Project Manager for Secure Records Solutions Marshall Jones discusses the Japanese business philosophy Kaizen and how it can help improve your business.
Piedmont Park Conservancy announces that tickets are now on sale for the highly anticipated 28th Landmark Luncheon, set to take place on Thursday, April 24 from 11 am. – 1 p.m. at the Promenade in Piedmont Park. This year’s event will feature “The Big Reveal,” unveiling the Park’s first Comprehensive Plan in 25 years, including the community-driven vision that will shape the future of Atlanta’s most beloved greenspace.
As excitement builds for the Landmark Luncheon, community members are encouraged to take part in the final in-person and virtual input sessions to ensure their voices are heard before the plan is finalized. These remaining opportunities allow Atlantans to review and provide feedback on the proposed enhancements including topics such as entrance upgrades, Lake Clara Meer improvements, nature play experience suggestions, Active Oval enhancements, expansion concepts and Park connectivity, maintenance and beautification.
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 16, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
FINAL In-person session at Dockside (near 12th Street entrance)
Saturday, Feb. 22, 1 – 2 p.m
Reserve your spot: Virtual Community Input Meeting
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 6 – 7 p.m.
Reserve your spot: Virtual Community Input Meeting
Thursday, April 24, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
28th Landmark Luncheon’s “The Big Reveal”
Virtual Interactive Platform
Open for input now through March 8.
WHERE: Dockside in Piedmont Park (in between Lake Clara Meer & the 12th Street Gate)
1071 Piedmont Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30309
WHY: Final chance to explore plans and share vital feedback to ensure this historic greenspace continues to flourish as Atlanta’s common ground since 1904!
HOW: Tickets for Landmark Luncheon will sell quickly. For more details and to purchase tickets, visit piedmontpark.org.
To learn more, schedule a media interview with Piedmont Park Conservancy President and CEO Doug Widener or to attend the in-person session, please contact Caroline Day or Sara McDonald Barksdale at ppc@emailbrave.com.
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Artificial intelligence is making its way into one of life’s biggest financial decisions. About 1-in-3 prospective homebuyers (32%) are using AI tools as part of their homebuying journey, according to a survey released today by Veterans United Home Loans, the nation’s largest VA lender.
The nationwide survey of nearly 900 prospective buyers found that searching for and virtually touring homes are the two most common uses of AI.
The survey also revealed that 40% of prospective buyers interact with AI once a day or more. However, they were split on how comfortable they are with this technology becoming a part of everyday life, with 31% more concerned than excited, 29% more excited than concerned and 28% equally excited and concerned.
“With digital assistants and smart home devices gaining broader adoption in everyday life, AI tools are becoming a valuable resource for home shoppers,” said Chris Birk, vice president of mortgage insight at Veterans United. “However, some buyers need balance – leveraging AI as a helpful tool while maintaining the human touch to guide and reassure buyers through life’s biggest investments.”
Searching and touring homes are the most popular tools homebuyers use
Today, most home shoppers start their home search online. The survey shows nearly 40% of buyers are using AI to both find and view homes.
At 38%, searching for homes for sale in the location they want to live ranked as the most common way home shoppers used AI. This was followed closely by virtual home tours, which were used by 37% of those who reported using AI tools.
Buyers find AI can help to educate and dream
About a third of buyers who use AI tools (32%) use them to estimate monthly payments or to check property values. About the same percentage (31%) use AI as a mortgage calculator to determine how much they could afford or be preapproved for; for tips and tricks to make homebuying easier; and to learn about the latest housing trends.
Nearly 3-in-10 use AI to input specific criteria they are looking for in a home to find available homes (29%) and to shop for the best mortgage rates (28%).
The survey also found that 27% of respondents used AI to visualize potential renovations or changes to a home.
Who’s using AI
The survey revealed that younger home shoppers are more likely to use AI than their older counterparts, which suggests this emerging technology could play an even larger role in the process as younger generations reach homebuying age.
Among those who use AI once a day or more, 60% are Gen Z and 47% are millennials. Just over a third of Gen X (36%) and 18% of baby boomers reported using AI once a day or more.
To view the full survey, visit https://www.veteransunited.com/education/ai-homebuying-survey/
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Greg Weider shares his experiences as a volunteer with DeKalb County CASA and offers ways to support their mission.
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The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is now accepting applications for two local planning programs: the Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) and the Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP).
The application period for both programs close end of day February 28, 2025. The last day for application assistance is February 21.
Since 2000, the LCI grant program has invested more than $23 million in planning studies and over $360 million in transportation projects to assist 126 communities throughout the Atlanta region re-envision themselves as vibrant, walkable places that offer increased mobility options, encourage healthy lifestyles and provide improved access to jobs and services. CDAP provides technical assistance to local governments to improve quality-of-life in their communities by improving access to resources such as healthy food, affordable housing and creative placemaking.
“The LCI program is an innovative concept that makes metro Atlanta a better, safer and healthier place to live,” said Anna Roach, ARC’s Executive Director and CEO. “Last year we celebrated 25 years of LCI. I can’t wait to see how our region benefits from LCI projects throughout the next 25.”
The ARC board has allocated $600 million through 2050 for transportation projects resulting from completed LCI studies. Upon completion of the studies, communities will be eligible to apply for federal transportation and funding for projects such as sidewalks, multi-use trails, and smart corridor improvements that help implement their visions.
The LCI program is funded with federal transportation dollars, and this year ARC may award up to $1.8 million in LCI grants. The grants cover 80% of the budgeted cost of each study, with the recipient committing to a 20% match. Applicants must be a local government, transit agency, or Community Improvement District (CID) with an existing LCI area. LCI studies must address at least one of the program’s four priority issue areas, which are:
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Creative Placemaking
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Housing Affordability
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Green Infrastructure
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Smart Technology
ARC’s CDAP provides planning assistance to local governments, CIDs, and non-profits across metro Atlanta to undertake local planning activities that advance the goals of the ARC’s regional planning initiatives. CDAP matches technical planning help and expertise with projects in communities who need it. The applicant can select ARC staff assistance, partner assistance, or grant assistance. Applicants requesting grant assistance must have a proposed project that has a transportation/land use nexus, and non-profits are not eligible for grant assistance.
CDAP is seeking applications for projects that focus on one or more of the following CDAP priority areas:
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Access to Healthy Food
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Creative Placemaking
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Impacts of Climate Change
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Historic Preservation
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Housing Affordability
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Smart Technology
Examples of past CDAP projects include housing assessments, cultural and creative placemaking, minor land use plans/studies, training facilitation, and trail studies. This year, ARC hopes to see more partnerships with Community-Based Organizations. To get an idea of what is possible through this program, potential applicants can view CDAP’s guidebook and CDAP past projects.
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Chamberlain Hrdlicka is pleased to announce that it has elevated two attorneys to shareholder and two to equity shareholder. The new equity shareholders are Atlanta-based attorney Jasen Hanson and Philadelphia-based attorneyJennifer Karpchuk. Additionally, Tara LeDay and Lincoln Chen, both based in Houston, were elevated to shareholder. These promotions were shared during the firm’s annual shareholders’ meeting in Houston on February 1.
“We are pleased to elevate these attorneys to their new positions within our shareholder community,” said Larry Campagna, Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s managing shareholder. “They all have achieved outstanding results for our clients and made significant contributions to our firm. We are excited to see what the future holds for them in their new roles.”
Jasen Hanson
Hanson is a member of the Tax Controversy & Litigation Section in Atlanta. He represents individuals and business entities before the IRS and Department of Justice (DOJ) Tax Division from examination through litigation in the U.S. Tax Court and federal district courts, as well as appellate court review. Hanson’s experience includes resolving a variety of issues for high-net-worth individuals and closely held family entities, including method of accounting issues, passive activity losses, hobby loss activities, collection due process hearings, cancellation of debt income exclusions, conservation easement and façade easement litigation, other valuation disputes and penalty defense. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of North Florida, his law degree from St. Thomas University College of Law and his Master of Laws degree from University of Florida Levin College of Law. Hanson has been named Best Lawyers, Ones to Watch® in America for Tax Law from 2021 to 2025.
Jennifer Karpchuk
Karpchuk chairs the firm’s State and Local Tax Controversy & Planning practice and is a member of the Tax Controversy & Litigation practice in Philadelphia. She represents companies and individuals in all aspects of state and local tax litigation, controversy, compliance and planning. Karpchuk is a nationally sought-after speaker and writer on topics related to state and local tax. She also co-authors the Pennsylvania Tax Handbook and the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Bar Association’s Property Tax Deskbook. Karpchuk serves in several leadership roles within the legal community, including as chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association Section on Tax Law and vice chair of the American Bar Association State and Local Taxes Committee. Additionally, she is an appointed member of the Philadelphia Tax Reform Commission. Karpchuk earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and her law degree from Temple University Beasley School of Law. She has been ranked in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business since 2021 and Super Lawyers for almost a decade.
Lincoln Chen
Chen is a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation, Construction Law, Energy Litigation, Insurance Law and Real Estate practice groups in Houston. As a trial attorney, he represents business interests in complex contract and commercial disputes, with a specialized focus on energy and property litigation. His notable victories have significantly shaped the energy sector, including a landmark federal court win involving renewable energy commodities, a successful defense of a solar energy project developer in arbitration, a multi-million-dollar arbitration award in a complex wind project dispute and the successful defense of a terminal company in a catastrophic refinery explosion case. Consistently delivering strategic solutions across both renewable and traditional energy sectors, Chen has been recognized as a rising legal talent, being included in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Commercial Litigation and Insurance Law from 2022 to 2025. He earned his undergraduate degree from Baylor University and his law degree from South Texas College of Law.
Tara LeDay
LeDay is a member of Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring, & Creditor Rights practice, representing bankruptcy trustees, creditors, and corporate and high net-worth debtors. She has over five years of experience representing creditors in national bankruptcy matters with a particular focus on property tax representation. LeDay earned her undergraduate degree from Southwestern University and earned her law degree from Baylor Law School. She is a member of the State Bar of Texas Bankruptcy Section’s Young Lawyers Committee and is admitted to over 30 bankruptcy and federal courts across the nation. LeDay has been included in the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America® for Bankruptcy and Restructuring for 2025, National Top 40 under 40 Black Bankruptcy Attorneys in Texas and “Top Lawyer” in Houstonia Magazine. She also serves in several leadership roles in the community including the Planning and Zoning Commission, Executive board member of the Leander Educational Excellence Foundation and the vice president of the International Restructuring Women’s Network Central Texas Division
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The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the nominees for the Class of 2025 and there are two Atlanta groups up for consideration.
OutKast and The Black Crowes are among the 14 performers and groups who were nominated on Wednesday morning. The other nominees include Bad Company, Billy Idol, Chubby Checker, Cyndi Lauper, Joe Cocker, Joy Division/New Order, Maná, Mariah Carey, Phish, Oasis, Soundgarden and The White Stripes.
Read More at Y! Entertainment.