Dental assisting school in Atlanta, GA

Acclaimed Atlanta entertainer Chris “Ludacris” Bridges has won numerous awards for his rap music and acting. But he said few honors meant as much as the honorary bachelor’s degree he received Wednesday from Georgia State University.

Bridges enrolled at Georgia State in 1996, but left two yeas later to pursue a music career when he was signed by Def Jam Records, the home of hip-hop legends like LL Cool J and Public Enemy.

“I went to this school and I never finished my credits,” Bridges said in an interview after the ceremony. “For them to come back and give me this honorary degree, it means the world to me, just for the simple fact that I always knew I wanted to come back. I always wanted to finish. I’m not a person who starts things and doesn’t finish. For me, it’s a full circle moment.”

Bridges, who received a music management degree Wednesday, has been involved academically with Georgia State in several ways in recent years. He’s been an artist-in-residence at the university since 2019, mentoring students and working with professors in its Creative Media Industries Institute.

In addition, the university’s College of Law created a class called “The Legal Life of Ludacris,” to teach students about aspects of the music industry, such as negotiating contracts.

The university’s president, M. Brian Blake, a longtime Ludacris fan, said Bridges is “an example that it’s never too late to chase your dreams.”

Bridges, dressed in a black cap and gown, drew cheers from graduates and guests as he walked with university leaders to the stage for the two-hour ceremony for its roughly 900 master’s degree recipients, held at its Center Parc Stadium.

“GSU, I am home right now,” he said near the start of his 15-minute commencement address.

Bridges said he learned several lessons about the music industry at Georgia State that helped him through his career.

Bridges quoted Mark Twain and Jeremiah 29:11 from the Bible, which references “plans to give you hope and a future.“ He encouraged the graduates to find their passion and pursue it. He also implored them to become leaders in their communities.

“Our society wants positive change. They’re clamoring for it. They’re not satisfied with the status quo at all,” he told the audience.

To their delight, Bridges delivered the chorus from one of his biggest hits, “Welcome to Atlanta.”

“Welcome to Atlanta where the players play.”

Many rapped along with him.

Bridges’ wife, mother and daughters attended the ceremony. He recalled the concern his mother had when he told her he was leaving school to pursue a music career.

“Mama,” he said. “I made it.”

Storms will primarily be around the metro during the afternoon

ATLANTA — Our next round of showers and storms will move into North Georgia and metro Atlanta on Friday. The area could see heavy rain and isolated strong to severe storms with damaging winds, hail, and the possibility of an isolated tornado.

These storms will arrive ahead of a cold front that will be the dividing line between warm, humid air and a drier, more pleasant-looking Mother's Day Weekend.

Here are 3 things to know:

Showers and storms are possible throughout the day on Friday, but the main 'strong storm window' will be from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Several storms could become strong to severe.

Outside of storms, Friday will be mostly cloudy, breezy and humid.

Severe Outlook

The Storm Prediction Center has placed metro Atlanta and points east in a Level 3 out of 5 risk of severe storms.

Storms will bring heavy rain, with rain totals between 1/2 inch and 1 1/2 inch on average. Not everyone will see rain but many will.

For Severe Weather threats, damaging winds around 60 miles per hour will be the main threat. There is also a lower threat of quarter-inch-sized hail. Brief, isolated tornadoes will be possible as well.

Timeline

We are focused on the late morning to late afternoon for being the best chance for showers and thunderstorms. Critical timing is between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Forecast track images of future radar are below, but remember the timing can and likely will change before Friday.

Friday mid to late morning we are tracking a pre-event round of light rain and embedded t-storms moving eastward through north Georgia. These will not be severe. Meanwhile, we'll watch for some showers and storms to develop near Birmingham, Alabama. That'll be the focus for the afternoon.

By mid-day, some strong to severe storms will be moving into north Georgia, especially north and west of Atlanta.

By mid afternoon, the storm threat is pushing east and southeast of Atlanta.

Storms and showers continue to exit as the afternoon ends.

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Atlanta, GA — Here’s a look at business news in our community.

— Outreach is opening its new regional headquarters at Star Metals Offices in Atlanta.

Here is the full press release:

ATLANTA, GA (Mar. 31, 2022) – Outreach, the sales execution platform helping revenue organizations deliver efficient, predictable growth, is opening its regional headquarters at Star Metals Offices in Atlanta, announced the Allen Morris Company, the real estate firm behind the $500 million Star Metals District in West Midtown. Outreach is the latest stellar office tenant addition to Star Metals Offices and will be occupying 33,000 sq. ft. of office space on the 10th floor.

“Star Metals Offices was specifically designed to cater to the “T.A.M.I” tenant profile and Outreach is a perfect example of new-to-market tech and creative firms shifting towards West Midtown,” said Spencer Morris, Chief Investment Officer of the Allen Morris Company. “We are excited to welcome Outreach to the Star Metals District.”

Joe Grace of Cresa Global represented Outreach. Brooke Dewey of JLL represented the Allen Morris Company in the transaction.

“We are so excited to be opening our office in Atlanta soon,” said Leslie Pendergast, Outreach Chief People Officer. “Atlanta is such a vibrant area with a diverse and rich talent pool and will be an amazing addition to our growing team. Furthermore, we couldn’t be happier with the way our physical space is taking shape. We are striving to make it the most inclusive and welcoming office we’ve ever designed. We can’t wait to welcome employees to the space in a few months.”

Since launching, several firms and entertainment venues have made their way to Star Metals including: Prevail Coffee, selected by Eater as one of the top “Essential Coffee Shops in Atlanta”; Sweetgreen, the popular salad concept; Sushi Hayakawa, the James Beard-nominated Japanese omakase dining experience; Wagamama, the U.K. Asian-inspired and ramen bar; PlantHouse, the premium plant store and terrarium featuring an in-store bar; Flight Club, a restaurant & high-tech darts concept; and Savi Provisions, the gourmet and organic marketplace.

Star Metals Offices offers a confluence of modern luxury and unparalleled amenities that provide an anchor for West Midtown’s cultural resurgence, while honoring the historical composition and materials of the old rail yards of Westside Atlanta’s heritage. Additional amenities of Star Metals Offices include lush-green and landscaped open-air terraces on each tenant floor as well as a 10,000 SF amenity floor that features a 30-person conference room and can host events for more than 250 guests. The building was also recently awarded the WiredScore Platinum certification, the highest level of technological connectivity.

Star Metals is the Allen Morris Company’s 85th successful development in its 64-year history. The multi-faceted firm has numerous large-scale projects throughout Atlanta, Central and South Florida, and is actively seeking additional opportunities throughout the Southeast.

For additional information visit www.allenmorris.com

— Former Start:ME grant winner, David Sessions, has launched a second Atlanta-based service business focused on car detailing.

Here is the full press release:

Atlanta, GA / March 21, 2022 – Today Mint Mobile Detail announces the launch of its company in May 2022. Mint Mobile Detail is a professional car detailing service company with fully equipped state-of-the-art mobile auto detailing vans. Mint Mobile Detail serves residents in the city of Atlanta, Decatur, Buckhead and Cobb County.

This is a second business launch for Mint Mobile Detail’s owner, David Sessions. Sessions is an Army vet and previous alumni of Emory’s Start:Me program, a business training program that provides entrepreneurs the tools and connections necessary to build and grow successful businesses. In 2018, Sessions pitched his first business in the Start:Me program and was awarded a competitive $4,500 grant. Using this grant, he built a successful pressure washing business that was taking in over $500,000 in annual revenue within two years of its launch. Sessions’ company did this while maintaining a consistent profit and remaining debt-free.

David brings his previous sales and training experience with Fortune-500 companies and his experience as an Army veteran to all his business ventures. With his first company, Sessions built a reputation as a living wage employer and gave consistently to neighborhood organizations, such as Kirkwood Cares and Neighbors in Need. These organizations fight displacement in intown Atlanta neighborhoods by providing critical repairs to low-income neighbors’ homes. With Mint Mobile Detailing, Sessions brings this same drive, experience and commitment to employees and the community.

Sessions has noted that giving back to the community is an integral part of his business philosophy. “In East Atlanta gentrification is an issue in many neighborhoods. As more upscale homes and businesses are built in a neighborhood, property taxes go up, sometimes creating a problem for longtime residents. We are involved in a program to help those residents stay in their homes.”

Sessions is also committed to being a living wage employer. A living wage is the amount of money needed for a given worker and their family to cover the cost of their minimum needs where they live, including food, childcare, health insurance, housing, transportation, and other necessities like clothing and personal care items. The minimum wage does not provide a living wage for most American families. In 2021, Sessions’ previous business did not pay any employee less than $20 an hour. He brings the same commitment to living wage employment to Mint Mobile Detail.

Mint Mobile Detail will officially launch to the public in May 2022. Through Mint’s website (getmintmobiledetail.com) you can easily schedule, track, and pay for mobile car washing, auto detailing, and other services at a time and date that fits your schedule. Mint’s professionally trained technicians will come to you with all the equipment needed to make your car feel new again. Through their online scheduling software, techs will text when they are on the way, when they arrive and when the service is complete. Customers can easily pay online for their services. Mint Mobile techs would love to chat with you when they come to clean your vehicle, but their online system also allows for contactless service for customers that need it. Whether you’re at home or work, the certified Mint Mobile Detail techs will take care of your car so you can get back to living your life.

Mint Mobile Detail also offers monthly memberships that allow clients to never worry about scheduling a car detail again. Mint members will enjoy regular monthly cleanings and receive exclusive discounts. Members will have their cleanings scheduled in advance and will be billed automatically each month at a members-only discounted rate.

— Harry Norman Realtors has announced a partnership with High Museum of Art to support the museum through fundraisers and events.

Here is the full press release:

ATLANTA: Harry Norman, REALTORS®, a luxury real estate firm that prides itself on service excellence and market expertise, announced a new partnership with the High Museum of Art. With both organizations having deep roots in the greater Atlanta area, the contribution this partnership delivers will help support the community endeavors of the High Museum in the communities both organizations call home. Beautiful homes pair perfectly with beautiful art and inspire us to dream. The partnership is just one of several new Harry Norman, REALTORS® initiatives for 2022.

“We are excited by the opportunity to work with such a prestigious Atlanta institution. We had been looking to form a partnership with the High for some time, and the return to in-person events and connections made 2022 the perfect year for us to embark on this sponsorship,” said Luke Trigwell, Vice President of Marketing for Harry Norman. “Our two organizations share a number of core values, and at the heart are both here to serve and give back to the Atlanta community.”

As an Exhibition Series Sponsor, Harry Norman’s involvement assists in bringing national and international exhibitions to the High Museum. One such exhibition kicked off the sponsorship – The Obama Portraits which debuted at the High in January. Through the ongoing partnership, Harry Norman, REALTORS® will not only receive partner recognition, but the firm is also able to get involved by sponsoring additional activities such as the High Museum’s Wine Auction that took place in March. These high-profile events provide exceptional brand exposure while facilitating opportunities for onsite attendance, client networking, agent appreciation and more. This was the first time Harry Norman had taken part, and as a proud Sovereign Sponsor, the 20 agents and executives in attendance had the opportunity to enjoy a fantastic event while contributing to the very worthy charities that the High Museum supports.

“The ability to be affiliated with such incredible exhibits and events is so important to us,” added Trigwell. “Many of these are hard to get tickets or events that align with our luxury brand, so being able to invite high dollar home buyers as well as give access to our agents to support the community is so important.”

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Mark Teixeira said he always felt weird telling people that he was an alumnus of Georgia Tech. That would be because, while Teixeira was a former student and baseball star at Tech, as well as a significant donor, he actually wasn’t a graduate.

When Teixeira left Tech in 2001 after three years to play baseball professionally – a pursuit that earned him an estimated $218 million and the recognition as one of the premier players of his generation – he had yet to earn his diploma, 41 credit hours shy of graduating.

Twenty-one years later, Teixeira finally can make the claim without it disturbing his conscience. At Saturday’s commencement exercises, the semester’s 4,030 graduates will include a three-time All-Star, five-time Gold Glove winner and World Series champion. With little incentive beyond his own sense of satisfaction and a desire to serve as an example to his three children, Teixeira will be a part of Tech’s class of 2022, having completed those remaining 41 hours for his business-administration degree over the past three semesters.

“To be able to say I’m a Georgia Tech graduate now after 25 years, it’s something I really can’t put into words,” Teixeira said Wednesday in a videoconference interview.

Teixeira’s degree completion was not a rubber-stamp exercise. He took classes in computer science, finance and business operations, among others.

“I hadn’t done advanced mathematics in 20 years,” Teixeira said. “There was a lot of panic. I had tutors. So I would sign up online for tutors, and my tutor would pop up and they’d be like, ‘Are you Mark Teixeira? What are you doing?’”

His response was not a glib explanation of someone who had been an ESPN analyst after retiring from baseball in 2016: “I need help. I need help because I have no idea what these equations mean, and I’m trying to figure that out.”

Further, he is a principal in a real-estate development company (Urban Creek Partners) that sold 70 acres on Atlanta’s Westside for $127 million to Microsoft and is married with three children. He said schoolwork took up about 30 hours a week.

“When people would ask me, ‘What are you doing right now?’, (the answer would be) ‘I’m a full-time student,’” he said. “And that’s on top of three kids and real estate investment and managing my portfolio, being on two non-profit boards and all the other things that I’m doing and also trying to have some fun.”

Teixeira said that returning to finish his degree was “something that was always in the back of my mind.” Further, he said, “I wanted my kids to know that I finished.” For Teixeira, Tech was far more than a passageway to professional baseball. He met his wife, Leigh, (a graduate) there, and he continues to be close with Yellow Jackets coach Danny Hall and a supporter of the team. Because of his financial gifts and fundraising efforts, the team’s clubhouse bears his name, as does a premium seating area of the newly renovated stadium (the Mark Teixeira Skyline Terrace).

Tech is “really a huge part of who I am,” he said.

Still, with his family living in Austin, Texas, and Tech having a requirement that the final 36 degrees must be earned on campus, it seemed an impossibility. However, COVID-19 changed the possibilities. The requirement was temporarily lifted.

“I said, ‘Mark, if you don’t do it now, you’re never going to do it. Let’s go,’” he said. “And I kind of never looked back after that.”

That isn’t entirely the case. On the counsel of an academic adviser, he planned to have a concentration in finance and loaded up on finance classes in his first semester back, in the spring of 2021. But, upon reviewing the syllabus, he realized the classes were over his head, calling upon students to write computer programs to pick stocks, for instance.

“I told my wife, I’m like, ‘Honey, I’m going to fail. There’s no way I’m going to be able to take these finance classes,’” he said. “So I almost quit. I really did.”

His new adviser told him that having a finance concentration was the wrong plan for him, and he switched to a general-management concentration. (”It’s kind of an oxymoron,” he said.) As the graduation requirement to be on campus for the final 36 credits was reinstated, Teixeira worked out a plan with the business school in which he could fly in from Austin every few weeks for exams, group presentations or projects that required his attendance and take part remotely the rest of the time. (Being a major donor probably didn’t hurt.)

“I’ve got to give my wife a lot of credit for being patient with me,” Teixeira said.

Teixeira settled into a routine, despite probably being twice as old as some of his classmates, being the only one taking notes by hand as opposed to using a laptop computer and being a recognizable multi-millionaire. He laughed recalling the puzzled looks he got from fellow students.

“So you have to tell them, ‘OK, this is who I am, this is what I’ve done,’ and then it all makes sense,” he said.

He shared some of his classes with current Tech baseball players and sat next to catcher Kevin Parada, a leading candidate for the national player-of-the-year award that Teixeira won in 2000, in a marketing class this semester.

Teixeira will graduate with high honors, meaning he finished with a GPA between 3.35 and 3.55.

“If you ask me what was harder, major leagues or Georgia Tech, I’d have to think about it for a while,” he said.

Having 30 hours a week freed, he has some time to ponder it as he gazes upon his diploma.

“That’ll be something that I’m going to be super proud of, and I’ll put it up with my Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger and World Series trophy,” he said.

Mayor’s Office of Communications 55 Trinity Avenue, Suite 2500 • Atlanta, Georgia 30303

At One-Month Mark, Mayor Dickens’ Newly Revived Pothole Posse Has Completed More Than 1,000 Repairs Across Atlanta

ATLANTA—Mayor Andre Dickens announced the City’s recently revived “Pothole Posse” is exceeding its goals, having already filled 1,085 potholes in its first month on the job.

Mayor Dickens joined the recently reconstituted Pothole Posse to fill potholes in the Ormewood Park neighborhood on April 11.

“When I worked alongside the Pothole Posse, we heard directly from residents how grateful they were to have their streets repaired,” said Mayor Dickens. “I am excited that the Pothole Posse is already exceeding our goals after only a month on the job. And I am grateful for the team’s exemplary work, which is representative of all our frontline workers across the city.”

Mayor Dickens relaunched the Pothole Posse during his State of the City address on April 4, pledging to repair 30 potholes per day. The group was originally formed under the leadership of then-Mayor Shirley Franklin to make quick repairs in response to residents’ reports.

“We know we need to invest not just in patching holes but in building strong infrastructure,” Mayor Dickens added. “If Atlanta voters approve the Moving Atlanta Forward 2022 Infrastructure Program this month, we will be able to put $460 million into our transportation and trails networks all across our city.”

Early voting began this week on the infrastructure package, which includes the TSPLOST and two bonds. More information on the program is available at: www.atlantaga.gov/government/mayor-s-office/2022infrastructure.

A pothole is a roadway defect caused by natural occurrences, such as warm climates and subsurface failures. These defects disrupt travel and endanger safety for drivers and riders. Each year, thousands of roadway-related service requests are reported to the City’s ATL311 customer service portal. Requests to repair potholes are the among the highest. Learn more about the Pothole Posse here: https://atldot.atlantaga.gov/services-2/potholes. Media that wish to cover the work of the Pothole Posse can contact Michael Frierson/ATLDOT at [email protected].

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For more information about the City of Atlanta, please visit www.atlantaga.gov or watch City Channel 26. Follow the City of Atlanta on Facebook and Twitter @CityofAtlanta.