Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Beltline is a popular place for many people to ride their bikes. Now it will have a completely new amenity, a dedicated bike park with miles of trails and other features for enthusiasts. ??♂? A nonprofit that raises funds for Atlanta Beltline projects announced Tuesday it received an $8 million donation to help bring a new bike park to life. Atlanta Beltline Partnership received the gift from the CHESTNUT FAMILY FOUNDATION, a nonprofit founded by Mailchimp co-founder and former CEO Ben Chestnut. The donation will help establish a network of bike paths and courses at Westside Park, which surrounds a reservoir in the former Bellwood Quarry near West Marietta Street NW and Marietta Boulevard NW. More: https://lnkd.in/eExwZaUj

Are you ready to ride in a robotaxi? Self-driving Uber rides are coming to Atlanta starting early next year through a partnership between Uber and autonomous car company Waymo. Waymo already operates with self-driving cars giving rides in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, and the company announced Friday that it is expanding the service to Atlanta and Austin, Texas, in early 2025 by offering rides through the Uber app. “Riders who request an UberX, Uber Green, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric may be matched with a Waymo for qualifying trips,” Uber said in its announcement. Would you ride in one? Read more about them: https://lnkd.in/eQme6FZ4

Mark George faces some hefty challenges as he takes the helm of Norfolk Southern. He’s replacing CEO Alan Shaw, who was terminated when Norfolk Southern’s board investigated Shaw’s conduct and cited preliminary findings about a C-suite relationship that violated the railroad’s policies. The revelation has rocked the company amid one of the most tumultuous times in its history. And now George is responsible for righting the ship. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eJJhNc3j

Inside an unassuming building off Peachtree Parkway in Gwinnett County, robots, some of which look like Roombas on steroids, zoom around a warehouse floor, lifting pallets and moving racks of goods in precise routes. Guided by QR codes on the floor, the robots are following a system outlining orders to fulfill. The robots are made by GeekPlus and the devices are in use at some warehouses operated by UPS Supply Chain Solutions. Walmart Chile, Siemens and shoe company Allbirds are clients, too. Robotics is “a very, very fast-growing market, mainly because there’s a labor shortage. But also because people are looking to be more efficient. So companies like Amazon use robotics widely,” said Randy Randolph, Geekplus vice president of strategic partnerships. More: https://lnkd.in/ejNMBGkK

A big thank you to Atlanta Journal-Constitution for sponsoring the Jimmy Carter 100: A Celebration in Song concert at the Fox Theatre tomorrow. In honor of President Carter’s 100th?birthday, they’re offering a 100-day subscription for just $1. What a great way to stay on top of what’s happening in your community! Click here to sign up:?https://lnkd.in/eW-qFUHc

After a 46-year career in banking that included engagement with numerous civic groups and a position as one of the top Regions Bank executives in metro Atlanta, Bill Linginfelter will retire at the end of this year. Linginfelter is the bank’s Atlanta market executive and commercial banking regional executive for Georgia and the Carolinas. Mary Beth Coke, who joined Regions last year, has been named as his successor. Linginfelter has been chair at various times of the Metro Atlanta and Georgia chambers of commerce, the Georgia Research Alliance and the Woodruff Arts Center’s corporate campaign. “I have thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve done on my career,” Linginfelter said in an interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “From a life standpoint, I was ready to pick up and do some other things.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eUViHbHf

Second time’s the charm. Weeks after recalling the first trailer of Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming film “Megalopolis” for containing fabricated quotes from critics, Lionsgate has released a new trailer for the Georgia-film epic. Late last month, the studio ran into some hot water after posting a trailer of the film online containing what appeared to be bad reviews of previous Coppola classics like “The Godfather” and “Apocalypse Now,” basically to urge moviegoers not to listen to the critics. The quotes, it turns out, were fake. Lionsgate issued an apology, calling the slip up an “inexcusable error in our vetting process.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/e9Cq8YsT

One section of the narrowest concourse at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport just got a bit roomier. After months of work at the world’s busiest airport and middle-of-the-night movements of building parts across the airfield, the first six expanded gates of the Concourse D widening project are opening. The six gates are the first to open in a complicated and expensive Concourse D makeover that is expected to take until 2029 to complete. Here’s your inside look at the progress so far: https://lnkd.in/eP7HsDXp

Fearless Fund, the Atlanta-based venture capital firm started by Black women to invest in women of color, has agreed to end a small business grant contest for Black women, putting an end to a yearlong racial discrimination lawsuit that has roiled the larger philanthropic world. Fearless and the plaintiffs, the conservative nonprofit American Alliance for Equal Rights, filed a joint motion to dismiss the case with prejudice Wednesday morning, meaning the Alliance cannot sue over the specific grant contest again. The settlement does not restrict any investment or other charitable activity of the Fearless Fund or its foundation outside of the contest. More: https://lnkd.in/ePxJNn-d

One of metro Atlanta’s largest corporations announced this week it will acquire an Australian company’s North American operations as part of a $1.2 billion deal. Sandy Springs-based Veritiv Corporation, a specialty packaging and distribution giant, entered into a binding agreement with Orora Packaging Solutions to buy the company’s North American division. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year, the companies said. The acquisition comes on the heels of a busy past 12 months for metro Atlanta’s packaging and logistics industry, of which Georgia acts as a national leader. More: https://lnkd.in/e-U-GEQj