GwinnettForum | Number 26.25 | April 12, 2026
SIGNS LIKE THIS and for personal injury attorneys are seen along commercial byways and populate local television and radio airways today. Are the firms always local? Find out more about these major advertisers by reading Elliott Brack’s Perspective below.
Editor’s Note: This edition was originally scheduled to be published March 27, 2026. We apologize for the delay.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Rowen lands first tenant, $2 billion Belgium firm
EEB PERSPECTIVE: On personal injury law firms and Mark Spain
SPOTLIGHT: Peachtree Campus
ANOTHER VIEW: One of “false electors” now running for governor
FEEDBACK: What we get when strategic planning is missing
UPCOMING: Hudgens Center offers summer art camps
NOTABLE: For many students, math is a puzzle waiting to be solved
RECOMMENDED: My Heart Laid Bare, by Joyce Carol Oates
OBITUARY: Jack Brocksmith Sr.
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Grady emerges as spokesman for “New South”
Rowen lands first tenant, $2 billion Belgium firm
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | The Rowen project is getting its first major tenant. UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, will build its first U.S. pharmaceutical biologics manufacturing facility at Rowen, a 2,000-acre innovation and knowledge community in Gwinnett County. The $2 billion capital investment is the largest in Gwinnett County’s history and is projected to generate approximately $5 billion in total economic impact.
UCB focuses on developing medicines for people living with severe neurological and autoimmune conditions. The 460,000-square-foot facility, which will be located on approximately 79 acres within the Rowen community, brings advanced manufacturing onshore. It will feature a state-of-the-art, digital-first manufacturing approach leveraging artificial intelligence, robotics and advanced automation while prioritizing efficient use of natural resources.
Chairwoman Nicole Love Hendrickson, Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners, says: “We are thrilled that UCB has chosen Gwinnett County as its first-ever site in the U.S. to pioneer innovation and advance its global operations. This long-term investment reflects the collective vision we set in motion to establish Rowen, supported by the stability of our local government and our consistent approach to economic development. Gwinnett County offers a highly skilled workforce, world-class infrastructure and a quality of life that supports long-term success.”
UCB’s selection of Rowen represents a catalytic milestone for Gwinnett County and signals that the county’s long-term economic development strategy is delivering meaningful results. The project will create more than 330 permanent roles with average annual salaries exceeding $72,000, in addition to more than 1,000 construction jobs, and further strengthen Gwinnett County’s position as a destination for discovery, collaboration and sustained economic growth.
Gwinnett County has committed to incentives valued at more than $174 million comprised of property tax savings, fee waivers and infrastructure investment to support the project.
Since announcing Rowen in 2020, Gwinnett County has made strategic investments to transform the site into a 2,000-acre knowledge community designed to bring together research, industry and talent to create a destination for top global companies. Initial development on the Rowen property began following a nearly $70 million investment from the Development Authority of Gwinnett County, supporting land acquisition and early infrastructure buildout for the project. Rowen completed its first phase of roads and utilities in 2025 and is set to start construction on its Convergence Center this summer. More than 1,900 acres remain available at Rowen for additional companies and long-term expansion.
As Rowen continues to take shape, this announcement sends a clear message to companies around the world: Gwinnett County is committed to providing the services, infrastructure and quality of life that leading organizations are seeking as they grow and innovate.
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On personal injury law firms and Mark Spain
By Elliott Brack
Editor and publisher, GwinnettForum
MARCH 27, 2026 | Don’t we all tire of those many commercials on television and radio and billboards along the highway with advertisements for personal injury lawyers?
No doubt advertising brings in business for these firms. While checking these firms out, one person wrote: “These firms are all legitimate, but that is not the same thing as being reputable.”
We wondered where they were based. Here is a short review of some of these firms, and where they are located:
Morgan and Morgan, “America’s largest injury law firm.” It is located at 20 North Orange Avenue, Suite 1600, Orlando, Fla., 32801. The firm has on board more than 1,000 attorneys, they say. Their location in Atlanta is at 191 Peachtree Road, Suite 4200.
Sweet James is headquartered at 4220 Von Karman Ave. Suite 200, Newport Beach, Calif., 92660. Founded by James Bergener, the firm maintains a large footprint across California, Nevada, Arizona, and Georgia. Its Roswell office at 295 West Crossville Road.
John Foy and Associates is located at 3343 Peachtree Road in Atlanta, 30326. This is the firm that advertises itself as “the strong arm.”
Montlick Injury Attorneys has its offices at 17 Executive Park Drive, Atlanta. The firm serves people throughout Georgia. It also has offices in Florida, and Tennessee.
Glenda Mitchell law firm has headquarters at 314 E Main Street in Cartersville. Other offices are in Atlanta, Greenville S.C., and Opelika, Ala.
Two of these mighty advertisers are located in Gwinnett County. They are:
- Ken Nugent law firm, 4227 Pleasant Hill Road, Building 11 in Duluth. This is the firm that asks you to “Call Ken.” It has nine Georgia locations.
- Gary Martin Hays law firm, 3098 Breckinridge Boulevard, Duluth. This firm concentrates on Metro Atlanta, with eight other offices in Georgia.
This is an incomplete list of personal injury attorneys. You probably know of others.
Let’s turn to another major advertiser in our area. Many of you have seen the real estate for Mark Spain Real Estate. The (Raleigh, N.C,) News and Observer had a story about him. It asked: Who is Mark Spain?
Part of the article said: Mark Spain, 51, is an Atlanta native and a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business. He’s also a second-generation Realtor. His father, Terry Spain, founded The Spain Team of Re/Max Realty in Georgia. In 1997, he took over the family sales team and grew the volume from $40 million to $62 million, Realtor Magazine’s 30 Under 30 noted, and quadrupled the sales force to 13 people.
“In 2011, he joined Keller Williams Realty to form the “Mark Spain” team before launching his own brokerage, Mark Spain Real Estate, in 2016. It offers home selling services, as well as home buying and renting options. He lives in Alpharetta… and is married to Lisa Spain, with three children. His net worth in 2023 is at $110 million, according to Wealthy Gorilla. He also volunteers with the Forsyth County Family YMCA, and leads the Mark Spain Foundation.”
Mark Spain Real Estate is headquartered at 12600 Deerfield Parkway in Alpharetta, and has offices in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, South Carolina and Alabama.
What we didn’t learn: Is the guy we see on television and billboard the real Mark Spain, or a stand-in? Who can tell us?
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Peachtree Campus
The public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today we welcome a new underwriting sponsor. Peachtree Campus is North Atlanta’s campus for education, production, and events. Located in historic Norcross, with abundant parking and easy access to Peachtree Boulevard, Peachtree Campus should be on the short list when looking for a workspace with creative vision.
It’s the home of Brenau University’s North Atlanta Campus and to Boswell Edward Academy, a Georgia Pre-K School and Daycare. The Veranda on Reps Miller provides flexible space for small events and larger community events. It hosts the annual Neighborhood Christmas Train Experience. Now available is 3159 Campus Drive, which has 27 classrooms and a large multi-purpose space, which can be the perfect location for a growing school, event facility, film/video production studio, or faith community. Learn leasing about opportunities by contacting Jonathan Galucki, email jg@optimaproperties.net or texting 678-612-3385.
- For a list of other sponsors of this forum, click here
One of “false electors” now running for governor
By Jack Bernard, contributing columnist
PEACHTREE CITY, GA. | It is a fact, not a theory, that Trump lost the vote in Georgia to Joe Biden by 11,779 votes. But you would never know that if you listened to MAGA apologists like Georgia Lt. Governor Burt Jones.
As a state senator, Burt Jones was one of the “false electors” attempting to unconstitutionally overthrow the November 2020 presidential election, which courts have repeatedly found to be fair and honest. Jones wanted a special legislative session held to reverse the 2020 election… an action which Governor Brian Kemp, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and other GOP officials rejected as unconstitutional.
Jones was subsequently elected Georgia’s lieutenant governor in 2022, which would have never happened except for the botching of the prosecution of the case against him. Per the judge reviewing the case — “The optics are horrific.”
Specifically, Jones and 15 others would have almost certainly been convicted of election interference except for the disgraceful incompetence of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. She held multiple fundraisers for Charlie Bailey, Jones’ Democratic opponent, so she was excused from the Jones case in 2022. That effectively ended the prosecution of Jones.
Further, Willis appointed a boyfriend as prosecutor, which caused her to be removed from the broader case. Special Prosecutor Pete Skandalakis, a state official and a Republican, was then appointed. Inexplicably, Skandalakis asked the court to have the case terminated. Even though a number of the fake electors had already pleaded guilty, and Skandalakis appeared to indicate that the plot was illegal, the entire case was dismissed in late 2025.
Back to Jones who has a number of other ethical issues, brought to light by the shadowy group “Georgians for Integrity.” If you go to their web site, you find nothing to explain where their funding comes from. You simply see an advertisement accusing Jones of A. trying to raise his state pension a. by 40 percent and B. pulling strings to get a Data Center built on his family’s land. Speculation is that wealthy outsider Rick Jackson is the force behind this advertising group and the Georgia Republican Party filed an ethics complaint against them.
Other ads go after Jones for pushing legislation (Senate Bill 99) designed to gut the state’s regulatory Certificate of Needs (CON) laws to get permission for his family to construct an unneeded hospital in Butts County. As a former Georgia director of Health Planning, I believe this charge to have merit. The demographics of Butts County would have caused the state CON authority to refuse to approve a totally unneeded facility.
As for the issues, Jones also parrots the MAGA line. For example, slash taxes (“4.99 percent terminal income tax by 2027” ), while never mentioning the fact that Georgia has one of the highest bankruptcy rates in the USA due to the state’s refusal to fund Medicaid expansion. However, Georgia voters rank healthcare as one of their most important issues, second only to the economy.
Plus, Jones addresses another “major problem:” preventing trans kids from participating in girls’ sports. It should be noted that there are currently virtually no trans kids in high school sports.
He also cites his support for the “Georgia Promise Scholarship”, which gives $6,500 tuition supplements to students looking to go to private k-12 schools. The problem is that tuition costs double that amount, so only upper middle class parents can take advantage of it. Plus, pushing private school guts support for our public school system.
The one thing Jones has going for him is the Trump endorsement, key to 47 percent of GOP voters.
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What we get when strategic planning is missing
Editor, the Forum:
This is what happens when long-term strategic planning is missing in the White House. We have had confusion, unnecessary expenses, waste, fraud, and anti-intellectualism from day one of this horrible administration.
Any politician who fails to stand up against this mess needs to be punished for lack of courage.
Finally, we badly need true structural reforms against gerrymandering and “dark money” to make a real difference.
– George Wilson, Stone Mountain
Dear George: You fail to mention that this cabinet is full of low-level achievers, who got their job merely because they will not question the president. Get a cabinet like this, and leadership disappears. –eeb
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Hudgens Center offers summer art camps
Get ready for a summer of color, creativity, and fun! The Hudgens Center’s Summer Art Camp invites kids to dream big, create boldly, and take home artwork they’ll be proud to share.
Art Camp is for Kids (Ages 5–12). Throughout June and July, each week features a brand-new theme packed with hands-on crafts and creative projects, all leading up to our Friday Art Show where campers can showcase their work.
Campers enjoy three engaging classes, Clay, Mixed Media, and Drawing and Painting, led by local instructors, plus a daily Creative Recess and lunch break to recharge, play, and a chance to make new friends. To register, go to this link.
Hajduk is new chairman of SW Gwinnett Chamber
Andrew Hajduk is the new chairman of the board of the Southwest Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. He succeeds Bill Diehl of Norcross in the role as chair. Hajduk is founder and president of Vox-pop-uli, a 30-year-old marketing production company based in Peachtree Corners. He is active in the Peachtree Corners Rotary and serves on the Downtown Development Authority for Peachtree Corners. He and his company are active in the efforts to grow Town Center and the Summer Concert Series. He and his wife, Cindy, live in Peachtree Corners with their dogs. Cindy works in the business as well, running the apparel division. They have three adult children: Megan and Daniel, who are both involved in the business, and Steven, who is currently serving in the U.S. Navy and stationed in California.
For many students, math is a puzzle waiting to be solved
For many students, math isn’t just about numbers, it’s a puzzle waiting to be solved. The thrill of finding the right answer, recognizing patterns and making sense of complex problems can turn math into a favorite subject.
For Habib Rahman, a Lawrenceville resident and 2012 graduate of Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC), that love of math is something he now shares with his son. “I had amazing professors who really cared about students,” he says.
Although Rahman enjoyed his finance and business courses, it was two classes in U.S. history that left a lasting impression. “They helped me truly understand America after I moved here to be closer to family,” he says.
A native of Bangladesh, Rahman earned his bachelor’s degree in finance in under four years while working full time. Today, he works in financial planning for a pharmaceutical company.
That appreciation for learning, and for math in particular, has been passed down to his son, Ayman, a seventh-grade student at Creekland Middle School. “Math is interesting once you get into it,” Ayman said. “I’d like to be a neurosurgeon someday.” This year marked Ayman’s third time participating in GGC’s Olifer Math Competition, held Saturday on the college’s campus.
For Josie Nunez, a GGC sophomore majoring in biology, volunteering at the event was an easy decision. “I’m a people person, and I love working with kids,” she said. After graduating, she plans to continue her education with the goal of becoming a veterinarian.
Caleb Polk, a freshman from Loganville studying systems and cybersecurity, also saw the competition as an opportunity to give back. “I like seeing younger kids showing an interest in math and maybe a career in IT,” he said. “One thing I tell them is to study hard and review things before class.”
Now in its ninth year, the Olifer Math Competition gives students in grades 1–8 a chance not only to compete, but also to connect with others who share their enthusiasm for math. This year, there were 166 students from around Gwinnett County and the surrounding areas participating. The annual event honors GGC mathematics professor Dr. Andrei Olifer, who founded and organized the competition before his passing in 2019.
Dr. Ekaterina Nathanson, associate professor of mathematics in GGC’s School of Science and Technology, says: “This is for the kids and the community. Parents are always looking for opportunities like this. We want to encourage students to pursue careers in math and science.”
Several math professors were also on hand before and after the competition, demonstrating how math and science play a role in everyday life.
For Habib Rahman, the lesson goes beyond winning. “Win or lose, it’s about taking the initiative and being willing to learn,” he says.
My Heart Laid Bare, by Joyce Carol Oates
From Karen J. Harris, Stone Mountain: This is a tantalizing but difficult to imagine story of a family of confidence artists in America during the late 19th and early 20th century. The legacy of Abraham Licht begins with Sarah Lich, a lady’s maid in 18th century England. When Abraham Licht arrives in America and settles, he begins his life’s work, ‘The Game’ which he introduces to his progeny. This family of shape shifters move through the country, changing their names and personas to make their way to wealth, fame, murder and infamy which impacts many lives. Abraham Licht’s final goal is the publication of his memoir, “My Heart Laid Bare” which will tell the tale of his eventful life and the lives of his offspring, some of whom meet dire ends. Joyce Carol Oates has a unique style which both pulls the reader into the mind of the protagonist and imbeds them into every scene.
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Jack Brocksmith Sr.
John Alan “Jack” Brocksmith, 87, was born on November 29, 1938, in Dayton, Ohio, to Frank Otto Brocksmith and Lois Kathryn Kinney Brocksmith. He died at his home in Johns Creek on March 19, 2026. Being a loving and giving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were Jack’s greatest accomplishments. He was immensely proud of his family and showed it in countless ways throughout his life.
Jack grew up in Dayton and Columbus, Ohio, before moving to Atlanta, where he graduated from Northside High School. Following graduation, he joined the United States Army, serving his country proudly for two years, followed by six years in the Army Reserves. After his military service, Jack attended Florida State University, where he was one of the first men to graduate in 1962 from the School of Home Economics, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Clothing and Textile Merchandising.
While in college, he was an accomplished track athlete, holding the school record in the 880 yard run and winning numerous awards. His love of running continued throughout his life, including competing with the Atlanta Track Club’s Master’s events and completing the Peachtree Road Race at least 25 times.
Jack loved the Lord, and was a devoted parishioner of Christ Church Episcopal in Norcross, where he was involved with several ministries including serving on the Vestry, working with Rainbow Village’s golf tournament, being a Eucharistic Minister, and chairing the Memorial Committee for many years.
Jack began his career with Maas Brothers in Tampa, Fla., where he applied his degree, though he soon realized he preferred a more active and independent path. He went on to work in sales and marketing for Johnson and Johnson and other companies before launching his own business as a manufacturer representative in the sporting goods industry.
Through hard work and determination, he grew his company, Sports Sales South, from a one-man operation into a thriving organization with 18 sales representatives promoting major brands including Head, Prince, and New Balance. Never one to shy away from a challenge, Jack later purchased a struggling license plate company, Tag Express.
Under his leadership, the business expanded from a handful of college licenses to partnerships with more than 100 colleges and universities, as well as professional leagues including MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS, and the NFL. He also secured one of the few Olympic licenses for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. His entrepreneurial spirit and success led Tag Express to be ranked No 59 on the Inc. 500 list of Fastest Growing Private Companies in 1993. Known for his flair, Jack once displayed a Dodge Viper in his trade show booth at the Atlanta Super Show, making it the talk of the event.
After selling Tag Express, Jack remained an active entrepreneur, partnering in German Motor Tech, an auto sales and repair business, and later a major car dealership. He enjoyed selling collectibles on eBay and even tried his hand at house flipping.
A passionate collector, Jack amassed more than 5,000 items featuring the Disney character Goofy, whom he considered his alter ego. Jack was a long-time member of the Atlanta Athletic Club where he enjoyed tennis, golf, and most recently working out almost every day at the Athletic Center to stave off the effects of the Parkinson’s disease he had. He joined the club in 1969, and made many friends over the years…especially while a member of the Duffers, a special group of men whose concentration is more on friendship than their golfing ability! Jack was very proud to be inducted into the AAC Hall of Fame for all his running accomplishments over the years.
He was preceded in death by his son, William Jason Brocksmith, and his former wife, Connie Collier, the mother of four of his children. Jack is survived by his loving wife of 43 years, Carol Reiffenstein Brocksmith; his sister Joyce Brocksmith, Brea, Calif.; his children, John Brocksmith Jr. (Tina) of Suwanee; Leslie Brocksmith Newman of Fort Myers, Fla.; Amy Brocksmith Young (Mike) of Ventura, Calif.; and Sarah Margaret Bahami (Ilyass). He is also survived by his grandchildren, Lauren Slocum (Kevin), Kurt Newman, Jordan Bracco (Justin), John Alan Brocksmith III, and Jackson, Cooper, and Carter Young; and his great-grandchildren, Leo Newman, Declan and Landyn Bracco, and Lucy Slocum.
A Celebration of Life service was held at 11 a.m. on March 28 at Christ Church Episcopal. 400 Holcomb Bridge Road, Norcross.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Christ Church Choir Fund or to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
Grady emerges as spokesman for “New South”
At (the Civil) war’s end, Georgia faced physical destruction, financial turmoil, and federal occupation. Publishers that managed to resume printing in the late 1860s faced censorship and sometimes closure for their opposition to Reconstruction. Newspapers aligned with the Republican Party, however, thrived in this environment. With support from the government, pro-Reconstruction publishers established newspapers in most of Georgia’s major cities, including the Daily Press in Augusta and the Daily New Era in Atlanta.
When the Democratic Party regained control of the state government in the 1870s, Georgia’s newspaper publishers were once again free to exert editorial reign over their publications, and many of the Republican-aligned papers ceased operations. In the mid-1870s, Atlanta newspaperman Henry Grady emerged as the “spokesman of the New South,” an invigorated region that sought to lure northern investment and industry to an economy that had long been dominated by agrarian interests.
As managing editor of the Atlanta Constitution, Grady advanced a pro-industrial agenda and promoted Atlanta as an ideal city for industrial growth. His advocacy resulted in the establishment of the Georgia Institute of Technology in the late 1880s, and the city hosted several expositions to promote industrial investment in the decades that followed, including the 1895 Cotton States and International Exposition where Booker T. Washington delivered his “Atlanta Compromise” speech.
Grady’s “New South” was also a vision of white supremacy, however, and if African Americans wanted a voice in the burgeoning state, they would have to challenge the establishment, including the white-owned print journalism industry. While papers like Frederick Douglass’ North Star were published in northern states during the antebellum period, there is no evidence of an African American press before the Civil War in Georgia. The end of the war and the implementation of Reconstruction policies in southern states, however, led to new freedoms for the formerly enslaved, including the ability to vote and serve in elected offices.
It was in this environment that African Americans began establishing newspapers in Georgia. Among the earliest were the Colored American and the Loyal Georgian in Augusta and the Freemen’s Standard in Savannah. In 1875 John H. Deveaux established the most successful African American newspaper in nineteenth-century Georgia, the Colored Tribune. The paper, which became the Savannah Tribune in 1876, was established to promote “the rights of the colored people, and their elevation to the highest plane of citizenship…. [A]ll other considerations shall be secondary.”
Nevertheless, the end of Reconstruction in 1877 allowed for increasing restrictions on African American rights, and the following year, the Tribune ceased publication after white printers in Savannah refused to produce it. Deveaux resumed publication in 1886, and the Savannah Tribune remained in publication into the 20th century, when other African American newspapers began circulation in Atlanta, Columbus, Macon, and throughout Georgia.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
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