GwinnettForum | Number 21.19 | Mar. 15, 2022
IF AN ELEVATOR SHAFT RISES, can a hotel be far behind? This activity between the Convention Center and Arena at Gas South District is for a 364-room Westin Hotel to open in March 2024. It will be integrated with the convention center via an escalator. It will be 10 stories with two stories below ground level. Meanwhile, renovation at the initial 50,000 square feet of the convention center is underway, while a new 50,000-square-foot phase is now operational and booked for major events. By Nov. 22, 2022, this renovation is expected to be complete.
TODAY’S FOCUS: Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful to host national virtual litter event
EEB PERSPECTIVE: Success of MTI Tubs leads to sale to European company
ANOTHER VIEW: Seeing one qualified Black man registering in Columbus in 1960
SPOTLIGHT: Law Office of J. Michael Levengood, LLC
FEEDBACK: Two references to Ohio Wesleyan in your last issue
UPCOMING: Gwinnett Chamber announces honorees for the 74th annual dinner
NOTABLE: Gwinnett and Chinese group formalize relationship
RECOMMENDED: The Man I Knew by Jean Becker
GEORGIA TIDBIT: Columbus road eventually named for Primus King
MYSTERY PHOTO: Figure out what goes on within these walls
CALENDAR: Gwinnett Symphony plans benefit concert for Ukraine on Sunday
Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful to host national litter event
Via Unsplash.
By Kasie Bolling
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful will host a first-of-its-kind national event focusing on litter on March 23. The Keep America Beautiful affiliate is calling the event “Connecting People and Places: A Community Conversation About Litter,” which is intended to address the issue of littering on a hyper-local scale.
Schelly Marlatt, executive director for Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful, issues an invitation to the public to attend this virtual conversation and submit their questions about litter for the facilitator-led dialogue. Questions will be selected at random to drive the discussion with concerned citizens and industry experts.
Marlatt says: “We are incredibly honored to have been selected by Keep America Beautiful from 700 national affiliates to get this meaningful conversation started. Although we’ve witnessed a 54 percent decrease in litter along U.S. roadways over the last decade, still 90 percent of Americans agree that litter is a problem in their community. There is still so much more to do and Gwinnett County – well-known for our love of community – is a great place to start.
“Because engagement in litter prevention requires the commitment of members of the community to ensure the highest levels of success, it’s vital that we make our neighbors part of the conversation to address and prevent littering in the community that we love. While the event will be virtual, we hope to engage Gwinnettians and concerned individuals across the United States in the weeks leading up to March 23 to not only register, but submit their questions, and then tune in that day to see citizens and industry experts discuss ways to help us confront what are sure to be some tough questions as the exchange of ideas take place via livestream.”
The site of the event will be at Georgia Gwinnett College, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. on March 23. Staff of Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful will be on hand as hosts. The livestream conversation will have a team from Responsive Management facilitating the meeting, with panelists including Laura Hernandez of Gwinnett Recycles and Dr. Wesley Schultz, an environmental psychologist.
Randy Hartmann, senior director of affiliate operations for Keep America Beautiful, adds this thought: “Decades ago, Keep America Beautiful launched a successful public service campaign that galvanized the nation in the fight against litter. At the time, a shared cultural ethic and value was established. This shared focus and commitment led to meaningful reductions in littering. It is our hope that the dialogue that will take place in Gwinnett will help establish a new shared cultural ethic across the highly diverse and culturally rich communities we live in. We know that engaging our communities in this discussion is the first step in achieving meaningful change and we commend Gwinnett Clean and Beautiful for starting the conversation”.
- A link to join the conversation will be sent to all registrants within a week leading up to the event. Register today at https://www.gwinnettcb.org/events.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Success of MTI Tubs leads to sale to European company
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MARCH 15, 2022 | It was an on-the-ropes bathtub manufacturer, not doing too well. But when the used car salesman, former Lockheed machinist and a guy who enjoyed tinkering took over the Duluth company, things looked up. You see, J.C. Henry had a way of fixing things, and first thing you know, his newly-acquired company, then known as Mr. Tubs, took off. In 1988, he brought in his certified public accountant, Kathy Adams of Decatur, to run the day-to-day operations, and with her management skills, the firm made another leap.
Today it’s operated as MTI Baths of Sugar Hill, and recently was sold to a Spanish competitor seeking to break into the American market. It is now known internationally for its luxury and award-winning bathroom accessories. (Click here to see MTI’s products.)
MTI is joining Engineered Stone Group (ES Group) of Alicante, Spain, a global leader in making engineered stone bathroom products. It is a subsidiary of Cranemere Group of London. As with other divisions of the ES Group, MTI will operate independently and continue to serve its customers while benefiting from ES Group resources, retaining all 260 employees of the Sugar Hill company. The sale was effective on March 1, 2022.
Russell Adams
Russell Adams, president and chief design officer of the firm of MTI Baths, says that “As a division of The Engineered Stone Group, MTI will have additional backing to expand our teams, equipment and facilities. We plan to develop and share materials and technologies, invest in new manufacturing techniques and benefit from the support of an established global team. This new partnership is truly a win-win for all parties involved.”
Henry
Before J.C. Henry started tinkering with the MTI operations, tub manufacturers used flexible but corrugated plastic pipe, which allowed bacteria to nest in the ridges. Henry changed to a smooth pipe, which was inexpensively heated to bend around the tub, not allowing bacteria to grow in the ridges. He also figured how to clean the internal pipe and the tub with a small amount of water and vinegar. The big breakthrough came when he began supplying hotels with whirlpool tubs, for which hotels could charge more for the room. That introduced many guests to whirlpools. Soon, more and more homeowners were wanting these high-end whirlpool tubs in their homes, and MTI could barely keep up with the demand.
Since 1988, MTI Baths has earned a reputation for award-winning designs, personalized customization, artisan quality and world-class customer service. Luxury tubs, shower bases, counter-sinks, vanity sinks and genuine teak accessories are all hallmarks of the MTI brand. MTI offers an extensive selection of innovative designs and personalized options.
Kathy Adams
The Engineered Stone Group is a material specialist focused on the design and manufacturing of engineered stone bathroom products, including tubs, shower pans, sinks and wall panels. The ES Group provides a broad offering of high-quality products and specialty brands and invests in continued product innovation. Besides its operations in Spain, it also has facilities in Latvia and Poland. The ES Group was established by The Cranemere Group of London, a private holding company focused on partnering with and building businesses over the long term.
CEO Kathy Adams adds, “This is the next stage in the growth of MTI, and we are extremely happy to connect with such a powerhouse in the global engineered stone market. The entire MTI management team is excited about this merger, and we passionately embrace the change it will bring.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Seeing qualified Black man registering in Columbus in 1960
By Ashley Herndon
OCEANSIDE, Calif. | GwinnettForum’s recent Georgia Encyclopedia mention about Primus King of Columbus made me remember an incident from 1960.
Herndon
Our American history teacher at Columbus High taught us the value of free and honest elections. For those of us who were not registered to vote in the 1960 election between Kennedy and Nixon, she arranged for us to register. The school board and principal, Dr. Deason, agreed and provided transportation to the registrar.
When we arrived, there was a gentleman in his late middle years waiting at the door so he, too, could register. This man was well-dressed, mannerly and, as we learned, a business and homeowner in Columbus. He was also African American. The registrar was what we call today a white-non-Hispanic matronly female. And we learned not so much a lady.
Upon opening her door, she abruptly advised the gentleman to step aside so we white students, including one Puerto Rican from New York City, could enter. There was not room for all of us including the gentleman in the offices at the same time, so, she ‘told’ him to wait until she finished with us. A couple of us objected, but she told us to hold our tongues, this was “her” job.
She signed up and registered a couple of the girls in the front of our line. Then the same two girls and I asked her why she did not register the gentleman first as he was there first. Again, we were advised she did not need our help in registering ‘qualified’ voters.
She certainly sensed what she should do and then dismissively asked him to come in from the hall. She first made him prove he was a homeowner and taxpayer. He was ready for that. She then had him read one of the paragraphs of the Constitution fully and then cross-examined him about its meaning. I wished right then that I knew the Constitution as well as he did and could be so literate in its explanation. It was beautiful.
She then accused him of cheating and had him read from the Declaration of Independence. She even asked him who told him how to prepare. He simply smiled and said no one. You see, he was a graduate of Fort Valley State University and expressed he was well-taught over there. Goodness and mercy were his that day.
She relented and registered him. He smiled and thanked her and us for allowing him to move ahead of us, who were really behind him anyway.
We knew we would be asked to read and explain the preamble. I certainly hope those days are not returning.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
Law Office of J. Michael Levengood, LLC
The public spiritedness of our underwriters allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com to you at no cost to readers. Today’s underwriter is the Law Office of J. Michael Levengood, LLC. Before relocating his general civil practice eight years ago to Lawrenceville, Mike Levengood practiced law as a partner in an Atlanta firm for almost 34 years, handling a wide variety of commercial and litigation matters for business clients. Mike is a community leader in Gwinnett County where he serves on several non-profit boards.
- Visit this supporter’s web site at https://www.levengoodlaw.com
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Two references to Ohio Wesleyan in your last issue
Editor, the Forum:
Your last Forum I found so interesting, in that in this Georgia publication there were two mentions of Ohio Wesleyan University. I forwarded it to Stefanie Niles, who is a friend and the current dean of admissions and vice president at Ohio Wesleyan. You might find my relationship with former Duke University Athletic Director Tom Butters interesting. He was one fine guy. Thanks always for keeping life interesting for us as we look forward to your twice-weekly Forum.
– Ross Lenhart, Stone Mountain
- Send us your thoughts: We encourage you to send us your letters and thoughts on issues raised in GwinnettForum. Please limit comments to 300 words, and include your hometown. The views of letters are the opinion of the contributor. We reserve the right to edit for clarity and length. Send feedback and letters to: elliott@brack.net.
Gwinnett Chamber announces honorees for 74th dinner
Honorees at the 74th Annual Dinner of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce have been announced. The dinner will be April 22, at the Gas South Convention Center.
Those being honored include:
Theus
Citizen of the year: Sidney H. Theus, chief executive officer of American Painting and Renovations of Suwanee. This award honors individuals whose services have had the greatest impact on the overall quality of life for Gwinnett County in recent years.
Public Service Awards: This year’s honorees include Jay Dennard, chief operating office, of Northside Hospital Duluth; Jonathan Holmes, managing partner, Mighty 8th; Dr. Jann L. Joseph, president, Georgia Gwinnett College; and Rep. Sam Park of House District 101. These awards are given to individuals who, over the years, have gone above and beyond in their service to the community and its residents.
Special Needs Schools of Gwinnett will receive the D. Scott Hudgens Humanitarian Award given in honor of Scott Hudgens.
The R. Wayne Shackelford Legacy Award, honoring the memory and legacy of an individual who has made a difference in the history and progress of Gwinnett County, will be awarded posthumously to James J. Maran, former president and CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber; L. Jim Steele, former chief operating officer of Gwinnett County Public Schools’; and Kelvin J. “Kelly” Kelkenberg, former councilman for the City of Duluth.
The James J. Maran International Award, recognizing a Gwinnett international company which is active in the local community will be awarded to Hettich America of Buford.
Gwinnett Chamber, Chinese group formalize relationship
Gwinnett Chamber and the Chinese American Business Association of Atlanta (CBAA) have formalized their relationship and commitment to growth for this burgeoning business sector in the community. The CBAA is a nonprofit organization, incorporated in the state of Georgia, that seeks to promote the common interest of Chinese Americans who are either starting or doing business in the U.S.
Both the Gwinnett Chamber and the CBAA work to strengthen business relations through economy, technology and cultural exchanges, and the CBAA provides a direct link to industry abroad, as well as the host of businesses already here and growing.
Jian Ni, president of the CBAA, says: “We are honored and excited about this partnership with the Gwinnett Chamber. We will leverage this partnership to promote and grow our business community in Gwinnett County and thank the Chamber for bringing our diverse community together.”
Partnership Gwinnett and the Gwinnett Chamber have led 19 business, trade, or cultural exchange missions to China over the last 12 years. From these efforts, the community has witnessed the location and/or expansion of 10 companies to include Hisense USA, Ningbo Self Electronics Corporation USA, WOLF Distributing Co., Self Electronics USA, TravelSky, LifeArt Cabinetry, Go Goal Cabinets, Tech-Long, Linhai Powersports, and Ningbo Huige.
GGC named among the “Military Friendly” schools in USA
Georgia Gwinnett College has earned the bronze 2022-2023 “Military Friendly” school designation. The designation is awarded to universities and colleges that are embracing military students and dedicate resources to ensure their success in the classroom and after graduation.
Institutions earning the Military Friendly school designation were evaluated using public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2022-2023 survey, with 665 earning special awards for going above the standard. That list is then provided to service members and their families, helping them select the best college, university, or trade school to receive the education and training needed to pursue a civilian career.
Johnny Richardson, GGC’s director of enrollment communication services, says: “This isn’t the first time we’ve received this designation. It was a collaborative effort amongst departmental and campus partners to gather the information for the survey.”
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
The Man I Knew by Jean Becker
From John Titus, Peachtree Corners: This is a warm, loving look into the post-presidential years of President George H. W. Bush, written by his chief of staff during that time. She describes it as a time of determination, courage, love, hope, humor, fun and big ideas. I particularly enjoyed the description of little-known acts of kindness, loyalty, and care for friends. Family, faith and friends were pillars of his life. If you admired “41”, as I did, or even if you did not, this is an enjoyable book which will give you an inside look at the man and his character.
- An invitation: what books, restaurants, movies or web sites have you enjoyed recently? Send us your recent selection, along with a short paragraph (150 words) as to why you liked this, plus what you plan to visit or read next. Send to: elliott@brack.net
Columbus road eventually named for Primus King
(From previous edition)
The Muscogee County Democratic Party refused to let the Primus King case drop. Chapman’s attorneys then requested that the U.S. Supreme Court review and overturn Sibley’s decision. The high court declined to hear the case on April 1, 1946. In March 1945 the state of Georgia had abolished the $3 poll tax, thereby removing the economic impediment to voting in the state. Primus King’s almost two-year-long struggle against the white primary, paid for by more than $10,000 raised by Brewer and others in the Columbus chapter of the National Association of Colored People (NAACP), now finally eliminated the legal barriers that had stood in the way of Black Georgians’ right to cast ballots in state and local elections.
King was courageous in his confrontation with law officers on Independence Day 1944, and brave in his determination to pursue the case despite threats made against his life. King was not, however, a political activist. He was born on February 5, 1900, to Lucy and Ed King near Hatchechubbee in Russell County, Ala., where his father was a sharecropper. King never received any formal education.
As a boy, he moved with his family to Columbus, where he worked with his father on a crew building the Meritas cotton mill. In 1921 he married Genie Mae King, who later taught for many years in public schools. The couple had one daughter. In his early twenties King worked as a chauffeur and butler for a prominent white family in Columbus. He suffered humiliation in his work as a servant and encountered discrimination as a customer at white-owned eating establishments; these experiences later played a role in his decision to work with Brewer to demand his right to vote.
As a young man King sought to lessen the pain of discrimination by becoming economically independent. He quickly learned barbering by watching others practice the trade and was able to purchase his own shop with his small savings. After his conversion to Christianity during a revival meeting, he became a pastor at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in 1939 and later ministered at Salem Baptist Church. King’s religious faith, he later noted, fortified him for his assault on the white primary. King barbered and ministered long before and after the legal case that put his name in newspapers around the country. He sold the barber shop and retired in 1963. On November 3, 1986, he died in Columbus.
Eventually, honors came to King from the political establishment that had once spurned him. In 1973 Mayor Bob Hydrick proclaimed June 28 as Primus E. King Day in Columbus; in 1977 the Democratic Executive Committee of Muscogee County paid King the $100 plus interest ($324.70) that they owed him; and in 2000 Governor Roy Barnes signed into law a bill naming a stretch of state road in Columbus as the Primus King Highway.
- To view the Georgia Encyclopedia article online, go to https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org
Figure out what goes on within these walls
Not too much was going on when this photograph was taken. However, this area can fill quickly before you know it. Identify where this photo was taken, and tell what goes on within these four walls. Send your idea to elliott@brack.net, and include your hometown.
Four readers spotted the last mystery photo. George Graf of Palmyra, Va. wrote that it was at the “Intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and 6th Street NW in Washington D.C. At the bottom of the building with the black window canopies is the Capital Grille. Although Pennsylvania Avenue extends six miles within Washington, D.C., the expanse between the White House and the Capitol constitutes the ceremonial heart of the nation. Washington called this stretch ‘most magnificent and most convenient.’
“Laid out by Pierre Charles L’Enfant, Pennsylvania Avenue was one of the earliest streets constructed in the Federal City. The first reference to the street as Pennsylvania Avenue comes in a 1791 letter from Thomas Jefferson. One theory is that the street was named for Pennsylvania as consolation for moving the capital from Philadelphia. Both Jefferson and George Washington considered the avenue an important feature of the new capital. After inspecting L’Enfant’s plan, President Washington referred to the thoroughfare as a “Grand Avenue”. Jefferson concurred, and while the “grand avenue” was little more than a wide dirt road ridiculed as “The Great Serbonian Bog”, he planted it with rows of fast-growing Lombardy poplars.”
Others spotting the photo include Susan McBrayer of Sugar Hill; Lou Camerio of Lilburn and Allan Peel of San Antonio, who told us:
“Today’s mystery photo is of a mixed-use commercial and residential building located at 601 Pennsylvania Ave NW. It is directly across the street from the Federal Trade Commission building and approximately halfway between the White House and The Capitol Building. It is home to a number of high-end penthouses and condos, as well as a variety of commercial establishments and legal offices. The most distinctive part of the building in the mystery photo is of the Capital Grille, an upscale steakhouse which is part of an American chain of restaurants owned by Darden Restaurants. Considering its proximity to many of the swamp-filled federal office buildings in DC, I am not sure we really want to discuss what really goes on at this location. Let’s just say that eating quality steaks is likely the least interesting aspect of the shenanigan’s that occur in this establishment.”
Concert for Ukraine by the Gwinnett Symphony Musical Arts Consortium will be Sunday, March 20 at 3:30 p.m. at Discover High School. Admission is free. Donations for Ukraine are being accepted, with 100 percent of the funds raised for Ukraine relief transferred to the Chernivtsi (Ukraine) Symphony Orchestra Foundation for distribution in Ukraine. On the musical program will be works by Copland, Bestor and Barber.
Get yourself a garden: Live Healthy Gwinnett is now accepting applications for the 2022 to 2023 growing season at any of our nine Harvest Gwinnett Community Gardens. Download an application and learn how to reserve a raised plot for $35. Applicants are required to perform 12 hours of community volunteer service annually towards the general care and upkeep of the garden. To learn more, email HarvestGwinnett@GwinnettCounty.com or 678-277-0287.
Vote in 2022: The last day to register to vote in Georgia in the 2022 elections and be eligible to cast a ballot in the May 24 General Primary and Nonpartisan General Election is Monday, April 25. To register to vote online or check your voter registration status, visit the Secretary of State’s website at SOS.GA.gov. Call the Gwinnett Voter Registrations and Elections Office at 678-226-7210 if you have any questions.
Voting information: The Gwinnett Democratic Women (GDW) virtual meeting set for Saturday, March 19 at 9:30 am will feature guest speaker Zachary Manifold, the new Gwinnett Voting and Elections Supervisor. Learn what you need to know to be ready to vote in the May 24, 2022, Georgia primary! Pre-Registration for this virtual meeting event is required. There will be no “day of event” registrations available. Register on the GDW website “Events” page: www.gwinnettdemocraticwomen.org.
Sundays in Suwanee Series with bestselling author Vanessa Riley will take place on Sunday, March 20 at 3 p.m. at the Suwanee Library Branch, 361 Main Street, Suwanee. Join the award-winning author as she discusses her historical novel, Island Queen, based on the true-life story of Dorothy “Doll” Kirwan Thomas, a free Black woman who rose from slavery to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful landowners in the colonial West Indies.
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