By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | You may not be able to go back in time, but it was near that Saturday night in Duluth. Red Clay Theater audience members thoroughly enjoyed “Mayberry Moments,” a throwback to the days of the original Andy Griffith show. The theatre was packed, laughing and appreciating bluegrass music.
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | Groundbreakings were once not what they are today.
One of my first groundbreakings we thought was quite an occurrence. At a weekly newspaper, we were growing and had run out of room, needing to add space to our building. The three male stockholders decided to make it a public occasion, and asked our wives to come and “break the ground.”
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | There’s something about staying in a family-run hotel that just beats the chain-run stays. Older hotels have their own charm, such as the Monteleone in New Orleans, the DeSoto in Savannah, the Fairmont and the Sir Frances Drake in San Francisco, and even the Henry Grady in Atlanta. You probably have your own favorite.
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | It may be one of the most important books of recent times, in that is shows our country what big money can do in government. The book is Dark Money, by Jane Mayer, a staff writer for The New Yorker. The subtitle is The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right.
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | How much do you know about the Atlanta Braves baseball team, and its history? Veteran Sports Reporter Ross Atkin in the Christian Science Monitor ran a quiz about the Braves, which we found most interesting. There were 25 questions, all multiple choice, with the right answer popping up after you made your choice.
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | It’s a beautiful story of a Mexican and his wife coming to this country, working hard, and finding success. He’s one of the most achieving of Gwinnett businessmen, building a multi-company empire since arriving at Georgia Tech to pursue a master’s in engineering in 1980.
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | Though Jim Ellis has 13 auto dealerships around Atlanta, many of them are concentrated on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard at I-285. Here’s why.
Jim says: “Once we started getting multiple brands, in those days you had to physically visit each dealership each day to look over the accounting and check the sales. It was far different than today. Now with the Internet, you can examine the books no matter where you are. So we originally grouped the dealerships close together as an advantage. Today it also helps having them close, for we can easily offer common training to the different staffs.”
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | Drive off I-285 toward Atlanta on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, and immediately there is a host of Jim Ellis auto dealerships, to eight all, bunched together. Over in Cobb County, there are four more Jim Ellis dealerships, and another in Buford, for a total of 13 in all, with 12 brands. (Click here to see all dealerships).
So people ask, “Who is Jim Ellis?”
By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | Gwinnett motorists going into Atlanta will have to find new routing after a portion of the Interstate 85 collapsed last Thursday from a fire under the bridge. It drastically affected Express bus routes originating from Gwinnett.
GC Transit says that all Express bus routes from Gwinnett will not operated via I-85 to I-295 to I-20, with return buses running in the opposite direction. Plan extra time for all Express trips.
“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”
— Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874-1965), via Lee Klaer, Duluth.
Gwinnett Forum publisher Elliott Brack suggests Gwinnett County needs a long-range list of continuing objectives for improving the county. His 2025 list:
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