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Posted inMichelle Hiskey, Michelle Hiskey & Ben Smith

For African-American women, a hairstyle can be a tricky decision

by Michelle Hiskey

For African-American women, unemployment is 12.3 percent nationally, 13.1 percent in Georgia. That tough reality helped draw more than 100 black women to an event last week at Georgia State University focused on one decision that each of them faces:

What to do with my hair?

For them, preparing for a job interview or the first day of work isn’t as simple as deciding whether to go with the regimental blue-striped or the red power tie. Around the country, disputes over African American female hairstyles have led to accusations of wrongful firings and discrimination lawsuits.

Atlanta is where people notice, too; for example, TV news viewers spent decades obsessing over local anchor Monica Kaufman Pearson’s changing ‘dos.

Posted inATL Business Chronicle, Maria's Metro

Muhtar Kent: Coca-Cola a bridge between world and Atlanta

Avatar photo by Maria Saporta

By Maria Saporta

Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Friday, March 1, 2013

As the top executive for The Coca-Cola Co., Muhtar Kent may be the most global CEO working for the most global company in the world.

It is a role Kent takes seriously. As Coca-Cola’s CEO for nearly five years (his anniversary will be in July), Kent has continued to expand the company’s business and social impact on the world.

Posted inLatest News

Francophonie Festival and France-Atlanta building closer ties among us

Avatar photo by Maria Saporta

By Maria Saporta

They’ve become the French bookends in Atlanta.

From March 16 through March 26, Atlanta will hold the 14th Atlanta Francophonie Festival — a multicultural event geared to all the cultures in the world where French is spoken — 57 countries in all.

And the Consulate General of France announced last week that it is bringing back France-Atlanta. The fourth annual high-level exchange between France and Atlanta will take place between Oct. 23 and Nov. 10. The theme is: Together Towards Innovation.

Posted inMoments, Moments Season 2

Raymond King’s Moment in the doctor’s office led him to leave bank, lead Zoo Atlanta

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By Chris Schroder

Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond King remembers the Moment the doctor looked him in the eye and said, “You’ve got lymphoma.” Today, he looks back on it as a blessing.

“I often joke with people that if you can be guaranteed of surviving it, then I would recommend cancer to you because of what it does to your outlook on life and how it allows you to see how blessed you are,” Raymond said.

Posted inMaria's Metro

Affordable housing developer, PRI, going out of business after 25 years

Avatar photo by Maria Saporta

The demise of Progressive Redevelopment Inc. — once the largest nonprofit owner and developer of affordable housing in the state — is a sad commentary of our times.

Specifically, it points to the nearly insurmountable hurdles that exist to provide supportive housing to those with the greatest needs — especially during trying economic times.

A reflective Bruce Gunter, one of PRI’s co-founders and its CEO, is now working without a paycheck, expecting to phase out what’s left of the organization within the next six months.

Posted inDavid Pendered

Stadium deal offers Atlanta biggest opportunity since airport concessions contracts to shape social policy

by David Pendered

Atlanta’s role in funding the proposed Falcons stadium provides Mayor Kasim Reed and the Atlanta City Council with their biggest opportunity since the airport concessions contracts to shape social objectives through public investments.

With the city’s airport contracts, the city strongly encouraged joint ventures and required a minimum of 36 percent of contracts be awarded to disadvantaged businesses. In another example of tightly drawn requirements, a group of restaurant contracts required specific types of food to be served – food unique to the American South.

Posted inGuest Column

Georgia’s green building lead at risk as state sides with forestry industry

by Teresa Johnston

By Guest Columnist DAVID FREEDMAN, executive director of the U.S. Green Building Council, Georgia Chapter

Can the forestry industry and the green building industry co-exist in Georgia?

Most Georgians would think the answer to this question is, “yes.”

Both industries support protecting natural resources, clean water and clean air; preserving green space; utilizing local building materials and creating jobs.

Posted inEleanor Ringel Cater

‘Dark Skies’ – thriller shows originality then disappoints; final Oscar thoughts

Avatar photo by Eleanor Ringel Cater

Any movie that begins with a quote from Arthur C. Clarke means to be taken seriously.

And for much of “Dark Skies,” that respect is earned. So much so that I’m a bit surprised the studio did so little to market it. Not even one of those garish nightmares called “word of mouth” screenings.

Like the best haunted house movies — which this is not; remember Clarke is a sci-fi guy — “Dark Skies” works through suggestion, misdirection and just enough shocks to keep you on your toes.

Posted inLatest News

Ray Anderson Foundation gift to set up Georgia Tech sustainability center

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B y Maria Saporta

The legacy of Ray Anderson, a corporate champion of sustainability, will live on at Georgia Tech.

The Ray C. Anderson Foundation has awarded a $750,000 grant to Georgia Tech to establish the Center on Business Strategies of Sustainability (CBSS) within the Ernest Scheller Jr. College of Business.

The new program will be developed by Dr. L. Beril Toktay, operations management professor and Brady Family Chair at the Scheller College of Business.

Posted inDavid Pendered

Organized opposition emerges to MARTA’s proposed restructuring, privatization of some jobs

by David Pendered

Opponents of the expansive legislative proposal to remake MARTA’s governance structure and privatize jobs took to the streets Thursday and say they collected about a thousand signatures supporting their view.

The protest movement now consists of three entities: MARTA’s union; the national union office in Washington, D.C.; and Georgians for Better Transit.

The transit group is a state affiliate of Americans for Transit, of which former MARTA GM Beverly Scott serves as a director. The national group’s website says it is a grassroots group of transit riders and advocates who seek to secure transit funding.

Posted inLatest News

Construction set to begin next week on Center for Civil and Human Rights

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By Maria Saporta

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights will begin turning dirt next week, according to Doug Shipman, its executive director.

The attraction has just received its land disturbance permit from the city, which will enable its construction crews to secure the site, establish sidewalk closures and prepare the site’s access road. Construction is still on track for the project to be completed by mid 2014.

A ceremonial ground-breaking event was held on July 27, 2012.

Posted inDavid Pendered

Reed supports Obama’s national infrastructure repair plan, although it’s been drowned out by sequester

by David Pendered

Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed on Wednesday strongly endorsed one of President Obama’s domestic proposals, even as it has been swept from the stage by debate over budget cuts known as the sequester.

During Obama’s State of the Union message, the president reintroduced the idea of repairing the nation’s transportation infrastructure. The plan he discussed is to fix worn roads, bridges, ports, water and sewerage, and transit – and to pay for the upgrades with measures including a national infrastructure bank.

Posted inATL Business Chronicle, Maria's Metro

Column: CDC Foundation aids Haiti’s recovery efforts

Avatar photo by Maria Saporta

By Maria Saporta

Published in the Atlanta Business Chronicle on Friday, February 22, 2013

The Atlanta-based CDC Foundation has championed an effort to build two new public health buildings in Haiti as a way to help the country continue its recovery from the 2010 earthquake.

The two buildings will be dedicated in Port-au-Prince on Feb. 25.

After the earthquake, Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population was destroyed, forcing its health officials to work out of temporary housing or tents. Haiti also had other public health needs, including a place to conduct epidemiology training and conduct research.

Posted inDavid Pendered

Georgia signs Toyota to use Brunswick port to ship SUVs built in Kentucky to buyers in Russia, Ukraine

by David Pendered

Toyota announced Tuesday a deal that underscores the growing role of Georgia’s ports in the global supply chain.

Toyota will use the state port in Brunswick to ship its midsize crossover SUV to Russia and Ukraine. The vehicles are assembled in Georgetown, Ky.

Toyota is a new client for the ports authority and it joins Caterpillar in shipping machines through the port. Last year, Caterpillar cited the Brunswick port in its decision to build near Athens a manufacturing plant that is to serve markets in Europe and Latin America.

Posted inPublic Relations, Thought Leader, Uncategorized

Trending: I hear people say they don’t read eNewsletters any more, but this past week has proved just the opposite

by SaportaReport

I’ve been so busy this past year that when Schroder PR Account Manager Sarah Funderburk would ask me every few months how the firm was going to celebrate its 10th anniversary, I’d just shrug my shoulders, shake my head and gaze back into my computer. Lucky for me, I’m not in charge of anniversaries. One […]

Posted inEleanor Ringel Cater

Academy Awards — Monday morning Oscar-backing on who won and lost

Avatar photo by Eleanor Ringel Cater

Where were you when they announced Best Picture at the Oscars on Sunday?

I was in bed, but, showing stamina I hadn’t mustered in years —stamina, mind you, not enjoyment — I actually saw the very end. I mean, the very, very end, including, the song that Kristin Chenoweth (who is her agent; she was everywhere) and host Seth McFarlane did about the losers.

Posted inSaba Long

City of Atlanta hosts key tech ‘Startup’ events; launches first ‘Govathon’

by Saba Long

The growth and support of Atlanta’s technology community was on display this past week with nearly each day showcasing a segment of the City’s startup firepower.

Dubbing itself “the largest gathering of startups since the Cotton States and International Exposition in 1895,” Startup Rally kicked off Monday, Feb. 18 as an expo and internship fair. It also was the official launch of Startup Georgia.

The event featured a network of speakers, sponsors and technologists including Steve Case of Startup America; Sig Mosley, a well-respected venture capitalist; Scott Henderson, executive director of Hypepotamus; and even Jermaine Dupri of So So Def Recordings.

Posted inTom Baxter

The slow, or fast, train to 2014

Avatar photo by Tom Baxter

Stories about the Republican governors’ struggle with accepting the Medicaid expansion often say, as an Associated Press story did this week, that under the Affordable Care Act, “Washington pays the full cost of the expansion for the first three years, gradually phasing down to 90 percent.” This is true, but there is a little more to it, and in political terms that little is large.

To expand the explanation somewhat, from Jan. 1, 2014, to Dec. 31, 2016, the feds will pay the participating states 100 percent of their Medicaid costs. The scale-down begins in 2017 and reaches 90 percent in 2020.

What results from this is somewhat akin to Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. To some GOP governors who have been vocally opposed to Obamacare, the train they’re on appears to be moving slowly enough to get through one more qualifying, one more election, maybe even having their portrait hung in the capitol before they’re compelled to concede.

Posted inDavid Pendered

BeltLine: Construction returns as advisory group ponders equity issues

by David Pendered

A new report shows that construction activity along the Atlanta BeltLine is trending upward after a stark decline during the recession.

Fourteen projects were under construction in 2012. That compares to four projects in 2011, three in 2010, and nine in 2009. There were 31 projects being built in 2008, according to the new report from the city’s Bureau of Planning.

The concentration of development in northeast Atlanta – half the projects being built last year were in the Freedom Parkway subarea – speaks to the issue of equitable development, which is the subject of an advisory group that’s to meet Friday.

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