Power Players

The times, they were a-changin’ when Tom Land-rum arrived at the Univer-sity of Georgia in 1968. “The 1960s leading into the mid-1970s was an exciting, extraordinary time to be on a college campus,” he says. “I felt like a firsthand…

In 1970, Bob Lewis was a 20-year-old Georgia State college student who had just lost his job, one he described as “the best job ever.” “I was a tour guide at the Carling Brewery in Atlanta,” he laughs. Since his…

When Suzanne Doonan, managing director of the Historic Riverside Cemetery Conservancy, looks outside her office, she sees and senses peace. “There’s nothing spooky about this place to me,” says Doonan. “I have a sense that the spirits here are completely…

Steve Penley has a bias that shows up in his art, but he is unapologetic. “My bias is toward the greatness of America rather than cynicism,” he says. “As an artist, I give my perspective. Perhaps it’s over the top,…

With 54 years of experience in the food distribution business, Gene Sutherland, 74, president and owner of Sutherland’s Foodservice, Inc., doesn’t need economic forecasts to know what’s going on with the economy. “In tough times people buy more eggs and…

C.J. Stewart was overcome by emotion as he introduced Jason Heyward, the highly touted Atlanta Braves pros-pect, at a November 2009 luncheon. Choking back tears, Stewart described Heyward’s accomplishments on the field but more importantly the young ballplayer’s commitment to…

Give Johnny Lastinger credit, the guy knows how to find a need and fill it. Case in point: Lastinger’s publication, Valdosta Magazine, mailed quarterly to 2,500 regular subscribers to update them on the interesting people, places and goings-on in Valdosta,…

On the surface, it appears incongruous: a correlation between sculpting and commercial real estate. But as sculptor and commercial realtor Frank Mann explains it, it makes good sense. “From sculpting, I know I’ve become a better listen-er,” says Mann, a…

Tim Lowe III knows the reputation engineers have. “Engineers aren’t considered the liveliest bunch,” he says. “The technical disciplines naturally attract people who tend toward introversion.” That being the case, Lowe, 58-year-old managing partner and chairman of the board of…

Attorney John Yates, 53, originally from Charlotte, NC, couldn’t have imagined that taking a basic computer class as a high school sophomore would lead to a 27-year career in technology law. And he certainly couldn’t have envisioned blogging and Tweeting…