Coalition Chair Rodbell Welcomes New CEO, Members

The Buckhead Coalition held its 36th Annual Luncheon on Jan. 14 at the Hotel St. Regis Grand Ballroom, featuring 200 of the city’s elected officials and prominent leaders. Current Chair Jonathan Rodbell spoke about the collaborative efforts of the folks in the room which led to some of Buckhead‘s biggest wins like the State Patrol post at the Governor’s Mansion, the new safety training center, getting out the vote, improvements in traffic flow, and overall thriving.

“The residents, businesses and visitors are enjoying Buckhead’s vibrancy,” said Rodbell.

Although Mayor Andre Dickens was not present at this year’s luncheon, he sent a video message targeting new goals as he enters his second term based on opportunities for children, neighborhoods, and public spaces in the city, noting that crime is trending down. Also, he noted progress with 13,000 new units of affordable housing.

The focus of the meeting was a fireside chat moderated by Trey Kilpatrick, senior vice president external affairs for Georgia Power, alongside Jamie McCurry, chief administrative officer of the Georgia Port Authority, in discussion with Ricky Smith, general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The latter said, “The Atlanta airport is not great because we are big and the busiest, we are the biggest and busiest because we are great.”

He explained that Delta Airlines has indeed grown, but actually, Frontier Airlines is the fastest growing airline at the airport. He said, “Cargo also is important as a small percent of what we see as secondary to passengers.”

He lamented that the airport seems like it’s always under construction as they strive to increase capacity. For example, “Concourse D — It’s narrow to begin with and we are continuing to open more phases. It’s also a goal to open more overall gates, which means more parking, more check points, more ticketing options: and all has to be with a master plan in mind.”

Smith expects 125 million passengers per year by 2030.

McCurry talked about some of the advantages that Georgia’s ports (Savannah, especially) have earned by consolidating and completing a huge dredging project so larger ships can get through. He also noted that the port system was not “a political animal.”

Smith concluded that the airport itself has around 77,000 employees and affects about 300,000 jobs in the Southeast as the largest employer in the state. He reminded guests that Thanksgiving and Spring Break are peak seasons at the airport. Adding some “marketing language,” Smith wants to make the airport more of an “experience where people see themselves,” adding, for example, a soccer field.

Among the new inductees in the Coalition are Doug Hertz, United Distributors, and Mindy Selig, Selig Enterprises. Membership is by invitation only and is capped at around 125 members. Dues have varied from $6,000 to $9,000 per year. The Coalition was started in 1988 by 75 visionary leaders. Current member selection starts with either living in Buckhead or having a pronounced commitment to it.

Jim Durrett’s retirement as CEO was made official as Katharine Kelley takes the helm.

In the pre-function area, President of Central Atlanta Progress, A.J. Robinson, said, “I’m excited to be starting the new year with such important people. I look back to when Sam Massell was Coalition chair and how this event has remained popular.”

Immediate President Eric Tanenblatt related that he co-chaired the search committee for the new CEO, Katharine Kelley, and was looking forward to her leadership along with the overall energy in the room. He added, “I’m glad that the fight for Buckhead’s cityhood is over and leaves room for more forward thinking.”

New inductee Atlanta Opera head, Tomer Zvulun, a Garden Hills resident, is looking forward to the Atlanta Opera’s relocation to Peachtree Battle on Feb. 16.