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Atlanta’s metropolitan appeal, luxury homes, pleasant climate, accessibility to transportation, and variety of things to do attracts many celebrities to call our city home. Below are just a few names you will recognize who have made
Atlanta their home base.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Article reprinted from the Atlanta Business Chronicle, April 20-26, 2007
Fifteen Georgia companies made the Fortune 500 list for 2007, and Atlanta ranked No. 3 in the nation among cities with the most Fortune 500 headquarters.
Fortune compiles its annual list of the biggest and best businesses based on 2006 fiscal and calendar year financial performance, focusing on revenue.
- The Home Depot Inc.(NYSE:HD) dropped from a ranking of 14 in 2005 to 17 in 2006, with $90.8 billion in revenue.
- United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE:UPS) moved up one spot to 43, with $47.5 billion in revenue last year.
- The Coca-Cola Co. (NYSE: KO) achieved a 94 ranking, compared with a ranking of 89 in 2005. It had $24.1 billion in revenue for 2006.
- Moving from 120 in 2005 to 118 in 2006 is Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. (NYSE:CCE), which had $19.8 billion in revenue.
- Delta Air Lines Inc. (Pink Sheets: DALRQ), which will soon emerge from Chapter 11, fell one spot to 136 with $17.2 billion in revenue.
- Columbus-based insurer Aflac Inc. (NYSE:AFL) went from 151 in 1005 to 164 in 2006, posting $14.6 billion in revenue.
- Southern Co. (NYSE: SO) generated $14.4 billion in revenue in 2006, but it still fell three spots to 168.
- SunTrust Banks Inc. (NYSE:STI) jumped 34 spots to 183 with $13.3 billion in revenue last year.
- Genuine Parts Co. (NYSE: GPC) drove up one spot to 244, with $10.6 billion in revenue.
- Calhoun-based carpet and tile company Mohawk Industries Inc. (NYSE:MHK) moved ahead 23 spots to 304, posting $7.9 billion in revenue in 2006.
- Consumer products company Newell Rubbermaid Inc. (NYSE:NWL) dropped 11 places to 343 on the list, with revenue of $6.7 billion.
- Beazer Homes USA Inc. built itself a home at 420 with $5.6 billion in revenue, compared with a ranking of 429 in 2005.
- AGCO Corp. (NYSE AG) fell from 399 in 2005 to 421 in 2006, with $5.4 billion in revenue.
- BlueLink Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BXC) ranked 456 with $4.9 billion in revenue , compared with a ranking of 387 in 2005.
- Energy company Mirant Corp. (NYSE:MIR), which emerged from bankruptcy in 2006 and posted $4.7 billion in revenue, ranked 474, up from 479 in 2005.
Meriting mention are 11 other Georgia-based companies (with rankings) that made the Fortune 1000: Synovus (NYSE: SNV) at 514; Superior Essex Inc. (Nasdaq: SPSX) at 661; Exide Technologies (Nasdax: XIDE) at 679; AGL Resources Inc. (NYSE:ATG) at 717; Spectrum Brands Inc. (NYSE:SPC) at 729; Georgia Gulf Corp. (NYSE GGC) at 754; Graphic Packaging Corp. (NYSE:GPK) at 766; Acuity Brands Inc. (NYSE:AYI) at 769; Rock-Tenn Co. (NYSE:RKT) at 822; Gold Kist Inc.(Nasdaq:GKIS), which is now part of Pilgrim’s Pride, at 824; and Flowers Foods Inc. (NYSE:FLO) at 889.
Atlanta placed third among cited with the most Fortune 500 headquarters, behind New York and Houston.
“For the sixth year in a row, Atlanta has ranked third on the Fortune 500 list. Even during a slow national period, metro Atlanta has made a strong showing on every measure of economic health – job growth, population growth and housing starts,” and Sam A. Williams, president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. “Atlanta’s robust and diverse economy gives our region a strength that continues to attract new business and talent.”
The metro region account for about two-thirds of Georgia’s economy, 72 percent of the state’s job growth and 72 percent of its population growth.
When conversing with real estate professionals, you will often find that when they talk about buying real estate, they will refer to your purchase as a home. Yet when you are selling property, they will often refer to it as a house. The reason for this is the fact that buying real estate is often an emotional decision, but when selling real estate you need to remove emotion from the equation.
I like to tell people to think of your house as a marketable commodity: property, real estate. Your goal is to get others to see it as their potential home, not yours. If you do not consciously make this decision, you can inadvertently create a situation where it takes longer to sell your property.
The first step in getting your home ready to sell is to de-personalize it and always price it properly. Condition, location and price are the three things that are factors in selling your home. Be sure it is in pristine condition, the location is “fixed,” and the price is reasonable, as it is the factor that will bring you buyers.
Senior Vice President, Managing Broker
Sandy Springs office
Native Californians find next best thing to beach home
Woodstock home exudes coastal style
Published on: 04/19/07 Landlocked Atlanta wasn’t exactly where George and Nancey Enell envisioned themselves living when they said their vows barefoot on a California beach almost 10 years ago.So when they moved to the rolling hills of Woodstock after George’s transfer to become a senior architect of advanced decisioning at TransUnion, the credit reporting company, they surrounded themselves with the relaxed seaside setting that would help a couple of lifelong shore lovers feel right at home.
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Frank Neimier/Staff |
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| Nancey Enell relaxes in the great room of the Woodstock home she shares with her husband, George. |
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“You can take the girl away from the beach, but there’s a lot of beach in the house,” said Nancey, 45, now retired from her job in neonatal intensive care. “Surfing is the thing I miss the most.”
Every facet of the Fernwood Creek house George, 44, and lifelong surfer Nancey bought last October for $500,000 offers a connection to their former life by the sea. Breezy wicker furniture perches lightly among paintings and photos of coastal locales. Magnificent shell specimens gleaned from favorite shorelines grace surfaces in every room.
Native Californians, the Enells gravitated to the authentic Craftsman styling of the charming cottage they stumbled across while looking for nearby Mountain Park.
“When we walked in the door, I said, ‘I want this one,’ ” Nancey recalled.
The couple was delighted to learn that housing dollars go a lot further in Atlanta than in California. And they were pleasantly surprised to learn that Georgia’s geography allows for decorative flourishes, such as the great room’s coffered ceiling, which are uncommon on the West Coast because of earthquake protection.
An enthusiastic cook, Nancey enjoys the open flow of the kitchen, its granite counters and its subway brick backsplash.
“We liked that the kitchen didn’t have an island to bump into,” Nancey said.
Georgia’s winter weather has been a bit of an adjustment for a couple accustomed to the perennially toasty climate of Southern California, but the Enells are looking forward to the warmer months ahead when they can spend more time on the screened porch and the discreet patio out back. Already the outdoor areas are bedecked in beachside colors awaiting a summer sun to reflect their jeweled brilliance.
Since Fernwood Creek is a conservation community, built to preserve wide swaths of green space, there’s lots of room to roam with Casey and Disney, the family dogs. Fernwood Creek is marketed by Jenny Pruitt & Associates New Homes Division.
The Enells are looking forward to roaming more widely around metro Atlanta, visiting the attractions and getting acquainted with the community they now call home.
So what was at the top of their must-see local attractions? The Georgia Aquarium, of course.
Not letting the overcast weather ruin their fun this past Saturday, members of our management team along with various agents from our Buckhead, Sandy Springs and Johns Creek offices joined in the festivities at the 42nd annual Atlanta Steeplechase.
According to its web site, the Atlanta Steeplechase, the region’s premier spring social event, combines unmistakable style, entertainment and fellowship with the thunderous and exhilarating sport of steeplechasing at Kingston Downs each year. The quiet Northwest Georgia countryside comes alive with jockeys in colorful silks, powerful thoroughbreds and carefree spectators gracing the majestic course during an unforgettable day of racing and fun.
Pictured above (L-R): Rob Owen (Buckhead Broker), Dan Parmer (Interim President & CFO) and Barbara Murr (agent)
Excerpt taken from CNNMoney.com 4/17/2007
With eye toward environment, longevity, roofing gets back to nature.
With American’s new found concern over global warming, and the age old desire to stretch the dollar as far as it can go, more and more buildings are going green, literally.
The number of buildings with green roofs – rooftops covered in hearty plants like sedum and prairie grass – grew 25 percent last year, according to the industry association Green Roofs for Healthy Cities.
Moreover, building with intensive green roofs, which generally have larger plants or grasses as opposed to the ground cover-like sedum or other succulents, increased by 110 percent.
The numbers are still small. Leslie Hoffman, executive director of the sustainable development organization Earth Pledge, said 300 roofs went green in the U.S. last year, the average of which was 5,000 square feet.
Easing the burden on the environment is partly driving this trend. Experts say a green roof can save up to 10 percent on a building’s energy costs, mostly by keeping it cool during the summer and reducing the burden on air conditioners.
Plant-covered roofs also help absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, reduce the effect of rediant heating from cities, ease the burden on city storm water systems by drastically absorbing rain water runoff, and can boost the efficiency of solar panels by 15 percent.
Cost is a big barrier for many people.
Christian Werthmann, a Harvard landscape architecture professor, said a basic green roof, using just succulents and rocks, can cost as little as $6 a square foot and go up from there.
A big reason landlords decide to green up a rooftop is structural: protective plants and the material they grow in can more than double a roof’s lifetime, Werthmann said at a recent green roofs conference at the New York Botanical Garden.
