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Kellermann leaving Emory for RAND Corp.

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By Maria Saporta
Friday, March 12, 2010

Dr. Arthur Kellermann, one of Atlanta’s top public health professionals, has accepted a key policy position with the RAND Corp. in Arlington, Va. But Kellermann is not leaving Atlanta without some thoughts of the health and fiscal issues facing Georgia and Grady Hospital.

Kellermann, founding chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine at Emory University, had most recently been working on the community-wide efforts to turn around the financially struggling Grady Hospital.

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Southern’s Ratcliffe signs solar deal with Ted Turner

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By Maria Saporta

An historic contract was signed March 11 on Ted Turner’s ranch in New Mexico.

Southern Co. Chairman and CEO David Ratcliffe and Turner signed the contract to jointly acquire ownership of what will be one of the nation’s largest solar photovoltaic power plants.

The project was acquired and will be built by Tempe, Arizona-based First Solar Inc., a publicly-held company that is the largest manufacturer of thin film solar modules.

The preliminary agreement between the Southern Co. and Turner Renewable Energy was announced in January, but details still needed to be worked out between the three entities.

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Georgia State’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies faces painful cuts

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By Maria Saporta and J. Scott Trubey
Friday, March 12, 2010

Change is afoot at Andrew Young’s namesake — the globally known School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University.

The school’s new dean, Bart Hildreth, resigned abruptly, claiming he was asked to step down, and people close to the school say top administrators are considering cost-saving measures that could include folding it into the J. Mack Robinson College of Business.

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State Senators upset with GDOT’s lack of progress on alternative transportation

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By Maria Saporta

A pretty amazing resolution was introduced this week that basically describes the Georgia Department of Transportation as incompetent when it comes to developing anything other than highways, roads and bridges.

Senate Resolution 1177 was introduced by some of the top senators in the state — Sen. Jeff Mullis (R – Chickamauga) who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee; Sen. Chip Rogers (R – Woodstock); Sen. Tommie Williams (R – Lyons); and Sen. Doug Stoner (D – Smyrna) among others.

Because of GDOT’s inability to develop

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Atlanta’s United Way celebrates $79.3 million

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By Maria Saporta

In the end, the 2009 campaign of United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta raised $79.3 million, less than 1.5 percent shy of its $80.5 million goal.

Given the economic struggles of the past year, United Way leaders were celebrating Thursday night when they heard the news.

Before announcing the campaign results, John Somerhalder, the 2009 campaign chair who is CEO of AGL Resources, set the stage by preparing the crowd of several hundred that bad news was coming.

First, the goal was the same amount

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Dear Mayor Reed: Former city planning chiefs share ideas

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By Maria Saporta

Three of Atlanta most important former planning commissioners had a message for newly-elected Mayor Kasim Reed — good planning should be an integral part of his administration.

The three former commissioners were invited to the “Dear Mayor Reed” program by the Georgia Tech Student Planning Association Thursday night at White Provisions on Howell Mill and 14th streets in one of the most striking meeting spaces in Atlanta.

As the moderator of the discussion, I wasn’t able to take diligent notes of what was said. Fortunately, my colleague Thomas Wheatley, a reporter with

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Dear Mayor Reed: Former Planning commissioners share ideas

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By Maria Saporta

Three of Atlanta most important former planning commissioners had a message for newly-elected Mayor Kasim Reed — good planning should be an integral part of his administration.

The three former commissioners were invited to the “Dear Mayor Reed” program by the Georgia Tech Student Planning Association Thursday night at White Provisions on Howell Mill and 14th streets in one of the most striking meeting spaces in Atlanta.

As the moderator of the discussion, I wasn’t able to take diligent notes of what was said. Fortunately, my colleague Thomas Wheatley, a reporter with Creative Loafing, was there, and I look forward to reading his report.

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Column: Grady fundraising hits $300M milestone

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By Maria Saporta
Friday, February 26, 2010

The campaign to raise $325 million for Grady Memorial Hospital has crossed a key milestone.

“We have broken the $300 million mark,” said Tom Bell, SecurAmerica executive chairman, who has been leading the fundraising campaign along with Pete Correll, an investor in the Atlanta Equity Fund and retired CEO of Georgia-Pacific LLC. Grady Hospital CEO Mike Young also has been part of most fundraising calls.

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Shake-up divides Sports Council, bowl game

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By J. Scott Trubey and Maria Saporta
Friday, February 26, 2010

The Chick-fil-A Bowl will be spun off from the Atlanta Sports Council into a new entity headed by Gary Stokan, the bowl’s president and CEO, officials with the Metro Atlanta Chamber said.

Dan Corso, vice president of marketing for the council, has been tapped to head the chamber’s sports marketing arm. The separation is expected to take place March 1.

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Relationships drive Sea Island/Goldman pairing

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By J. Scott Trubey and Maria Saporta
Friday, February 26, 2010

When it came time to select an investment adviser for the potential sale of beleaguered Sea Island, it all started with relationships.

Sea Island Co. announced Feb. 18 it had retained Goldman Sachs & Co. to advise it in a possible sale of the posh but debt-riddled resort and seaside community.

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Southface promotes green building through Greenprints

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By Maria Saporta

For 12 years, Southface has been putting on its Greenprints conference to let builders, architects, planners and environmentalist know the latest in green building technology.

Ideas that might have seemed novel or forward thinking 12 years ago have now become accepted and expected.

“The green economy is going to be the only future economy that we will have available to us,” said John Straube, a building science engineer from Ontario, Canada who is an international expert in energy efficient buildings and was one of the keynote speakers at this year’s Greenprints conference.

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Peachtree-Pine shelter escapes foreclosure

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By Maria Saporta
Friday, February 26, 2010

One of Atlanta’s largest homeless shelters has once again skirted foreclosure, at least for now.

The Atlanta Task Force for the Homeless’s building at Peachtree and Pine streets on the northern edge of downtown had been scheduled for the auction block on Tuesday, March 2.

But on Wednesday, Feb. 24, Ichthus Community

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Atlanta’s Civic League part of new communities experiment

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By Maria Saporta

Communities are at a critical juncture as modern technology is changing the ways that decisions have been made for decades.

But how the new decision-making model will emerge is still being formed, according to Chris Gates, one of the nation’s pre-eminent observers of communities.

Gates served as president of the National Civic League for 11 years, and now he is the first executive director of PACE (Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement).

Gates was the keynote speaker at Thursday night’s annual dinner of the

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Metro Chamber confirms Atlanta Sports Council/bowl split

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By J. Scott Trubey and Maria Saporta
Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 4:02pm

Officials with the Metro Atlanta Chamber confirmed Tuesday a deal has been reached to spin off the Chick-fil-A Bowl from the Atlanta Sports Council into a new entity headed by Gary Stokan, the bowl’s president and CEO.

Dan Corso, vice president of marketing for the council, has been tapped to head the chamber’s sports marketing arm. The separation is expected to take place March 1.

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American Red Cross CEO Gail McGovern hopes local donors keep Haiti on their minds

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By Maria Saporta

Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross, is concerned that as Haiti recedes from the headlines, charitable giving also will decline.

Since the devastating earthquake in Haiti on Jan. 12, Americans contributed $285 million to Haiti relief efforts, including almost $40 million through text contributions.

“The last two weeks, it seems to be leveling off,” said McGovern, who was in Atlanta Wednesday to meet with Red Cross supporters and donors. “As Haiti receives less media attention, it worries me that the donations will wane as well.”

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Sports council shakeup: Stokan to leave to run bowl, hall of fame

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By J. Scott Trubey and Maria Saporta
Monday, February 22, 2010, 4:54pm EST | Modified: Tuesday, February 23, 2010, 2:03pm

The Metro Atlanta Chamber plans to split up the Atlanta Sports Council and the Chick-fil-A Bowl in a move that will bring in a new leader for the city’s top sports marketing organization.

The parting of ways between the chamber, its sports council affiliate and Gary Stokan comes as he transitions from the city’s head sports pitchman to pointman on the popular bowl game and the planned College Football Hall of Fame.

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