...a
glance at what's making the news...
Bernie Marcus Speaks at the Metro Atlanta
Chamber
The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce hosted Bernie
Marcus, co-founder and former chairman and CEO
of The Home Depot and founder of the Georgia Aquarium,
at a breakfast on June 30. He discussed the start
up stages of The Home Depot and how he and Arthur
Blank, owner and CEO of the Atlanta Falcons, mainstreamed
home improvement and developed the concept of
lowering price margins and offering a large variety
of products to customers. He reiterated the impact
of The Home Depot's success in hiring friendly
professionals willing to teach the average homeowner
how to accomplish projects on one's own. Mr. Marcus
advised small business owners to "be aware of
their weaknesses and understand their strengths."
He went on to explain that his partnership with
Arthur Blank was successful due to their ability
to balance one another's strengths and weaknesses.
Mr. Marcus donated $200 million to the Georgia
Aquarium project. When asked why he chose to build
an aquarium in Atlanta, Mr. Marcus responded,
"to pay back the city and state for all they have
done to help" with The Home Depot. The Georgia
Aquarium opens on Nov. 23, 2005. This will be
the second-largest aquarium in the world with
more than 55,000 animals. www.georgiaaquarium.org
Atlanta Ranked 2nd Hottest City in America
for New Business
Despite labor force news that Atlanta has lost
its luster in regards to booming job growth, the
area continues to attract about 100,000 new residents
annually and continues to be recognized by consultants
as a top five place to do business. At the beginning
of the year, Expansion Management Magazine polled
its database of leading national site consultants
in order to discover the hottest places for business
expansion and relocation, and Atlanta came in
second behind Nashville. A 2004 UHAUL National
Migration Trend Report, released April 2005, substantiated
Atlanta's popularity to newcomers as Atlanta ranked
first as a "top destination for movers 50 miles
or more" for the fourth consecutive year.
Metro Atlanta is also being recognized as a top
ten place in attracting new business and investment
- reaping a notable share of national business
activity, according to Conway Data. Site Selection
magazine ranked metro Atlanta sixth in terms of
receiving the most expanded and new facilities
last year. In terms of facility investment for
2004, the area ranked eighth with $1.7 billion
in new facility investments.
Arby's Returns to Atlanta
Arby's will relocate their corporate headquarters
from Ft. Lauderdale to Atlanta creating up to
90 high quality jobs in Atlanta. The relocation
marks a return to Atlanta for Arby's, which was
headquartered in the city from 1979 until 1991,
before moving to Florida. "We are thrilled to
be back in Atlanta, a city that offers us tremendous
opportunities for continued growth and success,"
said Doug Benham, president and CEO, Arby's, LLC.
Georgia Appropriates More than $200,000 for Feasibility
Study
The Georgia General Assembly appropriated $203,500
in landmark funding for high-speed rail. Eligible
for a dollar-for-dollar match by federal funding,
the money will be used to undertake an extensive
government-backed analysis of the Alliance business
model, examining city pairs in the Southeast High-Speed
Rail corridor.
High Musuem Expansion
The High Museum of Art's expansion will open Nov.
12, 2005. Two new galleries, an open-air piazza
and Table 1280 restaurant (opening September 2005)
are included. www.high.org
IKEA at Atlantic Station Opens
The much anticipated Swedish home furnishing store,
IKEA, opened on Wednesday June 29. The first portion
of Atlantic Station to come to life, people had
been waiting in line for as long as a week for
the store to finally open its doors. Roger Penguino
had the distinction of being the first in line,
a profitable status as it earned him a $4,000
gift certificate from the store. Once the doors
opened, it took almost an hour for the first several
thousand customers who were waiting to make it
through the door.
The remainder of Atlantic Station will open in
October with 12 million square feet of retail,
office and residential space. www.atlanticstation.com
Atlantic Station will also include a hotel
and condo property named TWELVE with 101 suites.
The 6,000-square-foot ballroom opens December
2005 and rooms will be available February 2006.
www.twelveatlanticstation.com
Salute to service...Atlanta police officers
honored by Georgia Power
To commemorate the Fourth of July, on June 29th,
Georgia Power hosted a patriotic themed luncheon
and awards ceremony honoring local law enforcement
officials.
Summer Fun at Georgia Tech's Technology
Square
Georgia Tech's Technology Square concludes their
summer film series, Flicks on 5th, with a final
showing on July 27. The movies begin at sunset.
15th at Centergy Plaza on 5th Street in Midtown.
Also featured this summer is Martinis & Jazz
with David Rowland, every Thursday through August
with complimentary hors d'oeuvres and drink specials.
Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center, 800
Spring Street NW. www.flickson5th.com
Turner First Thursdays
The granddaddy of all art walks, Turner First
Thursdays takes place - you guessed it - on the
first Thursday of the month from 5-8 p.m. The
arts venues (including galleries, museums and
sometimes restaurants, bars and shops) time their
new exhibits for unveiling on Turner First Thursdays,
so there's always something new to see. www.atlantadowntown.com
National Black Arts Festival
The 2005 National Black Arts Festival celebrates
the creative continuum -- Generation to Generation:
Master -- Mentor -- Muse through Dance, Film,
Music, Literature, Theater, and the Visual Arts,
July 15-24. www.nbaf.org
Great Atlanta Music Fest
The 7th Annual Great Atlanta Music Fest, held
in Woodruff Park, features a special tribute to
Blues & Hip Hop on July 22-24. Performers
include Harvey Scales, Willie Hill and The Laura
Simeon Band. www.dr-love.com
Atlanta Restaurant Week
There is still time to make reservations for Restaurant
Week, August 15-21. Enjoy fabulous 3 -course dinners
for $20.05 per person and special lodging deals
at some of Downtown's finest restaurants and hotels.
www.atlantadowntown.com
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Celebrates 80 Years of Service
The Atlanta community, notable business executives
and civic leaders joined together to commemorate
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport's
multi-decade history and birthday celebration.
The Airport began in 1925 as Candler Field, a
crudely developed plot of 287 acres with two landing
strips for small aircrafts. Since then, the Airport
has been re-named three times and expanded to
4,700 acres which includes four runways--with
a fifth due to open in May 2006.
Today, 80 years later, Hartsfield-Jackson has
been designated as the world's busiest airport
for passengers, as well as flight operations.
According to 2005 mid-year flight statistics,
the airport has serviced some 29 million passengers.
"If we continue at this rate we are on track to
serve approximately 88 million passengers this
year," according to Ben Decosta, Aviation General
Manager. "The Airport's continued goal is to exceed
customers expectations".
Thanks to the forward thinking Aviation team and
its many partners, the airport has established
the city as a major business hub with a regional
business impact at close to 19-million annually.
NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum
Be among the first to see images of Atlanta's
proposed NASCAR Hall of Fame Museum. In the coming
weeks, details of Atlanta's bid will be released
at www.halloffameatlanta.com
. Visit often for additional information about
the museum location, building design and exhibit
space.
Become a member of the pit crew and you'll receive
Hall of Fame details in advance of the general
public. While exploring the site, don't forget
to cast your vote for Atlanta on www.thatsracin.com
Peachtree Road Race
People of all ages participated in the 36th Annual
Peachtree Road Race on Monday, July 4, 2005. The
Peachtree Road Race, the world's largest 10k race,
began at 7 am at Lenox Square in Buckhead and
finished at Piedmont Park in Midtown Atlanta.
An estimated 55,000 people participated in this
year's race.
Centennial Olympic Park 4th of July
Centennial Olympic Park welcomed tens of thousands
to Atlanta for the Park's 4th of July Celebration,
downtown's biggest Independence Day party. The
festivities included live music provided by The
Classic Rock All-Stars and Shimmer, and a fireworks
finale that launched over 3,000 fireworks into
the downtown night sky. The 20-minute fireworks
show used shells weighing an estimated 2.5 tons,
and was set against the beautiful downtown Atlanta
skyline.
The annual 4th of July Celebration attracted families
and friends to the 21-acre Park, which has been
the site of downtown's biggest Independence Day
celebrations since 1998.
Centennial Olympic Park continues with its two
summer music series. Music at Noon takes place
every Tuesday and Thursday at noon and Wednesday
WindDown is every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Come
join in on the fun! www.centennialpark.com.
News compiled from: City Newsbytes At-A-Glance
(Mayor's Office of Communications), Underground
Happenings (Underground Atlanta), Membership
Communique (Atlanta Convention and Visitors
Bureau), Downtown Live (Central
Atlanta Progress), Metro Atlanta Chamber
of Commerce Newsletter , www.downtownATL.com
and the Georgia World Congress Center
newsletter.
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