March 2021 Features

• Athens-based W&A Engineering Honored with goBeyondProfit Champion Award

  March 31, 2021

  Georgia’s goBeyondProfit business alliance announced today that Athens-based W&A Engineering earned the goBeyondProfit Champion Award. The peer-nominated honor is given for exemplary citizenship in company culture and deployment of company resources that empower community.

• Nelson Mullins Names Kat Taylor Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

  March 31, 2021

  Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP is pleased to announce that Katerina “Kat” Taylor joined the firm this week as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). In this role, she will collaborate with the firm’s Diversity Partners and other firm leaders to invest in the long-term success of the firm’s diverse attorneys.

• World's Busiest Airport Recognizes Term Founder with Major Leadership Award

  March 31, 2021

  Hartsfield -Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s business development unit has selected Corporate Environmental Risk Management (CERM) founder and managing director Albert G. Edwards as one of its 2021 Legacy Award winners.

• Morehouse College Receives a $2 Million Gift from the Ray Charles Foundation to Establish Scholarships

  March 30, 2021

  Morehouse College received a $2 million gift from The Ray Charles Foundation to provide scholarships to outstanding business majors.

• Georgia Ports Authority Makes Major Infrastructure Investment

  March 30, 2021

  On Monday, the Georgia Ports Authority Board approved capital improvement projects that will increase the Port of Savannah’s container capacity by 20 percent.

• Moneypenny to Hire 100 New Receptionists & Live Chat Agents as Call Volumes Grow by 30%

  March 29, 2021

  Moneypenny, the leading provider of outsourced communications for businesses of all shapes and sizes, is further expanding its professional and dynamic team as it recruits up to 100 new receptionists and Live Chat agents (part and full time office roles).

• MARTA Partners with State of Georgia & Delta to Provide Transportation to Largest State Run Covid-19 Vaccination Site

  March 29, 2021

  The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is partnering with the state of Georgia and Delta Air Lines to provide direct transportation from College Park rail station to the largest state run COVID-19 vaccination site at the Delta Flight Museum, located at the airline’s general offices near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

• Uber Eats & Nimble Announce On-Demand Prescription Delivery in Atlanta

  March 26, 2021

  Uber Technologies, Inc. and Nimble announced the expansion of their partnership and launch of on-demand prescription delivery in Atlanta. All Uber Eats users in this region will now have access to prescription delivery right to their doorstep in as little as one hour, which is faster than any other prescription delivery service.

• Georgia’s Unemployment Rate Continues to Drop in February

  March 26, 2021

  The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced that Georgia’s unemployment rate dropped 0.3 percentage points in February to reach 4.8 percent and has decreased 7.7 percentage points since the start of the pandemic.

• Surge in Economic Optimism Among CEOs Means More Hiring and Investments on the Way

  March 26, 2021

  Confidence among CEOs in the first quarter of 2021 is the highest it has been since 2018, according to the Q1 CEO Confidence Index from Vistage.

• Sterling Seacrest Partners, Inc. and Pritchard & Jerden Announce Merger Plans to Form Sterling Seacrest Pritchard

  March 25, 2021

  Sterling Seacrest Partners, Inc. and Pritchard & Jerden recently announced plans to merge and operate as Sterling Seacrest Pritchard. The new company will be one of the largest privately held, independent insurance brokerages in the southeastern United States.

• Lawmakers Work to Pass Bills Before Session Ends Next Week

  March 25, 2021

  The clock is ticking on the 2021 session on the Georgia General Assembly, and lawmakers are working to get their bills passed before session ends March 31st.

• Google Announces Plans to Invest $25M+ in Georgia this Year

  March 24, 2021

  Google plans to invest $25M+ in Georgia in 2021, including its new Atlanta office currently under construction in Midtown where the company will occupy 19 floors at 1105 West Peachtree. Nationally, Google plans to invest more than $7 billion in offices and data centers and create at least 10,000 new full-time Google jobs across the United States this year.

• The Digital Divide – the 21st Century Challenge to Narrow Gap Between Information Haves and Have Nots

  March 23, 2021

  As medical research reveals how the coronavirus disproportionally affected people of lower socioeconomic status, the pandemic also laid bare other inequities, specifically the uneven distribution of technology and access to information, a situation known as the Digital Divide.

• PATH Foundation Announces Opening of the Westside BeltLine Connector

  March 23, 2021

  The PATH Foundation in partnership with Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., Atlanta BeltLine Partnership and the City of Atlanta Parks Department announces the grand opening of the Westside BeltLine Connector (WBC).

• Spring Travel in Full Swing: Half of Americans Planning a Trip This Season

  March 22, 2021

  Although the idea of a vacation has felt like an impossible dream for such a long time, paradise may be on the horizon. Americans are becoming increasingly confident that life will soon return to normal — and they are keen to hit the road as soon as possible.

• Georgia Power Honored with Industrial Innovation Award by South Metro Development Conference

  March 19, 2021

  Georgia Power was honored today with the Industrial Innovation Award by South Metro Development Conference for extraordinary support of businesses and organizations in South Fulton, Clayton, Coweta, Douglas, Fayette and Henry Counties.

• Historic Day for Transit Funding in Georgia

  March 19, 2021

  The Georgia Legislature today took the historic step of establishing a mechanism to annually fund capital transit projects that support economic development priorities throughout the state.

• Tax Day for Individuals Extended to May 17th: Treasury, IRS Extend Filing & Payment Deadline

  March 19, 2021

  The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced that the federal income tax filing due date for individuals for the 2020 tax year will be automatically extended from April 15, 2021, to May 17, 2021. The IRS will be providing formal guidance in the coming days.

• City of Atlanta Approves to Funding to Complete Atlanta BeltLine Multi-Use Trail Special Service District

  March 17, 2021

  Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the City of Atlanta approved funding to complete the Atlanta BeltLine Multi-Use Trail Special Service District. The Atlanta City Council approved legislation creating a Special Service District (SSD) that will provide approximately $100 million towards completing the Atlanta BeltLine’s 22-mile multi-use trail loop.

• Honey Baked Ham Picks Retired Coca-Cola Exec to Succeed Linda van Rees

  March 17, 2021

  The Honey Baked Ham Company today announced Jim Dinkins as its new Chief Executive Officer effective May 10th. Dinkins brings over 30 years of experience including an impressive tenure at The Coca-Cola Company.

• Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Georgia Chapter Survey Highlights Changing Role of In-House Counsel

  March 17, 2021

  A recent survey by the Association of Corporate Counsel Georgia Chapter and its in-kind sponsor and communications agency, Poston Communications, highlights a shift in the role of in-house counsel.

• The Atlanta Braves to Host Fans at Truist Park in 2021

  March 16, 2021

  When the Atlanta Braves take the field for their home opener on Friday, April 9th against the Philadelphia Phillies, they will welcome fans back for the first time since October 2019. The team will open Truist Park with a 33% capacity and due to evolving changes, capacity will be revisited for each homestand.

• New U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO: Business Will Lead the Next American Century

  March 16, 2021

  Over the past 12 months, our nation has seen a decade of disruption. What we’ve collectively experienced will change our lives, businesses, communities, and world—permanently. Now, coming out of the global pandemic, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to embrace and lead transformation and usher in the Next American Century.

• Atlanta Science Festival Features New Signature Events for 2021

  March 15, 2021

  Atlanta Science Festival (ASF), the city’s premier celebration of all things science, launched this past Saturday, March 13th and runs through Saturday, March 27th. The 2021 edition, a virtual/in-person hybrid featuring more than 80 events, features a trio of new signature events.