Features

• Georgia Aquarium Earns Prestigious STEM Certification

  November 11, 2020

  Since its opening in 2005, Georgia Aquarium has prioritized being a unique educational experience for both guests and students alike. The dedication and focus of these efforts have been recognized as Georgia Aquarium becomes the first aquarium to be a Cognia Certified STEM Provider.

• Georgia Graduation Rate Increases Again, to 83.8 Percent

  November 11, 2020

  Georgia's graduation rate increased again in 2020, rising to 83.8 percent – an all-time high since the state began using the adjusted cohort calculation now required by federal law, and up from 82 percent in 2019.

• Tripadvisor Reveals 2020 Thanksgiving Travel Index: Over Half of Americans Still Traveling

  November 10, 2020

  Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel platform, today released findings from its Thanksgiving Travel Index for 2020, providing insights into where Americans are traveling for the holiday. The big takeaway is that despite COVID-19 concerns, more than half - 56 percent - of Americans still intend to travel this Thanksgiving.

• Aphria Agrees to Buy SweetWater Brewing Co. in $300M Deal

  November 09, 2020

  Aphria Inc., a leading global cannabis company inspiring and empowering the worldwide community to live their very best life, today announced it has entered into an agreement of merger and acquisition to acquire SW Brewing Company, LLC. SweetWater Brewing Company is one of the largest independent craft brewers in the United States based on volume.

• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Benefits Exhaust for Many in Georgia

  November 06, 2020

  Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), established under the March Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, has provided almost $1.7 billion in benefits to over 323,000 Georgians during the pandemic.

• Gov. Kemp Announces New Senior Leadership

  November 04, 2020

  Governor Brian P. Kemp announced recent additions to the Kemp Administration's senior leadership team.

• Stan Johnson Company Announces Acquisition Of Shane Investment Property Group

  November 04, 2020

  Stan Johnson Company, one of commercial real estate's leading investment sales brokerage firms, announced today that it has acquired Shane Investment Property Group, a brokerage company based in Atlanta, Georgia.

• Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Appoints Chief Equity Officer

  November 03, 2020

  Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms appointed Qaadirah Abdur-Rahim to serve as the City of Atlanta’s Chief Equity Officer, a senior-level cabinet position that serves as the Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of One Atlanta.

• Georgia Lottery Posts Record Quarter for HOPE, Pre-K

  November 03, 2020

  Governor Brian P. Kemp announced the Georgia Lottery Corp.’s most profitable quarter in its 27-year history. The Georgia Lottery registered more than $383,352,000 in profits for the first quarter of fiscal year 2021, bringing the total transferred to the State Treasury’s Lottery for Education Account to approximately $22.7 billion.

• InComm Payments Grows Data Processing Operations in Georgia

  November 03, 2020

  Georgia’s legacy as the payments processing capital of the country grew stronger today as InComm Payments, a global payments technology leader, announced new investments in multiple Georgia communities.

• Georgia-based Inspire Brands Buying Dunkin' for $11.3B

  November 02, 2020

  Inspire Brands, Inc. and Dunkin’ Brands Group, Inc., parent company of Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins, announced today that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Inspire will acquire Dunkin’ Brands for $106.50 per share in cash in a transaction valued at approximately $11.3 billion including the assumption of Dunkin’ Brands’ debt.

• Craft Bank Opens First De Novo Bank Inside Atlanta’s Perimeter in Over a Decade

  October 30, 2020

  Craft Bank, a newly chartered full-service commercial bank in Atlanta, announced today that it is open and serving businesses and individuals throughout Metro Atlanta. Craft Bank received the first de novo bank charter approval to operate inside the Atlanta perimeter market in over 13 years.

• Georgia Chamber CEO Chris Clark: The Future of Energy

  October 30, 2020

  I recently participated in the Energy Forward virtual forum produced by Gas South and Cobb EMC. The discussion was eye opening and the take-away clear. Energy plays a more critical role than ever in site selection decisions and job growth. In many ways, energy investments are actually creating and supporting a “New Georgia Economy.”

• Holiday Travel Season Approaching; Pandemic Remains a Concern, Yet Confidence is Growing

  October 30, 2020

  Georgians are cautiously developing plans for the holiday travel season. A new AAA survey determined that the pandemic, flexibility of parents working from home and virtual school for students are key influencers regarding how comfortable people feel about traveling in the coming months.

• Georgia Power's Paul Bowers to Retire, Succession Plan Announced

  October 29, 2020

  Georgia Power today announced that Chris Womack has been elected by the Georgia Power Board of Directors to succeed Paul Bowers as the company's chairman, president and CEO. Bowers' retirement is scheduled to coincide with Vogtle Unit 3 fuel load, which is expected in April 2021.

• Topgolf, Callaway Golf Announce Blockbuster Merger to Create Golf Industry Giant

  October 29, 2020

  Callaway and Topgolf Entertainment Group today announced that the companies have entered into a definitive merger agreement.

• State’s Public-Private Partnership Provides Immediate Care to Georgians During COVID-19 Crisis

  October 28, 2020

  It was Tuesday morning, March 24. While most Georgians were still learning about a deadly new virus that just landed on American shores, the South Georgia town of Albany had suddenly become the world’s fourth largest epicenter of Covid-19 patients.

• Ressler Gertz Family Foundation and Hawks Investing $40M in Atlanta

  October 28, 2020

  The Ressler Gertz Family Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Hawks Principal Owners Tony Ressler and Jami Gertz, in partnership with the Atlanta Hawks, announced a long-term, comprehensive plan to provide financial, marketing and educational resources to Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs throughout the city of Atlanta.

• Bank OZK Names Terri Bunten Guthrie Division President for Metro Atlanta

  October 27, 2020

  Bank OZK has named Terri Bunten Guthrie as Metro Atlanta Division President. Guthrie is responsible for Community Banking for Bank OZK’s twelve offices in Metro Atlanta.

• Georgia International Trade Office Earns Unprecedented Fourth U.S. Department of Commerce Award for Export Services

  October 26, 2020

  The Georgia Department of Economic Development today announced that its International Trade division has earned a President’s “E Star” Award for Export Service from the U.S. Department of Commerce in recognition of “continuing significant contributions to an increase in U.S. exports.

• Invest Atlanta Recognized for Economic Development Excellence

  October 23, 2020

  Invest Atlanta won three Excellence in Economic Development Awards at the 2020 Economic Development Council (IEDC) Annual Conference.

• Georgia Ports Authority Holds First Virtual State of the Port

  October 23, 2020

  In its first-ever virtual State of the Port Address, co-hosts Griff Lynch and Will McKnight took the Georgia Ports Authority’s online audience for an on-terminal view of infrastructure advancements the Authority is making to accommodate record container growth.

• Chick-fil-A Sauces Coming to Stores in Georgia

  October 23, 2020

  Chick-fil-A announced that bottles of its signature sauces will soon be available for purchase at retailers nationwide, with 100% of the royalties Chick-fil-A, Inc. receives from third-party retail sales supporting scholarships for Chick-fil-A restaurant Team Members.

• AT&T Provides Empowerment Opportunities to Drive Economic Mobility and Social Equity with #BelieveAtlanta Initiative

  October 22, 2020

  AT&T is passionate about the strength and success of Atlanta, and through Believe Atlanta, AT&T employees in Atlanta are collaborating with community leaders to provide economic empowerment opportunities for the traditionally underserved – challenging the wealth gap that currently exists in our city and driving a more equitable society.

• Gov. Kemp Names Brian Marlowe Leader of Rural Strike Team

  October 22, 2020

  Governor Brian P. Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp joined Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) Commissioner Pat Wilson during an event in the North Wing of the State Capitol to name Tift County Development Authority President and CEO Brian Marlowe as the new Deputy Commissioner for Rural Georgia.

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