May 2026 Features

• The Georgia Chamber Announces Second Year of Coolest Thing Made in Georgia Competition

  May 21, 2026

  On Monday, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce with Synovus, now merged with Pinnacle Financial Partners, announced that nominations for the Coolest Thing Made in Georgia competition have opened.

• Georgia Labor Force & Employment Hit New Records as Unemployment Holds Steady at 3.5%

  May 21, 2026

• Regions Bank Broadway in Atlanta Generates an Estimated $137.4M for Local Economy

  May 20, 2026

  Regions Bank Broadway in Atlanta, a partnership between Broadway Across America and the Fox Theatre, is a powerful economic driver in Midtown, generating an estimated $137.4 million for the metro Atlanta economy in a single season. The figure comes from a new Broadway League study, The Economic Impact of Touring Broadway, based on data from the 2023–24 touring season.

• Bottoms Dominates Democratic Governor Primary as Jones & Jackson Head for GOP Runoff

  May 20, 2026

  Georgians who pulled a Democratic ballot Tuesday had a clear preference for governor, but Republican voters were divided, giving no GOP contender for governor a majority.

• ARC Awards Planning Support for Metro Housing and Community Revitalization Projects

  May 20, 2026

  The Atlanta Regional Commission announced today it will provide critical planning and technical support services to five metro Atlanta communities through the agency’s Community Development Assistance Program.

• Republicans Send Two to Runoff in Georgia U.S. Senate Race

  May 20, 2026

  Republican voters winnowed their field of candidates for U.S. Senate Tuesday, sending U.S. Rep. Mike Collins and former college football coach Derek Dooley to the June 16 primary runoff election.

• Mayor Andre Dickens Introduces “Opportunity for All: The Neighborhood Reinvestment Act”

  May 19, 2026

  Mayor Andre Dickens announced the introduction of the “Opportunity for All: The Neighborhood Reinvestment Act,” the most comprehensive neighborhood investment and anti-displacement legislative package in the City’s history.

• Develop Fulton Board Approves Up to $70M Financing for Georgia Tech Stadium Project

  May 19, 2026

  The Develop Fulton Board of Directors has unanimously approved a bond inducement resolution supporting up to $70 million in financing for the Georgia Tech Athletic Association to advance a comprehensive modernization of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

• Georgia Humanities Celebrates New Leadership, Student Achievement, and Community Programs

  May 19, 2026

  Georgia Humanities is pleased to share a season of exciting milestones—from new organizational leadership to student scholars heading to the national stage, a celebrated Smithsonian traveling exhibition, and the launch of a statewide speakers bureau connecting communities across the state.

• Atlanta Named Number One City in the U.S. for Sports Business

  May 18, 2026

  Sports Business Journal has named Atlanta the No. 1 city for sports business in its annual ranking, which assessed thousands of U.S. markets on business opportunity, economic conditions, and sentiment from nearly 120 sports industry executives.

• ARC Awards $1.4 Million in Livable Centers Initiative Grants to Help Six Communities Transform

  May 18, 2026

  The Atlanta Regional Commission announced that it has awarded $1,420,000 in Livable Centers Initiative grants for six planning studies across metro Atlanta to help communities transform into more walkable, bikeable, live-work-play environments.

• Governor Brian Kemp Issues Proclamation Recognizing Georgia Hospital Week

  May 18, 2026

  In recognition of National Hospital Week, Governor Brian Kemp has officially proclaimed this week, as Georgia Hospital Week, honoring the dedicated healthcare professionals, caregivers, and hospital teams who serve communities across the state every day.

• Analysis: Atlanta Beltline Sustains 91k Jobs & $23 Billion in Annual Economic Output

  May 15, 2026

  In 2025, activity within the Atlanta Beltline Planning Area sustained more than 91,000 jobs and generated an estimated $23 billion in economic output for the City of Atlanta, according to a new economic impact analysis.

• Governor Calls Special Session for Redistricting and to Resolve QR Code Voting Issue

  May 15, 2026

  Georgia lawmakers will return to the state Capitol on June 17th to contend with two election-related issues under an order signed Wednesday by Gov. Brian Kemp.

• Georgia Chamber Releases Legislative Scorecard Ahead of May 19th Primary & Encourages Voter Participation

  May 15, 2026

  As Georgia approaches the May 19th primary election, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce released its legislative scorecard, which is a comprehensive resource designed to help business leaders and voters better understand the outcomes of the legislative session and how elected officials voted on key issues impacting Georgia’s economic competitiveness.

• QumulusAI Establishing Corporate Headquarters in Georgia Tech's Tech Square

  May 15, 2026

  QumulusAI Inc. announced that it will establish its corporate headquarters in Georgia Tech's Tech Square - one of the most strategically concentrated AI research, commercialization and enterprise innovation districts in the U.S.

• Kia Georgia CEO Stuart Countess Headlines Partnership Gwinnett Movers & Makers Awards

  May 14, 2026

  Partnership Gwinnett hosted the annual Movers and Makers Awards on May 1st, celebrating the companies and leaders driving innovation and growth across Gwinnett’s advanced manufacturing and supply chain sectors while strengthening the workforce pipeline and contributing to Gwinnett’s competitive advantage.

• The Griffin-Spalding Regional Airport Break Ground on Georgia's First New Airport Since 2008

  May 14, 2026

  Georgia-based, full-service consulting firm Croy, in partnership with the Griffin-Spalding Airport Authority and the Griffin-Spalding County Area Regional Airport Authority, has broken ground on the Replacement Griffin-Spalding County Airport in the City of Griffin.

• Showcase Atlanta Selects 40 Downtown Small Businesses as Inaugural Recipients of Digital Marketing Grant

  May 13, 2026

  Showcase Atlanta, Mayor Andre Dickens' citywide initiative to ensure Atlanta's small businesses, residents and culture take center stage during the historic run of global events coming to the city, announced the 40 inaugural recipients of the Showcase Atlanta Digital Marketing Grant.

• Governor Trims Some Proposed Spending from Budget

  May 13, 2026

  State lawmakers passed a budget that was about $1 billion larger than what Gov. Brian Kemp expects Georgia will collect in tax revenue next fiscal year, so he took a scalpel to their spending plan. The fiscal year 2027 budget he signed Tuesday trims $300 million from spending that the General Assembly had added.

• Bigger Savings for Ratepayers: Agreement Offers $285M in Annual Savings for Georgia Power Customers

  May 13, 2026

  Georgia Power and the Public Interest Advocacy Staff of the Georgia Public Service Commission have reached a stipulated agreement in two cases originally filed with the Georgia PSC in February – the Fuel Cost Recovery case and Storm Cost Recovery case.

• Paul Curran Named President & Publisher of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

  May 12, 2026

  Cox Enterprises today announced that Paul Curran has been named the new president and publisher of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a trusted source of local journalism serving Atlanta and the Southeast, effective June 29th.

• Dream Finders Homes Proposes to Acquire Beazer Homes for $704M

  May 12, 2026

  Dream Finders Homes, Inc. announced today that it has submitted a proposal to the board of directors of Beazer Homes USA, Inc. to acquire all outstanding shares of Beazer in an all-cash transaction at a price of $25.75 per share, a cash premium of approximately 40% over Beazer’s closing share price on May 5th.

• Fifth Annual Electric Mobility Summit Draws Industry Leaders to Athens

  May 12, 2026

  More than 250 representatives from industry, government and academia gathered in Athens for the fifth annual Electric Mobility Summit at the University of Georgia. Organized by UGA’s Georgia Network for Electric Mobility, the summit centered on how emerging technologies can be more effectively integrated into real-world transportation systems across Georgia and the broader Southeast “Battery Belt.”

• How Georgia Cities Are Tackling Housing

  May 11, 2026

  Housing has been a growing focus for Georgia cities and for GMA particularly in recent years since the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic disruptions and displacements it caused. At the association's May Board of Directors meeting, staff outlined the organization's policy work and efforts to document what cities are doing on housing, and board members from six cities shared what's happening in their own communities.