May 2020 Features

• KARE App Announces Hospitality Heroes, Launch Into Atlanta

  May 29, 2020

  KARE, the leading digital labor marketplace for Post-Acute and Senior Care, announced they are expanding their product to include hospitality workers, as well as launching in Atlanta. Their timing coincides with the rapidly deteriorating labor situation facing nursing homes and senior-housing during COVID-19.

• Georgia Power Customers to See Approximately $10 Reduction in Monthly Summer Bills

  May 29, 2020

  The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) approved Georgia Power's plan to reduce its fuel rates by 17.2 percent and total billings by approximately $740 million over a two-year period. This reduction will lower the total monthly bill by approximately $5.32 for the typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month beginning June 1st..

• Georgia Tech’s Economic Development Research Program Selects City of Woodbury for Revitalization Initiative

  May 29, 2020

  The Economic Development Research Program (EDRP) at the Georgia Institute of Technology is working with Woodbury, a community in West Georgia’s Meriwether County, under an agreement to help a coalition of civic and business leaders develop a strategic assessment plan to guide the city’s economic development efforts.

• Researchers Study Teleworking Effects during COVID-19

  May 28, 2020

  The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing protocols resulted in many workers conducting business from home, altering the environments in which they work at a moment’s notice and allowing organizations to continue their operations.

• Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and Atlanta Jewish Foundation Release More Than $12.7M in Grants to Date for COVID-19 Response

  May 28, 2020

  Since March 1st, Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta (Federation) and Atlanta Jewish Foundation, a service of Federation, have released more than $12.7 million in grants.

• Southern Company Announces Transition to Net-zero Carbon Emissions Goal

  May 28, 2020

  Southern Company moved to a long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

• Survey of 14,000 Travelers Shows Domestic Travel is About to Boom

  May 28, 2020

  While most travel has been put on pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a May 2020 survey indicates new travel trends lean toward domestic travel. As industry leaders, AirportParkingReservations.com and ParkSleepFly.com reveal what the next step may look like for travelers.

• Southern Company Gas Donates $1M to Morehouse School of Medicine

  May 27, 2020

  Southern Company Gas and the Southern Company Gas Charitable Foundation are donating $1 million toward academic expansion and efforts to provide greater equity in healthcare led by Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM).

• UCB to Expand HQ in Smyrna

  May 27, 2020

  Belgian-based pharmaceutical firm UCB plans to invest $47.5 million to expand its U.S. headquarters campus in Smyrna, Georgia, bringing 100 new high-paying jobs to Cobb County.

• GDOT Awards Nearly $113.5M in Construction Contracts for April

  May 27, 2020

  Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) awarded 19 construction contracts for statewide transportation projects totaling $113,519,873.

• Google Atlanta Commits $100,000 to Local GiveDirectly COVID-19 Relief Fund, $50,000 to United Way of Greater Atlanta for Atlanta’s Strength in Beauty Fund

  May 21, 2020

  Employees of Google Atlanta and Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, are supporting GiveDirectly’s campaign to raise relief funds for families throughout Atlanta who have been impacted by COVID-19. To date, Google’s Atlanta office has committed to raise over $100,000, which will provide $1,000 in direct cash payments to families hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis.

• Communities Team with UGA, Go Virtual to Develop Leaders

  May 21, 2020

  In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fanning Institute—a unit of UGA Public Service and Outreach—has created virtual program formats for both its Community Leadership Program and Youth Leadership in Action curricula. This now allows the institute’s faculty to deliver the adult and youth curriculum modules to program participants in an interactive, virtual format.

• USG Administrator Says Government/Constitution Requirement Restored

  May 21, 2020

  Several months ago University System of Georgia (USG) chief academic officer, Dr. Tristan Denley, floated a plan to reduce core courses students must take upon enrollment. It included abolition of the American government requirement— POLS 1101, which incorporates study of the U.S. Constitution and federalism. Yesterday, however, Denley made news.

• Deloitte CFO Signals Survey: Executive Teams Are Largely Focused on Adapting Operations for Near-Term Performance & Evolving Their Businesses for a Post-Crisis Future

  May 21, 2020

  Executive teams are primarily focused on responding by maximizing performance during the crisis and preparing to thrive by evolving business models and making fundamental business strategy shifts for the post-crisis future. CFOs cite historic lows for expected revenue and earnings growth, with domestic hiring growth also falling sharply.

• Delta-designed Airport Lobby & Gate Safety Barriers on the Way

  May 20, 2020

  To add another layer of safety at airports for Delta customers and our people, Delta turned to its Delta Flight Products subsidiary to design and manufacture a custom plexiglass safety barrier especially for airport check-in lobbies, departure gates and Delta Sky Club counters.

• Georgia DOT Restricts Construction-Related Lane Closures Statewide During Memorial Day Holiday Weekend

  May 20, 2020

  To ease potential Memorial Day weekend traffic congestion, the Georgia Department of Transportation is suspending construction-related lane closures from noon Friday, May 22nd through 5 a.m. Tuesday, May 26th on Interstate highways and limiting lane closures on state routes that directly serve major tourist and recreation centers.

• Georgia Marks Lowest COVID-19 Positive Hospitalizations Since Early April

  May 20, 2020

  Governor Brian Kemp announced that Georgia reached its lowest number of COVID-19 positive patients hospitalized since hospitals started reporting data to the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) on April 8th.

• ARC’s Livable Centers Initiative Awards $1.4M to Fund Planning Studies

  May 19, 2020

  The Atlanta Regional Commission announced that it has awarded $1.4 million in Livable Centers Initiative grants to fund planning studies in 11 metro Atlanta communities.

• Over 220 Georgia Companies Producing Critical Supplies to Fight COVID-19

  May 19, 2020

  The Georgia Suppliers Interactive Map and List, compiled by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), includes more than 220 Georgia companies providing needed protective supplies, along with an interactive map displaying business location and a tool to sort supplies by category.

• Known for Making Connections, Gwinnett Chamber Launches Job Board

  May 19, 2020

  Making connections is what we do best, and the Gwinnett Chamber job board is here to connect employers needing talent with employees in need of work.

• Small Business Employment Declines, Reflecting the Ongoing Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic

  May 19, 2020

  The latest Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch shows a decrease in small business employment as the COVID-19 pandemic caused instability for employers nationwide.

• Microsoft Corp. to Expand Presence in Atlanta with 1,500 New Jobs, New Facility

  May 18, 2020

  Governor Brian Kemp announced that Fortune 500 company Microsoft Corp., a worldwide leader in software, services, devices, and solutions, will open a new facility in Atlanta, anticipated in summer 2021. The $75 million investment will create 1,500 new high-tech jobs in West Midtown.

• Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ Advisory Council for the Reopening of Atlanta Submits Final Report

  May 18, 2020

  The Advisory Council for the Reopening of the City of Atlanta has submitted its final recommendations for a gradual reopening to Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Informed by economic indicators and medical science, the report contains evidence-based short, mid, and long-range recommendations for the safe and data-driven reopening of the City.

• GDOL Launches Claims Conversion Program for Employers

  May 18, 2020

  Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler announced that the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) has developed a program which will allow employer filed partial claims to be converted to individual claims. This new process will allow employees who are permanently terminated the opportunity to continue receiving benefits without interruption.

• Zoo Atlanta to Reopen Saturday

  May 15, 2020

  Zoo Atlanta will reopen to the public on Saturday, May 16. As part of its commitment to the continued well-being of guests, team members and animals, and in an ongoing effort to assist its community in preventing the spread of COVID-19, Zoo Atlanta has implemented enhanced protocols and procedures.