A TOTAL OF 33 VOLUNTEERS from Greater Atlanta Christian School helped beautify Lucky Shoals Park and won an award for Gwinnett Parks and Recreation. This came during the Great American Clean-up of 2016 and its Gwinnett Challenge. This project won a $500 award from Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful for the efforts. See more winners in Notable below.
IN THIS EDITIONNOTICE: GwinnettForum will also take the Fourth of July holiday. That means that the next issue will appear on Wednesday, July 6, 2016.—eeb
TODAY’S FOCUS: Sharing Your Story To Help You Get a Job….Professionally!
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Georgia Peaches, Brexit, Sweet Corn and the Fourth of July
ANOTHER VIEW: Why City of Norcross Observes July Fourth on the Third
SPOTLIGHT: Brand Banking Company
FEEDBACK: Concerns with Welcoming a New Restaurant on First Inspection
UPCOMING: County OKs Revised Master Plan for Infinite Energy Center Area
NOTABLE: GC&B Tells Winners of Great American Clean-Up Campaign
RECOMMENDED: LibriVox
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Battle of the Rice Boats near Savannah Early Event in Revolution
CALENDAR: Ruppert Landscape’s Reject 10K/5K Run/Walk is July 2
TODAY’S QUOTE: Something To Think About for the July Fourth Holiday
MYSTERY PHOTO: Simple Statue of Soldier Begs for Identification
LAGNIAPPE: Peach State Credit Union Hosts Visitors from Alabama and Florida
CORRECTION: In the last edition, we transposed digits on the main photo, listing the birthdate of Ms. Bessie Faulkner as 1921, when it should have been 1912. We apologize for this error.–eeb
TODAY’S FOCUSSharing your story to help you get a job … professionally!
(Editor’s Note: with many graduates looking for jobs, perhaps this comment from a professional resume service might be of help. The author may be reached at http://resumenlite.com or by phone at (770) 771-2865.—eeb.)
By Sha Von Johnson, Duluth, Ga. | There’s a lot of chatter on the Internet and around the office that many millennials simply aren’t up to snuff. Whether or not this is true, of course, is up for debate.
Sha Von Johnson
When it comes to basic knowledge of resume presentation and interviewing skills, however, many people are behind the curve. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise; many students have never held a professional job or been through a professional interview. Yet, a lack of preparation and the right skills can make it difficult for recent graduates and students to get their career started.
I am a Gwinnett entrepreneur and am looking to help recent graduates and others in preparing them for an interview, and with a resume. I have had a successful career teaching and directing various programs helping college students prepare for joining the labor force by providing skills-based training. Interviewing and structuring resumes for a position comes with a whole set of challenges and expectations many students may simply not be familiar with. I help them get prepared.
In 2013, I launched N.Liten Resume Services in hopes to develop a personal growth and development program. The goal is to “be a resource that can assist college students and/or graduates achieve success in today’s competitive economic environment.”
Mind you, landing a job and building a successful career is not about being perfect. Being able to admit mistakes and weaknesses is a highly desirable trait, especially for young employees.
When you can be open to reflect on what you need to focus on to be better, that reads to me that you’re coachable. When you are in that mind set you are ready to achieve great heights!
For young interviewees, learning how to tell a story is perhaps the most vital interview skill they can develop. Potential employers need to be convinced that they have the perfect candidate for their opening right in front of them. This comes down to being able to tell a compelling story that outlines the candidate’s experience and skills, as well as who they are as a person and why they’d make such a great employee.
People from divergent backgrounds simply lack story telling skills. Job interviews, after all, are all about selling yourself. That’s why I have developed a one hour workshop to teach students precisely how to tell a compelling story.
This summer, I plan to add five interns. While in some companies, interns who make copies of paperwork or do mindless work, I am looking to provide genuine, professional experience. My interns receive a crash course on search engine optimization and inbound marketing strategies, as well as hands on experience with business operations. These interns will also learn project management, competitor analysis, and how to create marketing content, such as newsletters.
By providing students with direct, hands on experience, I can help students learn skills that are very relevant in today’s job market. Sometimes young graduates have trouble figuring out how to leverage their degrees to secure a job, but by learning tech skills, and online marketing strategies, they will make themselves more desirable candidates.
EEB PERSPECTIVEGeorgia peaches, Brexit, sweet corn and the Fourth of July
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | Last week we had the best peach of the 2016 season. Man alive! Do I enjoy a juicy sweet Georgia peach.
Now’s the prime time for its eating. Some people enjoy peaches in different cooked desserts or ice cream, and these are good. But there’s nothing better than just enjoying them as they come, simply eaten fresh and raw. Makes my mouth water thinking about them, and I’ve already had them for breakfast for the last few days!
Some comments don’t need words. About the British exit from the European community, the current New Yorker cover said it best. What a wonderful conception by Cartoonist Barry Blitt.
Gwinnettians have good reason to celebrate July 4, as do people in Hall and Walton Counties. After all, our three counties are named for Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall and George Walton, who were on hand in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence. Now as to the exact date that they signed it, that’s another matter. But they were there, and we remember them especially on this holiday. Think about the inconvenience of traveling from Georgia to Philadelphia in that day!
The Chicago Tribune reported the other day that if you celebrate the Fourth by enjoying sweet corn, you are probably eating corn from Georgia or Florida. It’s too cool in Illinois and other Northern states, for corn to ripen by the Fourth of July. I remember my year in Iowa, and I was worried about the corn crop. Up there, they’re happy if the corn is “knee high by the Fourth of July.” By then, most Georgia corn is coming to maturity.
But after the Fourth, watch out in the Midwest! Man, that corn grows fast. And in Iowa with 14 feet of black dirt, corn just shoots up. The dirt there is so rich that Iowans don’t bother with planting corn in rows. Really! They broadcast it, and then the pickers find it in their jaws and do the harvest.
The Tribune also reported: “(Georgia and Florida) rank first and third, respectively, with California in between, for sweet corn production, according to Mark Schleusener,of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 2014, Illinois — the heart of the Corn Belt and home to numerous corn festivals — placed ninth.”
Illinois plants 11.8 million acres of field corn compared to just 6,400 acres of sweet corn, nipping at the heels of Iowa. Now toward the later summer, Midwesterners can start enjoying sweet corn from their own state.
Independence Day is an annual public holiday in Georgia observed on 26 May. It commemorates the May 26, 1918 adoption of the Act of Independence.
All the above is right, of course, but we are talking about the Democratic Republic of Georgia in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution of 1917. It is the national day of the country of Georgia. Its Independence Day is associated with military parades, fireworks, concerts, fairs, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history and culture of Georgia. That last part sounds like American Georgia.
By the way, Atlanta and the Republic of Georgia’s capitol of Tbilisi are “sister cities.” Altogether, Atlanta has 21 sister cities.
Now go enjoy your American Fourth of July holiday.
ANOTHER VIEWHere’s background on why City of Norcross observes Fourth on July 3
By Sherry Johnson | You may wonder why the City of Norcross began celebrating the Fourth of July with fireworks on the third of July. It goes back to one of the older institutions in the city, that of Johnson’s Store.
Sherry Johnson
What is now Zapatas was originally Johnson’s Store, opened in 1885 by my husband Carl’s great-great grandfather, and carried on for four generations. In 1989, Carl quit his Kroger Pharmacy position and I quit my teaching position at Norcross High to open Johnson’s Store-Pharmacy, Fountain, Fellowship, at the city’s request, since downtown Norcross was dying out.
A few businessmen threw around ideas to bring people to the downtown area. It was solely Carl’s idea to start July 4 celebration here on the third of July, because of Lenox Square’s celebration on the fourth.
Carl and one other person ran with the plan on the 3rd and it was pulled off even without the city’s blessing. The city pretty much fought and fined us at every turn. After a few years, the city saw how well attended it was and took it over with a much larger budget.
Then later when Carl saw a KKK meeting in the Thrasher Park, his heart was so saddened. That’s how the Passion Play in the streets of Norcross was started and continued for eight years. The idea was to bring the black and white communities together. Many churches, black and white, in the area were involved.
Later on when Carl saw “men in suits” standing on the railroad tracks in downtown Norcross, he went to talk to them. He learned that were the Secret Service front men, and after speaking with Carl the first President Bush made Norcross one of his campaign stops and used Johnson’s Store as the “command center.” Thousands of people attended this events in “little Norcross.”
Carl’s daddy grew up in the “big house” on Barton Street and spent his whole life at Johnson’s Store. All fifth graders in the surrounding area would have a field trip to the store and hear Carl’s father speak on the history of Norcross. Johnson’s Store was the oldest continually run business in Gwinnett County. At his funeral, many in the community told us of how he had helped them in numerous ways. Yeah, I am biased, but you would never know how much the several Johnson men were a part of Norcross history.
IN THE SPOTLIGHTBrand Banking Company
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s sponsor is Brand Banking Company, headquartered in Lawrenceville, where it has three offices, with additional branches in Snellville, Grayson and Flowery Branch. It is the largest privately held bank in Gwinnett, with assets of $2.2 billion. The bank’s main office is in Lawrenceville on the Historic Courthouse Square, plus there is another branch on Hurricane Shoals Road. Other locations are in Grayson, Snellville, Flowery Branch, Buford, Duluth, Suwanee, Winder and Buckhead. Member, FDIC and Federal Reserve System.
- For more information, go to http://www.thebrandbank.com/
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: Our sponsors.
Concerns with welcoming a new restaurant and first inspection
Editor, the Forum:
Who would disagree that communities should be “Pro Business?” That is to say, new businesses should be encouraged to come to our county and we should support those already here.
We are told that restaurateur Jay Swift, with 35 years experience and owner of the renowned 4th and Swift, had second thoughts about opening his second spot in Gwinnett County because of the overly aggressive history of the county’s health department. But, he did with multi-month delays, likely in part due to the GC Health Department.
Recently, a health inspector dropped by for a follow-up inspection mandated by the county. While similar inspections in Fulton County average 1 ½ hours, this one was four hours plus during a sold-out night with150 reservations. The account suggests she tested and evaluated everything but the brand of underwear the staff was wearing. Meals could not easily be served during this time with 120 not having their reservations realized.
Nitpicking was in full bloom as one of the chief demerits was a walk-in freezer two degrees above regulations, something the owner is trying to resolve with the manufacturer. They passed with a 74/C. Maybe they should have celebrated as records indicate most don’t. They were to return in a few days.
The mortality rate for the restaurant business is the highest of any industry. Having high standards is laudable…but this seems overly excessive by any metrics or logic and needs to be addressed.
— Howard Hoffman, Peachtree Corners
Dear Howard: What you say is mostly right. However, what we have learned that the restaurant, Noble Fin on Peachtree Parkway, was on its first operational inspection on June 21 that you cite. Many restaurants score lower on that first inspection. (The original inspection you mention was back in April, a non-operation, no food-prep, inspection.) When the Gwinnett Health Department came back on June 27, Noble Fin scored 100. That, too, is more normal on second inspections, as many restaurants get that score. We have also heard of rave reviews of Noble Fin.–eeb
Send us your thoughts: We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum. Please limit comments to 200 words. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net
UPCOMINGCounty OKs revised master plan for Infinite Energy Center area
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners has adopted a resolution endorsing and supporting Explore Gwinnett’s revised master plan for the Infinite Energy Center complex.
Concepts in the overall plan include an expansion of the exhibit hall, new outdoor gathering spaces, new parking lots and decks, a headquarters hotel, new and improved access to the center from surrounding roadways and additional arena seating, plus a mixed-use district that offers entertainment, dining, retail and housing options. Progress has already been made toward some of these goals, including the County’s acquisition of land adjacent to Meadow Church Road that will eventually become additional access points into and out of the complex.
Board Chairman Charlotte Nash said, “What began as a $30 million investment of SPLOST funds to build a civic and convention center nearly 30 years ago today includes an arts center, ballroom and the Infinite Energy Arena. My fellow board members and I are proud to support Explore Gwinnett’s plan to turn an already successful complex into a vibrant destination for residents and visitors to ‘come early and stay late.’”
A one-year comparison of activity at the Infinite Energy Arena shows total attendance grew by more than 100,000 between 2014 and 2015 and the number of events and performances increased by about 20 percent during the same period. Similar growth occurred in the number of events held in the convention center space. The existing 50,000-square-foot exhibit hall lets the Infinite Energy Forum compete for 20 percent of the mid-sized meetings in the industry, according to Explore Gwinnett CEO Preston Williams, who added that expanding to 125,000 square feet will let the Center compete for up to 70 percent of the meetings market.
Williams says: “The Infinite Energy Center master plan has been part of our vision for 10-plus years. Expanding the convention center, creating the entertainment district and adding a headquarters hotel will elevate the Center to the next level of meeting facility. The partnership and support of the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners has been one of the keys to our success and is part of the reason the Center generates more than $175 million in economic impact annually.”
Heritage Center offers exhibit highlighting 2016 Olympic Games
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of the 1996 Olympic Games, the Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center (EHC) is hosting an exhibit highlighting the Atlanta area’s elevation to international status as a result of the Olympic and Paralympic competitions.
The exhibit is a retrospective and is composed of items from private collections that seek to engage residents’ memories and reflections on the historic nature of the events surrounding the 1996 Olympics.
The exhibit features a number of unique items that tell of a personal connection to the Games including pieces of track and seats from the Olympic Stadium, a Swedish Rowing Team jacket with an unusual trading story, a Paralympic torch, an Olympic Band uniform and many more.
The exhibit also includes a touch table with various examples of Olympic sports equipment allowing guests an opportunity to immerse themselves in the athletic competitions.
The Olympics exhibit is on display at the EHC until August 20, and will run concurrently with Atlanta’s public celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Games taking place in July as well as with the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in August.
NOTABLEGC&B announces winners of Great American Clean-Up campaign
Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful announces winners of the 2016 Great American Cleanup – Gwinnett Challenge. Each winner garners a prize of $500, says Interim Executive Director Sumner Gann.
United Peachtree Corners Civic Association and City of Peachtree Corners. Winning Project: Answering the call for the “Keep ME Clean – Stop Litter and Graffiti” Category. Some 55 volunteers collected 1,260 lbs. of trash at six locations in the city of Peachtree Corners.
Gwinnett County Parks and Recreation. Winning Project: In response to the “Make ME Green– Beautify your Neighborhood” Category, a total of 33 volunteers spent 99 total man hours picking up trash and beautifying Lucky Shoals Park.
Lanier High School. Winning Project: For the “Educate ME – Teach Others How to Rethink the Way They Recycle” Category, their 1,700 volunteers spent more than 900 total man hours to collect hundreds of books for Friends of Refugees, a local nonprofit which empowers refugees that provide for their well-being, education, and employment.
Raw Evolution Studios. Winning Project: In a visually stunning response to the “Inspire ME – Discover a Creative Use of a Resource” Category, two volunteers upcycled items thrown away in the trash to create six unique pieces of original art décor.
Peachtree Corners Green Committee. Winning Project: For the “Protect ME – Safeguard our Waterways” Category, eight volunteers collected 10 bags of litter along a half-mile stretch of Crooked Creek, located downstream from Jimmy Carter Boulevard.
All told, GC&B engaged more than 7,500 participants in 193 community improvement projects for the 2016 Great American Cleanup. Over the course of just 92 days, participants collected more than 4.1 million pounds of recyclables, enough to fill the recycling bins at more than 27,000 homes. They also cleaned and beautified 365 miles of roadway throughout the county, and picked up 36,720 pounds of litter from Gwinnett’s roadsides – filling enough garbage bags to stretch nearly a mile.
Georgia Archives will offer free exploration on state history on July 23
Take a trip to Morrow with your kids and explore Georgia history at the Georgia Archives. On Saturday July 23, the Archives will host a children’s program on Archaeology.
The program will begin at 10 a.m. with Pamela Baughman, an archaeologist who works for the Georgia Department of Transportation. Her topic is “Archaeology in Georgia.” The program will feature hands-on activities to interest children.
At 11 a.m., Susan Rosson Spain will talk about her book Twelve Days of Christmas in Georgia. In the book, Jacob is visiting his cousin Ava, and together they’ll have a Southern-style holiday exploring the Peach State and its history. Learn about the Georgia gold rush in Dahlonega, the Trail of Tears and Georgia’s role in the Civil Rights Movement.
After lunch, where pizza will be available for a donation to the Friends of Georgia Archives and History, visitors will be able to explore the ArchaeoBus, presented by the Society for Georgia Archaeology. Tour the bus, see its child-friendly exhibits, and work on archaeology puzzles and games.
In addition, you can see the Georgia education exhibit, presented by the Georgia Archives and located in the exhibit hall behind the welcome desk. Exhibit opens the same day! The program requires no registration and is free. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
RECOMMENDEDLibriVox
“People tell me they don’t have time to read. They’re busy. They’re addicted to their technical devices. I get it. I used to read two books a week but, after buying an iPad, I started binging on portable Netflix and YouTube. Maybe you do, too. But why not combine technology with reading? Everyone knows we can download books and listen even when cleaning the house. But many times these books come with a price. I don’t like paying, so I love the free service called LibriVox (Books/Voice). Everyday people volunteer their time to read these public-domain audiobooks. Not all books are available on LibriVox but many are. So when you can’t find time to actually read a book, I recommend using Librivox as a free way to listen. Google a book title and type in LibriVox after it or go to librivox.org and search.
— Susan McBrayer, Sugar Hill
An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (100 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. –eeb
GEORGIA ENCYCLOPEDIA TIDBITBattle of the Rice Boats near Savannah early event in Revolution
Though Georgians opposed British trade regulations, many hesitated to join the revolutionary movement that emerged in the American colonies in the early 1770s and resulted in the Revolutionary War (1775-83). Georgia had prospered under royal rule, and many Georgians thought that they needed the protection of British troops against a possible Indian attack.
The arrival of British warships in the Savannah River in January 1776 caused the first crisis in Savannah. The Council of Safety, convinced that Savannah was the object of the British incursion, placed Governor Wright under house arrest and instructed Colonel Lachlan McIntosh to take charge of the defense of the city. There followed the so-called Battle of the Rice Boats on March 2-3, 1776, when British warships seized rice-laden merchant ships in the Savannah harbor. The seizure of crops was the British purpose, not the capture of Savannah. The fleet sailed with the rice and with the fugitive Governor Wright and his chief councilors.
In the absence of the governor, the next provincial congress met in Augusta and proceeded to draft a simple frame of government called “Rules and Regulations” that went into effect on May 1, 1776. The congress elected Archibald Bulloch president and commander in chief of militia. George Walton joined Lyman Hall and Button Gwinnett as Georgia delegates to the Philadelphia convention in time to sign the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776.
- For more of the Georgia Encyclopedia online, go to http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Simple statue of soldier begs for identification
It’s a simple statue, and of course, comes with a story. Try your hand at identifying this Mystery Photo. Send in your thoughts to elliott@gwinnettforum.com and be sure to include your hometown.
First, an apology. We failed to highlight that Dee Cameiro of Lilburn sent in the previous mystery photo of Daughters of the American Revolution ceiling at their Washington, D.C. headquarters.
The previous Mystery Photo found several people who easily identified it. As Neal Davies of Decatur said in the first entry: “Those smokestacks are of the Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham, Ala,” which is a National Historic Landmark. The Furnaces were founded in 1881, and produced iron for 90 years. The photograph was sent in by Sandy and Rick Krauss of Lilburn.
Others identifying the photo included Bob Foreman of Grayson; Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill and George Graf of Palmyra, Va., who added: “Though James Withers Sloss had little formal education, he bought a store in Athens, Ala. By successfully handling his store and his plantation, he quickly became one of the richest men in the state. After serving as a Colonel in the Civil War, he became president of the railroad line between Nashville, Tenn. and Decatur, Ala. He became a leading figure in encouraging Alabama’s industrial development after the Civil War, and in 1871 he persuaded the Louisville and Nashville (L&N) Railroad to finish a line of railroad track between Birmingham and Decatur. The arrival of L&N transport and investment capital helped create Birmingham as a great industrial city and the South’s first postwar urban success story.”
LAGNIAPPEPeach State Credit Union hosts visitors from Alabama, Florida
Peach State FCU welcomed 12 visitors from Alabama and Florida credit unions for the “Learning Journey,” an educational tour of Georgia credit unions for the purpose of identifying best practices and resources for a variety of topics. The Learning Journey was spearheaded by Army Aviation Center FCU President/CEO, Bobby Michael. Visitors learned about Peach State’s “Loans By Phone” center, student internship program and plans for the Central Gwinnett High School branch, Leadership Academy, Fresh Start loan program, commercial and business lending, and NOW account from members of Peach State’s Senior Management Team. Peach State President/CEO, Marshall Boutwell says: “We’re honored to be a stop on the Learning Journey and we are happy to have the opportunity to share some of our most successful programs with other credit unions.”
CALENDAR
Ruppert Landscape’s Reject 10K/5K Run/Walk will take place July 2 at Camp Creek Greenway starting at 76 Main Street in Lilburn at 9 a.m. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Camp Creek Greenway renovations, Lilburn Community Partnership and Lilburn Terrace Apartments. More info.
Fourth of July themed events are planned all around Gwinnett, starting July 3. For a list of those events, click here.
Snellville Development Code update: Tuesday, July 12, at 7 p.m. at the City Hall Community Room. 2342 Oak Road. For the past several months, a consultant team working with the city has been gathering resident opinions on growth and development through one-on-one conversations, focus groups, and the widely attended Towne Center gathering. That input has now been distilled into a series of broad themes which will be presented for community review, comment, and affirmation
Peachtree Corners State of the City address by Mayor Mike Mason. This will be Friday, July 15 at the Hilton Atlanta Northeast, 5993 Peachtree Industrial Boulevard. This event is sponsored by the Peachtree Corners Business Association. To register, click here.
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