Atlanta's economic arm has a new name that city officials say better reflects its mandate to recruit companies and jobs.
At the annual State of the City breakfast, Mayor Kasim Reed announced that the Atlanta Development Authority has been rebranded as Invest Atlanta.
Though the agency will have similar responsibilities, the new name reflects a focus on business development at a time of high unemployment, Mr. Reed said in a news release.
"I have made economic development one of my administration's top priorities, and this change represents an effort to modernize our approach to investment, attracting businesses, foreign capital and trade," he said.
Atlanta's environment for foreign investment was ranked No. 5 in the U.S. by fDi magazine last year, but the mayor has been keen to improve the business climate for both local and foreign companies.
He told GlobalAtlanta in late 2010 that he would appoint an agency to ensure businesses' needs were met, either using the Atlanta Development Authority or creating a new entity. Invest Atlanta seems to be a synthesis of those ideas.
At the breakfast, the mayor also introduced a partnership with a group called TweetMyJobs that will use social media to inform job seekers of new positions around the city. Companies can visit http://atlanta.tweetmyjobs.com/ to post listings.
The State of the City breakfast was sponsored by the Atlanta Committee for Progress and hosted by Coca-Cola Co. Chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent. More than 900 people attended the event at the Georgia World Congress Center, according to the release.
The rebranding came days after Mr. Reed announced he would lead a business delegation to China in late March.
Visit www.investatlanta.com for more information.
