People, Companies & Deals

August 1, 2008

Dr. Timothy S. Mescon, dean of the Michael J. Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University has been named the fourth president of Columbus State University, replacing Dr. Frank Brown, who retired.

The Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce named Tisha Tallman as its new president and CEO, taking over for the late Sara González, who passed away in February ... Coca-Cola Enterprises named John R. Parker Jr. its new general counsel, succeeding John J. Culhane, who is retiring ... CEO Frederick J. Rowan II retired from children's apparel company Carter's Inc. this month and will be replaced by CFO Michael D. Casey ... Gwinnett Chamber Chair and Arlington Capital partner Richard L. Tucker has been selected by the Georgia Board of Regents to serve a one-year term (July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009) as chairman ... AirTran promoted Arne G. Haak from VP of finance and treasurer to CFO, replacing Stan Gadek, who left to become president and CEO of Sun Country Airlines ... Alston & Bird partner Joe D. Whitley has left to join Greenberg Traurig's Atlanta and Washington, D.C., offices as a shareholder in the white-collar criminal defense and governmental affairs practice groups ... The Center for Civil and Human Rights Partnership named Alisa Smallwood as its VP of development, where she will work on fundraising for its Atlanta building ...

Robin Loudermilk (R) has been promoted to president and CEO of Aaron Rents, assuming the duties of his father, and company founder, R. Charles Loudermilk.

Public accounting and consulting firm HLB Gross Collins has been named one of the top 25 small businesses of the year by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Businesses were evaluated based on criteria including staying power; growth in number of employees; increase in sales or unit volume, current and past financial standing, innovative products and services; response to adversity; evidence of contributions to aid community projects; and overall management philosophy ... Law firm Arnall Golden Gregory is prominently featured in the 2008 Chambers USA listings, which provides businesses with recommendations regarding law firms and attorneys. The firm's entire real estate, health care and immigration practices received commendations ... Rodney G. Moore of Greenberg Traurig has been named to The National Law Journal's list of the "50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America." Moore, who focuses on litigation, labor and employment, and media and entertainment, will be sworn in as president of the National Bar Association this month, making him the first Georgia lawyer ever to serve as NBA president ... Southern Business & Development named Burr & Forman as one of the "Top 10 Law Firms that Understand Economic Development." The top 10 firms specialize in site selection; incentive negotiation and implementation; choice of entity and tax structure; construction; real estate; environmental permitting; infrastructure contract negotiation; and government relations.

Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) and The Staubach Co. are merging operations, with JLL paying $613 million - $123 million in cash and $100 million in stock paid - at the close of the transaction and the balance paid out in cash over five years. JLL will add 14 new corporate offices, bringing the total to 184 globally. The two firms also will move into space at Regent Partners' 3344 Peachtree tower in Buckhead ... The U.S. Air Force has granted the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) a $4 million contract to redesign modules in 40-year-old air traffic control radios used to communicate with military aircraft. GTRI is tasked with finding ways to replace semiconductor components such as transistors and diodes that are no longer made. GTRI is designing replacement units that use only modern off-the-shelf parts.

Roark Makes Another Acquisition

One of the subjects of our May cover story, Roark Capital Group has acquired Primose Schools, which provide education-based early-child-care services. Primrose, headquartered in Acworth, is a provider of education-based early child care services. Primrose was founded in 1982 and operates as the franchisor of 182 private child care centers generating approximately $275 million in system-wide revenues in 15 states across the country. Primrose Schools provides educational programs to children 6 weeks to five years old and after-school learning programs for six- to 12-year olds.

Roark specializes in business and consumer service companies with attractive growth prospects and revenues ranging from $20 million to $1 billion.

Specific areas of focus include franchise, direct marketing, business services and financial services. Roark's 14 franchise brands collectively have more than 13,500 points of distribution, 2,500 franchisees, and $3.2 billion in system-wide revenues in 50 states and 33 countries. The firm has more than $1.5 billion of equity capital under management.