Another beautiful spring is winding down and summer is upon us, making our brief winter but a distant memory, which probably helps explain why, for the fifth year in a row, Atlanta is ranked No. 1 on Penske Truck Rental’s Top Moving Destinations List. The Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and the State of Georgia do a fantastic job enticing companies to relocate here, but surely one of our biggest …

Gov. Nathan Deal announced today during an economic development mission to Brazil that Stefanini, a leading global information technology (IT) service provider based in São Paulo, Brazil, will create 400 jobs by the end of 2016 through an expansion of its office in Midtown. Stefanini has maintained a presence in Georgia for 10 years and has grown its employee base to be one of the largest employers in the area …

Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Who’s Who in Technology 2015, features 100 people leading the metro area’s growing technology industry. Statewide, the technology sector employed 272,408 workers in 2014, up more than 10 percent and by more than 25,000 net new jobs, according to the Technology Association of Georgia’s 2015 report on the state of the industry, based on a survey of more than 300 technology executives. Georgia’s total technology payroll reached …

A newly launched plan to boost metro Atlanta’s export output will reach outside the city limits and prioritize engagement with minority-owned businesses, leaders said at the unveiling of the Atlanta Metro Export Plan Wednesday.    JPMorgan Chase & Co. committed $300,000 to the initiative, an effort among city and regional leaders that includes the launch of the Atlanta Export Portal, which local resources to help small and medium-sized companies expand overseas sales.   The …

The Coca-Cola Co. was once again named the most powerful brand by Tenet Partners. Three Atlanta-based companies landed on the New York-based marketing and advertising company’s eighth annual list: The Coca-Cola Co. held onto No. 1 once again, while United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS) dropped 12 spots to No. 34 and The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) fell one spot to No. 51. According to the report, BrandPower is …

MARTA announced Tuesday that it will make properties adjacent to two of its rail stations available to developers interested in building pedestrian-friendly villages. The first is a 6.2-acre parcel at Arts Center Station in Midtown. That’s a “more complicated site,” explained Amanda Rhein, who directs the MARTA Transit-Oriented Development program, because it would involve construction on an area that is currently part bus/intermodal stop, part station, part parking space and …

Fulton County Schools announces the first annual ‘FCS Mobile Appathon,’ on Saturday, May 9, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m at Ridgeview Charter School – 5340 S Trimble Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30342. The purpose of the FCS Mobile Appathon is to develop and recognize talented students while providing students with an outlet for creative energy. The FCS Mobile Appathon is also an opportunity for students to demonstrate their technology related skills and …

Fulton County Schools announces the first annual ‘FCS Mobile Appathon,’ on Saturday, May 9, 2015.  Students will create mobile apps based on challenges to be announced at least 3 week prior to the event.  The competition is open to Fulton County School students in grades 3-12 as individuals or teams of two.  Volunteers are needed to serve as team mentors, judges and advisors.  Sponsorships are  available.  FCS welcomes your …

Porsche Cars North America, Inc. will on May 7 host the official opening of its 28-acre U.S. headquarters in Atlanta. The $100 million facility is at One Porsche Drive near the northeast corner of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The new headquarters is expected to house 400 employees — 100 of which will be new to Georgia. Porsche Cars North America is the exclusive U.S. importer of Porsche sports cars. The facility …

Established in 1999, the Women’s Entrepreneurial Opportunity Project (WEOP) has been providing low and middle class women with access to programs and services that help develop their talents and skills sets as entrepreneurs. WEOP recently published the first edition of its annual magazine, From a Women’s Perspective or FAWP.   FAWP  is targeted towards women entrepreneurs from both the corporate and private sectors worldwide. Articles featured in the magazine touch a …

Women’s Entrepreneurial Opportunity Project, also known as WEOP, is an Atlanta based organization whose mission is to promote the economic advancement of women through technology, education and training.  On the 19th of March, WEOP is hosting a Women’s History Month Event at GA Power’s Arkwright Auditorium. Registration is $25 and the event is slated to start at 9 a.m.. Attendees will  have the opportunity to attend panel sessions that will address economic opportunities, …

WorldPay US CEO Tony Catalfano is expected to make an “economic development announcement” Tuesday morning with Georgia Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and other state leaders. That announcement will be about WorldPay’s plans to open an innovation center at the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) in Midtown Atlanta, according to a source. Atlanta Business Chronicle first reported theinnovation center plans on Feb. 10. WorldPay will underwrite an ATDC program aimed at building …

Fulton County is excited to be a community partner for the 2015 Dream Project.    2015 Dream Project

IBM Corp. and AMB Sports & Entertainment Group (AMBSE) formed a strategic partnership to develop technologies that allow for an engaging fan experience at the new Atlanta stadium. The Atlanta-based subsidiary of AMB Group LLC that is comprised of the Atlanta Falcons Football Club LLC, The Atlanta New Stadium Project, and the future Atlanta Major League Soccer team said IBM’s (NYSE: IBM) Smarter Stadium Network will provide a wifi infrastructure …

Pindrop Security recently raised more than $30 million in venture capital as it gears up for global expansion, Atlanta Business Chronicle has learned. The Atlanta startup, backed by Citi Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz, has developed phone fraud-busting technology to address a multi-billion dollar problem. Nearly 30 percent of all identity thefts in the U.S. start with a phone call. Pindrop plans to add about 100 jobs, according to a source. …

Spirit Airlines, the ultra-low cost carrier known for charging for carry-on bags and checked bags, is expanding in Atlanta with nine new routes. Miramar, Fla.-based Spirit announced Tuesday it will add daily nonstop flights from Atlanta to nine cities this year, more than doubling the number of routes it operates from Hartsfield-Jackson International airport. Spirit will launch service to Cleveland, Las Vegas and Orlando starting May 7, to Baltimore, Philadelphia …

An edgy British brand is set to open its first Atlanta store this spring. London-based fashion retailer Topshop and its companion men’s label, Topman, plans a March 12 opening for its new 15,600-square-foot store at Buckhead’s Lenox Square mall. Both brands will feature key collections, accessories and footwear, said a spokeswoman in an email. “The store will also house the brand’s complimentary personal shopping service offering customers style advice on the …

Atlanta’s own Epsten Group, a design firm leading the way in sustainable design and building practices, has been awarded the prestigious LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) v4 Beta Platinum certification for Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance for their office building, The Edge.   This award recognizes excellence in environmentally-friendly and sustainable building practices and The Edge is one of the first projects in the world to achieve such a …

RIB Software AG will relocate its North American headquarters to a proposed 700,000-square-foot mixed-use tower in Midtown’s Technology Square. Stuttgart, Germany-based RIB develops project management software for the construction industry, including project conception, planning, and budgeting. RIB employs about 700 and trades on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. RIB has signed a Letter of Intent to enter into a research partnership with Georgia Tech and to co-occupy the university’s planned High …

Twitter is taking flight in Atlanta, with expansion plans that include new offices in a high-profile technology hub.The San Francisco-based social networking company (NYSE: TWTR) will lease about 8,000 square foot at Ponce City Market in Old Fourth Ward. The $200 million ambitious mixed-use redevelopment that has attracted tech-brands MailChimp, athenahealth, Cardlytics and HowStuffWorks. Google is said to be scouting Ponce City Market for a new office. See full story …

A business incubator for women entrepreneurs is coming to the top floor of downtown Atlanta’s historic Flatiron building. Mayor Kasim Reed plans to announce details surrounding the launch of the Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative (or WEI as it’s being called) at a Tuesday press conference. At the same event, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (NYSE:GS) is expected to award $3 million through its 10,000 Small Businesses program to Georgia-based nonprofit group Access …

Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. will open a nearly 5,000-square-foot innovation and development center at Tech Square. Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Enterprises (NYSE: CCE) is The Coca-Cola Co.’s (NYSE: KO) marketer and distributor in Western Europe and one of the largest independent bottler globally. The company declined comment. CCE will locate the innovation center in the Centergy building, a 650,000 square foot development home to several corporate innovation hubs, startups, venture capital firms and …

Fiber is Google’s Internet service that has a “connection that’s up to 100 times faster than today’s basic broadband speeds,” according to Google. The service will next come to Atlanta, Nashville and two North Carolina cities: Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte. That’s a grand total of 18 communities, Google announced on its Fiber blog. Right now, the service — which was introduced in 2012 — is only available in Kansas City, Mo., …

Georgia’s burgeoning entertainment industry didn’t get this way overnight, or by making a few Hollywood types happy.  It has taken years to assemble an impressive infrastructure of studios and related businesses, train enough crew workers, and get civic leaders to roll out the red carpet for producers seeking a Georgia backdrop. The film industry is generating more than $4b in economic impact since 2013.  Generous tax breaks have made Georgia …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution plans to move its newsroom and other office operations to a new location in Sandy Springs on the campus of its parent company, Cox Enterprises. In a memo to staff on Monday, AJC Publisher Amy Glennon said that the newspaper, including its newsroom and advertising operations, will move to 6325 Peachtree Dunwoody Road in Sandy Springs, about a mile from the newspaper’s current location in Dunwoody. The …

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is seeking to build an upscale hotel and mixed-use project on what’s now an economy parking lot on the western edge of the airport grounds.  Read more

One of Atlanta’s most desirable neighborhoods in the late 19th century before falling into disrepair in the 1960s, the Old Fourth Ward is also where Martin Luther King, Jr., grew up (you can visit his boyhood home) and honed his preaching style, delivering sermons at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Read more

It looks like a normal hotel, but beneath the brick facade, the new Homewood Suites in East Point near the Atlanta airport represents opportunity, both for local workers and the international investors who made it possible. Read More…

Mercedes-Benz, the storied German automaker, confirmed on Tuesday weeks of speculation that the company will move its U.S. division headquarters to metro Atlanta. Read More…

The Airport West Community Improvement District is looking to one of its sister organizations for new leadership.   Read More…

Atlanta is forming a committee of top business executives to study how Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport can hold onto its title of being the world’s busiest airport. The Atlanta airport is at risk of losing that title to Beijing Capital International Airport. “This is the one that keeps me up nights, being the world’s busiest passenger airport,” Hartsfield-Jackson General Manager Miguel Southwell said Thursday while speaking to the Sandy Springs Perimeter …

NCR Corp.’s decision to bail from buttoned-down Duluth, Ga., to entrepreneurial Midtown Atlanta underscores a culture shift in the 130-year-old company. It is also a nod to the Fortune 500 fintech’s pivot from hardware to software and services. NCR (NYSE: NCR) will relocate to Technology Square, a destination for innovation-driven enterprises lured by the talent and research emerging from engineering hub Georgia Tech. In 2009, NCR relocated its headquarters from …

  The Top Five Awards of Excellence recognize economic development organizations that have shown exceptional progress in the area of development. The locations were chosen because of the support system offered to businesses, as well as recent activity and potential growth that can be created in each area. Strategic locations, pro-business climates, investments made in improving infrastructure and the availability of buildings and sites were among the top deciding factors …