The Council for Quality Growth, in partnership with DeKalb County Government and the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, will host the 2023 State of DeKalb County Address on Wednesday, April 26, 2023 at 11:30 AM at the historic Pullman Yards in Atlanta. This year’s lunch and program is presented by the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority and will feature remarks from CEO of DeKalb County, Michael L. Thurmond. More than 500 Council and Chamber members, elected officials, businesses, residents, county staff, and partners of DeKalb County are expected at the historic industrial site and former train yard to hear the CEO’s annual address.

The Council’s State of DeKalb County annually convenes the county’s business community with its local government bodies, as well as with other local leaders from across the region. CEO Michael Thurmond will address the businesses in his community to present achievements and projects from the last year, as well as an outlook for what’s ahead in 2023. This will be CEO Thurmond’s 6th State of the County address to DeKalb’s businesses and community partners. The event at Pullman Yards follows Thurmond’s unique 2022 address held inside an airplane hangar at Peachtree-DeKalb Airport. In fitting the historic train yard setting, CEO Thurmond has titled this year’s address “All Aboard DeKalb…Greatness is our Destination.” Thurmond intends to highlight the partnership between his county and the City of Atlanta at the first State of DeKalb held within the city’s limits. In addition, he’ll present three W.W. King Bridge Builder Awards to local business leaders and public servants for their great contributions to DeKalb.

The Council for Quality Growth works with DeKalb County and its local municipalities year-round to advocate for our members doing business in those areas. “The Council is proud to partner with DeKalb County, CEO Thurmond, and all elected leadership to support high-quality growth and development here in DeKalb,” said Michael Paris, President & CEO of the Council. “The county continues to make strong investments toward economic development and job creation, and we’re looking forward to hearing another great annual report of the progress.”

The State of DeKalb will also feature remarks from President Doug Shipman of the Atlanta City Council, Bernie Tokarz, Vice-Chair of the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority, Frankie Atwater, President & CEO of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, and Danny Johnson, Manager of the ARC’s Metro North Georgia Water Planning District. A full list of speakers in this year’s program is below.

Press are invited to attend with prior registration. Please RSVP to Kathryn Jones at [email protected].

2023 State of DeKalb County
Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2023
Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: Pullman Yards (Atlanta, GA)
Featured Speakers:
CEO Michael L. Thurmond, DeKalb County
President Doug Shipman, Atlanta City Council
Commissioner Robert Patrick, Presiding Officer, DeKalb County Commission
Brandon Hartley, Chairman, DeKalb Chamber of Commerce
Beatrice Williams, Co-Chair, Bicentennial Commission, DeKalb County
Bernie Tokarz, Vice-Chair, Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority
Rob Ross, Chairman, Council for Quality Growth
Michael Paris, President and CEO, Council for Quality Growth
Frankie Atwater, President and CEO, DeKalb Chamber of Commerce
Danny Johnson, Manager, Metro North Georgia Water Planning District

More details and registration for the 2023 State of DeKalb County can be found here: https://members.councilforqualitygrowth.org/events/details/state-of-dekalb-county-address-2023-5430