DULUTH
Cake that won't kill you
Cake In The Box Bakery held its grand opening on Jan. 23 in Duluth. Gwinnett now has the first 100% Nut Free Allergy Free Bakery in the Atlanta area. Trenise Grill is the owner of a new bakery for those with or without food allergies. She is the proud parent of two children with life threatening allergies to all nuts and could never find a safe bakery to purchase cakes from, so she decided to open the first one of it's kind in Duluth.
State of the city
The Honorable Mayor Nancy Harris along with the Duluth Civitan Club held the 6th Annual City of Duluth's "State of the City" address on Jan. 26 at Duluth First United Methodist Church. The Mayor's presentation looked at the overall health of Duluth.
BRASELTON
Braselton wins major award
Mayor Pat Graham and key business leaders responded with excitement to the town's placement on a prestigious list of recession-resilient growth areas. Confirming its inclusion in the nation's most notable "9 from 2009" by Arkansas-based Gadberry Group, Mayor Graham said, "we're ahead of the curve setting a tone for high quality growth, award winning infrastructure and essential services without levying a property tax&What a tribute to be on the list as we're the only community in Georgia which meets the criteria for inclusion," Graham said.
BUFORD
Goodwill creates new jobs in Hamilton Mill
Goodwill opens the doors to its 30th store location at 3295 Sardis Church Road in Buford, Georgia. The Hamilton Mill Goodwill is the second of the agency's 30 locations that's been built from the ground up. This store location, like all other stores Goodwill stores and donation centers now provide donors with a place to recycle used computer hardware. People who drop off their computer equipment at Goodwill donation centers receive a tax receipt, regardless of the brand and condition of the equipment. The new facility created jobs for more than 40 people. "Our mission is to put people to work," says Elaine Armstrong, director of public relations for Goodwill of North Georgia. Last year, the nonprofit helped 4,692 people find jobs. Its goal this year is to connect more than 6,000 North Georgians to employment.
DACULA
Dacula resident to be WNBA Chief Operating Officer
The WNBA Atlanta Dream has hired Dacula resident Toby Wyman as the organization's new Chief Operating Officer. Team owner Kathy Betty recruited Wyman from the Atlanta Braves organization where he served as assistant general manager of business operations for the Gwinnett Braves. Wyman currently resides in Dacula, with his wife Nancy and their children. He is member of the 2010 Class of Leadership Gwinnett.
GRAYSON
Grayson High Technical Education adds programs
The Grayson High Technical Education Program announces the program plans to add two additional courses in Engineering and Sports Medicine as soon as August 2010. Engineering and Sports Medicine. The Engineering program enables students to use applications of mathematics and science to predict the success of an engineered solution while completing hands-on activities with tools, materials, and processes. Students also will be given exciting opportunities to design and complete working prototypes like robots, solar products, and transportation tools. For students who enjoy athletics and have a desire to help others, the Sports Medicine program will provide them with the opportunity to develop skills that will enable them to gain a competitive edge in the fields of physical therapy and sports medicine. Opportunities for internships and clinical experiences will be a vital part of this program provides information on medical terminology, nutrition, kinesiology, gait training, therapeutic exercise, pharmacology, modality, and treatment techniques in medical training.
LAWRENCEVILLE
Briscoe Field: Preliminary application to privatize
Gwinnett County is beginning the process to study the idea of privatizing its airport in Lawrenceville. The Board of Commissioners are considering a resolution that will direct staff to submit a preliminary application to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) pursuant to the FAA's Airport Privatization Pilot Program. The preliminary application will identify the project objectives, describe the proposed process and timetables, and supply current financial and operations statements, but would not commit the County to proceed with a final application. The study process will help the board decide if privatization and eventual commercialization of Briscoe Field is in the best interest of Gwinnett County. The FAA must accept the preliminary application before the County can proceed with the process.
Gwinnett Tech receives $50K matching grant for childcare assistance program
Gwinnett Technical College has received a $50,000 challenge matching grant from the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation to benefit the Hudgens Center Tuition Assistance Program at GTC. The program enables the children of eligible Gwinnett Tech students to attend the D. Scott Hudgens, Jr. Early Education Center on campus while their parents are enrolled in classes at Gwinnett Tech. The community, faculty, staff and board members of Gwinnett Tech raised an initial $50,000 towards the challenge grant to earn the additional $50,000 from the Betty and Davis Fitzgerald Foundation.
GTC marks enrollment milestone
Enrollment for winter quarter 2010 is up 25 percent over last year, with a total of 6,563 students registered. Notably, Gwinnett Tech saw a 28 percent increase in new students and a 64 percent increase in full-time new students. "We're seeing tremendous growth in virtually every measurement of our student population. This year, our winter enrollment is virtually the same as our record fall figure – and that's rare. Fall quarter is traditionally our largest enrollment period and winter quarter enrollment generally drops," says Sharon Bartels, president, Gwinnett Tech. Gwinnett Tech is currently building additional parking and campus roads, and will break ground on its new life sciences building this spring.
NORCROSS
PointClear continues to support tech community
PointClear's president, Dan McDade, has been named chairman of the TAG Education Collaborative. The board of directors elected McDade at its Dec. 16, 2009, board meeting for a one-year term that began Jan. 1, 2010. McDade will lead the 16-member board in its efforts to strengthen Georgia's future workforce by uniting Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) resources with leading science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education initiatives benefitting middle- and high-school students statewide.
SUGAR HILL
Plans to build an old-fashion downtown are underway
City leaders will begin construction planning this year on a central downtown location which will allow new restaurants, coffee shops and barbershops to open business next door to a new $8.5 million dollar City Hall. The new downtown will be located at West Broad Street, by Peachtree Industrial Boulevard and Ga. 20. City leaders are planning the new development to feature old-fashioned double-globe streetlights, wide sidewalks, on-street parking and brick accents to embody a town square vibe that will give residents a new area to call home.
SUWANEE
Terry Conrad joins Advanced Bio-Technologies board
Advanced Bio-Technologies, Inc. in Suwannee has appointed veteran healthcare executive Terry Conrad to ABT's Board of Directors. According to Chairman and CEO, Jeff Thompson, "Terry's broad healthcare experience and deep roots in the dermatology market will allow him to quickly contribute to ABT's advancement as a leading specialty dermatological products company. We welcome him to our board and look forward to working closely with him."
Suwanee's fresh new look
Suwanee updated its website's design for the first time since it was established in 1998. "Our website's look had aged well beyond its prime," says Public Information Officer Lynne DeWilde. "Suwanee is known for being progressive and now our website, which is visited annually almost 400,000 times, more accurately reflects our progressive community."
