Atlanta Galleria Now

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. 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.

Galleria Chat: Feb. 9, 2012

Today marks the debut of the Galleria Chat, a weekly feature that will appear on the 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 …

• Hungry, Anyone? The Cumberland area offers a lengthy menu of tasty options for Galleria workers looking to eat out for lunch, and the number of choices is set to grow. The Brooklyn Water Bagel Company, Pollo Tropical, Zoë’s Kitchen and Café at Pharr are all set to open in the area in the coming months. The Smyrna-Vinings Patch has the mouth-watering details.

• College Choices. The Black College Expo will be held at the Cobb Galleria from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday, Feb. 11. Tickets are $10 at the door and $8 online. For full details, visit the event’s website. 

• Local Dancer Set to Shine. If you’re going to see “The Princess and the Goblin” at the Cobb Energy Centre, keep your eyes peeled for a hometown goblin. Vinings resident Abi Tan-Gamino appears in the production, and The Smyrna-Vinings patch recently got a chance to speak with her about her role.

Of working with renowned choreographer Twyla Tharp, Tan-Gamino said, “On the first week we worked with her we were very nervous because we didn’t know what to expect from (Twyla). It ended up being really nice because she kept pushing us. She’s very pushy in a good way.”

• Scavenging for Love. Until Tuesday (which is Valentine’s Day, guys), Cumberland Mall is conducting a scavenger hunt in which shoppers have the chance to locate and scan QR codes hidden throughout the mall. Scanning the codes offers shoppers a chance to win mall gift cards and enters them in a sweepstakes whose grand prize is a six-night trip for two to Kauai, Hawaii. The Marietta Daily Journal has the full details.

Back to School at the Galleria

For 30 years, the Atlanta Galleria Office Park has been a great place to work. Now it’s also a great place to go to school.

Four nights a week, Kennesaw State University’s Coles College of Business holds MBA classes in the 700 Building of the Galleria Park. The classes typically start at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Connie Engel, a partner at Childress Klein Properties who runs the Atlanta Galleria, is attending MBA classes at the park, and said there’s a wonderful cross-section of age groups in the courses. “There are people in the classes who are in their 20s, 30s, 40s or even their 50s, so you really don’t feel awkward,” Engel said.

Engel says the classes are a great way for the Galleria to serve the surrounding community. “The program is an additional service that we can provide for the clients and businesses at Atlanta Galleria Office Park,” she said. “It allows for those working individuals to continue their education on their own time.”

The Coles College of Business is the second largest business school in the state and is accredited in both business and accounting by AACSB International. Only 20 percent of all business schools in the country have earned this achievement.

Concentrations in the MBA program include operations, marketing, finance, human resources, general management, economics, business information systems, international business and entrepreneurship.

For more information on the program, call 770-420-4470 or visit the MBA portion of the Cole College of Business' website.