Category: Latest News

By Maria Saporta

At the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s First Monday breakfast today, CCH Small Firm Services (SFS) announced that it will consolidate its national operations — adding 200 jobs in Kennesaw in the next 18 months, giving it a total of 600 employees.

SFS is a division of Wolter Kluwer, a global financial and information services enterprise based in Amsterdam. CCH is based in Chicago, and SFS now is based in Kennesaw.

The company will be moving employees from its offices in Fort Pierce, Florida this spring and it will move workers from its offices in Caribou, Maine in the spring of 2012.

By Maria Saporta

It is essential for metro Atlanta to pass the regional transportation funding bill in August, 2012, according to Georgia Rep. Mike Jacobs, who is the new chair of the legislature’s MARTA Oversight Committee (MARTOC).

“It’s a critical time for transportation in the state,” Jacobs told people attending the Sustainable Atlanta Roundtable Friday morning. “It’s a good bill, and it’s a workable bill.”

Jacobs was asked, however, how he reconciles his views on passing a regional penny sales tax with his MARTOC role, when the funding bill prohibits any of the new revenue being

By Maria Saporta

One of the highlights of last year was discovering public art along the Atlanta BeltLine corridor. The works by local artists were up several months, and they provided an element of unexpected surprise for the urban pioneers who venture on walks along the transformational corridor.

The temporary public art exposition was so successful that BeltLine leaders are launching another “Art on the BeltLine” exhibit for this fall.

Atlanta BeltLine Inc. has just announced that it has issued a Request for Proposals from artists who would like to participate in the 2011 version of the Art on the BeltLine

By Maria Saporta

In a luncheon talk to the Association County Commissioners of Georgia Tuesday, Gov. Nathan Deal told county leaders that he would make it easier for them to receive state loans for transportation projects.

The Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank, an arm of the State Road and Tollway Authority, has been available to counties that want to improve their roadways.

But the bank has had a rather onerous requirement for local participation before counties can access those funds. The state has set aside $33.1 million for this program.

“Not one single loan has been approved,” Deal told the commissioners before

By Maria Saporta

It was David Ralston’s day in the sun.

Georgia House Speaker David Ralston was honored Thursday as Georgia Trend’s Georgian of the Year, receiving accolades and a standing ovation from many of the people attending the 100 Most Influential Georgians lunch.

But it was Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed who showered the most praise for Ralston.

“David Ralston has brought dignity back to the Georgia General Assembly,” Reed said, adding that he was pleased “civility” was becoming a political focus. “The speaker was already there. He is a conscientious,

By Maria Saporta

In three separate events this week with Gov. Nathan Deal, it was refreshing to see the new governor at play.

Monday evening, Deal attended the United Way of Georgia reception. Tuesday morning, he was at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Eggs & Issues Breakfast. And on Wednesday, it was the annual meeting of the Buckhead Coalition.

At each of those events, it was clear that Deal actually enjoys being around people and does his best to make them feel comfortable. Both of those traits set him apart from his predecessor, the former Gov. Sonny Perdue.

The United Way event was particularly

By Maria Saporta

During Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia) will be sitting next to a Democrat — U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D- New Hampshire).

Though it’s a symbolic gesture to get Democrats and Republicans sitting together, Isakson said that the lame duck session proved that it’s possible for the two parties to work together.

Isakson, who was the keynote speaker at today’s Atlanta Press Club’s Newsmaker luncheon, said Washington,

By Maria Saporta

The Southeastern Council of Foundations has named Pete McTier as its interim president and CEO.

McTier, who retired as president of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation in 2006, will begin his new role on Feb. 1. McTier continues to serve as a trustee of the Woodruff Foundation as well as its sister foundations: the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation and the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation.

During his philanthropic career, McTier has been active in national and regional foundation associations, including

By Maria Saporta

It could not have been a better night or a worse night to have Hala Moddelmog as a keynote speaker.

On Thursday morning, the news broke that Atlanta-based Wendy’s/Arby’s Group was willing to sell its Arby’s brand. The company announced that it had hired USB Investment Bank to investigate the options for Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc., including a possible sale of the brand.

Moddelmog, president of Arby’s, had agreed weeks if not months ago to speak at the Jan. 20th meeting of the Association for Corporate Growth-Atlanta at Villa Christina. At that time, she had no idea her talk would coincide on the

By Maria Saporta

At a board meeting of the Metro Atlanta Chamber Thursday morning, the new general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport said he was delighted with the response to the bidding process for new concessionaires.

On Wednesday, Hartsfield-Jackson held its “Industry Day” to give potential bidders an opportunity to learn more about the process and the opportunities.

“We had between 400 and 500 people there,” said Louis Miller, who became Atlanta’s new airport general manager last fall, after the meeting. “We have very few people upset with how we put the proposals together.”

By Maria Saporta

It was always a pleasure to receive hand-written letters from Don Gareis.

In his elegant penmanship, Gareis always had a supportive and positive message about a column I had written or observation that he had on Atlanta’s business and civic community.

And he always would sign off each letter with the following: “Your No. 1 fan.”

So when I heard Gareis had passed away on Jan. 13, I immediately felt the void he had left behind, not only my life

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

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

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

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

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