Atlanta Galleria Now

Tenant Times: May 1, 2013

The Tenant Times is a regular feature designed to keep you up to date on the Atlanta Galleria’s tenants. The Atlanta Galleria Office Park is home to some of the Southeast’s leading companies — so there’s always interesting news. If you’re a Galleria tenant and would like us to feature your news, email us at [email protected].

Honored Once Again. Atlanta Galleria tenant WellPoint Inc., which was recently named one of the top U.S. companies for Latinas to work, just received another honor for diversity in the workplace. 

DiversityInc ranked WellPoint No. 40 on its Top 50 Companies for Diversity list, marking WellPoint’s sixth consecutive year on the list.

The company also placed on DiversityInc’s top 10 lists of Companies for Supplier Diversity, Companies for Veterans and Companies for People with Disabilities, according to a press release.

Calling All Real Estate Superstars. Urban Land Institute Atlanta’s Center for Leadership is looking for emerging leaders in Atlanta’s real estate and land-use industries for its Class of 2014. 

Through an application process, members are chosen for a nine-month course on the real estate industry, life management and leadership. 

To apply, visit ULI Atlanta’s website. 

Record-Breaking Sales. QuantiSense, a software vendor for the retail industry, announced record sales for the fourth quarter of 2012, almost double the sales the company closed in fourth-quarter 2011.

QuantiSense is seeing increased demand for its business-intelligence and data-warehouse software. At the end of last year, Hibbett Sports, Citi Trends and Payless Shoe Source all became new customers. 

Award-Winning Team. ITAGroup’s creative team was just awarded with a number of recognitions during this year’s MarCom Awards, an international competition honoring individuals and firms involved in the concept, writing and design of print, visual, audio and web materials and programs.

ITAGroup’s Communication Solutions Group added 20 MarCom Awards this year to its collection.

Tenant Times: March 13, 2013

The Tenant Times is a regular feature designed to keep you up to date on the Atlanta Galleria’s tenants. The Atlanta Galleria Office Park is home to some of the Southeast’s leading companies — so there’s always interesting news. If you’re a Galleria tenant and would like us to feature your news, email us at [email protected].

Big Win(s). Marketing agency CSE set a new company record this year by winning 18 ADDY Awards given by the Atlanta chapter of the American Advertising Federation.

CSE won four gold, 12 silver and two bronze awards in the magazine, newspaper, outdoor and collateral posters categories for its advertising pieces and campaigns.

For a full list of awards, see this press release from CSE. 

Buying Up Properties. The RADCO Cos. recently closed on its eighth multifamily acquisition in the last few months with its purchase of The Pavilion at Decatur. The Pavilion at Decatur is a 144-unit property near Emory University.

RADCO plans to renovate the units and offer more amenities to increase the value of the property. The plans demonstrate RADCO’s strategy to acquire properties that have significant upside potential at below-market values, RADCO President and CEO Norman Radow told Globe St.

A Man of Many Appearances. Ultimate Software, which provides human resource and payroll software, has announced that Mitchell Dauerman, its executive vice president and chief financial officer, will present at three investor conferences in March.

Dauerman spoke at the Raymond James & Associates Annual Institutional Investors Conference on March 4. He also presented on March 12 at the Piper Jaffray Technology, Media and Telecommunications Conference, and he will speak on March 19 at the ROTH Capital Partners Annual Conference.

New Chair Announced. Urban Land Institute (ULI) Atlanta has announced it has selected David Allman, chairman of Regent Partners, as its next chair. Allman’s term will start in July.

Allman also serves on ULI Atlanta’s Advisory Board.

Atlanta Galleria Office Park Oscar Picks

Oscar season is in full swing! In preparation for the 85th Academy Awards this Sunday, we asked a few Atlanta Galleria Office Park tenants about their picks and favorites. They shared who they want to win best picture this year and their all-time favorite flicks. Check it out! Which movie to you want to win? What's your all-time favorite? Leave your answers in the comments below.

Galleria Chat: Jan. 3, 2013

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

Make Frame-Worthy Photos. Learn the basics of photography in only one day. Johnny Crawford, a sports photographer with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is teaching the Photography 101 Crash Course at the Smyrna Community Center this Saturday, Jan. 5, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

Students will learn composition and how to set the right exposure using shutter speed, aperture and ISO. An instruction book also is included in the class fee. 

The class is $155, and you can register by emailing Crawford at [email protected]. The Smyrna Community Center is located at 200 Village Green Circle in Smyrna.

Recycle Your Trees. Now that the holiday season has come and gone, you might be wondering what to do with your Christmas tree. Recycling Christmas trees is a great way to keep them from going to landfills and make sure their parts can still be used in an environmentally sustainable way.

Home Depot in Vinings is teaming up with Keep Smyrna Beautiful for their annual Bring One for the Chipper event, which will take place at the store this Saturday, Jan. 5, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Those in the area are invited to bring their trees for chipping. Participants will receive free mulch as well as tree seedlings, vegetable seeds and flower seeds to plant. Some of the mulch created will be used for city projects like playgrounds and landscaping. 

Home Depot in Vinings is located at 2450 Cumberland Parkway. Call Keep Smyrna Beautiful at 770-431-2863 for more information.

Get Spooked. Did you know Marietta is haunted? Some residents of the city have just refused to ever leave, even during the afterlife. Hear their stories while learning more about the history of the city during the Scary-etta Trolley Ghost Tour this Friday, Jan. 4, from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The trolley ride includes a brief, two-block walk, but accommodations can be made for those unable to undertake the stroll.

Tickets are $27 plus tax for adults, and $14 plus tax for children 12 and younger. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.ghostsofmarietta.com.

Run for a Cause. Get started on your resolution to be more active while supporting a great cause with the Wonderful Days of Winter Race this Saturday, Jan. 5, at 8 a.m. 

The eighth annual event features both a 5K run and a one-mile fun run to raise funds for Wonderful Days Preschool, which offers free preschool programs to at-risk three- and four-year-olds to help them prepare for kindergarten.

The registration fee is $25, and you can register through Active’s website. The race takes place at St. James’ Episcopal Church, located at 161 Church Street in Marietta. For more information, contact Anne Patrick at [email protected] or call 770-434-0136.

Tenant Times: Oct. 10, 2012

The Tenant Times is a regular feature designed to keep you up to date on the Atlanta Galleria’s tenants. The Atlanta Galleria Office Park is home to some of the Southeast’s leading companies — so there’s always interesting news. If you’re a Galleria tenant and would like us to feature your news, email us at [email protected].

Handing Out the Awards. The Urban Land Institute (ULI) Atlanta recently honored the Maynard H. Jackson International Terminal and the Gateway Center with its 2012 Awards for Excellence. The awards recognize outstanding and innovative real estate development.

The International Terminal is a 1.2 million-square-foot addition to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport that opened in May. The nearby Gateway Center is a mixed-use development that features 1.1 million square feet of office, retail and hotel space.

ULI Atlanta announced the awards at its annual dinner, held in late September at the Atlanta History Center. At the dinner, the organization also presented Ed McBrayer, executive director of the PATH Foundation, with the Dan and Tally Sweat Community Leadership Award and Ray Weeks, chairman and co-founder of Weeks Robinson Properties, with the Frank Carter Community Achievement Award.

For more information about the award recipients, click here.

Fly the International Skies. Travelport has reached a multi-year agreement with nasair, a low-fare airline based in Saudi Arabia, to include the airline’s fares in the flight information it sends to travel agents worldwide through its various global distribution systems (GDS).

“We are proud to be the first GDS provider to work with nasair and look forward to bringing them under our umbrella of participating airlines,” said Will Owen Hughes, Travelport’s senior airline director for the Middle East and Africa, in a press release. “This is very good news for our agency subscribers, who will certainly welcome having access to nasair’s unrestricted fares and being able to book them through their preferred GDS.”

“As a low-cost carrier, we believe that we can reach new heights by tapping into the valuable travel agency distribution channel,” added Francois Bouteillier, CEO of nasair, in a statement. “Travelport is one of the world’s leading GDS providers, and it makes perfect sense for us to capitalize on its strong industry expertise and global reach.”

From its hub in Riyadh, nasair provides service to the Middle East, Africa and Europe.

Going … Going … Gone! The Shopping Center Group represented EDENS in the firm’s September sale of Barclay Square in Largo, Fla., for $10.8 million. The buyer was an affiliate of The Sterling Organization, which is based in Palm Beach, Fla.

The 99,000-square-foot property is currently 82 percent leased and is anchored by a 42,000-square-foot Walmart Neighborhood Market. Other tenants include Tuesday Morning, Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, H&R Block and Goodyear Tires.

“This property is a solid investment with great value-add opportunity for the new owners,” said Anthony Blanco, director of investment sales for The Shopping Center Group, in an article printed on The Largo Leader’s website. “Walmart is one of the most credit-worthy tenants in the industry.”

Special Recognition. Earlier this summer, ITA Group’s Driven Magazine received a Grand Award in the 2012 Magnum Opus Awards competition. The international awards program recognizes excellence in corporate communications content. ITA Group’s award was in the “Print Magazine – External Audience” category.

“We are very pleased to be recognized for the quality of our publication,” said Kent Schlawin, vice president of ITA’s Marketing Communications Group, in a statement. “Our team works hard to provide meaningful content that our readers will find informative and useful.”

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Eldaly Breban Wins Galleria Photo Contest

The Atlanta Galleria Office Park is proud to announce that Eldaly Breban won our just-completed online photo contest. Her winning entry, titled “Reflections of Fall,” perfectly captures the eye-popping colors that make our property such a beautiful setting every autumn.

Eldaly was kind enough to answer some of our questions, so that we can all get to know the woman behind the iPad-winning lens. Congratulations, Eldaly!

Can you talk about your connection to Atlanta Galleria? 

I live in Cobb County and drive by the Atlanta Galleria almost daily. I think it is a gorgeous campus with the right combination of buildings and beautiful landscape.

I have a good friend who works for [tenant] LCG Associates who I have visited at the Galleria in the past. Also, my company just changed dental benefits, and I had to choose a new dentist. Out of hundreds listed 15 miles from my house, I chose Dr. James C McSwiney just because his office is at the Galleria. The location had everything to do with it.

What about the particular scene that you photographed inspired you?

We had a gorgeous autumn season in Atlanta this year, and the Atlanta Galleria was sporting some beautiful landscapes during that season. What I loved about "Reflections of Fall" are the vibrant fall colors in the background that also reflect against the building. Very beautiful. 

Is photography a hobby for you? If so, how did you get interested in it and what do you most like to photograph?  

Yes, definitely! I am not a professional by any means, but I definitely enjoy taking pictures. I travel a lot for work and visit some beautiful places. I decided to invest in a good camera a couple of years ago, and started photographing things that inspire me when I visit these places. 

My photographs can be either very traditional or very eclectic. I love taking pictures of doors and window frames, especially those that you find in Europe. People think that's a bit odd but I find them interesting!

What is your job and can you tell us a bit about your life outside of work (family, hobbies, etc.)?

I work for Delta Air Lines in sales. I’m based in Atlanta. I have a wonderful family and all of them live in Atlanta. We are very close.

They were the ones who pushed for me to enter the contest and who campaigned for me. A special shout-out to Abner and Courtney Breban, my brother and sister-in-law, who made it a personal challenge to help me win the iPad.

I also have a one-year-old Shih Tzu called Dixie Joy who is like a child to me! Also, I LOVE to cook and bake and often think that I should go to culinary school and become a chef or the Next Food Network Star! 

What will you use your new iPad for?  

The main reason my family and friends wanted me to win this iPad is because I am also going to school to finish my MBA, and they know that having an iPad will give me some flexibility to work online from pretty much everywhere. My school has an iPad app, which will come in very handy. I also can't wait to load the cookie app by Martha Stewart!

ULI Video Tribute to Don Childress for Frank Carter Award

Before taking the stage to receive his award, visionary developer Don Childress was honored with this video tribute from ULI Atlanta. Take a few minutes to watch the video below which includes Jack Guynn, retired President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of America; Billy Peebles, Head Master, The Lovett School; Tad Leithead, Chairman, Atlanta Regional Commission and Don Childress, Senior Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Childress Klein Properties.

 

Don Childress Receives Frank Carter Community Achievement Award

ATLANTA (Sept. 20, 2010) - Don Childress, the visionary developer behind Atlanta Galleria Office Park and Midtown's 999 Peachtree Tower, received one of ULI Atlanta's highest honors at the group's annual awards dinner last night.

ULI Atlanta bestowed its Frank Carter Community Achievement Award upon Childress. The award, named for the late Frank Carter - founder of Carter, "recognizes an individual in development or real estate related field who has made an outstanding contribution to the Atlanta community in his or her lifetime."

As part of the ceremony, ULI showed a video that featured Jack Guynn, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; Billy Peeples, headmaster of Lovett School; and Tad Leithead, chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission, talking about their relationships with Childress. 

"Don had the vision to make a major investment in Midtown when no one else was paying attention to it," said Guynn said, who served with Childress on boards of groups aimed at improving Midtown.

 Upon accepting the award, Childress said he was honored to accept an award named for Frank Carter, whom Childress described as "a fierce competitor and a real gentleman."

"Certainly, this is the highest honor I've had in my life," Childress said. He specifically discussed Atlanta Galleria in the video tribute.

"Atlanta Galleria was, arguably, our most ambitious project, although we didn't think of it that way at the time," Childress says in the video. Others had deemed as undevelopable the 85-acre pine forest in south Cobb County, he recalls. But Childress Klein figured out a way to use the property's rough terrain to its advantage by creating "stair-step" parking decks on the hill.

Former Childress Klein partner Tad Leithead told a similar story as part of the tribute.

When Childress envisioned Atlanta Galleria on the "goat hill with a steep slope" in the late 1970s, Atlanta's tallest suburban buildings were six stories. He conceived a seven-building project with office buildings of 20 stories, a hotel and boutique mall. "It was an extraordinarily visionary project," Leithead said. 

Don Childress joins a list of winners that includes several Atlanta real estate legends: Tom Cousins, John Williams, John Portman, Herman Russell, Charlie Ackerman and John and Sue Wieland.

Childress credited his colleagues at Childress Klein Properties for much of his success. "I have a great team of loyal colleagues ... that have enabled me to walk in the front of a parade they created."

Several of Childress' colleagues including Gordon Buchmiller, Connie Engel, John Decker, Chris Poholek, Mitchell Taylor and Milly Miller were in attendance to see him accept the honor. The audience gave Childress a standing ovation to acknowledge his achievement and commitment to the community.

ULI 2010 Annual Development of Excellence Awards

Don Childress, who developed Atlanta Galleria, is winning a major award from the Urban Land Institute Thursday at its 2010 annual Development of Excellence Awards dinner. Childress will receive the “Frank Carter Community Achievement Award”. The award is named for Frank Carter, one of the founders of Carter and known to many as the “Mayor of Midtown” because of his vision for and commitment to the Atlanta community. 

We talked this week with Jeff DuFresne, Executive Director of the Urban Land Institute - Atlanta District Council, about Childress, Carter and the award.

Can you talk about why Don Childress is winning this prestigious award?
Every year, we recognize an individual in the development field or real estate field who has made an outstanding contribution to Atlanta.  Don has had a huge influence on the Cumberland Galleria area and also has helped shape Midtown. The award, named for Frank Carter, is given to someone who has integrity and vision and who is mentoring the next generation of professionals.

Who are some examples of past winners?
Ron Terwilliger, Larry Gellerstedt, Sr., John Aderhold, Charlie Brown and Harold Dawson, Sr.

ULI is all about responsible use of land.  Can you talk about why Don’s development of Atlanta Galleria is noteworthy from that standpoint?
He took a really challenging topography and he built a place with green space in the middle of it. There are a lot of amenities. There are residences nearby and the arts are right here, with the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. This is a community. I live here. I work here. I play here. He created a place that will be here a long time and it is going to get better. If I were buying land, this is where I would buy.

As you mentioned, ULI is a tenant at Atlanta Galleria. Why is this a good a location for you? 

ULI relocated to the Atlanta Galleria four years ago because it is an ideal location from which to serve our 1,000-plus members.  We host over 24 educational meetings annually which can have from 20 to 500 attendees.  The Galleria has easy access, free parking and an abundance of meeting space options. 

More on the Development of Excellence Awards Dinner:

Time: Sept. 16 at 6 p.m.

Place: Grand Atrium at 200 Peachtree (across from Downtown Ritz Carlton)

To register: Call 770-951-8500 or register on site at the event.

Other award winners:

Development of Excellence Award Finalists:

• Gables Midtown
• Hotel Indigo Athens
• Luckie Marietta District
• Piedmont Park’s “Greystone”
• Southface Campus
• Two Alliance Center
• White Provisions 

Dan Sweat 2010 recipient, Mayor Shirley Franklin