Business
State of the City, Takes Us into the Future
Mayor Mike Mason shares the city’s accomplishments and where it’s heading in terms of jobs, business growth, and a smart technology
Mayor Mike Mason delivered his annual State of the City Address to a full house on Monday night. Over 180 Peachtree Corners residents and representatives from the business community were on hand to hear his 6th annual address held at the Marriott Hotel on Technology Parkway.
In his presentation, Mayor Mason talked of the city’s vision and pointed to the successful completion of the 21-acre Town Center which has brought people from near and far to shop, dine in one of the 15 new restaurants and take in the sights and sounds of the two-acre Town Green where family activities and outdoor concerts are held.
The mayor spoke about the tremendous success of the new Town Center, which created 28 new businesses and 528 new jobs. The Town Center is expected to bring in $1.3 million in annual sales tax revenue and $15.4 million in annual sales.
He pointed to the rise of home values which are up 10.6%, and the downward trend of office vacancies which has dropped from 25.1% to 19.4%.
Technology Park, which is the economic engine of the city, has seen a significant increase in new technology-based businesses that are moving into the 500-acre park. Some of the recent businesses included Brightree, a cloud-based software company which is moving into the former Honeywell location. The building is currently undergoing major renovations. ASHRAE, a top leader in developing standards and guidelines for indoor-environment control technology, is remodeling and retrofitting the old Recall building into a showcase for its latest HVAC&R.
At his annual address, he noted that the city’s efforts to create a master plan to transform Technology Park, has paid off. First imagined in the 1970s by the city’s founder, Paul Duke, the park, is being re-imagined into an innovation hub. The plan incorporates the addition of research institutions, entrepreneurial training and mentors, professional networks, enhanced walkability, public space and mixed land use.
The city’s plans to add over 11 miles of multi-use trails throughout the city continues. The mayor announced a new section, the Crooked Creek Trail, that is currently in the planning stages. The 2.4-mile section is designed to help spur redevelopment along the Holcomb Bridge Road corridor. The new amenity will connect to nearby Crooked Creek Park in Sandy Springs. A majority of funding for the $2.4 million project will come from federal and state sources along with a $300,000 grant from the ARC.
Additional Highlights:
- The city has invested $20.3 million in infrastructure improvements since 2015 on roads and sidewalks including repaving over 6 lane-miles of city streets and the installation of 3.5 miles of sidewalks just last year.
- City purchased 5.7 acres adjacent to the Town Green which could be developed into a performing arts facility, an expanded Town Green, event or gallery space. The public will be invited to weigh in on the possibilities for this tract of land.
- Construction on the pedestrian bridge will begin in the next few months, the botanical garden will follow.
- Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners, the city’s intelligent mobility and smart city living laboratory, is under construction and drawing interest from around the globe. Consisting of a 1.5-mile autonomous vehicle test track and 25,000 square-foot technology incubator, Curiosity Lab is located within Technology Park Atlanta and expected to be complete later this year.
- The city is now one of only three locations where Georgia Tech Professional Education classes are taught on-site. Students attend classes to learn computer coding and data science and analytics at Prototype Prime located in Technology Park.
- Work is underway to finish the construction of the multi-use trail around Technology Park Lake and eventually connect to the Town Center.
- The city’s first brewery, Anderby Brewing is opening in Tech Park in late July.
- In 2019 the city’s Finance Department earned two coveted awards: Excellence in Financial Reporting Award and the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.
- Smart 50 Award: Among the thousands of applicants worldwide, Peachtree Corners won the 2019 Smart 50 Award in the mobility category from Smart Cities Connect for its Curiosity Lab project.
“The state of the city is great,” said Mayor Mike Mason. “Soon, we’ll look at designing the next phase of Town Center, finish constructing the trail around Technology Park Lake and begin work to connect to the Town Center. This year we’ll complete the construction on the autonomous vehicle test track and continue our efforts to incentivize redevelopment in the Holcomb Bridge Road corridor. We will also continue adding amenities to Technology Park such as transportation, recreation, dining, housing, and education.”
The Peachtree Corners Business Association (PCBA) awarded a check for $500 to the United Way of Greater Atlanta (Gwinnett County) at their Business After Hours networking event in November.
The local organization was chosen by PCBA’s Outreach Committee because of their commitment to providing assistance and bettering the lives of children within the community.
United Way of Greater Atlanta
The mission of United Way of Greater Atlanta is to engage and bring together people and resources to drive sustainable and equitable improvements in the well-being of children, families and individuals in local communities.
“Greater Atlanta is one of the most vibrant regions in the country, but the region has significant barriers to realizing its potential in the future because of its continued ranking at the bottom of the list of metro areas in income mobility,” stated Vanessa Roussell, United Way senior director of corporate relations.
“Children born in low-income households have only a 4% chance of getting out of poverty in their lifetime,” she continued. “We at United Way of Greater Atlanta don’t like those odds. Our work is about changing them so that children — regardless of where they’re born — have the chance to realize their potential and build lives that sustain themselves, their families and their communities.
Assessing needs within the county
The organization’s goal is to help every child unlock their full potential, by improving education, healthcare, resources and economic mobility in the communities where they live. Their “every child program” includes every child in Gwinnett.
Based on the 2023 census track for Gwinnett County, 94,308 people living in Gwinnett County are at risk, particularly in and around Sugar Hill/Buford, Duluth, Norcross, Lawrenceville, Lilburn and Snellville. The highest-need residents are located in the I-85 corridor, mainly around Duluth, Norcross and Lilburn.
Giving back to support the community
“The PCBA is proud to donate a check for $500 to United Way of Greater Atlanta (Gwinnett County),” said PCBA President, Lisa Proctor. “Our outreach committee and board are committed to supporting our community, and investing in the well-being of the children in our community aligns with our core principles. We know that our dollars will be targeted to help those at highest risk … We are glad to have the local Gwinnett chapter located right in our community.”
Funds for the PCBA Community Outreach Program are raised throughout the year from PCBA membership, sponsorship and an annual charity event. Donations and scholarships are awarded at their monthly events so that members have the opportunity to learn more about the community organizations and their programs.
Over the past 12 years, the PCBA has awarded 19 scholarships to outstanding graduating high school seniors and donated in excess of $165,500 back into the community.
About Peachtree Corners Business Association
“Where businesses come to grow,” the Peachtree Corners Business Association (PCBA) is a business membership organization that focuses on innovative approaches, programs, shared resources, community outreach and opportunities for member businesses and professionals to connect, develop, grow and prosper.
The PCBA is made up of businesses of all sizes and types who want to expand their reach and grow their business within Peachtree Corners and the greater metro Atlanta area.
For more information visit peachtreecornersba.com.
The strategic acquisition strengthens TransPak’s Southeast presence and expands their capabilities in custom packaging for military, aerospace and high-value equipment.
TransPak, a global leader in logistics, packaging and crating services, recently announced the acquisition of Reid Packaging, a long-standing provider of custom packaging solutions based in Peachtree Corners. Both family-owned and operated companies share a deep-rooted commitment to quality craftsmanship, reliability and customer service, making the acquisition a natural fit.
Reid Packaging, founded in 1982, has distinguished itself as the go-to customer industrial packager in the metro Atlanta region, providing corrugated, foam and custom-engineered crating solutions, particularly in the military and aerospace industries.
Under the ownership of Ward Phillips since 2008, the company has grown to become one of the largest packaging facilities in the region, with a 60,000-square-foot site.
The acquisition will allow TransPak to expand its local manufacturing capabilities in the Southeast, while leveraging Reid Packaging’s expertise in specialized and heavy-duty custom crates.
Strategic Atlanta location and enhanced capabilities
The acquisition is part of TransPak’s strategic expansion into the Atlanta market, a critical logistics hub for both the renewable energy and semiconductor industries.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Reid Packaging into the TransPak family,” said Tomas Molet, executive vice president of East and Midwest Operations, TransPak. “With Reid Packaging’s prime location in Peachtree Corners, we are now able to serve customers throughout the Southeast, including direct routes to the Carolinas and beyond. This acquisition strengthens our ability to meet the needs of existing clients, especially those in the semiconductor and renewable energy sectors.”
In addition to the strategic location, the acquisition brings new manufacturing capabilities to TransPak’s East Coast operations. Reid Packaging’s facility is now the largest of TransPak’s locations in the region. Its offerings include enhanced services, such as heavy-duty and triple-wall corrugated packaging, which will enable TransPak to meet the growing demand for custom-designed packaging solutions for fragile, high-value equipment.
Commitment to employees and leadership appointments
A key focus of the acquisition was ensuring a smooth transition for Reid Packaging’s employees.
“We made a commitment to Ward Phillips to take care of the staff, and we’ve delivered on that promise,” said Molet. “All employees were retained, and we’ve introduced benefits they previously didn’t have as part of our commitment to making this a positive transition for everyone involved.”
Amanda Gautney, a longtime member of TransPak’s leadership team, has been appointed as the operations manager for the Peachtree Corners facility. “I’m excited to work with the team at Reid and continue the legacy of this respected company,” said Gautney.
Looking forward in Atlanta
TransPak plans to continue operating under the Reid Packaging name for the immediate future. However, the facility will gradually transition to full integration under the TransPak brand, reflecting the shared values and commitment to quality of both companies.
About TransPak
Headquartered in Silicon Valley, TransPak has been providing innovative and cost-effective design, crating, packaging and global logistics for over 70 years.
As a customer-focused, women- and family-owned company, TransPak combines the agility of a small business with the reliability of a global powerhouse. TransPak lives by the slogan, “We make it happen,” ensuring that high-value, fragile, and oversized goods reach their destinations safely and efficiently.
For more information about TransPak, visit transpak.com.
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