2024 Most Influential Hall of Fame Inductees: Gary Black & Robert L. Brown, Jr.

In the tapestry of life, plans often unravel, forcing us to envision a new future. Such was the case with Gary Black. “My plan on entering the University of Georgia [UGA] was to be an ag teacher,” says the former Georgia agriculture commissioner. He was active in student government, and in 1980 he was an intern for Sen. Herman Talmadge, chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. The backstory is a little unusual: Black was blindfolded during an honorary ritual ceremony at UGA when he was told he’d been selected as the senator’s intern. Unbeknownst to him, the person speaking was Talmadge – and the following months changed his life. The internship prepared him for his role as Georgia agriculture commissioner.

Photo Daemon Baizan.

Black’s predecessor, Tommy Irvin, held the office for 42 years. While replacing him might seem daunting, for Black, a Republican who began serving in 2011, it was a welcome challenge; he plowed forward (pun intended) and started working. Black ran on three themes: safe food, strong farms and responsible government. It didn’t hurt that he had firsthand knowledge. “I live on the farm [where] I grew up and we raise beef cattle … We have 90 steers and are just like Omaha Steaks, but considerably smaller,” he says.

Black may not have served for as long as Irvin, but his impact was noteworthy. He was re-elected by large margins, in part because of bipartisan support. In 2014, he received 58.6% of the votes, more than the governor and lieutenant governor. And in 2018, he got a whopping 2.04 million votes.

One initiative that Black rejuvenated during his 12-year term was the Georgia Grown brand – a program for agriculture producers to unite and bring their products to agribusinesses, institutions and consumers. “We set some strong goals toward building the best brand in America. And I believe Georgia Grown is just that,” Black says. A license agreement was set up for using the trademark, and the resulting revenue was used for marketing. “That ensured that individual businesses had skin in the game, and, in turn, they built… a sense of community around a central brand,” Black says. “Instituting online licensing and payment systems, along with more ‘help desk’ resources, enhanced our efficiency and made business easier,” he says.

Another of Black’s accomplishments involves Georgia’s response to natural disasters. He points out that during disasters impacting agriculture, Congress often deploys the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to send assistance. But such aid can be delayed if it gets tied up in bureaucratic red tape. So when a Category 5 hurricane slammed the state in 2018, Black sought a more immediate solution.

“Hurricane Michael … demanded an uncommon response, both in magnitude and program structure,” Black says. When Georgia’s Congressional delegation offered block grants to fund, design and implement a disaster program, Black and his team agreed. “Many were concerned about the ability of federal authorities to respond quickly enough,” Black says. His team assembled commodity leaders, bankers and experts from UGA, and within weeks they had crafted a historic plan that resulted in $171 million in relief for Georgia ag producers.

Black also championed efforts for a state response. “Gov. Deal also asked for a plan. House Appropriations Chairman Terry England and I designed a low-interest loan program literally on the back of an envelope, just days after the storm,” says Black, adding that with Deal’s blessing and later Gov. Brian Kemp’s, they implemented a revolving loan program that saved Georgia farm families from ruin.

“Over the next three months, the legislature funded $75 million for the SAFETY 21 [Securing Agriculture Forestry and the Environment for the 21st Century] program. We…funded loans for 276 farmers.”

These days Black continues to work on his farm in Commerce and is managing partner of On Point Strategies, a consulting firm focused on trade, product and market development and regulatory compliance.

Black ran for U.S. Senate in 2022 but lost the primary to Herschel Walker. “I never regretted a moment of it,” he says. He plans to hit the speaking circuit this year with “Everybody Ought to Run for Office,” a public service leadership presentation.

Still, the future of agriculture is never far from his mind. He’s working with Georgia Tech’s science and technology research center called ReWOOD, which focuses on a field of science called xylochemistry. Xylochemistry uses sustainable, plant-based materials to develop industrial products.

Black looks back fondly on his tenure as agriculture commissioner. “I hope that everything we did was helpful, from treating everyone equitably, helping Georgians start businesses and stay in business, and helping the most vulnerable during a devastating natural disaster,” he says, adding, “I believe that most would say that we treated everybody with respect, fairness and integrity.” 

Robert L. Brown, Jr. is well known in the state of Georgia as a “citizen architect.” For those unfamiliar with the term, a citizen architect is a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) who goes above and beyond to adhere to the highest ethical standards while taking a role in the civic advocacy of their communities.

Photo Daemon Baizan.

To find evidence that the moniker is well deserved, look no further than the leadership positions that Brown has held
over the years, serving on boards of many organizations like the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Metro Atlanta Chamber, the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education, Citizens Trust Bank and Agnes Scott College, to name a few. Brown has also lent his expertise to the Georgia Historical Society as chairman emeritus of the board of curators and has set the direction of the Georgia Department of Transportation, serving as chair in 2016-2017 and on the board for more than a decade.

In 2020, Robert Brown was named Georgia Trustee. The award is the state’s highest honor and recognizes those who go above and beyond to make Georgia a better place to live. It is presented by the Office of the Governor and the Georgia Historical Society (GHS).

For Brown, president of Decatur-based R.L. Brown & Associates, it’s all in a day’s work.

Brown first studied at his father’s knee, so to speak. “My dad was a builder, and I grew up in a small town and accompanied him to jobs starting around the age of five, sometimes working with him on weekends as I grew older until I enrolled in Tuskegee University,” says Brown. It was there that Brown earned two degrees: a Bachelor of Architectural Science and a Master of Architecture, graduating magna cum laude.

After graduation, Brown took a position at an international company. But when it appeared that Brown would have to upend his family and relocate for his job, he decided to take the necessary steps to start his own business.

“This was 1984. I was married with a child at the time and didn’t want to relocate,” says Brown, adding that he had been considering starting his own company for a couple of years, so the timing seemed right. Brown never looked back.

During the early years Brown worked designing houses for his brother-in-law, who owned his own construction company, until he discovered that he was much more interested in working on large commercial buildings. Soon enough he was getting jobs to design educational institutions like preK, elementary, middle and high school buildings, university facilities and facilities specializing in technical and adult education.

Additional projects included senior centers and public libraries, as well as museums and cultural centers. Brown’s reputation began to grow quickly. Just a few of the impressive projects listed in his extensive portfolio include the Leadership Center at Morehouse College, the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Alabama. Brown won an award of excellence for his work on the World of Coca-Cola, an attraction in downtown Atlanta.

Brown says he’s experienced many changes in the architectural field over the 40 years that he’s owned his business. “Technology plays a bigger part now, which is why you don’t have as many employees,” says Brown, adding that work that used to take about eight employees now takes one. Brown mentions how “drawing up blueprints” is mostly a thing of the past – architects today create blueprints digitally. Now, 3-D imaging comes into play when showing clients a prototype of the finished project. At one time, Brown had 35 employees; he now has eight.

“Hone in on what you want to achieve, and then build up a portfolio. Also, do whatever comes your way.” Robert L. Brown, Jr.

As for early inspiration? Brown cites Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, one of the most influential architects of the 20th century with his “less is more” approach. “His style connected with me, so that’s what I did,” says Brown.

If Brown was tasked with naming any challenges he’d had along the way, he’d say that one would be finding employees that are a good fit. “They need to have a passion for the work that you want them to do,” he says.

Brown is also known for his commitment to mentoring upcoming generations of architects. Because of his leadership, he won the AIA Georgia Bernard B. Rothschild Award, the highest honor the AIA Georgia can give an architect.

His advice for those starting out? “Hone in on what you want to achieve, and then build up a portfolio. Also, do whatever comes your way,” Brown says, adding additional suggestions that can be simplified into “seizing the day.” It’s advice Brown has put into practice himself. “I [designed houses] to have something to do when I was building my business. Now I have large buildings to keep me busy for a long time,” he says, with a smile.