People, companies & deals
March 1, 2008
On the move
CEO Rolla P. Huff has been named chairman of the board for EarthLink. Robert M. Kavner, the
former chairman of the board, will become an independent lead director ... The Grady Hospital board
of directors relieved CEO Otis Story of his duties. State Rep. Pam Stephenson, the board's
chairperson, temporarily is filling the post ... Paul Bowers has been named executive VP and CFO of
Southern Company. The company also promoted former CFO Thomas Fanning to COO. In addition, G.
Edison Holland will continue as executive VP and general counsel but will assume additional
responsibilities for external affairs, and C. Alan Martin will become president and CEO of Southern
Company Services ... Robert L. Salomon has been named chief accounting officer and controller of
Beazer Homes ... Chris Potter has been named CFO of CIO Partners, an executive search, IT placement
and recruiting, and project consulting firm ... Turner Entertainment has named John Heath its
senior VP of finance ... Graham H. Stieglitz has been selected for partnership at Burr & Forman
LLP. The Atlanta office also added Brad A. Baldwin as a counsel in the creditors' rights and
bankruptcy practice group; Danielle J. Cole as an associate in the firm's construction law section;
Lindsey Arnold as an associate in the real estate and corporate law practice sections; and D.
Sharae Wright, who has rejoined the firm's labor and employment practice as an associate ...
Sanford A. Posner has been named a partner in the immigration practice group of Elarbee, Thompson,
Sapp & Wilson LLP ... National executive search firm Bell Oaks promoted Jim Montembeau to
partner ... Theater of the Stars named Jim Howard, founding partner of the accounting firm Smith
& Howard, as its new chairman of the board of trustees ... Arketi Group, a high-tech
business-to-business marketing and public relations firm, has moved into new offices to meet the
needs of its growing team and client roster. The new digs are in a nearly 4,500-square-foot office
at the Druid Chase business park in the Brookhaven area of Atlanta ... Hall Booth Smith &
Slover has opened an office in Columbus, Ga., its sixth in the state and seventh firm overall.
Awards & honors
Cooper Carry has been ranked on BD World Architecture's Big List of the World's 100
Largest Practices. The annual survey ranks top global practices by the number of fee- earning
architects they employ ... The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta reported 13 fellow Jewish
community organizations would receive a combined $443,507 in federal homeland security grants. The
grants will allow the non-profit organizations to improve on-site security.
Forsyth County residents rejoice. The county was listed among the wealthiest in the country
in Forbes magazine, posting a median income of $83,682 – $33,000 higher than neighboring Fulton
County. The ranking puts the county in some exclusive company – think the posh suburbs of
Washington, D.C., and New York City. The rankings, based on data from the 2006 census, put the
north Atlanta suburb at No. 13 in the nation in median annual income. None of Georgia's other 158
counties made the list.
Atlanta's new ‘Dream' team
Atlanta's new WNBA team, the Atlanta Dream, will tip off its inaugural season on May 23 at
7:30 p.m., against the defending Eastern Conference Champions the Detroit Shock.
In related news, the WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association have
entered into a new collective bargaining agreement covering six seasons. The deal commences with
the 2008 season and continues through 2013. Player salaries are guaranteed to increase each year
league-wide, and the individual minimum and maximum player salaries also will continue to grow. The
agreement also includes a revenue-sharing component should league revenues hit agreed-upon
benchmarks.