By Amanda Brown Olmstead
NORCROSS, Ga., May 12, 2023 | Local business and civic leaders will pay tribute to President Jimmy Carter by staging an exhibition of the new honorary banners that line a two-mile stretch of Jimmy Carter Boulevard. The event will be on May 23 at 10 a.m. at the parking lot of Global Mall in Norcross, right on the street named for the 39th president of the United States, the only one from Georgia.
Among the dignitaries who will be on the program will be Andrew Young, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations; Jason Carter, chair of the Carter Center Board of Trustees and grandson of the president; Jonathan Reckford, president of Habitat for Humanity; and Nicole Love Hendrickson, chair of the Gwinnett County Commission. They will join Emory Morsberger, executive director of Gateway85 Community Improvement District and Shiv Aggarwal, chairman of that Board, to pay tribute to President Carter by staging the exhibition of the new honorary banners on Jimmy Carter Boulevard.
Originally called the Norcross-Tucker Highway and Rockbridge Road, Jimmy Carter Boulevard has become a major hub for economic prosperity and cultural diversity for Metro Atlanta and Gwinnett County —the most diverse county in the state. As were many roads in Gwinnett up until after World War II, this byway was once a dirt road. Now this gateway to Gwinnett at Interstate 85 has become a four-lane thoroughfare.
This event will honor President Carter and will reflect how concerted development efforts have made Jimmy Carter Boulevard a “Gateway to Commerce and Culture,” bolstering the county’s economic stature. There will be comments from Gateway85 CID leadership explaining the significance of Jimmy Carter Boulevard’s contributions to Gwinnett County’s economic, cultural, and social vibrancy. In addition to the history of Jimmy Carter Boulevard, representatives will talk about the impact the area has had on technology companies locating there – beginning with Western Electric opening their facility in the early 1970s.
Jimmy Carter Boulevard, the most significant of the eight streets around the world named for President Carter, stands as a touchstone in Carter’s legacy of championing human rights across the globe. The other streets named for President Carter are in Mila Doce, Tex., Knoxville, Tenn., Raleigh, N.C., Cuthbert, Valdosta and Plains, Ga., and in Abuja, Nigeria.
The eclectic workforce along Jimmy Carter Boulevard and in the Gateway 85 CID have over 3,000 businesses that employ more than 47,000 people – representing 16 per cent of Gwinnett County’s job force.
The banners are Gateway85 CID’s latest activation meant to highlight the corridor’s financial stability and range in services and business, from logistics centers and restaurants to tech companies and retail stores. Persons interested in learning more about the area and Gateway85 should call 770-409-8100.
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