Named president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce in 1997, Sam A. Williams leads this organization of 4,000 member companies that collectively employ more than 700,000 workers. The Metro Atlanta Chamber focuses on the big issues that matter most to the business community: creating jobs and boosting the region’s quality of life by finding solutions in the areas of transportation, education and the environment.

The Southeast as a whole is the fastest growing region in the country and metro Atlanta is a global gateway to the world. During Williams’ tenure, he has focused on making Atlanta’s global connection even stronger. Today metro Atlanta is home to more than 15 multinational companies with operations in at least 20 countries abroad and ranks third in the nation for the number of Fortune 500 headquarters located here.

Atlanta also leads the nation as a haven for small businesses.
Of the more than 130,000 total businesses in metro Atlanta,
94.8 percent employ fewer than 50 people. Roughly two-thirds
of job growth in metro Atlanta is from small businesses and Inc. magazine ranked Atlanta first in the nation for best places for entrepreneurs in 2004.

Williams has worked to make Atlanta a model of successful public-private partnerships. He brought together broad-based and highly visible coalitions of leaders on issues critical to the region such as the arts, water, transportation and quality growth. Those coalitions, composed of business and civic leaders along with elected officials, have resulted in the creation of permanent and impactful organizations including the Metro Atlanta Arts and Cultural Coalition, Metro North Georgia Water Planning District, Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and the Livable Communities Coalition.

Williams also has played a crucial role in other public-private partnerships. Through his leadership, the business community developed a partnership with Gov. Sonny Perdue and Mayor Shirley Franklin to tackle the $3.2 billion sewer improvements for metro Atlanta. The partnership resulted in $500 million in state support toward the city’s sewer improvements and a referendum that overwhelmingly approved a one-penny sales tax by a 3-1 margin.

Prior to joining the Chamber, Williams was president of Central Atlanta Progress (CAP), where he organized metro Atlanta leaders to improve infrastructure prior to the 1996 Olympic Games. Williams has made sure that the metro area has continued the momentum it captured by hosting the Olympic Games. In the 10 years following the Games, more than $1.8 billion in hotels, office buildings, mixed-use development and entertainment structures have risen in metro Atlanta.

Williams joined CAP after 21 years as a partner at John Portman’s architect-development firm. He was responsible for real estate development in the United States, Middle East and Asia. Earlier in his career, Williams served on the staff of Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen.

Williams has chaired and served as a board member of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, Action Forum (a biracial committee of CEOs fostering racial cooperation), Emory University Board of Visitors, Georgia Tech Board of Advisors and the Corporation for Olympic Development in Atlanta. He has also been recognized by Georgia Trend in their list of Georgia’s Most Influential Leaders consistently for more than 20 years.

Williams is a Tennessee native and a graduate of Georgia Tech and Harvard Business School. His daughter Stephanie is a graduate of Colgate University and daughter Lindsay is a graduate of Washington & Lee University and Emory’s Goizueta School of Business.