‘Envision Perimeter’ touts growth, future as business, entertainment and residential destination
Speakers at the Perimeter Chamber’s first-ever Envision Perimeter on May 20 touted the elements that make the area desirable for young professionals and corporate headquarters.
The summit, themed “Every Piece in Place,” was a collaboration by the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts with the Greater Perimeter Chamber and Leadership Perimeter. The initiative is designed to bring regional leaders, business, civic and community stakeholders to chart a shared vision for Perimeter’s continued growth and transformation.
According to a release about the summit, “the long-awaited completion of the $800 million Transform 285/400 project from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has unlocked new mobility and access across the district.”
The meeting, held at the iconic King Building in Sandy Springs, featured a mixture of speakers and panelists who discussed the evolution of the Perimeter area from an office-heavy development to one that features retail, restaurants, and pedestrian connectivity.
“The thought that we could put a [pedestrian] trail through the middle of I-285 – we said, ‘heck, no’ – and the word we used wasn’t ‘heck,’” said GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry. “But here it is.”
A panel featuring Josh Scofield of Newell Brands, Brooke MacLean of Marketwave, and Cathy Manginelli of TriNet, which was moderated by Ken Ashley of Cushman & Wakefield, focused on the reasons for their relocation to, or in the case of Newell, decision to stay in the Perimeter area.
“We were looking at our needs for the next 15 years, and frankly, Perimeter was not on our agenda,” MacLean said. “But when we visited, we saw the energy that we were looking for.”
Scofield said Newell reinvented its business model by designing its headquarters to be a hybrid workplace with access to walkable amenities like coffee shops, day-care facilities, and restaurants. After searching the metro area, the company decided to stick with the Perimeter area.
Manginelli, whose company TriNet will be locating to High Street, a recently opened mixed-used development, said the community “has a vibe that I can’t quite put my finger on.”
Related:
• TriNet to relocate headquarters to Dunwoody
• Newell Brands leasing 180,000 square feet in Queen building
All three cited that the “partner-like” attention that the city and affiliated agencies brought to the table sealed their ultimate decisions. TriNet will reportedly bring about 750 jobs to the area. Newell Brands leased 180,000 square feet in the Queen building in 2024. Marketwake moved into a 17,000-square-foot space at Perimeter’s Campus 244 in April.
The session also included remarks from Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul, Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch, and Brookhaven Mayor John Park, as well as the keynote speaker, Dr. Tristan Cleveland of Happy Cities, an internationally recognized community design firm.
Cleveland shared research on what it takes to build places that support happiness,
belonging and vitality, and complimented city leaders and partners on their work to bring those elements to the Perimeter area.
“I’m extremely bullish about what you are doing here,” Cleveland said. “This is a political winner.”
Gold sponsors of the event included AS3 Strategic Storytelling Services, The City of Dunwoody, the City of Sandy Springs, Cushman & Wakefield, Discover Dunwoody, Georgia Power, RoughDraft Atlanta, and Atlanta Visualhouse.
Silver sponsors were Atlanta Business Chronicle, Dunwoody Police Foundation, Renasant Bank, Troutman Pepper Locke, and True North 400.
The City of Brookhaven, Fulton Education Foundation, The RMR Group, and Willmer
Engineering participated as bronze sponsors.
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