by Dave Williams and Maria Saporta
Date: Friday, January 14, 2011
Atlanta’s airport is seeking bids for its lucrative food and beverage concessions for the first time since before the Olympics came to town.
Promising a fair and transparent process, city officials have invited potential bidders to a daylong Industry Day, an information session set for Jan. 19 at the Georgia International Convention Center adjacent to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
By Maria Saporta
How lucky we are to live in Atlanta, the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement.
This point hits home every year during the King birthday holiday weekend, and this year has been no exception.
This past Saturday Jan. 15, on King’s actual birthday, the first annual Civil Rights film festival was launched at the King Center.
The documentaries were produced by Andrew Young Presents and featured our
By Maria Saporta
It’s not all kumbaya in metro Atlanta.
When the Atlanta Regional Roundtable met Thursday afternoon to squeeze in Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed on its executive committee, it was obvious that the region is more fractured that it once was.
Members of the Roundtable objected to what they said was a backroom-type deal between House Speaker David Ralston and the other members of the executive committee to get Reed on the executive committee by getting Norcross
By Maria Saporta
The Georgia World Congress Center Authority board has named a new chairman — Tim Lowe, chairman and managing partner of Lowe Engineers.
Lowe succeeds Robert Prather, CEO of Gray Communications, who has been on the GWCC board for 18 years — eight of them as chairman.
“It’s been three years this time,” said Prather, who helped chair the board during the transition from its founding executive director Dan Graveline to the current executive director Frank Poe.
By Maria Saporta
Friday, January 7, 2011
In mid-December, a delegation from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce had a chance to visit with Gov.-elect Nathan Deal to talk about the organization’s agenda.
“It was like sitting down with someone over a cup of coffee at a local café,” said Doug Carter, president of Don Carter Realty in Gainesville and chair-elect of the Georgia Chamber. “He’s an everyday person who just happens to be our next governor.”
By Maria Saporta
Friday, January 7, 2011
From Ghana and Senegal to the Netherland Antilles, travelers can now fly nonstop from Atlanta to each of these destinations on Delta Air Lines Inc. And starting Jan. 20, you can add Luanda, Angola, to the list.
Delta’s international growth out of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the past five years has helped transform the global profile of metro Atlanta. And Delta and Hartsfield-Jackson are showing no signs of slowing their international growth.
Quite the contrary.
By Maria Saporta
Friday, December 31, 2010
Georgia could lose hundreds of millions of dollars if it were to adopt an Arizona-type immigration bill, according to leaders in the Hispanic and international communities.
But those leaders are concerned that state leaders are moving toward adopting such a bill without considering the economic ramifications.
The Joint Legislative Committee on Immigration Reform has been meeting to consider new Georgia legislation, and Gov.-elect Nathan Deal said during the campaign
By Maria Saporta
It appears that Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed will be on the powerful five-member executive committee of the Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable.
Thanks to the involvement of House Speaker David Ralston, it is expected that Reed will become part of the Roundtable’s executive committee at its meeting next Thursday
The executive committee of the
By Maria Saporta
The long-time executive of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta is moving to Washington, D.C. to become president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington later this spring.
Steve Rakitt has been CEO of the Atlanta Federation for the past 10 years.
“Steve has served our community with vigor and conviction for the past 10 years,” said Robert Arogeti, chairman of the Federation’s board, in a statement. “However, we are excited for the
By Maria Saporta
A couple of interesting new hires have taken place at the Metro Atlanta Chamber — a vice president of government affairs and a vice president of transportation.
Two executives will be joining the organization as vice presidents in the public policy division reporting to Renay Blumenthal, the senior vice president.
Jeff Wansley, who currently is vice president of government affairs for Equifax, will be joining the Metro Atlanta Chamber as vice president of
By Maria Saporta
Friday, December 31, 2010
When it comes to transportation, metro Atlanta is at a tipping point.
So believes Jim Durrett, who was elected as the new MARTA board chairman on Dec. 28, succeeding attorney Michael Tyler, who rotated off the board.
Durrett also understands that the role MARTA will play
By Maria Saporta
Friday, December 17, 2010
For Andrew “Bo” Young III, the son of Atlanta’s former mayor, his new role as CEO of GiveLocally.net combines his family’s altruism with his business interests.
The for-profit website is a grass-roots philanthropic endeavor that matches generous people with individuals and families at a critical time in their lives.
By Maria Saporta
Friday, December 17, 2010
Georgia’s Altamaha River in the southeast part of the state could be called Georgia’s Amazon River. It is one of the most pristine and undisturbed river systems in the state.
And thanks to two decades of persistent focus and commitment by The Nature Conservancy of Georgia, it will be protected in perpetuity.
By Maria Saporta
The Atlanta Life Financial Group today announced plans to sell its headquarters building on Auburn Avenue.
It has retained Red Rock Global and Colliers International to privately market the building to potential buyers.
The five-story building, constructed in 1980, is owned debt-free by Atlanta Life, which would remain as the building’s anchor tenant.
“As Atlanta Life Financial Group continues its transformation into a diversified financial services company, it behooves
By Maria Saporta
Friday, December 10, 2010
Destined to become one of Georgia’s most prestigious awards, Georgia Tech’s inaugural Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage will be given to former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn.
The prize, accompanied by a $100,000 award, will be awarded at the Ivan Allen College’s Founder’s Day luncheon on March 15. The annual prize is being made possible through an endowed $2 million gift made in 2008 by the Wilbur and Hilda Glenn Family Foundation.
By Maria Saporta
Friday, December 10, 2010
“Hi partner.”
That’s the way environmentalist Ted Turner greeted David Ratcliffe, the recently retired CEO of Southern Co., at a meeting in Turner’s Atlanta office building on Dec. 6.
The two men — legends in their respective fields — had agreed to sit down for an interview to discuss how their relationship has evolved from being adversaries to being business partners in a groundbreaking solar joint venture in New Mexico.
By Maria Saporta
It was a lunch of compassion.
When Progressive Redevelopment Inc. and CaringWorks held their annual gathering on Dec. 9 at the Atlanta Biltmore, several themes prevailed. In this time of economic suffering, it is a time to care for those less fortunate than us.
The first speaker was former Atlanta City Council President Lisa Borders, who received the inaugural “Courage to Care Award” from the two organizations.
Borders weaved a tale of how she was
By Maria Saporta
Friday, December 10, 2010
One of the most highly sought-after parking lots in downtown Atlanta is being turned into a solar energy demonstration project.
Ted Turner, one of Atlanta’s most notable business and philanthropic leaders, has built-out the first phase of the “Luckie Street Solar Project” on a 2-acre parking lot he owns adjacent to Turner’s headquarters, formerly
By Maria Saporta
Friday, December 3, 2010
The future of Theatrical Outfit, one of Atlanta’s leading theater companies, has become much brighter with a conditional $500,000 gift from the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation, part of the Robert W. Woodruff family of foundations.
Theatrical Outfit is in the midst of a $1.685 million campaign that has to be completed by March to secure its future.
By Maria Saporta
Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed is keeping a close watch on developments at the Atlanta Public Schools — armed with support from the local business and civic community.
The topic of Atlanta’s Public Schools was one of the key issues discussed at Monday’s Atlanta Committee for Progress, a high-level group of business and civic leaders that work closely with the Atlanta mayor and city leaders.
The Atlanta Board of Education and the public school system have been under great scrutiny over the situation of
