May 2025 Features

• Council for Quality Growth Names Tommy Holder 36th Recipient of Annual Four Pillar Tribute & Award

  May 27, 2025

  The Council for Quality Growth will honor Thomas M. “Tommy” Holder, Chairman and Former CEO of Holder Construction, with its 36th annual Four Pillar Tribute and Award.

• Georgia’s Legal Community Provides 2.8 Million Meals to State’s Regional Food Banks

  May 27, 2025

  Attorney General Chris Carr today announced that attorneys across Georgia raised a total of $714,936.10 during the 14th Annual Georgia Legal Food Frenzy – a two-week fundraising competition to benefit the state’s regional food banks.

• Georgia Voters Growing More Confident in Elections, Firmly Reject Radical Changes to Voting Laws

  May 27, 2025

  As the 2026 election season heats up, a new statewide poll from the Democracy Defense Project shows that Georgia voters are more confident than ever in their elections — and they’re making it clear they don’t want to go backward.

• AAA: 1.3M Georgians Will Travel Domestically for Memorial Day; 45.1M Travelers Nationwide

  May 23, 2025

  AAA predicts a record-breaking 1.38 million Georgians will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day period. That’s an increase of nearly 45,000 compared to last year.

• Mercedes-Benz Establishing North American Headquarters, New Research & Development Hub in Metro Atlanta

  May 22, 2025

  Governor Brian Kemp today announced that Mercedes-Benz will establish Atlanta as Mercedes-Benz’s headquarters in North America by centralizing and uniting key corporate functions. The company will move up to 500 jobs to the existing Mercedes-Benz facility, known as “1MB,” in Fulton County, and make a multi-million dollar investment in a future state-of-the-art R&D facility to also be located nearby.

• Port of Savannah Container Trade Up 17% in April

  May 21, 2025

  The Georgia Ports Authority had its busiest April ever for container trade, moving 515,500 twenty-foot equivalent container units last month. The Port of Savannah achieved an increase of 74,500 TEUs or 17 percent compared to the same month last year.

• New Report: Small Businesses Stayed Positive on Growth in Q1 - While Bracing for Economic Shifts

  May 21, 2025

  Small businesses remain generally positive about growth potential, though optimism has fallen slightly in the face of economic uncertainty, according to the latest Small Business Cash Flow Trend Report from OnDeck.

• Scott Ward Named General Manager of Signia by Hilton Atlanta

  May 20, 2025

  Today, global hospitality leader Hilton announced Scott Ward as general manager of Signia by Hilton Atlanta. A hospitality veteran with more than 30 years of experience in the industry, and in his new role, he will lead the Signia by Hilton Atlanta team in all aspects of hotel operations, from sales and marketing to guest services and satisfaction.

• Georgia Power Offers to Freeze Customer Rates

  May 20, 2025

  Georgia Power will not seek to raise base rates for the next three years under a proposed agreement the Atlanta-based utility announced Monday.

• Woodruff Arts Center Appoints Kathy Waller as Governing Board Chair, Announces Incoming Board of Trustees

  May 19, 2025

  During the Spring Board Meeting on May 12th, the Woodruff Arts Center welcomed Kathy Waller as Chair of the FY26 Board of Trustees and announced 13 incoming Voting Trustees.

• Small but Mighty: 2025 Small Cities Conference Unites Georgia’s Local Leaders in Tifton

  May 19, 2025

  Everything from changes in redevelopment to navigating budget constraints was on the table at the Georgia Municipal Association’s 2025 Small Cities Conference, showcasing of what makes Georgia’s smallest cities “small but mighty.”

• Georgia Chamber Releases Report on the State’s Economic Impact from Recent Trade Agreements

  May 16, 2025

  On Thrusday, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce announced the release of their most recent Tariffs Briefing. This publication offers timely insights into the evolving global trade landscape, focusing on recent trade agreements between the United States and China, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia.

• YWCA Greater Atlanta Announces Successful Completion of $19.5M Collaboration In Action Campaign

  May 15, 2025

  YWCA Greater Atlanta announced the completion of its capital campaign to transform the 22,000-square-foot Phillis Wheatley Westside YWCA building into a hub of services for women, girls, and their families. The $19.5 million Collaboration In Action campaign raised the funding necessary to return the Phillis Wheatley YWCA and its services to Atlanta’s Westside after a decade.

• Atlanta Added 1.28M Sq. Ft. of Industrial Space in Q1 2025

  May 15, 2025

  This year’s first quarter brought a continuation of prevailing trends from the end of 2024. Construction is still near historic lows as markets deal with recent oversupply, but rents continued climbing across markets. In Q1, Atlanta placed 13th nationally for industrial market performance.

• Spherion Greater Atlanta Expands Footprint: Serving All of Metro and Greater Atlanta

  May 14, 2025

  Spherion Staffing and Recruiting Northeast Atlanta is proud to announce that its Northeast Atlanta office is now operating under a new name: Spherion Staffing and Recruiting Greater Atlanta. This reflects the office’s successful growth since its opening in October 2023 and its expanded service area covering the entire metro and greater Atlanta region.

• Decide DeKalb Celebrates Economic Development Week with Local Business Giveaways and Educational Resources

  May 13, 2025

  In celebration of Economic Development Week, Decide DeKalb Development Authority will host a series of events across DeKalb County from May 12–16, 2025, highlighting the power of partnerships, small business success and community-driven growth.

• Passage of New Georgia Bill a Win for Farmers

  May 13, 2025

  Farmers and others in agriculture applaud Governor Brian Kemp and the Georgia General Assembly for supporting the crop protection tools so important to Georgia’s farmers’ ability to produce affordable, safe, abundant food.

• DeKalb CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson Delivers Inaugural State of the County Address

  May 12, 2025

  On Thursday, May 8th, the Council for Quality Growth and the DeKalb County Chamber hosted 800+ for the sold out 2025 State of DeKalb County Address. The annual address was held over lunch at Assembly Studios Atlanta

• Governor Kemp Signs $37.7 Billion State Budget

  May 12, 2025

  Gov. Brian Kemp signed a $37.7 billion fiscal 2026 state budget Friday, a spending plan that prioritizes education and prisons.

• First-Ever ICey Awards Held in Atlanta, Honoring Independent PR Professionals

  May 09, 2025

  The first-ever ICey Awards were held May 7th in Atlanta, celebrating the work of talented public relations professionals from Georgia. The winners were all independent PR professionals, senior practitioners from Georgia who own their own PR agencies. In each category, the runner up got the "Pretty Cool" award and the winner got the "ICey" award.

• Gov. Kemp Signs Legislation Delivering Hurricane Helene Relief & Supporting Georgia Agriculture and Forestry

  May 09, 2025

  Governor Brian P. Kemp, joined by First Lady Marty Kemp, Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper, Georgia Forestry Commission Director Johnny Sabo, constitutional officers, and members of the Georgia General Assembly, signed three pieces of legislation that provides support for Georgia's agriculture and forestry industry and delivers promised relief to farmers and timber producers impacted by Hurricane Helene.

• Aerotropolis Atlanta Alliance to Celebrate Grand Opening of First Headquarters

  May 08, 2025

  The Aerotropolis Atlanta Alliance is proud to announce the grand opening of its first-ever headquarters in College Park, Clayton County. This historic event marks a significant milestone in the organization’s commitment to regional transformation, economic competitiveness, and the collaborative impact of having direct access to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

• New Executive Council Will Advise Georgia’s Largest Knowledge Community

  May 08, 2025

  The Rowen Foundation is pleased to announce the formation of its inaugural executive advisory council – a diverse collection of leaders who will help inform the vision of Georgia’s largest knowledge sharing community.

• KUMHO Tire U.S.A. Relocates North American Headquarters to Perimeter Summit

  May 07, 2025

  JLL today announces that KUMHO Tire U.S.A., one of the world’s leading tire manufacturers, has relocated and expanded its North American headquarters to a 14,000-square-foot space at Perimeter Summit, the 1.7 million-square-foot, Class-A mixed-use development in Brookhaven.

• Hartsfield-Jackson Urges Travelers to Get REAL ID Ready

  May 07, 2025

  Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) reminds travelers that starting Wednesday, May 7, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will enforce the REAL ID Act for all U.S. domestic air travel.