization.
“I hope this is a lesson,” Perry said at CAP’s annual breakfast meeting held in the Peter Pan entertainment tent at Pemberton Place. “All I did was miss one nominating committee meeting, and I got a call to serve as chairman.”
Perry then dead-panned, saying that he was
