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TODAY'S
ISSUE
Buford resident wins
contest to help redesign interior space
By Ingle Chadwick
Special
to GwinnettForum.com
APRIL 6, 2004 -- It was the opportunity of a lifetime for an aspiring
interior designer - a chance to work with the MTV2 network to redecorate
and redesign an entire room for one lucky contest winner. That's
just what happened to Chris Socci, a senior in Gwinnett Technical
College's interior design program.
MTV2 recently closed out the most watched year in its history.
The year 2003 saw the most watched month in MTV2 history among P12-34
(December, 03). Now reaching more than 55 million homes, MTV2 is
the 24-hour music network with an emphasis on showcasing new music,
breaking artists, and interactivity. MTV2's adventurous programming
mix reflects its commitment to providing fans access to the music
and artists they love through 24-hours of music videos and a variety
of genre music video shows including: hip-hop, rock, and soul.
Socci, a Buford resident, was selected as the lead designer to
transform the winner's room in MTV2's "Everything Spankin'
New" contest held in late 2003. The winner of the contest,
Porsche Leonce, is a 19-year-old college student at Georgia State
and a resident of Smyrna. MTV2 elected to select a local designer
to work on the project.
According to Socci, MTV2 contacted the American Society of Interior
Designers (ASID) looking for the perfect team to work on Leonce's
room. Socci is currently completing an internship at ASID, and his
supervisor recommended him for the job.
After phone interviews and sending in photos of design work he
has completed, Socci was selected to manage the project. He pulled
in a friend and fellow design student from the Art Institute of
Atlanta, Nicole Moss, to help out on the project.
"It's really a perfect match. We're both in college, and the
girl who won the contest is also in college. We want to make it
functional for her lifestyle and since we know what a college student
needs, we can make it work for her," said Socci of the design
plan.
Socci's team has a budget of $5,000 from MTV2, as well as a new
HDTV Plasma display and cutting-edge surround sound stereo system
to work with. As part of the prize Leonce also received a Playstation2
console, DVD player and a variety of video games, CDs and DVDs.
The team was challenged to makeover one room of Leonce's apartment
within this budget and incorporate the new high-tech equipment.
During February, Socci and Moss met with Leonce to discuss her
likes and dislikes, found out her functionality needs and got a
feel for her style and personality before tackling the project.
Socci and Moss were busy doing the footwork of securing electricians,
painters and other contractors who dedicated their time over two
days to the project. They also embarked on a massive furniture search
to find the right items, ordered the right fabric and located the
right accessories.
The actual room makeover was over the weekend of March 25-27.
Gwinnett Technical College, one of Georgia's largest technical colleges,
is committed to delivering relevant knowledge to meet the workforce
training needs of its community. The college offers more than 45
associate's degree, diploma and certificate programs and hundreds
of seminars and workshops offering specialized training. It is also
the county's largest provider of corporate training programs. Gwinnett
Tech is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools.
ELLIOTT
BRACK
Impression
is that Gwinnett economy is quickening today
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
APRIL 6, 2004 -- Gwinnett's economy continues to boom, regaining
speed. From what we can determine, the recession is over for much
of Gwinnett.
 Every
six months, I take a tour around Gwinnett. Actually, it more than
just me taking the trip. These days the tour is put on by the Gwinnett
Chamber, inviting people from all over Metro Atlanta (and some from
Gwinnett) to get a cram course on this fast-changing county.
Last week the 68th semi-annual Tour of Gwinnett circled the county,
with Jim Steele, chief operating officer of the Gwinnett schools,
again helping narrate the tour.
Both Jim and I were surprised on this year's tour. While any tour
of busy Gwinnett automatically means that we will see change, this
year was far different, since we saw so many more new projects being
started in Gwinnett than in previous years.
Granted, most of this new activity we saw is going on in the commercial
corridors of the county, and most of what we saw was in retail areas.
But coupled with the continuing housing boom in Gwinnett, it suggests
a Gwinnett economy that is revving up. And with most of this retail
activity planned to open within a few months, it also means a increasing
rate of retail sales, which translates into a bigger take for sales
tax revenue for county and school purposes.
There's a reason for the economy to improve quickly in Gwinnett.
After all, our nearly 700,000 people form a tremendous buying power.
Lots of commercial operations want a piece of the Gwinnett action.
And that's why they are building.
Yet this time it translates into a faster pace of activity than
we have seen in the past.
Mike Williams, chief of Gwinnett's planning and zoning department,
sees signs of a re-invigoration of Gwinnett's economy. Building
permits are on track to come back to record levels of 2002, when
16,746 permits were issued. Last year the permits were slightly
down, to 16,623.
But preliminary figures through the first four months show 4,654
permits already issued this year, indicating the county could be
on a record-setting pace!
Routinely the Tour of Gwinnett goes by the more developed part
of Gwinnett, not seeing the fast-growth housing areas east of a
line drawn from Buford to Snellville. Yet the more-developed part
of Gwinnett these days have a tremendous number of "in-fill"
construction activity.
For instance, consider:
- Along Pleasant Hill Road west of Gwinnett Place mall, with major
commercial construction at several locations on both sides of
the road.
- A new burst of activity along the length of Jimmy Carter Boulevard.
Some older commercial areas are getting bulldozed for entirely
new ventures, with re-cycling of other building being seen. For
instance, one former Suntrust bank will become…get this…a
Mexican restaurant.
- All throughout Gwinnett, you can see 2-3-4 acre open lots in
commercial and residential areas being developed, for either single
family housing, or office park condos.
- Along Scenic Highway, there is a burst of activity between Snellville
and Lawrenceville, even developing small-lot corners.
This impact of construction activity may have given a false impression,
but Gwinnett these days, to a couple of veteran observers of the
local scene, seems to be moving at a quickened pace.
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FEEDBACK
4/6: Another person
who can't wait until next election
Editor, the Forum:
I smoke. I don't frequent Wild Bill's. If the $750,000 ventilation
system, which according to what I read, does work, why not give
that a try? At least Bill Gentry hasn't dictated that all who enter
his club will be required to smoke, the opposite of what the commission
has voted. Yeah, I can't wait until re-election either, but for
an opposite reason than you. To expand your hypothesis in the other
direction, what next will the commission dictate to ban?
-- Howard N. Williams, Jr., Snellville
4/6: Pretzel logic being applied to HOPE Scholarship argument
Editor, the Forum:
Someone's using pretzel logic on their view of the HOPE Scholarship...again.
In recent years, we've witnessed the Board of Regents imposing double-digit
tuition increases for attending Georgia's premier public colleges.
Why? Because they know HOPE will pay for it and they're taking advantage
of their opportunity.
For the very same reason, books and fees should remain within the
scope of the HOPE program. If books and fees were the responsibility
of HOPE Scholars, and a freeze was put on tuition as Lt. Gov. Mark
Taylor wishes, the Board of Regents could pass their insatiable
appetite for funds on to the HOPE Scholars! Not only that, but books
and fees serve as a primary initiative, along with the scholarship,
for kids who could not otherwise afford an advanced education.
Last but not least, the HOPE Scholarship was designed to be earned,
not as a government entitlement. Changing from a B to a 3.0 still
leaves scholarship eligibility in the hands of the classroom teacher
pressured by the parents of HOPEful students. A challenging SAT
score, not 900, and not even Georgia's 50th place average of 984,
is a reasonable target to strive for. A national average (1026 in
2002) is a much more reasonable goal from which to earn a free ride.
Take your shots at the SAT if you must, but it is, and will remain
a national benchmark for many years to come.
In the words of HOPE creator, then Georgia Governor Zell Miller,
"My dream was for it not to have anything to do with means
but everything to do with merit."
Let's keep it that way!
-- Brian Luders, Duluth
NEWS
4/6: Doug Wren is new
president of Quantum National Bank
Douglas E. Wren has been named President and CEO of Quantum
National Bank and president of Quantum Capital Corp. Wren, a 35-year
banking veteran, started his banking career in 1967 at First National
Bank of Atlanta. In 1984 he joined First State Bank and Trust in
Albany and was named President in 1996. Most recently, Wren has
served as President of United Bank, Griffin. Wren has been active
in the Georgia Bankers Association and presently serves on the Board
of GBA. He is a graduate of Georgia Tech and holds a Masters in
Finance from Georgia State University. He is also a graduate of
the Graduate School of Banking at LSU.
Wren will replace Chris Fluehr, the founding President and CEO,
who is retiring at the end of April 2004. Quantum National Bank
is a Four Star rated, $175,000,000 asset Gwinnett based Community
Bank specializing in serving small businesses throughout metro Atlanta.
4/6: Shafer to report on recent session of Georgia legislature
State Senator District 48 David Shafer will address the Gwinnett
Chamber of Commerce Governmental Affairs Committee April 23. The
meeting will be held at 8 a.m. a the Chamber building at 6500 Sugarloaf
Parkway in Duluth. Senator Shafer will provide an update to members
on the 2004 General Assembly Session, along with bills and issues
that affect the business community.
Shafer is the Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee,
Vice Chairman of the Insurance and Labor Committee, Secretary of
the Banking and Financial Institutions Committee, Secretary of the
Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee and a member of the
Reapportionment and Redistricting Committee. Shafer has made Gwinnett
County his home since graduating from college. He lives in Duluth
with his wife Lee, his 11-year-old stepson, J.W. and his daughter
Ellie.
For more information, contact Gail Macrenaris at 770-232-8803 or
gail@gwinnettchamber.org.
ENCYCLOPEDIA
TIDBIT
4/6: Martha Berry founds
college for opportunity for poor
Martha McChesney Berry was the founder of the Berry Schools for
academically able but economically poor children of the rural South-those
who usually could not afford to go to other schools. These schools
of the early 1900s grew within three decades into Berry College,
a comprehensive liberal arts college. As a result of her work of
forty years with the schools and college, Berry is among Georgia's
most prominent women of the first half of the twentieth century.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY
Say what you want,
but some things just are not trendy
"Values are not trendy items that are casually traded in."
-- Columnist Ellen Goodman.
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