The Leader - September 2007 - (Page 92) specIal feature The Georgia Report: Business Is Booming in the Peach State by meGaN mccaNN loNG before atlaNta hosted the 1996 summer olympIc Games, WhIch arGuably helped the GeorGIa capItal JoIN the lIst of so-called World-class cItIes, the state of GeorGIa beGaN posItIoNING Itself as aN INterNatIoNal busINess hub throuGh proGressIve INfrastructure plaNs, pro-busINess leGIslatIoN, aNd aGGressIve ecoNomIc developmeNt polIcIes. A nd, the fact that 16 Fortune 500 companies are headquartered in Georgia shows that the state is successfully drawing in and retaining business (see Figure 1). Many of those companies, including the Home Depot, the Coca-Cola Company, AFLAC, and Cox Communications, were started by native-Georgia entrepreneurs. But, more and more companies, such as United Parcel Service and Newell Rubbermaid are moving their headquarters to the state from other locations. existing companies are expanding, too. Until recently, Ernst & Young’s Atlanta offices were located in the Bank of America tower just north of downtown Atlanta. In April, the company moved to a brand-new signature building a few blocks away. Trex Morris, MCR, Americas Director, Real Estate Services for Ernst & Young, says his group looked at 32 location alternatives in the city before choosing the site at Ivan Allen Plaza. The building is ideally situated for an easy commute to the office. It is located just two blocks from a Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) rail station, and there is easy access to and from Interstates 75 and 85. But, since Morris believes more people will begin moving into the city from the suburbs, he knew the neighborhood surrounding the building was also very important. The new 14-story tower is just blocks away from the new Georgia Aquarium, a state-of-the-art attraction, and the new World of Coke museum from Coca-Cola. th e le ade r “Atlanta is becoming more of a 24-hour city,” he explains. “We knew what was going on with the Aquarium and the World of Coke. Condominiums with great amenities are also in development in the area and a W Hotel will be finished nearby next year. More people will live and work in the area.” Indeed, downtown Atlanta has seen a tremendous boom in the last decade or more in residential, retail, and restaurant development, as well as in its office market. And, the trend looks like it will continue. The area is expected to see a population increase of up to 20 percent in the next 10 years. When Interface decided to move its headquarters from LaGrange to Atlanta, (the company still has a manufacturing facility in LaGrange), it was because they wanted a bigger 92 september / october 2007
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.