November 2018 Features

• Advanced Technology Development Center Heads to New York City with ATDC Venture Showcase

  November 29, 2018

  The Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), Georgia’s technology incubator, is taking 14 innovative and high-growth Georgia-based companies to New York City where those firms will meet and make presentations to more than 75 investors from 50 leading venture capital and growth equity firms.

• Consumers are ready to Spend This Holiday, but not Necessarily at the Stores

  November 29, 2018

  Holiday shoppers are more than prepared to buy in force this year. The only question is who will capture their dollars. Three out of four consumers (76 percent) plan to spend as much or more than they did last year, but, according to A.T. Kearney's 2018 Holiday Shopping Survey.

• Georgia State Research Expenditures Top $200M For The First Time

  November 29, 2018

  Georgia State University’s total research expenditures exceeded $200 million for the first time in fiscal year 2017, the National Science Foundation reports in the latest Higher Education Research and Development Survey.

• United Technologies Announces Intention to Separate Into Three Independent Companies

  November 28, 2018

  United Technologies Corp. announced the completion of its acquisition of Rockwell Collins and the company's intention to separate its commercial businesses, Otis and Carrier (formerly CCS), into independent entities. The separation will result in three global, industry-leading companies.

• Korean Battery Manufacturer to Create More Than 2,000 Jobs in Georgia

  November 28, 2018

  Gov. Nathan Deal announced that SK innovation, a developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid electric vehicles, is estimated to create more than 2,000 jobs and invest $1.67 billion in a new manufacturing plant in Jackson County in the long term.

• Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Announces Center for Workforce Innovation in Partnership with Atlanta Committee for Progress and Atlanta Technical College

  November 27, 2018

  Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the establishment of the Center for Workforce Innovation, a jobs training program focused on outcomes-based education for high-demand careers. The Center, which will be housed at Atlanta Technical College, is the result of a public-private partnership with the City of Atlanta, Atlanta Committee for Progress and Atlanta Technical College.

• Kennesaw State Names New Vice President for Advancement and CEO of KSU Foundation

  November 27, 2018

  Following a nationwide search, Kennesaw State President Pamela Whitten has named Lance Burchett as the University’s new vice president for advancement and CEO of the KSU Foundation, effective Dec. 12.

• Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority 16 Member Board Elections Complete

  November 26, 2018

  The Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority is pleased to announce that elections for the 10 District ATL Board have been completed. The ATL will be governed by a 16-member board—10 of the 16 members represent 10 different “Transit Districts” that intentionally cross county boundaries.

• Mercedes-Benz Stadium, AT&T Unveil Large Mural Honoring the City of Atlanta and Westside Community

  November 26, 2018

  Already widely considered a work of art amongst sports and entertainment venues, Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium and one of its inhabitants, the AT&T Perch, welcomed on Friday a new “masterpiece” designed by young Atlanta artist Faatimah Stevens.

• CenterState Bank Corporation Announces Acquisition of National Commerce Corporation

  November 26, 2018

  CenterState Bank Corporation and National Commerce Corporation, jointly announced today the signing of a definitive agreement pursuant to which National Commerce will merge with and into CenterState in an all-stock transaction.

• AT&T Names Venessa Harrison President-Georgia

  November 16, 2018

  Venessa Harrison has been named new state president for AT&T in Georgia. With over three decades of experience with AT&T and its predecessor companies, Harrison comes to Georgia after serving as AT&T-North Carolina’s state president since 2013. She succeeds Bill Leahy, who recently announced his retirement after a nearly-four decade career with AT&T.

• Bank of America Awards Leading Atlanta Nonprofits $400,000 to Increase Affordable Housing and Generate Jobs

  November 16, 2018

  Quest Community Development Organization and Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs have been named as the 2018 Bank of America Neighborhood Builders grant recipients for Atlanta. The nonprofits were selected for their work to tackle issues vital to increasing economic mobility in metro Atlanta.

• Grady Announces Joselyn Baker as New Foundation President

  November 14, 2018

  The Grady Health System announced today that Joselyn Butler Baker will serve as the new President of the Grady Health Foundation, effective December 3rd. In this capacity, she will be responsible for leading efforts to build private and philanthropic support for the Grady Health System.

• Amazon Selects New York City and Northern Virginia for New Headquarters

  November 14, 2018

  Amazon announced that it has selected New York City and Arlington, Virginia, as the locations for the company’s new headquarters. Amazon will invest $5 billion and create more than 50,000 jobs across the two new headquarters locations, with more than 25,000 employees each in New York City and Arlington.

• Corporate Travel Pros Rank Delta No. 1 in Business Travel News Airline Survey for 8th Straight Year

  November 13, 2018

  For a record eighth consecutive year, the corporate travel community has ranked Delta No. 1 among U.S. airlines in the annual Business Travel News Airline Survey.

• Sen. Isakson: Significant Victories for Veterans

  November 12, 2018

  U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, delivered remarks on the Senate floor on October 11th highlighting the Senate’s significant bipartisan victories on behalf of our nation’s veterans and to honor our veterans ahead of Veterans Day.

• Small Business Optimism Reaches Post-Recession High Amid Continued Growth and Strong Economic Conditions

  November 12, 2018

  Continued growth and a strong economy have small business optimism reaching post-recession highs, particularly among male business owners, according to Capital One's latest Small Business Growth Index, a biannual survey of 500 small business owners gauging sentiment related to the economy, business conditions and plans for growth.

• Georgia Foreign-Trade Zone Recognized as Top Zone in U.S. for Second Consecutive Year

  November 11, 2018

  Georgia Foreign-Trade Zone announced that it was awarded the “Top Free Zones Award” by Site Selection magazine for the second consecutive year. GFTZ, which is consistently increasing its client base, was chosen for this recognition following a confidential global survey of more than 1,000 supply chain executives and site selection consultants.

• Hancock Askew & CO on Section 199A Business Deduction

  November 08, 2018

  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 made sweeping changes to our tax code, most of which take effect in 2018. This legislation included Code Section 199A; a 20% profit deduction for eligible pass-through business owners who file as a sole proprietorship and/or receive pass-through income from a partnership or S Corp. Code Section 199A is estimated to have a favorable impact on over 10 million taxpayers.

• Atlanta Braves Will Hold Their 2019 Chop Fest on January 19th

  November 08, 2018

  The Atlanta Braves will host the team's second annual Chop Fest on Saturday, January 19th at SunTrust Park and The Battery Atlanta.

• University System of Georgia Enrollment Increases to All-Time High

  November 08, 2018

  Fall 2018 enrollment in the University System of Georgia’s (USG) 26 colleges and universities totaled 328,712 students, an increase of 1.1 percent (or 3,509 more students) over the previous year. This fall’s enrollment continues a five-year trend of modest increases in student enrollment in the USG.

• The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Announces List of State's 10 'Places in Peril'

  November 08, 2018

  The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation released its 2019 list of 10 Places in Peril in the state.

• East Lake Foundation Receives Record Donation from TOUR Championship

  November 07, 2018

  The PGA TOUR and TOUR Championship announced that just over $3 million was donated from the 2018 TOUR Championship – a tournament record – with more than $29 million invested in local nonprofits since the event was first staged at East Lake Golf Club in 1998.

• NCR Acquires StopLift, Gains Powerful Anti-Theft Solution for Self-Checkout

  November 07, 2018

  NCR Corporation announced that it has acquired StopLift Checkout Vision Systems, a leader in intelligent computer vision systems, to combat theft in the retail business. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

• Georgia’s Top Food Product Contest Ready for another Year of Delicious Food and Friendly Competition

  November 07, 2018

  From pimiento cheese to prosciutto, Georgians take their food seriously. And they make some seriously good food. Each year the University of Georgia's Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest highlights the state's burgeoning Georgia-made food industry and helps separate the great products from the good ones.