Lincoln Property Company Southeast (Lincoln) and Redline Property Partners are pleased to announce a new lease with Thompson Ehle Company at 2 Sun Court, a 98,040-square-foot, Class-A office building in the heart of Peachtree Corners, Ga. Lincoln’s Matt Davis and Matt Fergus represented the owner, Redline Property Partners. CBRE’s Kevin Carroll represented the tenant.
Thompson Ehle Company is a provider of construction management, fire protection, mechanical and electrical engineering services with offices in Atlanta, Ga. and Houston, Texas. Later this year, the company will take occupancy, relocating from its current office at 50 Technology Parkway.
“We are continuing to see ongoing interest in the Peachtree Corners submarket from a number of top-tier tenants,” said Lincoln’s Davis. “With best-in-class amenities, Redline is committed to offering an exceptional office experience at great value for tenants of 2 Sun and we are pleased that Thompson Ehle has chosen to relocate to the building.”
Ownership recently completed building-wide renovations to the lobby, corridors, common areas, elevators and restrooms, as well as creating an outdoor tenant lounge. Redline has also redesigned and upgraded the original base building systems, installed Wi-Fi connected meeting spaces and incorporated on-site food delivery programs featuring weekly revolving food trucks. Four vacant spaces remain available at the building, ranging in size from 3,154 square feet to 10,227 square feet.
“We tailored our renovation of 2 Sun to meet the needs of today’s tenants in our quest to deliver an improved property that provides exceptional experience at great value,” said Andrew Webb, principal of Redline. “We are honored to be adding Thompson Ehle to the building’s existing group of high quality tenants.”
2 Sun is strategically located within the heart of the coveted Peachtree Corners office submarket of Atlanta. With a number of nearby retail amenities, including luxury lifestyle center The Forum, and direct access to major transportation arteries, the building maintains superior access and visibility. Its central location, forward thinking renovation and substantial amount of parking allows companies to access multiple talent pools in order to attract and retain employees from all areas of the metro.
Governor Brian P. Kemp delivered the following update on COVID-19 in Georgia. Governor Kemp was joined by Georgia Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Kathleen Toomey, Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency Director Homer Bryson, and Georgia National Guard Adjutant General Tom Carden.
“Good afternoon, everyone. I’m joined by Dr. Kathleen Toomey, General Tom Carden, GEMA Director Homer Bryson, General John King, and DCH Commissioner Frank Berry. Before we begin our weekly briefing, I want to provide an update on the Ahmaud Arbery case. Over the past few days, there have been several important developments. As many of you know, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation became officially involved in the case the evening of Tuesday, May 5. Less than two days later, on Thursday, May 7, Gregory and Travis McMichael were arrested for Felony Murder and Aggravated Assault of Ahmaud Arbery. Both men are currently jailed in Glynn County.
“Friday, May 8 would have been Ahmaud’s twenty-sixth birthday, and Georgians all across our state ran 2.23 miles to celebrate his life and draw attention to the case. It has been an emotional time, and our prayers remain with his family, loved ones, and the community as a whole. There are many questions that have yet to be answered. And frankly, Georgians deserve the truth.
“Attorney General Chris Carr announced yesterday that Cobb District Attorney Joyette Holmes will lead the prosecution. He also urged the Department of Justice and GBI to conduct an investigation into the process that delayed justice. I hold great confidence in Joyette, state law enforcement, and the Department of Justice. It is my belief that truth and justice will prevail in Georgia.
“A key part of our plan to ensure a healthy and prosperous future for our state is contact tracing. With nearly 250 staff in the field today, the Department of Public Health is making progress. Under the leadership of Dr. Toomey, DPH plans to have 1,000 staff deployed in the coming weeks. To streamline contact tracing across the state, we are rolling out a new online monitoring tool – the Healthy Georgia Collaborative – which allows Georgians to identify contacts and monitor symptoms. Health data remains completely confidential. This monitoring tool does not collect any data other than what is entered by the contact. This is how the process works: residents who test positive for COVID-19 will be contacted by trained public health staff, who will work with that individual to recall anyone that they might’ve had close contact with while infectious. Those contacts will then be interviewed by DPH to help us map and isolate the spread of COVID-19 in communities across the state. If you are contacted by DPH staff, we strongly encourage you to participate in the contact tracing program. We need your help to defeat this virus. Together, we can continue to take measured steps forward.
“On April 20, I issued an executive order to reopen certain businesses that were shuttered during our statewide shelter in place. I am proud of these hardworking Georgians for following the guidance, keeping both their employees and customers safe. I also stand with the small business owners who decided not to reopen their doors. These men and women have a choice, and I appreciate the incredible challenges each of them faces every single day.
“Today I have issued a new executive order to extend several provisions, clarify existing guidelines for certain businesses, and provide guidance to other operators in our state. This order is issued as COVID-19 positive hospitalizations, ventilator use, and the percentage of positive cases continue to drop. It is based on data, science, and the advice of our public health officials. Many have warned of a ‘second wave’ and asked if we are willing to change course if conditions decline. Let me be clear: we will continue to track the numbers and continue to heed Dr. Toomey’s advice. We will take whatever action is necessary to protect the lives and livelihoods of Georgians.
“In light of the new Executive Order, live performance venues, bars, and nightclubs must remain closed through May 31, 2020. I know this extension is difficult for many Georgia business owners and communities with music venues. However, we believe that waiting a little bit longer will enhance health outcomes and give folks the opportunity to prepare for safe reopening in the near future. All Georgians must continue to follow social distancing, and gatherings of more than ten people remain banned unless there is at least six feet between each person. The gatherings ban applies to all non-critical infrastructure businesses, local governments, and organizations of all types, including social groups, informal get-togethers, and recreational sports, just to name a few.
“We continue to strongly encourage people to wear face coverings when out in public, and we thank everyone for their willingness to do the right thing. The shelter in place provision for medically fragile and Georgians aged 65 and older remains in effect through June 12, 2020. Mandatory restrictions for sanitation and social distancing will remain in place for all non-critical infrastructure businesses, and for recently reopened businesses, we are extending industry-specific restrictions. Those will remain in place through the end of the month. As businesses slowly reopen and some enhance capacity, we know that many are safely returning to their place of employment.
“While returning to a new normal is exciting, the current guidelines make it difficult for parents to find childcare for their children. This new Executive Order will increase the number of people allowed in a single classroom of a childcare facility from ten to twenty people so long as staff-to-children ratios set by the Department of Early Care and Learning are also maintained. We are told by the Departments of Early Care and Learning and Public Health that this expansion can be done safely and allows for more facilities to reopen.
“Childcare facilities must continue to adhere to thirteen minimum, mandatory criteria to be able to operate, including strict screening procedures and sanitation mandates for frequently touched items and surfaces. In that same vein, countless families have reached out to my office to discuss how summer camps can safely operate as we battle the spread of COVID-19. Working closely with the Department of Public Health, constituents, and summer camp operators, we have developed strict criteria so that these camps can start planning now to reopen with safeguards in place. We are hearing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will issue guidance soon. When that happens, their guidance will control, but until that time, we will put out guardrails so people can make plans. We have defined ‘summer camp’ as any entity offering organized sessions of supervised recreational, athletic, or instructional activities held between typical school terms, including entities commonly referred to as ‘day camps.’ Starting May 14, 2020, summer day camps are allowed to operate if they can meet thirty-two minimum, mandatory criteria. These requirements are extensive and cover a wide range of operations to ensure the safety of camp workers and participants of all ages.
“Even though we have these measures in place to allow for summer camps, we are not allowing overnight summer camps in Georgia at this time. We will continue to watch the data, keep a close eye on compliance, and make a decision on a case-by-case basis when Dr. Toomey and the Department of Public Health determine it is safe for overnight campers.
“Throughout this pandemic, our restaurant owners and their employees have done a remarkable job in keeping local families fed. These hardworking Georgians have followed the rules, doing the right thing, even when it wasn’t easy. In our new Executive Order, we are taking another step forward, empowering restaurants to expand operations safely if they so choose. Moving forward, we will allow ten patrons per 300 sq. ft. of public space in restaurants and dining rooms and increase the party size per table from six to ten people.
“For gyms and fitness centers, we have made some minor revisions to mandatory criteria – all based on public health guidance – to allow for enhanced flexibility, but strict social distancing and sanitation rules will still apply across the board. This crisis has been an unprecedented challenge for state government. Agencies have met this challenge and continued to provide critical services to the people of Georgia.
“I’m proud of the thousands of state employees who have done an incredible job teleworking and adapting to the new normal. To ensure that quality of service continues, starting May 18, specific divisions of state agencies will begin to phase back into limited, in-person operations. In my executive order, I have tasked the Department of Administrative Services with promulgating guidance for state agencies to safely reopen offices. As we work through the process, we will issue that guidance to employees, contractors, and constituents. We will make more detailed announcements in the coming days on how we will be phasing into limited, in-person operations at state agencies.
“I am very thankful to President Trump, Vice President Pence, and the Coronavirus Task Force for their leadership as we fight the spread of COVID-19. As of noon today, Georgia has received our first shipment of Remdesivir from the federal government. We have received thirty cases with forty vials of the drug per case, and we will be working with officials in the Department of Public Health to determine how it will be distributed. We also deeply appreciate the equipment and supplies that we have received from the Trump administration, including our May shipment of testing supplies. We had a great call yesterday with the Vice President and governors across the country, and we look forward to our continued partnership.
“Yesterday, the White House issued a call to action, encouraging states to aggressively test nursing home residents and staff over the next two weeks. We’ve been doing that for a few weeks now through the Georgia National Guard. As of today, they have tested 46% of all nursing homes residents and 24% of staff at those facilities. We estimate 46,000 people who still need to be tested. In total, the Guard has tested 142 nursing homes, and they’ll keep moving forward – like they have with their infection control teams – until they complete the mission.
“Speaking of testing, I did want to mention again that testing is available for all Georgians, regardless of whether you have coronavirus symptoms. Anyone can call their local health department to get scheduled for testing. They can also download the Augusta University ExpressCare app, visit augustahealth.org, or call (706) 721-1852.
“Staff will schedule your visit at one of our 105 state-run testing sites around Georgia. The percentage of positive cases for COVID-19 continues to drop even as we ramp up testing, which is very encouraging. But here are a few things everyone needs to know about our data moving forward: many healthcare facilities and labs are not reporting negative test results to the state. We are working with them to get this data collected and published.
“As we aggressively test more nursing homes and long-term care facilities, we may see a sharper increase in positive test results. By doing this, it will allow medical providers to intervene earlier and try to mitigate adverse outcomes among vulnerable Georgians. Right now, nursing home, assisted living, and personal care home residents and staff make up 18.5% of our total positive cases, and 49% of total deaths involve nursing home, assisted living, and personal care home residents. We ask everyone to continue to protect the elderly and medically fragile, and we will continue to work around the clock to ensure quick, convenient testing is available for all Georgians.
“Before I end this briefing, I want to emphasize a few points. Every day, we are seeing reports that more and more people are holding off on important medical screenings and vaccinations out of fear of exposure. Yesterday evening, I read a Wall Street Journal article that new cancer diagnoses have decreased by a staggering 30%. Please do not risk your health by delaying important appointments. Medical providers and healthcare facilities are open and have safeguards in place for patients.
“I want to renew the call to action for all Georgians to heed the advice of public health officials, avoid large gatherings, and help us slow the spread of COVID-19. Your cooperation is making a difference and saving lives. Finally, I want to give a shout-out to two hardworking Georgians who have worked tirelessly to help us keep everyone informed throughout this pandemic. Aaron Shoemaker and David Cowan report for duty to provide American Sign Language interpretation for deaf and hard of hearing Georgians at a moment’s notice. Their efforts are vital as we work together to stop the spread of COVID-19 and put Georgia back on the path to prosperity. So, Aaron and David, thank you for your service. And with that, I’ll open it up for questions.”
Live music venues, bars, and nightclubs must remain closed through May 31, but daycare centers and summer camps have been given a green light by Gov. Brian Kemp to reopen if they follow health and safety regulations to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Kemp said during an afternoon press conference at the State Capitol that keeping performance venues, bars, and nightclubs closed “a little bit longer will help enhance health outcomes.”
On the other hand, Kemp issued a new executive order that allows daycare centers to reopen and summer day camps to reopen May 14. Overnight summer camps are still banned for now.
Restaurants, which began reopening on April 27, will now be allowed to have 10 patrons per 300 square feet and party size per table increased from 6 to 10 people.
Kemp also said state agencies would begin to phase back into limited in-person operations starting May 18.
You can download and read the executive order at this link.
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Chef Kevin Rathbun has closed his namesake restaurant and Krog Bar, both located inside The Stove Works in Inman Park.
First reported by Tomorrow’s News Today, Rathbun opened the dining spots back-to-back in 2004 and 2005 before the arrival of the Atlanta BeltLine’s Eastside Trail. He opened Rathbun’s Steak a short walk down the BeltLine in 2007.
In a report in the AJC, Rathbun said the closure was not COVID-19 related, but an inability to reach a lease agreement with Asana, the company that owns both The Stove Works and Krog Street Market.
Rathbun suggested that Asana plans to demolish part of The Stove Works to make room for parking for busy Krog Street Market located just across the street. INtown has been unable to confirm that statement with Asana.
Rathbun, who also owns KR Steakbar in Buckhead, said he is looking at reopening Krog Bar next to Rathbun’s Steak in the future.
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Fulton County Early Voting for the Presidential Preference Primary, General Primary, and Special Election will take place weekdays beginning Monday, May 18, through Friday, June 5, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday, May 30 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Polls will be closed on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25. On all other dates, polls will open at the following locations:
Alpharetta Library
10 Park Plaza
Alpharetta, GA 30009
C.T. Martin Natatorium and Recreation Center
3201 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SW
Atlanta, GA 30311
Garden Hills Elementary School Gymnasium
285 Sheridan Drive
Atlanta, GA 30305
Sandy Springs Library
395 Mount Vernon Hwy NE
Sandy Springs, GA 30328
South Fulton Service Center
5600 Stonewall Tell Road
College Park, GA 30349
Out of consideration for fellow voters and poll workers, voters are being asked to wear a face covering when voting in person. Those in line will also be asked to stand at least 6 feet apart from one another in accordance with social distancing recommendations. As Fulton County seeks to limit the total number of people inside each voting location, voters should expect longer lines than normal at polling locations and Fulton County Registration & Elections encourages voters to vote by mail if possible.
Some early voting locations will not be polling locations for the Presidential Preference Primary, General Primary, and Special Election on June 9, 2020. Please visit the Georgia Secretary of State’s My Voter Page at www.mvp.sos.ga.gov or Fulton County Registration & Elections at https://www.fultoncountyga.gov/inside-fulton-county/fulton-county-departments/registration-and-elections/find-my-polling-site for details on where voters are designated to cast ballots on Election Day.
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Workato, the leading and fastest-growing enterprise automation platform, unveiled its first annual “State of Business Technology Report,” exploring the emergence of a new technology role within organizations, Business Technology, also called Business Applications or Business Systems. These are the people charged with rolling out apps, integrations, and automations in their companies. The rapidly growing field resides within IT and works with business teams——from finance, human resources, operations, and sales—to help impact initiatives through buying and managing applications, and integrating and automating workflows throughout them.
The roles in a business technology team are expected to encompass more than 15 million jobs by 2022*, supporting all business verticals. This job market growth is driven by the proliferation of SaaS applications and continual investment in Enterprise Software—the fastest growing spend in IT at a rate of 10.5 percent year over year. It is also driven by the need for organizations to drive transformation and innovation by aligning IT and business goals.
The report, conducted by Atomik Research, an independent market research company, includes responses from two separate surveys; the first of more than 100 full-time Business Technology leaders and the second of more than 300 HR, marketing, sales, finance, and support professionals, manager level and above in the United States. It officially defines the new role, highlights its influence on organizations, and uncovers challenges and barriers this job role faces to help organizations better support an area that is pivotal to their growth. Key findings include:
Business Technology Leaders Drive Productivity and Innovation
With the continued rise of SaaS applications, Business Technology leaders bring a holistic view of the company across individual functional departments.
94 percent of Business Technology respondents agree or strongly agree that Business Technology Teams are key changemakers and drivers of an organization’s productivity and innovation.
Existing Tools Are Slowing Down Business Transformation
82 percent of Business Technology Leaders report being backlogged with their projects with Finance being the biggest culprit at 71 percent, followed by Sales and HR.
44 percent indicate that tools at their disposal are slowing them down followed by tactical, day-to-day firefighting at 42 percent.
Job Frustrations, Challenges Evolving with New Role
91 percent of Business Technology respondents are frustrated with their role, citing the speed with which they are able to respond to Lines of Business demands as their number one frustration. 72 percent feel overworked.
Only 18 percent of Business Technology leaders feel “very appreciated” by their Lines Of Business colleagues.
40 percent are frustrated with their current integration/automation tool.
Business Technology and Lines of Business Aren’t Fully Aligned
Employee onboarding and offboarding is universally acknowledged as important.
Business Technology respondents cite “hire to retire” procedures for employee on-boarding and off-boarding as the most desired automations (37%).
Lines of Business respondents cite it as the second most desired (26%).
Lines of Business respondents identified Approval Workflows as their most desired automation, Business Technology rated it in the bottom three.
Procure to Pay is among the lowest desired automations for Lines Of Business but in the top 3 for Business Technology.
“The role of application support teams changes considerably when they become responsible for managing SaaS At Scale. Not only are they expected to add customized enhancements to individual applications but they’re also responsible for establishing integrations and automating workflows among dozens if not hundreds of SaaS services. This report provides unique insight into how Business Technology teams are stepping up to these new responsibilities,” said Mark Settle, 7-time CIO and author.
“There is a foundational shift happening in the role of IT, from providing infrastructure and provisioning hardware to working within business teams to optimize the systems and processes they rely on to help drive business impact,” said Vijay Tella, Co-Founder and CEO of Workato. “As a leader in enterprise automation, we are committed to supporting this movement and the Business Technology teams who are guiding their organizations through digital transformation.”
The April jobs report shows a staggering loss of 20.5 million jobs, which is the largest monthly loss in recorded history. Employment dramatically dropped across almost every industry. The unemployment rate jumped to 14.7 percent, the highest since the Great Depression. The unemployment rate underestimates the amount of slack currently in the labor market. 5.1 million additional workers are now working part-time even though they prefer a full-time job. And the number of people outside the labor force grew by 6.6 million, showing many are currently discouraged to even try to find a job. Over the coming months, we should expect participation to increase again as the economy begins to open up.
The jump in average hourly earnings is not very meaningful as it rose for the wrong reasons. Large layoffs of mostly low-paid workers raised the average pay, as was the case in the Great Recession.
Dramatic as they are, the top line numbers are not very telling for what’s ahead. It is obvious that when many businesses are shut down, and many workers are not allowed to go to work, unemployment rates will skyrocket. As the economy opens, millions of people will go back to work. From that perspective, the report offers a somewhat positive statistic: A large majority, 78 percent, of the unemployed are on temporary layoff.
The report shows that some demographic groups are much harder hit than others due to the layoffs thus far. While the overall unemployment rate increased by 11.2 percentage points between February and April, this increase was 12.8 for women, 14.5 for Hispanic people, 19.3 for those age 20-24 and 20.9 for those age 16-19.
Over the past 12 months, the overall unemployment rate increased by 11.1 percentage points. This increase was just 6.1 percentage points for management, professional and related occupations, versus a 23.1 percentage point increase for service occupations. While the labor market slack increased for all types of workers, it much more dramatically increased for those without a college degree.