a PDF of the coverage

Black, whitE, and
red
all over!
Atlanta Business Chronicle goes red in support of American Heart Association
February 12-18, 2016
48 PAGES • $2.00
Arthur Blank reflects on cancer:
‘Live life to its fullest’
BY maria saporta
[email protected]
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$300M project
proposed in
Henry County
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Jo
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The Bottoms Group can
relate. • STRATEGIES 5B-11B
Rendering/Special
The first phase of Jodeco/Atlanta
South could break ground in early
fall, with an opening set for 2017.
BY Amy Wenk and Douglas Sams
[email protected], [email protected]
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All in the
family (biz)
e
A
rthur Blank is approaching cancer
the same way he has approached his
business, sports and philanthropic
career — methodically, strategically and
heart-felt.
Blank is the high-profile owner of the
Atlanta Falcons, a team he bought after
leaving The Home Depot Inc., which he
co-founded with Bernie Marcus and others.
In a deeply personal Feb. 9 interview
given exclusively to Atlanta Business
Chronicle, Blank spoke about being diagnosed with cancer and its prognosis; advice
he would give other men; and how it has
helped him adjust his priorities.
Over his life, Blank, 73, has faced numerous challenges — being fired as a key executive of Handy Dan, undergoing two
divorces, and experiencing all the ups and
downs of being the owner of a professional
football team that is building an elaborate
new stadium.
byron e. small
Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons,
sin
Continued on Page 24A announced Feb. 9 he has prostate cancer.
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COVER STORY
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special section
photo/joann vitellI
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Continued on Page 26A
©
Mayor Kasim Reed and
Sandy Douglas of CocaCola at the State of the
City Business Breakfast.
an
THE INSIDER
A
$300 million mixed-use project is planned along Interstate 75 in Henry County, a
potential boon for an area south of
Atlanta’s airport that’s been mostly
overlooked by developers.
Alabama-based real estate firm
RCP Cos. is pitching the 160-acre
development called Jodeco/Atlanta
South.
The project would rise on what
today is vacant land at I-75 and
Jodeco, Chambers and Mt. Olive
roads. It would include more than
500,000 square feet of retail, 600
residential units, two hotels and a
30-acre park.
Peering into the mysteries
of heart disease
Researchers look to understand causes, find
better treatments for nation’s No. 1 killer.
STORY BY Ellie Hensley, 16A
WHO’S WHO
Young professionals who are
transforming metro Atlanta.
B SecTion
26A
ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE
FEBRUARY 12-18, 2016
NEWS
HENRY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
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Atlanta Business Chronicle & Association of Corporate Counsel Georgia Chapter
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NOMINATE NOW!
ca
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COBB GALLERIA CENTRE
Am
eri
MAY 17, 2016 | 11:30 - 1:30P.M.
©
Now accepting nominations for Atlanta Business Chronicle’s 5th annual
Corporate Counsel Awards! This awards ceremony is intended to highlight the
vitally important but often behind-the-scenes role of the corporate counsel. If you
know leaders whose commitment to excellence has led the way to great results, we
want to hear about it! Winners will be featured in the Chronicle’s May 20 issue and
honored during a breakfast awards ceremony at the Cobb Galleria.
Nominations close March 25, 2016.
Fill out a nomination form at Atlantabusinesschronicle.com/nominations
For group ticket sales or event information, please contact
Beth Brown at 404.249.8005 or [email protected].
Sponsorship and advertising information: Joey Powell [email protected] or 404-249-1011
Sponsored by:
A partnership between:
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RENDERING/SPECIAL
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The project draws
upon walkable
communities.
Philadelphia, Pa.-based Lubert-Adler
Real Estate Funds is providing financing
for the project. It could become the single largest investment ever for the city of
Stockbridge. It would also show the willingness of capital partners to bet on the
growth of suburban commercial nodes
south of Interstate 20.
“There’s been nothing of this size,”
said Dale Hall, administration and community services director for Stockbridge.
Hall added the project could become a
major destination for south Atlanta and a
catalyst for growth. “We are really excited
about the potential,” he said.
The project is inspired by other
walkable, dense communities that have
sprung up across the country and in metro
Atlanta, such as Alpharetta’s Avalon.
Those projects, to combat rising
e-commerce sales, have created experience-rich shopping and dining destinations in affluent areas such as intown
Atlanta and north Fulton County.
RCP Cos. is making a bet on Henry
County, which doesn’t have the same
concentration of high-paying jobs. Unlike
Avalon developer North American Properties, RCP is targeting more value-oriented retailers that reflect demand in
Henry County.
Pittsburgh, Pa.-based Urban Design
Associates is the master planner. The
project’s first phase could break ground
in early fall, with an opening set for later
in 2017.
Developers hope to attract an organic
grocer and a large sporting goods
chain. The project would also feature a
12,000-square-foot food hall.
Within a five-mile radius
of the project, annual
retail expenditures are
estimated at $755 million
or 46 percent of total
household expenses.
“We would be the only one in south
Atlanta to offer that kind of product,” said
Max Grelier, chief development officer
for RCP Companies. “We are doing this
at a scale to meet demand in the market.
We feel like this is an emerging market.”
Grelier referenced a market study from
Robert Charles Lesser & Co. that said
Henry County can support up to an additional 750,000 square feet of retail over
the next five years.
Within a five-mile radius of the
project, annual retail expenditures are
estimated at $755 million, or 46 percent
of total household expenses, Grelier
added.
Stockbridge is looking at a public-private partnership to help fund an outdoor
amphitheater at the project, but said it
was too early to discuss details.
Developers are also seeking approval
of the project for annexation into Stockbridge. A meeting is set for March.
Existing wetlands on the site would
become an amenity for visitors with a
bike path, boardwalk bridge and trails.
The project would also have a direct
connection to Henry Town Center, a
massive retail project with big-box
tenants.
Some local retail experts see the project as an exciting investment for Henry
County.
The area “has a tremendous population density that is highly attractive to
expanding retailers,” said Fain Hicks,
a senior director at Cushman & Wakefield. “The project will draw from a large
trade area that is currently drastically
underserved by cutting-edge, mixed-use
projects offering significant unique
dining, entertainment and recreational
amenities. It sounds like a great project.”