It’s been 24 years since Georgia Trend’s inaugural 40 Under 40, and each year the winners continue to leave us awed and inspired. That’s especially true during this troubling year, as many in this group of young leaders are working…
Any institution that’s been around 114 years is bound to go through more than a few life-changing events. Georgia Southern University (GSU), founded in 1906, has certainly seen its share. But the consolidation of GSU with Armstrong Atlantic State University…
This month Georgia Trend celebrates 35 years as the statewide magazine dedicated to business, politics and economic development. To mark this milestone, we wanted to recognize people from around the state who have contributed for many years to making Georgia…
Between the twin specters of the COVID-19 pandemic and the recession, investing in community development might be considered a hard sell. But if the past is any indication, the next couple of years could actually be a good time to…
A newsletter written by the Georgia Bankers Association (GBA) in January 2020 offered its members a rosy update. More than 200 banks were doing business in the state (160 of them Georgia-based). Ninety-six percent of the banks were profitable with…
Responding to active shooters, training firefighters, keeping babies and seniors healthy, ensuring the privacy of citizens and getting folks from here to there, these are all things that fall to counties – often to counties with limited resources. Leaders in…
Of all the graduate business degrees, the master of business administration, or MBA, has long been considered the gold standard. Initially designed for individuals educated outside of business school, the MBA is a generalist degree preparing the holder to step…
College basketball players and coaches have one goal – playing in the NCAA tournament that culminates in the Final Four championship tournament. This year, that long and winding road leads to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where the Men’s Final Four…
“There are no secrets to success,” said former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. “It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” His description could apply to the individuals included in Georgia Trend’s 22nd annual listing…
In 1980, Doug Hines, a Detroit native, was a freshman at Eastern Michigan University. An advanced student who had been programming professionally in several computer languages prior to starting college, he turned in his first computer programming class assignment expecting…
When it comes to the aerospace industry, Georgia is in the big league. In 2017, aerospace companies located here provided direct employment for more than 108,000 citizens. It’s a diverse mix of businesses that run the gamut from family-owned Aerodox…
Enhancing a gateway to Atlanta. Developing a smart corridor in a commercial district. Reclaiming urban land over the highway. Forward-thinking projects are flourishing with support from South Fulton County’s and Downtown Atlanta’s community improvement districts (CIDs). These self-taxing commercial property…
It’s been 23 years since Georgia Trend’s inaugural 40 Under 40, and each year the winners continue to leave us awed and inspired. That’s no different with this year’s group of young leaders, who while representing the nonprofit, healthcare and…
Premier investments in technology, healthcare and financial services are continuing to fuel growth in the cities of North Fulton County – Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton and Roswell. And city leaders are carefully balancing growth and development with residents’ need for…
Something’s changed in Gwinnett County. It’s not just the abundance of town centers bursting forth around old town squares or splashy live-work-play developments springing up instead of strip malls. It’s something deeper. In her 2019 State of the County speech,…
The national Main Street movement that started 39 years ago is responsible for helping transform and renew historic commercial districts of varying sizes and descriptions from sea to shining sea. Its goal, then and now, is to build communities through…
The way people work, the places they work, the way they think about work and its place of importance in their lives has undergone a radical shift. Many of the changes are due to innovations in technology making remote work…
The term local control means keeping government close to home. For folks in six Georgia counties, local control is overseen by someone who goes above and beyond the call to improve the lives of his or her constituents. The ACCG,…
Metro Atlanta resident Renata Dennis falls into the typical credit union demographic. She’s a baby boomer, a woman and a professional. She also followed in her parents’ footsteps: she’s a second-generation credit union member. Dennis joined 1st Choice Credit Union…
The legacy of former Gov. Nathan Deal has yet to be fully written, but a sizable portion of it will certainly be devoted to his focus on strengthening workforce education through the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). Nowhere was…
Record-breaking. That is how the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) described the state of global trade in Georgia one year ago, when the most recent numbers had just come in. The value of Georgia exports exceeded $37.2 billion in…
The Atlanta Braves and The Home Depot are iconic brands firmly associated with the state of Georgia, thanks in large part to this year’s newest Georgia Trustees, John Schuerholz, vice-chair emeritus of the Atlanta Braves, and Frank Blake, retired chair…
According to Henry David Thoreau, “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” His assessment is an apt description of the individuals included in Georgia Trend’s 21st annual listing of the 100 Most Influential…
Michael Cassidy Director of Emory Biomedical Catalyst The landscape of technology-based economic development – engaging business, higher education and government; attracting top-tier researchers; and capitalization of that research in Georgia – would have looked very different if the Georgia Research…
When her daughter was seven years old, Lee Ann Liska, now the CEO of Augusta University (AU) Medical Center, home of the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, found herself living every parent’s nightmare. “She was diagnosed with leukemia and treated for…
County leaders are generally folks just like the rest of us – they want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness – with one difference: their job is to develop ways to better provide those same inalienable rights to their…
Sean McMillan is the University of Georgia’s new economic development officer, based in Atlanta and charged with making the university’s resources more accessible to communities and development agencies.
Wells Fargo VP Chris Pettis calls himself a professional networker. He played a part in a deal that promises to bring a film and entertainment complex to Fayette County.
Kennesaw State University is all grown up. Originally chartered as a two-year junior college 50 years ago – Oct. 9, 1963, to be precise – KSU is now the third-largest university in Georgia with more than 24,600 students from 132…
Writer and St. Simons native Jingle Davis was a natural to write a book on the island’s history.
Folks driving along busy Peachtree Road north of Buckhead have probably caught a glimpse of Oglethorpe University behind the stone walls and wrought iron fencing and imagined the place to be exclusive and stuffy. Those folks would be wrong.…
Silverman Construction Program Management’s Arnie Silverman says when his company serves as liaison with the developer, the architect and general contractor, communication is key.
In its ongoing recovery from the recession, Dalton and Whitfield County made all the right and expected moves. Economic development professionals, along with city and county officials, sought advice from state economic developers and got on their radar. They…
New UGA President Jere Morehead embarks on “the job of a lifetime” and feels a responsibility to faculty, staff and students.
UGA Grady College benefactor and communications guru Dick Yarbrough hopes the Chair of Crisis Communication Management he established will raise a generation of external counselors with skill and judgment.
It’s easy to think Georgia’s mountain communities are all the same – forests, waterfalls and lakes, quaint towns with gift shops and restaurants boasting “country cooking” – but Mitch Griggs, executive director of the Union County Development Authority (UCDA),…
AirWatch Chairman Alan Dabbiere says one of Atlanta’s real strengths in recruiting technology companies is the ready supply of affordable talent.
A Voice For A Community Helen Kim Ho Executive Director and Founder Asian American Legal Advocacy Center Helen Kim Ho is an American Dream come true. Her parents moved the family from South Korea to South Carolina when Helen was…
Parker Companies CEO Greg Parker believes in focusing on the customer experience in his convenience stores and in making a contribution to the communities they serve.
Momentum is a beautiful thing, especially when the topic is economic development, and right now Cherokee County’s got it. Since climbing out of the recession, the Cherokee Office of Economic Development has recorded a steady, four-year increase in prospect…
Georgia Natural Resources Foundation Executive Director Ben Stowers heads a group that seeks to raise money to bolster DNR programs endangered by shrinking budgets.
Collaboration is more than just a business buzzword; it’s an essential element in sustainable economic development. Communities are learning the power that comes from something we all learned back in kindergarten. It’s good to work well with others. As…
The newly rebooted Center for Health Transformation is nonprofit and nonpartisan. WellStar CEO Reynold Jennings wants to make it a learning lab for real solutions.
Leaders in the middle Georgia city of Macon and Bibb County learned that diversity is a key to economic development and the vibrancy of a community. Nine years ago, the departure of tobacco giant Brown & Williamson left a…
Georgia Lottery Corporation President and CEO Debbie Alford says an educated citizenry is essential to Georgia’s long-term global competitive position.
Who doesn’t love a lively, thriving downtown area, especially one with some small-town charm and big-time buzz? Making and keeping a downtown healthy and inviting takes a lot of work – sometimes cities have to re-invent themselves. Georgia Trend…
The Georgia Review is part of the literary magazine world, says its editor Stephen Corey. The primary commitment is publishing new work that is special, unusual and important.
R. Charles “Charlie” Loudermilk Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Aaron’s, Inc. Age: 85 Atlanta It is the classic American success story. An Atlanta native, Charlie Loudermilk decided early on he wanted to be a millionaire and saw the rental business…
Former Sen. Sam Nunn is working to help solve the fiscal and economic challenges he sees as security and foreign policy problems. When he speaks, people listen.
Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin is now CEO of Purpose Built Communities, working to break the cycle of poverty through education, housing and wellness.
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