Collins Hill High Student Dorian DeRamus can tell her classmates what it was like to witness an historical event in the nation's capital.
Dorian was accepted into the People to People Presidential Inauguration program, and became part of a delegation of student ambassadors to witness the swearing in of Barack Obama, the 44th president and the first African American president, of the United States.
Another Gwinnett student, Brandon Ona of Mill Creek High, attended the inauguration at the invitation of the Congressional Leadership Council. He listened to keynote speakers, visited memorials and museums and attended the Inaugural Ball.
Dorian and fellow ambassadors also heard the inaugural address. While in Washington, she was able to gain insights into American leaders throughout history by having discussions with political experts. The group also toured the U.S. Capitol and National Archives, explored the newly reopened National Museum of American History, and visited Washington's monuments and memorials.
In addition, more than 100 Advanced Placement Social Studies students at Parkview High attended the Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C. The 111 juniors and seniors, along with teacher and administrative chaperones, boarded three school buses at Parkview High on Saturday evening, Jan. 17, departing for the nation's capital.
On the day of the inauguration, the students began their morning with a 4:30 a.m. breakfast, followed by a trip to the charter bus parking area in D.C. and a walk to the National Mall to clear security checkpoints and join the millions watching the Presidential Inauguration and the parade.
The students and their teachers visted local museums, monuments, and other historic sites, and returned to Parkview High that Wednesday.
Several Gwinnett schools were involved in class projects, and school activities, using this national event as a teachable moment for Gwinnett students.
For example, Charles Brant Chesney Elementary participated in a Mock Inauguration on Tuesday, Jan. 20, in the school's gymnasium. With "Hail to the Chief" playing in the background, the "official" swearing in of our new President-elect will be at 10 a.m. With balloons, ribbons, and banners flying, students sang patriotic songs and celebrated this moment in time.
Fifth-grade students at Norcross Elementary turned the school's gymnasium into a ballroom as they celebrated the president's inauguration with an Inauguration Ball. Numerous students dressed in suits, acting as the "secret service" providing "clearance" for the VIPs as they enter the ballroom. Participants dressed for the occasion. The "invitation-only" gala included a formal address by the student council president.
At noon, the entire Norcross Elementary student body watched the presidential inauguration from their classrooms.
- www.gwinnettherald.com
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Gwinnett students attend presidential inauguration
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Gwinnett Gladiators Fall to Everblades, 4-2
Two goals by Matt Siddall was not enough to continue a three game winning streak, as the Gwinnett Gladiators lost to the Florida Everblades by a score of 4-2 at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. With the win, Florida stretched its own winning streak to six games.
After a scoreless opening stanza, the Gladiators put the first goal on the board 7:29 minutes into the second. After a bevy of penalties for both teams, forward Matt Siddall scored on a four-on-three advantage. Jean-Claude Sawyer passed the puck across right to left, and Siddall put a slapshot past Florida netminder Anton Khudobin for the 1-0 score.
The action quickly heated up midway through the period. Florida tied the game at 10:06. Ernie Hartlieb carried the puck behind the net to the left wing corner, fired a pass in front of the net to Ryan Lang who shot it past Gwinnett goalie Joe Fallon to make the score 1-1.
Florida took the lead at 2-1 just :29 seconds later, Steve McJannett scored his second goal of the season on a rebound opportunity. Matt Auffrey and Peter Metcalf picked up the assists.
Gwinnett scored the equalizer only :18 seconds later. Matt Siddall scored his second goal of the game on a breakaway opportunity to make the score 2-2. The goal was his eighth of the season; Josh Engel and Dirk Southern tallied the assists.
The three goals scored came in a :47 second span, which set a Gladiators team record for shortest time for three goals to be scored by both teams. The previous record was :54 seconds, set on December 10, 2004, against Charlotte.
Kevin Baker scored the eventual game winning goal for Florida with just under two minutes remaining in the second. Mark Lee brought the puck around the net, threw it to Baker on the right boards who put it past Joe Fallon for his 29th goal of the season, which ranks him second for most goals in the league.
Ernie Hartlieb scored 1:33 into the third period, Joe Fallon stopped a wrap-around attempt, but the puck slid to Hartlieb on the left wing side. The goal made the score 4-2, which is how it ended.
Gladiators outshot the Everblades 28-17 on the game.
With the loss, Gwinnett falls to 15-16-0-4, while Florida improves to a division leading 25-8-1-1.
Gwinnett gets a chance for revenge as it continues action January 17, against the Florida Everblades. The game is the annual Teddy Bear Toss.
- www.gwinnettherald.com
Monday, January 12, 2009
'Nonstop great things' in Suwanee
Dave Williams knew being mayor would be a mixture of hard work and fun. And his first year as Suwanee Mayor didn't disappoint.
"The last year has just been a whirlwind," he said. "There has been almost a nonstop series of great things happening."
When looking back over the past year, Williams said it's hard to believe so many big events happened in Suwanee just this year. From the Tour de Georgia beginning Stage 5 downtown to the Life is Good festival as well as a new Lowe's opening and the grand opening of Sims Lake Park, the city has seen its share of large events.
"There has just been a tremendous amount of volunteers this year," he said. "It's been great, just one fabulous event building on top of another."
Increasing and encouraging civic engagement was one of Williams' goals when he took office.
"I wanted to help lead the effort to increase civic engagement," he said. "I wanted to help create many opportunities for people and businesses to get involved."
Williams and the city have helped increase involvement through the water system study group and the downtown master plan steering committee, among others. He said the Suwanee Day base had grown and Trek or Treat saw 700 families take part.
"I think we have been doing a better job of tracking those participants and capturing data," he said. "This has helped us find out what people liked and what they thought could be improved."
For example, Williams said a survey with Suwanee Day vendors was a great help.
"We had extraordinary results from vendors and a couple hundred people," he said. "It's easy to confuse activity with results. This way we can make sure our efforts are effective as they can be. You can be busy, but that doesn't mean you're successful."
Overall, Williams said 2008 has been a "pleasure" and he attributes that to the wonderful city staff and council.
"I think it was a seamless transition," he said. "The staff is so great and I really think the government works well together. The staff and government body trust one another. This attitude has allowed us to get past what we might not agree on and that is what has made Suwanee distinctive. I want to help preserve that."
To preserve that, Williams said Suwanee must continue its foundation based on trust.
"Our foundation is a group trust," he said. "If we don't have that, nothing else matters. It allows us to work effectively toward our common goals. I'm aware something could come along and take that away, so one of my goals is to help maintain that attitude."
Williams said Suwnaee can "pick our future" and that many of the current projects show what the city government and residents are capable of.
"Sims Lake Park is a great example of that," he said. "We said we wanted a world class park and we set out to do that. Now, I think we have it."
- www.gwinnettherald.com
Monday, January 5, 2009
Gwinnett Gladiators Post 2-1 win over Stingrays
After being blanked 2-0 by the South Carolina Stingrays the night before, the Gwinnett Gladiators were looking for revenge and found it in their own 2-1 win over the Stingrays on Saturday night. Goalie Joe Fallon, in his first start since being assigned to the Gwinnett Gladiators from the National Hockey League's Chicago Blackhawks, held the Stingrays scoreless through the first and second period making a mere 20 saves.
Matt Siddall put one on the board for the Gladiators with his fifth marker of the season, his first since being re-assigned to Gwinnett on December 21st. The goal came at 14:19 of the period with assists from Jordan Fox and Jean-Claude Saywer.
Forward Jordan Fox notched another for the Gladiators with less than a minute to go in the middle stanza. Fox's goal found the bottom of the net as he fell backwards in a second effort attempt to score on the rebound.
The Stingrays made a goalie change in the final period, putting in John Havrilack to replace Michal Neuvirth after the netminder was injured. Neuvirth faced 21 shots and allowed two goals in the 42 minutes he played between the pipes.
The Stingrays finally found a way to beat Gwinnett's Fallon with 31 seconds to go in the third, when Maxime Lacroix tallied a goal for South Carolina. Pierre-Luc O'Brien and Travis Morin were on hand to assist on Lacroix's marker.
While Fallon made just 20 saves in the net, South Carolina's Neuvirth and Havrilack made a combined 30 saves with their shared time in goal.
Gwinnett continues action in the 2008-09 season on Thursday, Jan. 8 as they host the South Carolina Stingrays again at the Arena at Gwinnett Center at 7:05 p.m.
- www.gwinnettherald.com
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Duluth Violin shop is 'destination business'
Roland and Dixie Huthmaker didn't know what they were getting into.
Their love of violins and passion for music has stretched a lifetime, from teaching to performing. But the owners of Huthmaker Violins in downtown Duluth never knew this endeavour would grow into a destination business serving customers across the southeast.
The Huthmaker story begins with a friend and a viola. At the time, both Huthmakers had been professional musicians and taught at different high schools.
"A friend asked us if we could sell this viola," Dixie said. "We both tried with our high school orchestras, but the students did not want it because they thought it was too old."
Dixie bought the instrument, had it appraised and discovered it was "very valuable." And the rest is history.
The interest in restoring violins has grown to the largest violin shop in the Southeast.
"Be careful what you wish for," she said with a grin.
Part of the business includes regular trips to Vichy, France to purchase high quality instruments. It sounds great, but Dixie said the trip is truly a business trip.
"It's really hard work," she said. "There are more than a thousand instruments and bows and we have to look at each two or three times. We want to be sure because once we take it home, we can't give it back."
Operating the business is truly a family affair. The Huthmakers employed their daughter, Anna, to manage the store and she also restores bows, earning her the moniker of "bow queen."
"The three of us fit together like a puzzle," Dixie said. "We all bring different stuff to the table."
Their son, Charles Huthmaker, does not work in Duluth full time, but he does travel to France because he speaks the language and helps during the auctions.
"Of course," Dixie said, "he helps us whenever he's in town and helps customers."
The Huthmakers may be a puzzle, but it's a puzzle that equals up to a great love of the instruments.
"The instruments are so beautiful," she said. "They are a work tool, but they are really a piece of art."
Why did the Huthmakers choose Duluth for their business? Its character.
"In metro Atlanta," Dixie said, "it's becoming difficult if not impossible to find original downtowns. We went all over Atlanta and we decided to come here 15 years ago. There's history here. There's older buildings. We felt we needed to be in a place that was unique."
Huthmaker Violins boasts instruments and accessories at a variety of prices. They repair, restore and appraisal, also.
"If you brought in your grandpa's violin," she said, "we could tell you what it is worth."
There are also four acoustically designed studios where about seven to eight teachers work with students. Huthmaker Violins sponsors the "Main Street Symphony," an adult amateur orchestra that performs at events such as the Duluth Fall Festival.
"The conductor calls it a 'love fest,'" Dixie said. "That's because they all love what they are doing. It's not really a symphony, it's an orchestra. But maybe someday."
- www.gwinnettherald.com
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Former Mayor's Photographs Donated to the City of Duluth
Local artist Beth Moody, photographer Wallace Reid of Wallace Reid Portraiture and Judy Wilson of the Duluth Historical Society presented a donation of photographs of four former Mayors, which were obtained through a recent photo contest and from families and friends of the Historical Society, to Mayor Nancy Harris. The photos are of Mayor Alice Strickland who served as Mayor from 1922 to 1923 and was the first woman Mayor in Georgia, Mayor H.G. Herron who served from 1930 to 1931, Mayor Mack Pittard who served from 1911-1914, and Marlon Corley who served from the late 60s to early 70s. The prints will be hung on the "Wall of Mayors" in the community/elections room of City Hall.
- www.gwinnettherald.com
Monday, December 22, 2008
Gwinnett Gladiators lose to Elmira Jackals
The Gwinnett Gladiators fell to the Elmira Jackals for the second time in a week by a score of 3-2 at the Arena at Gwinnett Center. The Jackals improve to 3-1-0 against the Gladiators all-time with the win while the Gladiators fall below .500 with a 11-12-4 record on the season.
Jordan Fox opened up the scoring at 1:48 of the first period on Gwinnett's first penalty kill of the evening. Fox looked as if he was ready to pass the puck, but decided to hold onto it and stuck it in past goalie David Shantz instead. The unassisted marker is Fox's 12th of the season.
The Jackals evened up the score on a power play at 5:43 of the same period when Josh Aspenlind took a pass from Pierre-Luc Faubert straight off the faceoff and shot the puck past goalie Kevin Nastiuk. Almost 10 minutes later, the Jackals then took the lead with a goal from defenceman Joe Grimaldi, his first of the season.
Bruce Graham took the rebound shot away from Shantz and lifted the puck up and over the goalie's left shoulder to tie up the game at 11:33 in the second. Brad Schell and Matt Siddall both tallied an assist on Graham's tenth of the season. It is the first assist for Siddall after being re-assigned to Gwinnett on December 20th from the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves.
After going scoreless for over a period, the Elmira Jackals once again took the lead in the final period. Brian Ihnacak gave the Jackals the go-ahead at 12:05 with assists from Chris Korchinski and Ben Geelan.
The Gladiators next take on the South Carolina Stingrays on Friday, December 26th at 7:35 p.m. at the Arena at Gwinnett Center.
- www.gwinnettherald.com
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Duluth woman's hiking group growing
It all started on the Appalachian Trail. Anna Huthmaker became truly hooked on the outdoors when she hiked 700 miles of the trail a couple years ago, something she believes everyone should try. The Duluth resident then started taking more similar trips where she kept noticing something that got her thinking.
"There was no one like me out there," she said. "More than that, I saw no women hiking by themselves."
Inspiration struck one night she decided to "create something." A couple hours later, Trail Dames was born.
"I sent it to some of my friends and they liked it," she said. "I took some flyers to a local Curves to invite people to the first meeting."
The first meeting took place in the Spring of 2007. Huthmaker's goal was three strangers.
"I didn't just want it to be my friends showing up," she said, "so I had this goal of three strangers. When nine showed up, I thought it was so cool."
And the numbers kept growing. Within three months of the first hike in April 2007 up Springer Mountain, 50 women had joined the group.
Today, there are 350 in the Atlanta Chapter with other chapters started in Tennessee, Texas and New Hampshire.
The group has grown faster than Huthmaker ever believed possible.
"It's wonderful," she said. "It's my passion. I started this because I knew there were women like me out there that had never considered doing this. It doesn't even occur to them to hike up a mountain. They need to know it's OK to sweat while they get to the top."
Trail Dames invites women of all different shapes and fitness levels, Huthmaker said. That has included everyone from great-grandmothers to marathon runners.
"Everyone is invited," she said. "What's important is that we create a safe place where women can do something physical and feel comfortable, especially if they are overweight."
Huthmaker's one rule: She's always last.
"I will also be last on a hike," she said. "I don't want anyone to feel they are slowest one. I want everyone to feel comfortable and enjoy what they are doing. If they thought they could never do it, I love to see the look on their face when they see what they have accomplished. I like to look at them and say, 'you climbed a mountain.' It creates are part of themselves they never knew existed."
Huthmaker hopes Trail Dames spreads across the United States. But despite its growing popularity, she said it will remain free of charge.
"People say I'm crazy but I don't every want anyone to feel like they can't do it," she said. "That's really important to me. I just want to show people that it's easier than they think to accomplish this."
And men are not always excluded.
"We have "Bring your man" hikes twice a year," Huthmaker said.
Huthmaker said she encourages anyone interested to visit www.traildames.com.
- www.gwinnettherald.com
AFL suspends 2009 season for Georgia Force
The Georgia Arena won't be quite as lively as expected next year, as the Georgia Force and the entire Arena Football League's 2009 season has been suspended.
The league's board of directors will suspend the 2009 season subject to agreement and cooperation with the Arena Football League Players Association while the League works on developing a long-term plan to improve its economic model.
"Every owner in the AFL is strongly committed to the League, the game, and, most importantly, the fans," said Acting Commis-sioner Ed Policy. "Owners, however, recognize that, especially in light of the current unprecedented economic climate, the AFL, as a business enterprise, needs to be restructured if it is to continue to provide its unique brand of this affordable, fan-friendly sport."
Georgia Force officials began meeting with coaches players and staff Monday after the announcement. Ticket refunds already were being mailed to fans.
"We are disappointed that we will not be playing in the 2009 season, but we agree with and support the need for the Arena Foot-ball League to take this time to strengthen its financial foundation to ensure long-term success," Georgia Force President Dick Sulli-van said. "We are very proud of the achievements of the Georgia Force over the last four seasons of ownership, and we hope to field another strong team in 2010."
Full refund checks will be mailed immediately to Georgia Force fans who have already purchased tickets for the 2009 season. Fans with any other questions may leave a message at 1-888-55-FORCE, and a Force representative will return their calls within two busi-ness days.
"We have a very talented group of associates, and we are sorry to see them go," Sullivan said. "We hope to have the opportunity to work with many of them again in the future."
The Georgia Force finished the 2008 season with a 10-6 record and the club's first back-to-back winning seasons. The Force won three Southern Division Championships in the last four years.
The league's board met via conference call Sunday night and voted in favor of a motion to suspend the 2009 season. Columbus Destroyers co-owner and vice chairman of the AFL Executive Committee Jim Renacci was asked to spearhead the restructuring proc-ess.
"We, the owners of the Arena Football League, realize we have the most fan-friendly, affordable and accessible sport anywhere," said Jon Bon Jovi, co-owner of the ArenaBowl champion Philadelphia Soul. "These are trying economic times. The revamping will ensure that the AFL continues to provide value to its fans and not only survives but thrives in the years to come."
"Our involvement with the Arena Football League was always geared toward promoting football on a year-round basis," said Dal-las Desperados owner Jerry Jones. "Our experience with the Desperados has accomplished those goals and has been very positive. As we move forward we will explore all of the options that are available in regard to the future of the AFL and the Desperados."
After 22 seasons, the second-longest tenure of any U.S. pro football league, the decision to suspend the 2009 season was not made lightly. AFL ownership has conducted multiple meetings over the past several weeks, discussed numerous options and concluded that this decision is in the best interests of the 16-team AFL and its fans.
- www.gwinnettherald.com
Monday, December 15, 2008
Gwinnett Gladiators post Comeback, Beat Sea Wolves 3-2
The Gwinnett Gladiators knocked off the Mississippi Sea Wolves 3-2 on a late goal by Jeff Mason on Sunday night at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum. Gwinnett improves to 11-9-4 on the season and moves back into sole possession of fourth place in the ECHL's South Division as Charlotte lost in regulation on Sunday afternoon as well.
Mason notched the game winner with just three minutes left in the third period as he slid across the blue line and fluttered the puck to the front of the net where it eluded Mississippi netminder Riku Helenius for the goal. Brandon Kalenicki had an assist on the goal as he rolled the puck back to Mason at the point to set up the tally.
For the second consecutive game, Mississippi jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead on the Gladiators. Just 1:11 into the first period Mathieu Melanson crashed the Gladiators net and jammed the puck past Gwinnett goaltender Josh Johnson for the goal. Kyle McAllister and Travis Lisabeth notched the assists on the marker for the Sea Wolves.
Mississippi pushed their lead to 2-0 at 5:52 of the first period. Jeremy Hall slipped past the Gladiators defensemen and walked down the right wing wall before ripping a snapshot that eluded Johnson for the goal. Jason Tejchma and Ryan Menei hooked up to set up Hall on the goal for Mississippi.
Gwinnett answered with a pair of goals in the second period to send the game tied 2-2 into the third. Dan Sullivan got the Gladiators first goal of the game when he squeezed the puck through the legs of Helenius to cut the Mississippi lead back to a goal. Sullivan took a rink wide pass from Bruce Graham and slipped down the right wing before beating Helenius at 4:34 of the second period.
Kaleniecki's sixth goal of the season on a 5-on-3 power play tied the contest at two. Graham added his second assist of the game as he was able to find Kalenickei hanging out all alone on the far post to set up the goal. Jordan Fox also had an assist on the power power play goal for Gwinnett at 13:24 of the second period. Kaleniecki's marker set the stage for Mason's game winner late in the third period for Gwinnett.
Josh Joshnson finshed with 16 saves for the Gladiators in win. Gwinnett went 1-for-6 on the power play while holding the Sea Wolves off the board on six chances onthe man advantage in the contest.
The Gladiators return to action on Tuesday, December 16th as they host the Elmira Jackals at the Arena at Gwinnett Center at 7:05 p.m.
- www.gwinnettherald.com
Entrepreneur magazine named Haven Trust Bank to its 'Hot 100' list
Earlier this year, Entrepreneur magazine named Duluth-based Haven Trust Bank to its annual list of the "Hot 100" fastest-growing businesses in America, achieving a rank of No. 44, based on it 2007 finances and growth.
The bank, which opened in January of 2000 with one location and eight employees, had four branches and almost 80 employees by July 2008, with assets approaching $525 million.
"We started our community bank as a way of helping entrepreneurs – especially in Atlanta's thriving Asian-American community – who were not being properly served by big banks and other traditional lending sources, so it's a particular honor to be recognized by a magazine that celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit," said Mukesh "Mike" Patel in that article earlier this year.
Patel was among the founders of Haven Trust Bank and had served as chairman since the bank's inception.
The bank focused on entrepreneurs and had customers throughout the country. It touted its simplified application process, innovative financing, and fast local loan approval – often as quick as 24 hours.
Among the founders of Haven Trust Bank were numerous prominent local Indian-American business leaders, including Balvant "Bill" Patel, Dhiru "Danny" Patel, Mukund "Bobby" Patel, Narendra "Tony" Patel, R.C. Patel, Brij Kapoor, and the late Dr. Sumant Patel.
Entrepreneur magazine's "Hot 100" list is in its 14th year, with criteria for consideration this year including a business founded between 1999 and 2003 which had annual sales of more than $100,000 in 2003 and no more than $1 billion in 2007.
Haven Trust Bank was the highest-ranked of four Georgia companies in the listing, all of which are located in metro Atlanta. Only two banks were on the list, with Haven Trust Bank being the highest ranked.
- www.northfulton.com
Duluth's Haven Trust Bank closes
Haven Trust Bank of Duluth was the fifth bank to be closed in Georgia this year, one of 24 in the country.
Depositors kept access to their money, as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) entered into an agreement with BB&T of Winston-Salem, N.C., to assume all of Haven Trust's deposits, including those that exceeded the insurance limit.
Over the weekend, depositors of Haven Trust can access all their money by writing checks or using ATMs or debit cards. Checks drawn on the bank will continue to be processed. Loan customers should continue to make their payments as usual.
The fourth Haven Trust branches -- the Duluth headquarters on Sugarloaf Parkway next to The Gwinnett Center, the Johns Creek brank on McGinnis Ferry Road east of Medlock Bridge Road, the Decatur branch on Lawrenceville Highway at North Druid Hills Road in DeKalb County and the Snellville branch on Scenic Highway North -- will reopen Monday as branches of BB&T.
Haven Trust opened its Johns Creek branch in summer 2006 as it built the current two-story, 12,000 square foot facility.
All the depositors of Haven Trust will automatically become depositors of BB&T. Deposits will continue to be insured by the FDIC, so there is no need for customers to change their existing banking relationship to retain their deposit insurance coverage. Customers of the failed bank should continue to use their existing branches until they receive further information from BB&T.
Don't reply to e-mail
It is important to note that neither the FDIC as receiver nor BB&T as the acquiring institution will e-mail customers of Haven Trust asking them to validate their deposits or to request personal, confidential information, such as account numbers, social security numbers or driver's license numbers. Customers will not be asked to revalidate passwords, deposit accounts or deposit insurance.
If customers receive e-mails asking for such personal information, they should consider the e-mails fraudulent and should not respond.
Haven Trust Bank was closed by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance, and the FDIC was named receiver. To protect the depositors, the FDIC entered into a purchase and assumption agreement with BB&T, to assume all of Haven Trust's deposits. BB&T agreed to assume all of the deposits for $112,000. In addition, BB&T will purchase approximately $55 million of the failed bank's assets. The FDIC will retain the remaining assets for later disposition.
As of Dec. 8, Haven Trust had total assets of $572 million and total deposits of $515 million.
The FDIC estimates that the cost to the Deposit Insurance Fund will be $200 million. The BB&T's acquisition of all deposits was the "least costly" resolution for the FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund compared to alternatives. The last bank to be closed in the state was First Georgia Community Bank, Jackson, on Dec. 5.
- www.northfulton.com
Thursday, December 11, 2008
'Drive' market shields Gwinnett from airfare hikes
A Travel Industry Association forecast that reports an uncertain economic climate is leading business travelers to change behaviors would have an affect in Gwinnett County and its 99 hotels if it becomes true. Business travelers are the strongest market for the city's hotels, according to the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The forecast said leisure travel is stable.
The outlook for business travel is for a 3.7 percent decline in volume projected for 2008 and another 2.7 percent decline forecasted for 2009, according to TIA's annual travel forecast. The forecast said companies are making decisions to scale back in the current environment and business travel is no exception. Business, meeting and convention travel volume is expected to begin to recover in 2010.
Caryn McGarity, CDME, executive director of the Gwinnett CVB, said as the county is known as a "drive" market, with more visitors driving than flying, airfare hikes and the distance from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport don't have as big an affect on the hospitality industry here.
New hotel construction will be stalled until the financial markets strengthen and occupancy will dip slightly. But the diversity of the hospitality industry in the county – shown by usage of Gwinnett Arena ranging from arena football and hockey to faith-based conventions – has a huge affect on the county to the tune of $1 billion.
"By no means is the sky falling," said Suzanne Cook, senior vice president of Research for the Travel Industry Association. "After years of growth, we're now looking at modest declines. The travel industry can manage the downturn, but it is in the country's interest to stimulate travel as one of the best means to stimulate our economy."
Alpharetta Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Janet Rodgers was asked what this means for Alpharetta:
How will Duluth, Suwanee and the rest of Gwinnett be affected by this?
McGarity: We anticipate that across Gwinnett, we'll mirror much of the Atlanta and national trends – we anticipate that occupancy will be down slightly county-wide, but that rate will remain steady or down only slightly. PKF Consulting, in their recent Lodging Outlook forum, reported that Gwinnett Place North (includes I-85, Duluth, Suwanee, etc) is expected to see the strongest increase in REVPar (revenue per available room) in metro Atlanta at 3.5 percent next year. That being said, much of that is attributed to the fact that hotels are keeping 'rate integrity' in spite of lower occupancies, and that supply has balanced out more than in the past – there is not a lot of new hotel construction in our market. We are seeing some of the same national trends – even when people are still traveling, they are spending less while they are here – holiday party bookings are way down, for example, as companies are cutting back because of the economic uncertainties.
Many hotels that are in the pipeline will probably remain so in 2009, and we won't see any or very limited movement on hotel construction in the upcoming year. We anticipate that if the credit/financial markets strengthen, then a percentage of those projects will move forward in 2010.
Will we have the same type of travel volume as these national predictions? Do we typically?
McGarity: Yes, our projections are very similar to metro Atlanta but there are some primary differences as we are much more of a drive market than downtown – so if the cost of airfare, etc becomes prohibitive, it doesn't have as much of an impact on us because we are much further from the airport.
What are our strengths in hospitality? Is it the business customer?
McGarity: Our business traveler market has always been our 'bread and butter' but over the past several years, our market has diversified considerably. However, we anticipate that the business traveler and or business training will continue to drive our market during the week. A lot of people don't realize how much the tourism industry plays a part of Gwinnett's economic engine – we have 99 hotels, the Gwinnett Center & Arena and our hospitality industry generates almost $1 BILLION dollars in economic impact annually.
The Arena at Gwinnett Center is a great example of how we have been able to diversify. Many residents may think of it as the place to see the Gladiators play, or see a great concert. However the Arena is the venue of choice for a number of large regional and national faith-based conferences that provide a substantial amount of room nights for our area – meetings including Salvation Army national meetings, Injoy Catalyst Conferences (youth) and the Jehovah's Witness meetings. Conventions such as these can book Gwinnett County to 80 or 85 percent occupancy while they are here. The Arena is also a prime destination for regional and national sporting events – Georgia State events; SEC and for next year, the NCAA Women's Round I and II Basketball games. We created the Gwinnett Sports Commission five years ago to bid, draw and create sporting events and they have been incredibly successful, working to bring more than 20 sporting events to Gwinnett annually. Our strengths are that we are a drive market; an affordable suburban destination with easy access to downtown; Lake Lanier and Stone Mountain and have a strong reputation for customer service and family-friendly destination.
We have also diversified to increase our exposure to the family reunion market. Gwinnett County Parks & Recreation were recently named as the No. 1 parks and recreation department in the U.S., and our top-notch parks and major emphasis on marketing and selling to the reunion market – we are up over 35 percent in family reunion bookings this summer over last, and we anticipate another increase next year.
Where does the leisure travel sector fall in our area?
McGarity: While it is not as big of a piece of the pie as business travel, it is very important to our hotels. Our primary leisure visitors are visiting friends and family; weddings; sports; reunions and day trips. A couple of very new and exciting leisure draws will be the new Gwinnett Braves stadium that will open in April 2009; we anticipate that the Gwinnett Braves will draw a certain percentage of its crowds from outside of the Atlanta MSA, and that is another great reason for excitement. One new development that has been perhaps a pleasant surprise is the draw of the BAPS Hindu Temple in Lilburn – it has drawn not only thousands of visitors, but new tours and considerable media coverage.
What are the GCVB, local hotels and others doing to counter any anticipated cutbacks?
McGarity: We are being pro-active and creative and working to anticipate any issues that may arise. We are offering incentives (i.e. gas cards) to meeting planners that submit requests for meeting proposals that will generate more than 200 room nights for our hotels; the Gwinnett Center is offering seasonal 'hot deals' for new bookings; many hotels are creating value packages and we have started applying for a number of grants to offset anticipated sponsor or budget cutbacks.
- www.gwinnettherald.com
Monday, December 8, 2008
Event helps AIDGwinnett
As AIDS continues its devastating trek, students at the Georgia Campus-Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Gwinnett are making an impact.
The Student Government Association sponsored a performance-based benefit, An Evening of Awareness and Art, as well as a silent auction to raise both awareness of the continuing AIDS dilemma and funds to enhance the work of AIDGwinnett.
The Nov. 21 event was held at the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center.
The guest list includes people from all over Metro Atlanta as well as Senator Renee Unterman, who will also be giving a special address.
Food for the event was catered by "Affairs to Remember."
- www.gwinnettherald.com
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Duluth company adding jobs
Assurant Specialty Property became the latest company to expand in Gwinnett County, announcing plans to add 75 new jobs and a second service center in Duluth.
The newly acquired 70,000 facility will house the company's growing auto collateral protection insurance business and vehicle title tracking operations. Approximately 150 jobs, 75 new to Gwinnett, will move into the new center during the first quarter of 2009. It will have the capacity to accommodate up to 650 employees.
"Our forecasts for the businesses supported by the Duluth center are for continued growth," said Gary Turner, senior vice president for operations and customer service. "The Breckinridge facility will enable us to accommodate that growth in a more orderly fashion."
Jim Sykes of Assurant said the corporation had several reasons to lease the additional space at 2975 Breckinridge Boulevard, starting with outgrowing its other site in Duluth. The existing site has been in operation since 1999.
"We have created an additional business over there," he said.
A collateral protection insurance business does the same sort of loan tracking for auto lenders as it does for mortgage lenders.
"We have a couple of clients already, and we expect that business to continue to grow," Sykes said.
Assurant has taken that business out of the existing service center to move it one mile by car and across I-85 to the new center.
Another business related to auto lending will move into the new Duluth service center from the company's Cobb County headquarters.
For years we've been tracking and storing vehicle titles, again for auto lenders," he said. "We filled up the building that we are in here in Cobb."
So that operation moves to meet the needs for space and as part of some organizational change.
"It makes sense to put these two functions together," Sykes said.
With the existing Duluth service center growing from 600 to more than 1,100 employees, finding places to fit the cars for all of these workers has been a problem.
With 700 parking spaces at the Breckinridge site and only 150 jobs to start, there's plenty of parking nearby. A shuttle bus will take employees from the new center's lot the one mile to the existing center, Sykes said.
The new center will be located in a former call center. Assurant Specialty Property has signed a seven-year lease for the 70,000 square foot facility with landlord Magnolia Norcross LLC.
Sykes said Duluth is close to the resources the company supports, making it an ideal location. The new service center site was picked because it was the right type of facility available for lease, and was close to the current facility.
"It helped us fix a couple of problems. One, really sort of the overcrowding we've had there, and also that parking issue," he said.
Assurant has two employment sites – Cobb and Duluth – that have a combined workforce of approximately 2,200 employees, working for Assurant Solutions and Assurant Specialty Property.
"Assurant Specialty Property's expansion adds tremendous value to our over-arching goal for creating jobs in Gwinnett," said Lauren Salas, Corporate Headquarter and Regional Office Business Development manager for Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development. "We consider Assurant a great asset to the community and will continue to support their growth into the future."
- www.gwinnettherald.com
Downtown Duluth gets look at block plans
Around 50 Duluth residents gathered Nov. 19 at City Hall to see the update on plans for the "bookend" development on West Lawrenceville Street at the opposite end of the new City Hall.
They were concerned about what would become of the former church and parsonage that the city now owns (the church being the former City Hall). Representatives from the developer, Batson-Cook Development LLC, and the architectural firm, Hill Foley Rossi Architecture Engineering, were on hand to answer questions and to take suggestions under consideration.
City officials and development experts quickly put to bed the notion that the church and manse could somehow be saved with some kind of adaptive reuse and remain an economically viable project. The question then became what sort of development would be suitable.
The Batson-Cook project that was presented comprised of four buildings. Two of them were retail but containing a space for a 6,800-square-foot white tablecloth restaurant. The third building facing south toward the Town Mall, was 14,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor and 28,000 square feet of office space on the two floors above.
At the western end of the block a 33,000-square-foot building would be residential, either condominiums or lofts. The entire development will about 63,000 square feet.
Parking of course is a critical issue, and residents had said they did not want a parking garage facing the square. What the developer came up with was street level parking on the plaza in the center of the development all but hidden from view from the street with additional spaces in front of the shops. The entrance would be from Ga. 120 on the north side of the development.
Under the plaza was another level of underground parking to service the residential and office use. This means retail customers park at ground level and can easily enter any of the buildings to shop or eat. In all, 257 spaces would serve the development.
Mayor Nancy Harris said there was still time for input as to what the project will "look like, be like and feel like."
Among the citizens' suggestions were:
• Make West Lawrenceville Road pedestrian only. This would increase connection to the mall area and open more space to events.
While Batson-Cook presented a site plan and some elevations, John H. Starr III, senior vice president for development, said the plans are still jelling and no final plan has been forwarded yet.
The idea of the meeting was to make sure the City Council, residents and the developer were all heading in the right direction.
Mayor Pro Tem Jim Dugan said he did not see any "deal killers" in the presentation.
Some concerns were raised about the project matching up with the architecture that has come before in the downtown redevelopment. That should not be a problem since the same architectural firm that did those projects is designing this one.
The plan is to have the project go in at the same time as planned improvements to Ga. 120 are finished in about three years. Meanwhile, Batson-Cook has some work cut before that time as well. In today's economy, it will need to pre-lease 65 percent of the project to get the financing it wants in place.
"Ideally, we want to be ready to build when the Ga. DOT is improving 120," said Starr.
Dugan said he expects the City Council to approve the project sometime before the first of the year.
- www.gwinnettherald.com
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Gwinnett Gladiators Beat Rays 3-2
The Gwinnett Gladiators snapped their 9-period road scoreless streak in a 3-2 win over the South Carolina Stingrays on Tuesday night at the North Charleston Coliseum. Gwinnett got three assists from Jordan Fox in the win as Gwinnett improves to 8-6-3 on the season.
The Gladiators and the Stingrays exchanged chances in the first period as Gwinnett outshot South Carolina by an 8-6 margin but the stanza ended as it began. South Carolina broke thorugh in the second period. Matt Scherer beat Johnson off a big rebound from the left wing circle. Johann Kroll and Travis Morin hooked up to set up the goal for the Stingrays on the power play at 15:42 of the second period.
Trent Campbell pushed the Stingray's lead to 2-0 just 2:33 into the third peirod. The Stingrays forward danced through the Gladiators defense and slipped the puck past Johnson for the marker. Pierre-Luc O'Brien and Matt Scherer collected the assists on the goal for the Stingrays.
Gwinnett rattled off the next three goals to jump ahead of the Stingrays and pick up the win. Brad Schell found a rebound in the right wing circle at 2:50 of the third period and beat Stingrays netminder Bobby Goepfert to get Gwinentt on the board and snap the Gladiators nine period road scoreless streak. Jordan Fox and Scott Marchesi collected the assists on the goal for Gwinnett.
Preston Briggs' first goal as a Gladiator tied the game at two at 7:23 of the third period. Briggs kept the puck in at the blue line and whipped a wrist shot through traffic past Goepfert for the marker for Gwinnett. Fox and Schell hooked up for the assists.
Jim Jorgensen notched the game winner at 13:33 of the third period deflecting a centering pass back behind Goepfert for his first goal as a Gladiator. Dan Sullivan had an assist on the marker while Fox posted his third assist of the contest on the goal.
Johnson finished with 21 saves for the Gladiators in the win as Gwinnett outshot the Stingrays in the contest 30-23.
Please note the Gladiators road schedule change as the Gladiators next take the ice on the road Friday, December 5th, at 8:05 p.m. against the Mississippi Sea Wolves.
- www.gwinnettherald.com
