Atlanta Galleria Now

Galleria Chat: May 31, 2012

The Galleria Chat appears on this blog each Thursday. The Chat provides a hearty helping of stories and announcements to keep you in the know about the area surrounding the Atlanta Galleria Office Park. So without further ado …

Small Businesses of the Year. The Cobb Chamber of Commerce will host its annual Small Businesses of the Year Awards on June 4 as part of its First Monday Breakfast.

The ceremony will unveil the Top 25 Small Businesses of the Year, an overall Small Business of the Year winner and the Small Business Hall of Fame inductees. A panel of independent judges selects the Businesses of the Year.

The awards begin at 7:30 a.m. Admission is $60 for the general public and $40 for Chamber members.

Chenoweth in Concert. In a rare concert appearance, Emmy Award- and Tony Award-winning actress and singer Kristin Chenoweth comes to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre on June 22.

Chenoweth will debut songs from her latest album, titled “Some Lessons Learned,” and will also perform some of her other Broadway show tunes. The show starts at 8 p.m.

Tickets start at $37 and can be purchased through Ticketmaster. Those purchased through Ticketmaster will include additional fees.

GR8 Technology Conference. Technology enthusiasts should look forward to Microsoft’s GR8 Atlanta SharePoint Conference at 8 a.m. on June 26 at the Cobb Galleria Centre.

The conference will provide presentations and session tracks designed to address the technology and business issues confronting company executives, project managers, IT staff and developers.

Registration is $149. Pre-register now for a chance to win an Xbox 360.

Summer Music. Summer’s here and that means it’s time to get outside and enjoy some local music. The city of Smyrna’s Summer Concert Series kicks off on Saturday, June 9, at the Village Green with a performance by The Mustangs. The group specializes in Top 40 and classic-rock hits from the past 40 years.

The show is slated to run 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and is free to the public. Other concerts in the series are scheduled for July 14 and August 4.

Meanwhile, Galleria workers living in the Marietta area can look forward to the Glover Park Concert Series, which continues on Friday, June 29, from 8 to 10:30 p.m. with a performance by China Grove, a Doobie Brothers Tribute Band.

Galleria Chat: April 27, 2012

Market Fresh. Skip the grocery lines and get your hands on some of the freshest fruits and vegetables in the area. From May 5 through September, the city of Smyrna will host the Smyrna Fresh Produce Market every Saturday in the parking lot of the Smyrna First Baptist Church, located at 1275 Church Street.

Market hours are from 8 a.m. to noon. For more information or to participate as a vendor, visit the city of Smyrna’s website.

Opera’s in Town. Local opera fans have something to look forward to this weekend. That’s because the Atlanta Opera’s production of “Don Giovanni” will be performed at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre at 8 p.m. on Saturday. Additional performances of Mozart’s opera, which is sung in Italian and features English supertitles, will be held on Tuesday, May 1; Friday, May 4; and Sunday, May 6.

For more information about the opera or to purchase tickets, visit the Atlanta Opera’s website. Tickets may also be purchased through Ticketmaster; those purchased on Ticketmaster will include additional fees.

Franchising 101. Are you interested in becoming a franchisee? Then consider attending the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s “Franchising 101: What You Should Know Before Starting a Franchise” seminar from 10 a.m. to noon on May 10.

The seminar will feature Brian Annino of Annino Law Firm LLC, who will discuss the dos and don’ts of franchising.

General admission is $30. Chamber members can purchase tickets for $15 online and $20 at the door. Registration ends at noon on May 9. For more information or to register, visit the chamber’s website.

Circus in Town. The world’s largest shrine circus will be in Marietta this weekend through May 6.

Yaarab Shrine’s 2012 Circus features elephants, bears, show horses, high-flying trapeze artists, daredevil acts and more. The event also features carnival rides for the entire family.

The circus is located at Jim R. Miller Park on 2245 Callaway Road. Adult admission is $10; children 36 inches and under get in for free. 

The circus opens at 7:30 p.m. tonight. Additional information can be found on the Smyrna-Vinings Patch.

Galleria chat: April 5, 2012

The Galleria Chat appears on this blog each Thursday. The Chat provides a hearty helping of stories and announcements to keep you in the know about the area surrounding the Atlanta Galleria Office Park. So without further ado …

Messy Photo Contest. This year’s spring cleaning could do more than just make your home look better – it could win you some money. Submit a photo of your worn-out shoes, tackiest outfit, or dirty room - or all three – in our neighbor Cumberland Mall’s contest, and you could win a $150, $250 or $2,500 gift card to use at the mall.

Finalists will be announced on April 10. For more information and to enter, visit Cumberland Mall’s Facebook page.

Easter Hunt. Cumberland United Methodist Church invites you and your kids to an Easter egg hunt this Saturday. The search for eggs runs from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and is free to everyone.

Cumberland United Methodist Church is located at 2375 Paces Ferry Road in Smyrna. For more information, visit the church’s website.

Be A Leader. Do you know a high-school student that has the makings of a leader? Cobb Youth Leadership (CYL), a program that develops leadership skills through a series of retreats, is accepting applications from rising juniors.

Supported by the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association, CYL gives high-school students a chance to network and receive education on topics such as college and community involvement. The cost of the program is $400.

Visit the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s website to fill out an application. For more information about the program, visit this page on the Chamber’s site.

Not as Healthy. Cobb County was ranked the sixth healthiest county in Georgia in the 2012 County Health Rankings, compiled by the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The ranking represents a drop for the county, which traditionally has ranked in the top five.

Ranking factors include number of adult smokers, number of obese adults, the teen birth rate, number of uninsured residents, number of children living in poverty, level of residents’ education, number of fast food restaurants and air pollution.

While not in its usual top five spot, “Cobb still ranked better than the state average in each category except excessive drinking and air pollution,” noted a Smyrna-Vinings Patch article.

Adopt-A-Thon. Find your next furry friend at the Cobb County Animal Control’s upcoming Adopt-A-Thon, to be held on May 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will feature discounted adoption rates as well as food vendors, police K-9 demonstrations, a raffle and a chance to talk with the shelter’s veterinarian.

The shelter is located at 1060 Al Bishop Drive in Marietta. For more information, visit

the Cobb County Animal Control website or call 770-590-5614.

Become a Better Knitter. Want to learn how to knit? Or maybe you’re a long-term knitter looking to expand your skills. Then the upcoming Stitches South may be for you. The conference will take place at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel and Cobb Galleria Centre on April 19-22, and will feature classes, fashion shows, an exhibit hall for vendors and several dinners, among other activities.

Visit the event’s website for schedule details and registration packages.

Galleria Chat: March 15, 2012

The Galleria Chat appears on this blog each Thursday. The Chat provides a hearty helping of stories and announcements to keep you in the know about the area surrounding the Atlanta Galleria Office Park. So without further ado …

• Rebuilding the Bridge. Renovation of the four-lane U.S. Highway 41 Bridge, which spans the Chattahoochee River just south of the Atlanta Galleria, will begin this month. The revamped bridge will feature six lanes (three in each direction); a raised median; a 12-foot-wide, multi-use trail on its east side; and a six-foot-wide sidewalk on its west side. The bridge will remain open throughout the renovation process.

Completion of the reconstruction is slated for 2015. Funding for the $18 million project was provided by the federal government and the Cumberland Community Improvement District (CID). The Georgia Department of Transportation will manage the project.

An article on the CID’s website says the organization plans to eventually extend the multi-use trail and sidewalk, as well as the widening of Cobb Parkway to six lanes, up to Akers Mill Road. No timetable for that project is given, however.

For complete information, visit the CID’s website.

• Get Their Attention. Exhibiting at a trade show can be expensive and time-consuming, so you want to make sure your company is prepared to make the most of the undertaking. An upcoming seminar sponsored by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce aims to help you and your firm do just that.

“Stop Traffic and Sell Your Brand” will be held at the Chamber on April 11 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Bonnie Buckner Reavis, founder and CEO of Zenith Design Group, will discuss ways to make your booth inviting and interesting, how to effectively display your business and products on site, and effective networking techniques.

General admission is $40. Chamber members can purchase tickets for $20, and those attending the Chamber’s 2012 Business-to-Business Expo can attend the seminar for only $5. For more information and to register, visit the Chamber’s website.

• Share a Ride. Summer is just around the corner, and that means metro Atlanta’s air quality is about to take a turn for the worse. However, you can do your part to reduce the smog in the sky by joining a vanpool to commute to and from work. The Cumberland CID’s Commuter Club organizes vanpools that service Cumberland workers who live throughout the metro Atlanta.

To find the vanpool route that’s the best fit for you, visit the Commuter Club website.

• Fitness Sample. Speaking of summer, those looking to get into swimsuit shape may want to stop by CrossFit’s open house this Saturday. The gym, located at 1600 Roswell Street SE in Smyrna, is offering prospective members a tour of the gym and a free workout from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

For more information and to book a reservation for your free workout, visit Smyrna-Vinings Patch.  

• Bring Food, Have Discounted Fun. Six Flags Over Georgia will open for its 45^th season on Saturday, and you can get into the park for only $19.67 (the park opened in 1967) by bringing at least six non-perishable food items to donate to MUST Ministries. The discount is valid on Saturday and Sunday.

For more details, including a list of suggested food items, visit the AJC’s Bargain Hunter blog

Galleria Chat: March 8, 2012

The Galleria Chat appears on this blog each Thursday. The Chat provides a hearty helping of stories and announcements to keep you in the know about the area surrounding the Atlanta Galleria Office Park. So without further ado …

• Looking to Get LinkedIn? On Monday, March 12, Juanita McDowell, the owner of the InMotion Real Estate Institute in Smyrna, will teach a three-hour class on how business professionals can best use the social network LinkedIn. The class, which costs $49, begins at 10 a.m. at the institute, located at 5020 Highlands Parkway SE.

The class will cover a range of topics, including putting video on your profile page, generating sales leads, status-update strategy, securing recommendations and LinkedIn etiquette.

For more information, visit Smyrna-Vinings Patch.

• Collecting Information about Collections. Does your business need to know more about how to collect payments from troublesome clients? If that’s the case, “Collections 101,” a Cobb Chamber of Commerce seminar that will be conducted by Neil Wilcove of Freeman Mathis & Gary, may be for you.

The session will be held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 22, and will cover when to hire an attorney, preventative measures, demand letters, how lawsuits work and contractual clauses that deter clients from walking away from their debts.

The registration deadline is at noon on Wednesday, March 21. Tickets are $40 for the general public and $25 for chamber members. For more information and to register, visit the chamber’s website.

• A Remodeler’s Paradise. Those looking to remodel their homes or spruce up their gardens will want to stop by the 34th Annual Atlanta Home Show, to be held at the Cobb Galleria Centre on March 23-25. Roughly 350 exhibitors will be at the show to display the latest home products and services.

Additionally, the show will feature a number of speakers, including Anthony Carrino and John Colaneri of HGTV’s “The Kitchen Cousins,” Tonya Williams of HGTV’s “Designed to Sell,” and Dave Baker of Atlanta radio station AM 750’s “The Home Fix-It Show.”

General admission is $10. For complete information, visit the show’s website.

• A Surprising Combination. One might not think of Johnny Cash and the art of ballet as a good combination. However, “The Man in Black,” a ballet set to the music of the country-music legend, is winning rave reviews; Dance Magazine labeled the production “ingenious.”

“The Man in Black” will be at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre from March 23-25. Tickets range from $20 to $135 and can be purchased at the center or through Ticketmaster. Purchases made through Ticketmaster will include additional processing fees.

• Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes. A new shoe store, Clarks, has opened in the Cumberland Mall. The store is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Sunday from noon to 6 p.m.

The store is located on the lower level near the Center Court entrance.

Galleria Chat: March 1, 2012

The Galleria Chat is a weekly feature that appears on this blog each Thursday. The Chat will provide you with a hearty helping of links to stories and announcements to keep you in the know about the area surrounding the Atlanta Galleria Office Park. So without further ado … 

• ¿Habla Español? Looking to build better business relationships or communicate more effectively with employees by improving your Spanish-speaking skills? Patty Smitherman of Communicate Language Services will teach a seven-week conversational Spanish course at the Futren Corp.’s offices near the intersection of Interstate 75 and Windy Hill Road. Beginning on March 20, the class will meet for two hours on Tuesday nights. The registration deadline is Friday, March 15, at noon. The registration fee is $200; members of the Cobb Chamber of Commerce can sign up for $150. For more information on the class and details on group discounts, visit the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s website

• Get Online. If you’re a small business looking to finally create a website, Google and the state of Georiga want to help you out. The recently announced “Georgia Get Your Business Online” program provides small businesses in the state with free websites, as well as free training and resources to help get the sites up and running.

According to Gov. Nathan Deal’s office, 54 percent of small businesses in Georgia do not have a website. For more information, visit Georgia.gov.

• One of the Worst. If your commute to and from the Atlanta Galleria takes you through the nearby intersection of Windy Hill Road and Cobb Parkway, you very well may have thought to yourself – or shouted out loud – that the intersection is one of the worst around. Well, Fox 5 Atlanta agrees with you.

For the lowdown on Fox 5’s lists of the worst metro Atlanta intersections, as well as the efforts of the Atlanta Regional Commission to relieve traffic congestion, visit Smyrna-Vinings Patch.

• Sit, Stay, Fetch. Is a misbehaving canine making your life crazy? Take the first step toward sanity by attending Dogma Dog Care’s open house from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday to learn about the facility’s dog-training classes. Located at 4790 Wright Drive in Smyrna, the center’s staff features Susie Aga, voted “Best Dog Trainer” by the readers of Atlanta magazine.

• Remember the Children. The Children’s Place, a kids clothing and accessory store in Cumberland Mall, will hold a garden party from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

The event will feature free treats and special deals. For more information, visit the mall’s website.

Galleria Chat: Feb. 23, 2012

The Galleria Chat is a weekly feature that appears on this blog each Thursday. The Chat will provide you with a hearty helping of links to stories and announcements to keep you in the know about the area surrounding the Atlanta Galleria Office Park. So without further ado …

• Letting Go. So, you’re ready to sell your small business. What are your options? You can find out by attending “Business Succession Plans for Small Businesses” a Cobb Chamber of Commerce educational session that will be held on Tuesday, March 13, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Attorney Dennis Summers of Taylor English Duma LLP will outline the differences between selling your firm to a strategic buyer, a private equity buyer and an employee stock ownership plan.

The registration deadline is Monday, March 12, at noon. Admission is $40 for the general public and $25 for Chamber members. Click here to register.

• Let Your Voice Be Heard. Bob Ott, commissioner of Cobb County’s District Two, which includes the Atlanta Galleria Office Park, will hold a town-hall meeting on Wednesday, March 14, at 7 p.m. to provide an update on county projects in the area and to allow constituents a chance to discuss any issues they would like to raise. The meeting will be held at Vinings Estates, located at 655 Crescent Ridge Trail SE in Mableton.

• It’s Alive … and It’s Now on Stage. The stage version of Mel Brooks’ classic comedy “Young Frankenstein” will be at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre from Thursday, March 29 through Sunday, April 1. Winner of the 2008 Outer Critics Circle Award and the Broadway.com Audience Award for Best Musical, the play features songs – including “Transylvania Mania,” “He Vas My Boyfriend” and
“Puttin' on the Ritz” – written specifically for the stage.

For show times and ticket information, visit ticketmaster.com or call (800) 745-3000.

• Hitting the Road. With a sunny weekend apparently in store, it might be a good time to dust off the bicycle and get some exercise. Each Saturday at 10 a.m., the Atlanta Cycling store, located south of the Atlanta Galleria at 4335 Cobb Parkway, conducts a leisurely paced 22-mile ride around the Vinings area. The ride is free and lunch is provided afterwards. For more information, visit Smyrna-Vinings Patch.

• Crafts as Far as the Eye Can See. If you’re in the market for homemade jewelry, furniture or clothing, the American Craft Council Show will be the place to be. The show will be held at the Cobb Galleria Centre from Friday, March 9, to Sunday, March 11, and will display the works of more than 225 crafters. One- and two-day passes can be purchased for $13 and $20, respectively, onsite. Discounted tickets also are available online.

Galleria Chat: Feb. 16, 2012

The Galleria Chat is a weekly feature that appears on this blog each Thursday. The Chat will provide you with a hearty helping of links to stories and announcements to keep you in the know about the area surrounding the Atlanta Galleria Office Park. So without further ado …

• There Is No “I” in Team. For a small business, teaming up with another similarly sized firm can pave the way to compete more successfully for commercial and government contracts. On March 1, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce will conduct an education session called “Creating Business Alliances to Win Procurement Contracts.” The two-hour session will feature Karen Mills of Mills Law Associates and Jone Debnam of the Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center. The two will discuss the objectives and benefits of “teaming arrangements,” as well as the legal considerations of the arrangements.

The registration deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 29, at noon. Admission is $40 for the general public and $25 for Chamber members. Click here to register.

• Dinner and a Play? Valentine’s Day may be past, but that doesn’t mean you can’t treat your spouse or significant other to a nice night on the town. Laura Davidson, a.k.a. the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s “Bargain Hunter,” has the lowdown on a package being offered by The Atlanta Ballet and the South City Kitchen in Vinings. For just $53 (plus a surcharge) you get one ticket to “The Princess and the Goblin,” showing at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre, and dinner at South City, home to chic Southern food.

• Decrease Your Carbon Footprint. The EcoAction Factory and Green School will hold a free open house from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. this Saturday in Smyrna to preview its year-round calendar of environmental classes. The topics of the classes range from water conservation and energy efficiency to overhauling residential and commercial properties to perform in an environmentally friendly manner. The Smyrna-Vinings Patch has the details on the open house.

• Here Come the Brides. Maybe you got engaged on Valentine’s Day, or maybe you just have an upcoming wedding. If you have no idea about how to even begin planning for the big event, consider attending the Georgia Bridal Show on March 4 at the Cobb Galleria. Exhibitors include photographers, caterers, florists, gown and tuxedo designers, and even reception DJs.   Visit the show site for all the details. Tickets are $10 at the door. Discounted tickets can be purchased online.

Q&A with David Connell, CEO of Cobb Chamber of Commerce

With more than 2,500 member firms, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce plays a leading role in the Cobb business community. Its activities range from offering programs to develop business leaders to advocating for legislation that helps area businesses.

Below is a Q&A with David Connell, president and CEO of the Chamber, about the Chamber’s considerable achievements in 2011 and its ambitious plans for 2012.

A quick look back: What were some of the chamber’s biggest achievements in 2011?

Connell: Last year, under the leadership of chairman Rob Garcia, our economic development team worked with our partners — cities, the county, the state, development authorities and utilities — to attract 26 business relocations and expansions. These projects, which include The Home Depot’s new customer support center in Kennesaw, will create 3,093 jobs and $248 million in new investments in the county. 

Working with numerous community partners, we also launched Cobb’s Competitive Edge, which will create and implement an economic development plan that will generate high-wage job growth; strengthen our quality of life as well as our educational assets and infrastructure; and aggressively market our county to the world. We contracted with Market Street Services, one of the leading economic development consultants, to oversee the process, and the plan should be ready for implementation by early February.

We also added more than 500 new members, which means that 2,500 firms now belong to the Cobb Chamber, making it one of the largest chambers in the Southeast. And, we launched a pilot program with Walgreen’s that offers employees of member firms significant savings on prescription drugs.

What are your priorities for 2012?

Connell: Our top priority will be to begin implementing the recommended strategies outlined in the upcoming Competitive EDGE Economic Development Strategic Plan. With that plan, we will strengthen both our business retention and our recruitment efforts.

We will also offer new leadership development opportunities to our members that will build on historically strong programs like Leadership Cobb, Cobb Youth Leadership and Honorary Commanders. For example, to start off the year, we are bringing radio host Dave Ramsey’s one-day course on entrepreneurship to our members, and we are in conversations with several other local and national leadership development experts to create programs for our members and their teams.

Furthermore, we will look to continue to grow our membership with another membership drive.

Another session of the Georgia General Assembly began this month. What’s on your legislative agenda this year?

Connell: Our end goal is to support legislation that creates high-quality jobs at all skill levels in Cobb, the metro Atlanta region and throughout the state of Georgia.

As for some of the specifics, we will advocate for legislation that would allow communities in Georgia to bring before voters a referendum for a fractional (meaning less than a penny) special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST). As Cobb matures, we feel our need for a full penny for both the Education and Transportation SPLOSTs is diminishing. We will also advocate for legislation that would allow a portion of SPLOST funds to be spent on maintenance and operations of existing capital.

The Chamber also supports the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project. Each year, $935 million in cargo value moves from Cobb through the port. Its expansion is vital to the future growth of our county, our region and our state. We also support the creation of the Georgia Venture Capital Program, which would be a $180 million venture capital fund to attract high-growth companies to the state. 

Some of our other many legislative initiatives include advocating for the July passage by voters of a 1-cent sales tax to fund a wide variety of transportation projects proposed as part of the Transportation Investment Act and supporting the continued tax-exempt status of non-profit community hospitals.

If a business is interested in joining the Chamber or exploring the various events and programs that you offer, what should it do?

Connell: Our website details all the aspects our organization. If they are interested in exploring membership, they can fill out a membership inquiry. To schedule an appointment with the Membership Sales Department, they should call Jeremy Cronemeyer at (770) 859-2337.

Digital Marketing Expert to Talk SEO at Cobb Chamber

To maximize your business’ online presence and marketing reach, you need to be well versed in search engine optimization (SEO) tactics and social media. However, trying to navigate these often-confusing technological waters can make you feel a little seasick.

Fear not, though: the Cobb Chamber of Commerce is ready to come to your aid. At 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15, Jason Swenk, co-founder and CEO of Solar Velocity, a local digital marketing firm, will speak at the chamber’s offices on how businesses can improve their SEO.

The implementation of SEO includes using keywords on your website to improve its visibility to search engines and thereby increase visitors to the site. Another common tactic is trying to increase the number of other websites that link to your site, which would increase your site’s visibility to Google and other search engines.

Swenk’s two-hour talk, titled “Search Engine Optimization and Your Business: Simplifying the Social Media World,” will review common SEO mistakes, recommend best practices and examine the relationship between SEO and social media. Swenk has helped clients such as Aflac, Legal Zoom and Hitachi improve their SEO performance.

General admission tickets are $40 apiece. For chamber members, tickets are $20 each. Representatives of the Chairman’s Club and the Executive Club will receive free admission.

Groups of three or more receive a discount of $10 off each attendee’s admission price. Call Tya Dawson at (770) 859-2341 to take advantage of this discount.

The registration deadline is Monday, Nov. 14. No refunds will be available after the deadline.

The Cobb Chamber of Commerce is located at 240 Interstate North Parkway.