General Electric Co. has named Russell Stokes, its highest-ranking executive in Georgia, as the new CEO of GE Power, the company’s New York-based unit responsible for power generation and water technologies. But Stokes — who will lead the Metro Atlanta Chamber in 2018 — will continue to be based in Atlanta.
Stokes, currently president and CEO of GE Energy Connections, will take over GE Power on July 3.
The agreement announced by Georgia Power regarding a loan guarantee of $3.68 billion by the parent of the Plant Vogtle contractor may be hollow because of the parent’s weak financial position, according to a comment by Moody’s Investors Service.
Memorial services for William “Bill” Taggart, an Atlanta business and civic leader who died suddenly on June 7, will be held on Friday, June 16 at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College at 830 Westview Drive S.W.
Since April, Taggart was serving as the interim president of Morehouse College. He also held several important roles in the community, such as chairman of the Atlanta Business League and on the board of the Westside Future Fund.
In his first public appearance since becoming CEO of the Coca-Cola Co., James Quincey reaffirmed the company’s commitment to Atlanta, water conservation, women empowerment and community well-being at the 2017 Rotary International convention.
“We take great satisfaction that Atlanta is also a special place for Rotary, and that you’ve chosen to celebrate your Foundation’s Centennial here,” Quincey told the more than 23,000 people assembled in Hall B of the Georgia World Congress Center.
Rotary International raised the spotlight on human trafficking Monday at its 108th convention underway in Atlanta.
After a morning devoted to the initiative to eradicate polio, the nearly 37,000 Rotarians attending the conference from all over the world listened to ways it can help fight modern day slavery.
“Atlanta Georgia is one of the hot beds for sex trafficking in the entire country,” said actor Ashton Kutcher, who has become an active voice to protect women and children from becoming modern day slaves. Kutcher said one can actually “buy somebody” – a fact he said is hard to believe.
“End Polio Now” was the rallying cry at the !08th convention of Rotary International – bringing nearly 37,500 Rotarians to Atlanta from Sunday through Wednesday.
Led by Rotary International and Bill Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the global health partners meeting in Atlanta reaffirmed their commitment to ending the disease by pledging an additional $1.2 billion to the cause.
Rotary announced alone pledge to raise $50 million a year for three years. And Bill Gates announced he would match that contribution two-to-one – meaning that partnership would provide another $450 million to fight the last vestiges of the debilitating disease.
Atlanta is entering the final stage of its role in helping Georgia Tech build what Tech bills as, “the most environmentally advanced education and research building ever constructed in the Southeast.” The city intends to sell an acre of land for the site of Tech’s planned Living Building.
Friends and associates of respected Atlanta business leader Bill Taggart were shocked Thursday morning by news of his sudden death late Wednesday.
Taggart had just been named the interim president of Morehouse College in April. He apparently died of an aneurysm, according to preliminary reports.
At the time of his death, Taggart also was serving as the board chair of the Atlanta Business League, an organization that fosters opportunities for African-American companies and business leaders.
Gov. Nathan Deal on Wednesday established a commission to evaluate Georgia’s approach to children’s mental health and recommend ways to improve it. The commission can pick up a study where a study completed in 2015 by a House committee left off.
The most fragile time for a community surfaces when investors and developers begin swarming around looking for inexpensive property they can flip and make some money.
Southwest Atlanta is case-in-point.
For decades, the Westside witnessed populations losses and declines in property values. But in recent years, the neighborhoods have been enjoying attention from philanthropists, civic groups, developers and investors.
Atlanta and Midtown Alliance are collaborating on an effort to make the northern stretch of Spring Street more inviting for pedestrians and bicyclists. The city issued a request for engineering proposals Monday and Midtown Alliance released it Tuesday.
Talk about rising tax values for property near the Atlanta BeltLine. Fulton County’s tax assessor this year more than doubled the value of a vacant lot near the Westside Trail. The value of some homes near the BeltLine was increased by more than 50 percent over last year’s values.
During her talk to the Rotary Club of Atlanta on Monday, Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields did not shy away from the tough issues she faces in leading the police department.
Shields has been in her position for about six months, but she was part of the leadership team of former Police Chief George Turner, who she credited for making solid improvements to the department.
When Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed announced May 31 that Atlanta remains committed to the Paris Climate Agreement, despite President Trump’s decision to pull out of the accord, Reed was in a group of 187 U.S. mayors who represent some 52 million Americans.
The effort to prevent birds from flying into the windows of Atlanta City Hall and hurting or killing themselves has run into problems and is delayed. New measures are to be considered.
The once white-hot construction market for multifamily residences in the Southeast is showing signs of cooling, according to builders cited in the Beige Book released Wednesday by the Federal Reserve’s Atlanta District. Lenders report they are increasing their oversight of loans for multifamily projects.
Politics was on the shopping list at the opening of the new Publix on Moores Mill and Bolton roads Wednesday morning.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony provided a stage for people running for office and for those seeking to settle political scores and slights.
But the real stars of the day were the dozens, if not hundreds, of community residents who showed up at the store before 7 a.m. to celebrate the long-awaited amenity in their neighborhood.
The hero or villain of the effort to save Plant Vogtle could prove to be the head of a private equity firm who pioneered junk bonds and was nearly scuttled in 1990. Georgia Power protested terms of the loan deal, but a New York judge provided some protection and last week ordered that the entire $800 million in loan funds should flow.
Note to readers: This is the first of two stories about affordability along the Atlanta BeltLine. Coming Monday: Skyrocketing housing prices along BeltLine. // Rising land values along portions of the Atlanta BeltLine have resulted in steep price hikes for existing tenants of homes and businesses, forcing some to relocate. A new proposal aims to preserve the affordability of now-blighted areas as they are redeveloped.
The effort to improve Peachtree Creek now includes a $25,000 grant from the Coca-Cola Co. that was used to install a rainwater harvesting system at Zonolite Park, in northeast Atlanta.
