the Chamber's twice monthly e-newsletter

President's Message

Welcome to The Phoenix, the Chamber’s e-newsletter.

In this edition, read a recap of the 2008 Georgia General Assembly and the outcomes of key legislation regarding transportation, water and Grady Memorial Hospital.

In addition, read how the Chamber and other key business groups are answering a call from the State Board of Education to examine school board governance practices.

Lastly, read about PETCO, a leading pet products company that is locating a new distribution center in Braselton, Ga., representing an investment of $33 million. Thanks to the Chamber's Economic Development staff for helping land this company.

Thanks for reading. We will continue to keep you informed on the issues you care about.

Sam A. Williams
President
Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce

Hot Topics

Note: Chamber President Sam A. Williams sent this message to members on April 5.

As the 2008 Georgia General Assembly adjourns, I am pleased to report progress on the Chamber's top three legislative priorities, and some struggles left to fight next year:

transportation -- In a down-to-the-wire conclusion, the House overwhelmingly passed two bills needed to provide transportation relief. However, in the Senate, the measure failed by just three votes. So while tremendous progress was made, we will need to continue our efforts next year. Many thanks to Kessel Stelling, Joe Leonard and Bill Linginfelter – as well as our transportation committee members and our partners in the Get Georgia Moving coalition – for working with legislators, talking to media and being fearless champions on this issue.

water – Also this session, the Legislature passed the statewide water plan by an overwhelming vote. This vote represented the culmination of years of hard work, and reflected the Chamber's leadership in forming a statewide water coalition of more than 30 groups.Thanks for your help in telephoning and e-mailing legislators. It made a positive impact. And please send your thanks to John Somerhalder and the members of our environmental policy and sustainability committee.

Grady – As a result of the Chamber's year-long task force to save Grady Memorial Hospital from closure, a new nonprofit board has been seated with Pete Correll as chairman. To augment that work, our legislative goal for Grady was to increase state funding. I am pleased to report that the state approved: $24 million in one-time trauma funding, $10 million more annually in Medicaid reimbursements, and $412,000 more annually for medical education grants. We owe Pete Correll, Michael Russell, Tom Bell and the entire Greater Grady Task Force our sincere gratitude.

Thanks, once again, for your support as the Metro Atlanta Chamber continues to bring the region's leaders together to tackle the big issues that matter most!

Sincerely,
Sam

State Board of Education Invites Business Community to Examine School Board Gorvernance Practices

The following statement was issued on April 3, in response to the State Board of Education's invitation to the business community to examine school board governance practices.

“We applaud the State Board of Education for its leadership in working to strengthen Georgia's school boards,” said Gary Price, managing partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers and chair of the regional education policy committee for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.

Our work will be guided by the understanding that good boards create and sustain good organizations, both public and private. Ultimately, good school boards create good schools that develop the talented work force our state needs to remain competitive.”
Click here to read statement from partners.
Click here to read the State Board of Education's entire release.

PETCO to Locate Distribution Center in Braselton
Pet products company to add 277 jobs, invest $33 million in facility

PETCO, a leading pet products company, announced on April 7, that they are locating a new distribution center in Braselton, Ga., representing an investment of $33 million. At full operating capacity, the company anticipates the center will employ up to 277 employees.

PETCO's new distribution center, which will serve the southeastern United States, will be located in a 506,240-square-foot space at Braselton Business Park in Barrow County.

“Companies continue to select metro Atlanta as the location for their large distribution operations, advancing our reputation as one of the world's top logistics hubs,” said Bob Pertierra vice president of logistics industry development for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. “Atlanta is one of the world's largest inland ports and a global logistics gateway, our strategic location in the southeast continues to makes us attractive to these types of facilities.”
Click here to read entire release.

Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority And Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation Sign Lease and Transfer Agreement
for Grady Health System
Lease Commencement Date Targeted for May 1

The Fulton DeKalb Hospital Authority (FDHA) and the Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation (GMHC) today signed the lease and transfer agreement that will lead to the GMHC assuming responsibility for the operations of the health system, targeted for May 1.

A. D. “Pete” Correll, chairman of the Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation and former chairman of Georgia-Pacific, said the new board has a very specific focus.

We exist to preserve Grady's historic mission as a safety-net hospital for this region and to raise the money it takes to do that,” he said. “This board will not try to run the day-to-day work of the hospital. Instead, our job is to ensure good governance and transparency, support a top-quality management team so they can successfully run the day-to-day operations of the hospital, and raise the money Grady needs to keep serving this community.”
Click here to read entire release.
Click here to read Questions and Answers: Lease and Transfer Agreement.

All documents related to the Grady Memorial Hospital Corporation's board meetings are posted at: http://www.gradyhealthsystem.org/gmhc.asp.

Apply NOW! 2008 Small Business Person of the Year Awards, Application Deadline is Approaching

The Small to Mid-Size Business Council is pleased to announce the 22nd Annual Small Business Person of the Year Awards.

Applications are ready NOW! Click on this link for further information: http://www.metroatlantachamber.com/fm_sbpoty.html

To nominate someone for this year's award, e-mail Glen Gould.

In partnership with the Atlanta Business Chronicle, and special thanks to this year's sponsors: AT&T, Bank of America, Public Broadcasting Atlanta and Exact Target.

Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Hosting Transit Planning Board Town Hall Meeting

Join us as the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce will host a town hall meeting to introduce the Transit Planning Board's regional transit vision for metro Atlanta on Tuesday, April 29,
at the Atlanta-Fulton Central Library Auditorium from 4 - 8 p.m.

Residents throughout the 11-county region will have an opportunity to engage in a public information session on the proposed transit vision and address issues specific to their county. Meetings are conducted in an open house format and interested persons may attend at any time during the scheduled sessions.

“Our goal is to provide a basis for a future regional transit system that will connect the region, provide travel choice, and offer auto competitive travel time and travel time certainty to the region's commuters and visitors,” said TPB executive director Cheryl King. “The plan includes commuter rail, extensions of MARTA rail, light rail/streetcar lines, Bus Rapid Transit lines, and expanded express bus and cross county suburban bus services, expanded local bus services along with expanded local and activity center circulator services.”

Input from the public will be used to refine the plan before its completion which is scheduled for the end of 2008.

For more information and additional town hall meeting sites, please visit the Transit Planning Board website at www.tpb.ga.gov. Residents are also encouraged to take the TPB Public Involvement Survey at www.surveymonkey.com/TPBconcept3survey.

Campaign Corner

We are excited to kick off the 2008 Chairman's Committee Fundraising Campaign, " Atlanta, It's Your Business," on Thursday, April 17. With our strong leaders Jackson Kelly, vice president of Marketing Operations for The Coca-Cola Company; and Willem Hattink, executive vice president of SunTrust Bank, this year's campaign is certain to be a success.

The Chairman's Campaign is one of the primary sources of revenue for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, funding new and existing Chamber programs and initiatives. Volunteers from more than 20 corporate partners in metro Atlanta will sell memberships, advertising and sponsorships from April through August to finish at the $3 million goal. If you would like to join your corporate partners on the campaign, contact Rebecca Brubaker for more information.

Member Testimonials

Volt Technical Resources

I am a business development manager and recently relocated to Atlanta from Seattle. The Metro Atlanta Chamber has been an enormous help in allowing me to immediately establish strong business contacts and get out the branding of Volt in the Southeast. The events are informational and best of all FUN! Thank you MACOC!

Ryan Salter
Volt Technical Resources
www.volt.com

ML Day and Associates, Inc.

I joined in August of 2007, and by the end of fiscal 2007 I received a contact for a client that I had been pursuing for over two years. Since this contact, I have become an active vendor with this company.

Marlon Day
ML Day and Associates, Inc.
www.mldayassociates.com

Sports Corner

Top NCAA Head Coaches and Celebrities Meet their Rivals on the Links
Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater at Reynolds Plantation Offers $375,000 Scholarship Purse

On April 29, the Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater at Reynolds Plantation, the nation's premier head coach and celebrity golf event, will again assemble a “who's who” list of teams competing against their rivals for a $375,000 scholarship purse.

The field will include defending champions Frank Beamer and Dell Curry of Virginia Tech and an impressive list of top NCAA head coaches and celebrities. In all, 14 teams are scheduled to hit the links – all vying for the $100,000 first-place prize.

Newly added teams from Boston College – including head football coach Jeff Jagodinski and actor Chris O'Donnell – and UConn – with head basketball coach Jim Calhoun and former NBA forward Donny Marshall – will help make this the most elite coach and celebrity golf event in the country.

Other returning players include Ralph Friedgen ( Maryland ), Jim Grobe ( Wake Forest ), Mark Richt ( Georgia ), Nick Saban ( Alabama ), Steve Spurrier ( South Carolina ) and Tommy Tuberville ( Auburn ).

More new teams will be announced in the weeks leading up to the event.

“This field of coaches and celebrities is simply awesome,” said Gary Stokan, Chick-fil-A Bowl president. “One thing is for sure, this year's match will be even more toughly contested than last year's. These guys are coming out here to win.”

The Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater at Reynolds Plantation features pairings that include a university head coach and a celebrity alumnus from the same school competing in a scramble format against other university teams from around the country.

The celebrity round will be taped for broadcast and aired nationally by CBS from 2 – 4 p.m. (ET) on Christmas Day. The made-for-TV portion is being produced by Savlov Consulting, Inc.

“Reynolds Plantation is excited to be hosting, for a second year, the Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater at Reynolds Plantation – designated the “Best of the Best” golf community by Robb Report ,” said Bob Mauragas, vice president of golf operations at Reynolds Plantation.  “The powerful combination of this wonderful event broadcast on CBS on Christmas Day and the championship golf course, The Oconee, designed by Rees Jones, makes this an unparalleled partnership.”

In addition to the $375,000 scholarship purse, another $50,000 of the proceeds will be donated to the Reynolds Foundation.

“We are blessed to be in a position to give back through this event and continue our support of college scholarships and our community by donating a total of $425,000 back to the participating universities and the Reynolds Foundation,” Stokan said.

For more information on the event, visit www.Chick-fil-ABowlAlmaMater.com.


Alabama's Nick Saban and Auburn's Tommy Tuberville wait for their chance to tee off in last year's Chick-fil-A Bowl Alma Mater at Reynolds Plantation. This year's event on April 29, will provide $375,000 in scholarships back to the participating universities.

Chamber Events

Community Events

Invest One Hour and Save Three Days

When disaster strikes, there's no time to prepare. With that in mind, it's critical to invest time and money now that will save you in the long run.

The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce is committed to helping its members and sincerely wants them to be prepared in the worst cases.

That's why we encourage you to turn to the Ready Georgia campaign for emergency supply lists and pertinent preparedness information today. Remember, taking the right steps now can save hardship in a disaster situation. Get ready today!

To find out more about emergency preparedness in Georgia and get a full list of suggested emergency supplies, visit the Ready Georgia Web site at www.ready.ga.gov.