Norfolk Southern to get new Midtown headquarters

Railroad shipping giant Norfolk Southern formally announced in December that is will relocate its corporate headquarters from Norfolk, VA to Midtown.

Norfolk Southern is in the process of purchasing property at West Peachtree Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue for the new building, expected to cost $575 million. The new headquarters, which will be developed by Cousins Properties, is expected to create 850 new jobs. Around 2,000 employees will move to the new building from office space already located in Midtown.

Norfolk Southern also recently sold property at The Gulch in Downtown for $115 million to CIM Group, which plans to build a $5 billion mixed-use development on the site, according to a report in the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

The company’s plan to relocate was an ill-kept secret, but had a code name – Project Fusion – as it worked its way through official channels, including the Midtown Development Review Committee (DRC).

According to a DRC report, the new headquarters is organized around two towers with up to 856,000 square feet of office space and additional uses such as a childcare facility, technology innovation center and café at the ground level. The campus will have a direct connection to the North Avenue MARTA Station located across the street.

– Collin Kelley

mentors and alumni. The program has two locations – one in Midtown just blocks from the Fox Theater and on the Atlanta Technical College campus.

“We teach hard and soft skills. Everyone receives entry-level IT skills and then specialize,” Grissom said. “Other tracks include desktop support, project management, and software development.”

Soft skills focus on personal and professional development. Year Up sets professional norms and core values – Strive to Learn, Be Accountable, Build Trust Be Honest, Respect and Value Others, Engage and Embrace Diversity, and Work Hard and Have Fun – for participants to follow. If they repeatedly don’t meet expectations, such as turning assignments in late or not coming to class, they risk “exiting themselves out of the program.”

Many participants experience “outside stressors,” like unstable housing, food insecurities or taking care of children, siblings and/or parents. Despite these challenges, they push themselves to complete the program in order to secure a better future.

“I will use myself as an example because I am a minority and my family comes from hardships, not having the luxury to afford college or even a car,” student Margarita Alfaro said. “Year Up gives us the resources, support and experiences to actually intern and make a name for ourselves.”

Alfaro, a cyber security student, commutes to Year Up by MARTA bus and train, which takes two hours each way.

“A lot of students go through this program from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and then they work another job to make ends meet,” Grissom added.

Year Up conducts outreach at high schools, job fairs, MARTA ads and on social media, but program graduates are their most effective ambassadors.

“We have over 1,200 alumni. When a new learning community starts in March and September, approximately 80 percent are there because of word of mouth,” Grissom said.

Every six months the program welcomes 220 new students who are placed into five learning communities, of approximately 45 students each. The alumni network is strong. They come back as speakers, and mentors and they host events, like their annual holiday toy and book drive for students/alumni with children.

Margarita’s sister, Paulina, entered the program first and is nearly finished with her software development internship at Cox Automotive. Others intern at one of Year Up’s 50-plus other corporate partners, including Bank of America, Equifax and Kaiser Permanente, which also offers free health insurance to every program participant.

“I saw her [Paulina] go through it – how much she grew, how much she learned and how well she is doing. I wanted to try it to see where I’d end up and I really love the program,” Margarita said.

Both sisters have a reason to be optimistic. Within four months of completing the program, nearly 95 percent of the July 2018 graduating class were employed and earning a livable wage and/or enrolled in postsecondary school.

Perhaps, the greatest challenge Year Up faces in the decade ahead is keeping up with the demand.

“We receive thousands of applications and can only serve 440 each year. There is a great need,” Grissom said. “Every six months we onboard a new class, a class goes out on internship and a class graduates. You can see lives being changed. If you are passionate about life transformation this is an organization that you would want to get involved with.”

For more information about the program, visit yearup.org.

Cushman & Wakefield has arranged a 102,320-square-foot lease at 1105 West Peachtree in Midtown submarket for Smith, Gambrell, & Russell, a 125-year-old Atlanta-based law firm with locations throughout the world. Smith, Gambrell, & Russell will occupy four floors, nine through 12, and the ninth floor will include a one-acre Sky Plaza with green space as part of the Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, featuring a rooftop bar, restaurant, pool and more. Spanning a city block, the nearly 3.6-acre site will feature a 660,000-square-foot office tower; a 178-room full-service Marriott Autograph Collection hotel; and 64 luxury residential units. Construction is slated to begin this month.

MARTA’s board of directors voted to advance plans to create 22 miles of commuter rail from East Point station to Lovejoy in Clayton County and bus rapid transit (BRT ) along state routes 85 and 139 to connect College Park, Riverdale and Morrow. Both plans will advance to the federally required environmental study phase.

An initiative from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to create a career apprenticeship program for human trafficking survivors has been approved by the Atlanta City Council. The program establishes a formal partnership between the City of Atlanta and Wellspring Living’s Women’s Academy where women can receive 10 weeks of career training, followed by a 12-week paid apprenticeship. When a participating woman successfully completes the apprenticeship, she will be considered for full employment, one of the final steps towards independence from a life of trafficking. For more information, visit www.endhumantraffickingATL.org.

Accenture Atlanta Innovation Hub is now open at Technology Square in Midtown. The global consulting firm will use the hub, which features stateof-the-art virtual and augmented reality suites, to help clients solve challenges and develop new products. The company plans to add 800 jobs as it continues to expand.

Online jewelry shop Nica Life has opened its first retail location at The Beacon development in Grant Park. Inspired by the laid back style found on Nicaragua’s beaches, all the jewelry is created by Nicaraguan artists. For each piece of jewelry purchased, a portion of the proceeds is donated towards education programs in Nicaragua. For more information, visit nicalifeproject.com.

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has announced the establishment of the Center for Workforce Innovation , a jobs training program focused on outcomesbased education for high-demand careers. The Center, which will be housed at Atlanta Technical College, is the result of a public-private partnership with the City of Atlanta, Atlanta Committee for Progress and Atlanta Technical College. Initial funding for the Center was provided by Delta Air Lines, The Home Depot, SunTrust, Intercontinental Exchange, and Georgia Power, with additional support from McKinsey & Co. and other Atlanta-based institutions. The Center’s five partnering corporations will collectively invest an initial $2 million to pilot three career tracks including aircraft technical skills, information technology, and skilled trades such as carpentry and electrical construction and maintenance.

The Dilweg Companies has announced new leases for the 101 Marietta Street building in Downtown including Dino Bones Productions, National Business