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  • Global technology firm relocating to Gwinnett

    Q-Matic, the world’s leading customer flow management solution provider, is moving its U.S. headquarters to Duluth and bringing 20 jobs.

     

  • Sports far more than just a game

    Armed with the influence of the Gwinnett Sports Commission and the County’s excellent venue infrastructure, Gwinnett has the reputation as a prime ‘sporting’ destination.

     

  • Gwinnett Chamber names top 2012 priorities

    Job creation, mobility and business growth will top the list of Chairman Raymer Sale's bold plans unveiled at the 2012 at Annual Dinner.

     

  • Gwinnett Chamber’s 64th Annual Dinner celebrates exceptionalism

    The evening will feature 2011 highlights and achievements of the Gwinnett community, as well as celebrate the exceptional accomplishments of involved citizens.

     
 
GBJ Staff

27th Annual Candlelight Ball is March 17

Reserve your seat for the Mar. 17 Candlelight Ball benefiting CADEF: The Childhood Autism Foundation.

The Annual Candlelight Ball will be held on March 17, 2012 at the InterContinental Hotel, Buckhead celebrating twenty-seven years serving children, adults and families affected by autism

The Candlelight Ball is the major fund-raising event for CADEF: The Childhood Autism Foundation. Proceeds fund programs and services for individuals and families affected by autism throughout Georgia.

Cindy Simmons and Heather Branch, Star 94 radio personalities, will act as co-mistresses of ceremonies. The black-tie event begins with a cocktail reception at 7 p.m., followed by a three-course dinner and dancing to the high-energy music of the The Grapevine Band playing songs of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Guests will be able to bid on an array of desirable items in silent and live auctions during the evening.

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GBJ Staff

Gwinnett Chamber names top 2012 priorities

Raymer Sale, 2012 Gwinnett Chamber chairman and president of E2E Resources, Inc.

In conjunction with the Gwinnett Chamber’s 64th Annual Dinner Presented by Gwinnett Medical Center, Raymer Sale, the 2012 Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce chairman and president of E2E Resources, Inc., announces the collaborative vision of the organization to create new jobs, encourage business development and small business growth and support crucial transportation solutions and investments.

Chairman Sale will address a sold-out crowd of over 1,000 business and community leaders, Feb. 3, at the Gwinnett Center.

Among the Gwinnett Chamber’s top priorities for 2012 are a renewed focus on attracting and keeping high-wage jobs, continuing to support and protect new and innovative funding sources for all modes of transportation in metro Atlanta, and attracting and growing high-growth entrepreneurial firms and small businesses.

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GBJ Staff

Gwinnett pursues urbanist redevelopment

Partnership Gwinnett, in cooperation with The Council For Quality Growth, hosted the Third Annual Gwinnett Redevelopment Forum (watch video) at Gwinnett Place Marriott in Duluth to educate and inform attendees about Gwinnett’s local and regional redevelopment opportunities. The forum hosted more than 200 real estate developers, engineers, architects and government officials.

Panelists explored new urbanism, redevelopment financing, best practices, and community case studies. Keynote speaker, Christopher B. Leinberger, president of LOCUS, Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors and senior fellow, Brookings Institution, joined the forum to share urban land use and downtown redevelopment strategies.

“The real estate demand in metro Atlanta and Gwinnett County in the coming decades is for compact, walkable urban development, which works best with rail transit. Gwinnett understands this, and is helping to ensure they are at the forefront of this trend by using this Forum to highlight the potential for redevelopment in the county,” said Leinberger.

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GBJ Staff

Sports far more than just a game

by Stan Hall

Who doesn’t love sports? Sporting events have gained a more prominent stature as a very integral part of our economy. Although many of us have made drastic cuts in our personal budgets to adjust to a stagnant economy, sports marketing and related event venues continue to flourish.

This is especially true as it pertains to ‘new money’ that sporting events inject into a local economy. Everyone benefits as event attendees need a place to stay and eat and the miscellaneous costs for an out of town event are spent in local retail outlets.

While it’s true that an event does not necessarily have to involve sports to be this economic driver, trends from recent years tell us that sporting events are financial catalysts. This phenomenon is compelling many government agencies to look at the concept of establishing sports commissions to identify and recruit events to their venues. Gwinnett County is far ahead of the curve in this matter and has had its Sports Commission in place for several years through the Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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GBJ Staff

Top performing branding franchise expands in Buford

Signarama Buford owners, Nancy and Gary Rosenberg

Serving the Gwinnett area for 12 years, Signarama Buford has expanded operations to new and larger facility at 4737 Thompson Mill Rd. and added staff to better meet the needs of their clients.

Owners Gary and Nancy Rosenberg, along with the support of the Gwinnett Chamber, clients, area professionals and friends, recently celebrated the grand opening of the company’s new 6,000 s.f. facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

“Our clients are our number one priority and the cornerstone of our growth,” says Nancy Rosenberg. “Now more than ever companies need increased visibility and branding. We help our clients increase sales and we have fun doing it.”

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GBJ Staff

Global technology firm relocating to Gwinnett

Q-Matic Corporation will relocate its U.S. corporate headquarters to Gwinnett County from N.C. bringing with it 20 new jobs. Q-Matic, the world’s leading customer flow management solution provider, is moving to a 15,000 s.f. leased building at 2400 Commerce Ave. in Duluth to provide the company easy access to Interstate 85.

“With our recent growth in the U.S. and Canada, we needed a bigger and more accessible place to better serve our clients and call our home,” said Thomas Sareyko, CEO of Q-Matic Corporation.

With 360 employees worldwide, Q-Matic develops, manufactures, installs and supports a wide variety of hardware and software products and applications designed to be both effective and efficient. Q-Matic has in-depth process knowledge of optimization of customer flow in public sector, financial institutions, healthcare facilities and retail environments; boasting over 30 years of experience in the design and deployment of customer flow management solutions and over 51,800 installations worldwide.

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Kim Marks

Mitsubishi Electric expands in Gwinnett

Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating (Mitsubishi Electric) will expand its operations in Gwinnett County by moving to a new facility in Suwanee, Ga.

Watch Video. Governor Nathan Deal donned a hard hat and wielded a shovel at a groundbreaking event for the company’s new division headquarters along with company executives, community leadership, Industrial Developments International (IDI) and Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development. Mitsubishi Electric has signed a lease with IDI, a leading full-service industrial real estate company, for a build-to-suit building on a 33-acre site at Huntcrest Business Center on Satellite Blvd.

A division of a U.S. subsidiary of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating is a leading marketer of Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) and split-ductless air-conditioning and heating systems for both commercial and residential use. The company has operated in Gwinnett County since 1992 and employs approximately 200 people. The expansion and consolidation from the company’s current 350,000-square-foot footprint across three buildings to 559,407 square feet in a single location will provide the company more adequate space to support its growth. Nationwide, Mitsubishi Electric expects to employ an additional 60 people in 2012 and projects it will increase its employment to more than 400 employees over the next 10 years.

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GBJ Staff

Walmart honors Gwinnett-based carrier

L-R: Chris Sultemeier, Walmart senior vice president, transportation; Mike Wise, Averitt vice president of corporate business development; Beth Donham, Averitt director of corporate business development; Courtney Sparks, Walmart carrier compliance manager; and Ken Braunbach, Walmart senior director, carrier relations.

Walmart has named full-service transportation provider Averitt Express its 2011 Regional LTL Carrier of the Year.

Annually, WalMart recognizes transportation suppliers that demonstrate excellence or exhibit significant improvement in meeting core business objectives, including small parcel, less-than-truckload (LTL) and intermodal. This is the second time in the past three years that Averitt has been recognized by Walmart.

From its Lawrenceville service center, Averitt delivers to area WalMart stores several times a week. In addition, this carrier is integral to WalMart’s regional logistics network. Picking up products from vendors in the area like Biolabs, Continental General Tire, Akzo Nobel, Pennington Seed and others, Averitt delivers to WalMart distribution centers for transportation throughout its vast network or makes direct deliveries to the retailer’s metro Atlanta stores.

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GBJ Staff

Lawrenceville college student wins position at LEGOLAND

Joshua Bohn, new Master Model Builder at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta, photo by Firestine Photography

During the ultimate job interview witnessed by kids young and old, Joshua Bohn beat out over a hundred other hopefuls to become Master Model Builder at LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta. A lifelong LEGO lover and five-year brand veteran, this Georgia Gwinnett College student and Lawrenceville resident has the Brick Factor to make the LEGOLAND Discovery Center Atlanta experience engaging and fun for guests of all ages.

Through a series of creative LEGO challenges, Bohn displayed great innovation and enthusiasm; he was charged with creating three themed models, all out of LEGO bricks. His animal creation featured a koi fish during feeding. Bohn continued to impress with Atlanta icon The Fox Theatre and then solidified his position as Master Model Builder with an inspired homage to art. His final creation showcased the classic drama faces, symbolizing comedy and tragedy, paid tribute to the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet and showcased the artists’ tools of the trade – an art tablet displaying a masterpiece in progress.

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GBJ Staff

New state law changes business license process

Businesses in Gwinnett County will soon receive occupation tax certificate renewal forms in the mail, but before certificates can be renewed, applicants must comply with new state requirements that went into effect on Jan. 1. During the 2011 legislative session, the Georgia General Assembly passed the Illegal Immigration Reform and Enforcement Act (House Bill 87), placing new requirements on local governments and businesses to ensure they comply with federal and state immigration laws.

The first requirement calls for any person, corporation or LLC seeking a public benefit—such as an occupation tax certificate (business license), alcohol license or contract—to submit a Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) affidavit and present a secure and verifiable document as approved by the state Attorney General. Examples of the approved documents include a driver’s license, passport or legal immigrant documentation.

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