ATLANTA – Georgia’s new statewide business court will be fully staffed when it opens its doors next week.
The state House and Senate Judiciary committees Tuesday unanimously confirmed Gov. Brian Kemp’s nomination of Cobb County State Court Clerk Angie Davis as clerk of the new court.
“The thought of helping write the playbook in this new court is exciting,” Davis said shortly before the vote. “I’m up for the task. I have the experience and skill set to take on the role.”
The General Assembly passed a constitutional amendment in 2018 after an advisory council headed by Attorney General Chris Carr recommended a statewide business court as a way to expedite the handling of cases requiring expertise in business law. Georgia voters ratified the amendment that November.
About a year ago, Kemp nominated Walter Davis, a partner in the Atlanta office of Jones Day, to become the business court’s sole judge.
Both Walter Davis and former state Attorney General Sam Olens, who worked with Angie Davis back when he was chairman of the Cobb County Commission, gave her strong endorsements during Tuesday’s confirmation hearing.
“[She] excels at everything she does,” Olens said. “She is a mentor to her office and a leader in her office.”
Angie Davis said the experience she gained bringing technology to the Cobb County State Court will help her launch the new business court from the ground up. She began an e-filing system for civil cases in Cobb in 2016 and followed with e-filing of criminal cases earlier this year, she said.
Walter Davis said technology will be key to the success of the Atlanta-based one-judge business court, particularly with the coronavirus pandemic limiting face-to-face interactions.
“We were built for video-conferencing and audio-conferencing, engaging the public in a different way,” he said. “We were built for this challenging time.”
The first job for the new court will be promoting itself to other courts throughout the state.
Walter Davis said his goal for the number of cases the business court receives is somewhere between the 20 to 30 cases per year the business court in Fulton County handles and the 200 to 250 cases the highly successful North Carolina business court takes on each year, although that caseload is divided among seven judges.
“There is a backlog in the court system now,” he said. “We’ve got an open highway. My hope is people will show faith and use the business court.”
ATLANTA – The Georgia Ports Authority set a tonnage record during the last fiscal year despite the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
For fiscal 2020, which ended last month, the ports of Savannah and Brunswick handled an all-time high 37.77 million tons of cargo, up 233,000 tons – or 0.6% – compared to fiscal 2019.
The record came despite a slight downturn in the number of twenty-foot equivalent container units that moved through the Port of Savannah, a decrease driven by the global pandemic that began taking a toll on commercial shipping in March.
“Cargo volume reductions related to COVID-19 were offset by the strength of our export markets and record volumes earlier in the year,” Griff Lynch, the ports authority’s executive director, said Monday.
Meanwhile, growth continues in and around the Port of Savannah.
The first nine of 18 tracks at the $126.7 million Mason Mega Rail project are now moving cargo at the port. When complete, the project will increase Georgia’s reach to a mid-American arc of cities, including Chicago, St. Louis and Columbus, Ohio.
Also, two new mobile harbor cranes have been added to Savannah’s Ocean Terminal, and a new container yard will be completed at Ocean Terminal by the end of the year.
Twenty new rubber-tired gantry cranes are due to arrive in Savannah by December, and three new rail-mounted gantry cranes are scheduled to go into service by the end of the current fiscal year next summer.
Just outside of the port, 5 million square feet of industrial space are currently under construction. The latest announcement came from Port City Logistics, which is investing $80 million in a 1.1 million square-foot warehouse.
“What sets Savannah apart from the competition is the sheer capacity of the port’s ever-expanding footprint, on and off the terminal,” said Will McKnight, the authority’s board chairman. “Not only are we focused on the future and providing even greater value to our customers, but we have nearly unlimited potential and capacity to grow our business.”
On the other side of the state, the Appalachian Regional Port (ARP) near Chatsworth handled more than three and a half times the cargo in fiscal 2020 as the year before, moving 27,132 containers by rail. The inland rail terminal, which opened nearly two years ago, allows the authority to reduce truck traffic on Georgia’s highways by diverting cargo to rail.
“As more customers learn the value the ARP brings to their operations, the facility continues to gain traction and build momentum,” Lynch said. “We forecast business there to continue growing.”
ATLANTA – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jon Ossoff has tested negative for coronavirus, Ossoff announced on Twitter late Monday.
Ossoff was tested for COVID-19 on Saturday after his wife, Emory University ob-gyn Dr. Alisha Kramer, tested positive for the virus.
Both self-quarantined during the weekend at their Atlanta home, as Kramer’s symptoms steadily improved.
“Alisha is still doing OK,” Ossoff tweeted. “Today, she’s even been able to remotely consult some patients.”
Ossoff is challenging Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., in the November election. The Democrat won his party’s primary last month in a crowded field, avoiding an August runoff by capturing a majority of the vote.
Perdue, who is seeking a second six-year term, was unopposed in June’s Republican primary.
ATLANTA – A Utah-based maker of mattresses and pillows will build its first East Coast plant in Georgia, Gov. Brian Kemp announced Monday.
Purple Innovation Inc. will invest $21 million in a 520,000-square-foot facility in Henry County. The new plant is expected to create 360 jobs in the south side of metro Atlanta.
Purple Innovation was formed in 2015 by two brothers with extensive experience in materials science, Tony and Terry Pearce. It uses a patented gel technology – the Purple Grid – to provide support without sacrificing comfort.
“It’s a pleasure to welcome an all-American success story like Purple to the extensive list of advanced manufacturers using innovative technologies and skills to create in-demand products right here in Georgia,” Kemp said.
Joe Megibow, the company’s CEO, said Purple Innovation spent a lot of time searching for a suitable site for its first East Coast plant before settling on McDonough.
“It was important to find a community of hardworking and talented individuals who could help us bring the factory to life,” Megibow said. “The community of Henry County has proven that this is the right place to make our investment for Purple’s future.”
Purple sells its products directly to customers through its website, purple.com, and through wholesale partners and Purple showrooms across the country. The company is expanding to the East Coast to meet customer demand.
“Advanced manufacturing has always been an integral part of Henry County’s economy,” said Pierre Clements, chairman of the Henry County Development Authority. “Purple will be a great addition.”
The company expects the new plant to be fully operational next year.
ATLANTA – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jon Ossoff was still waiting Monday to find out whether he has coronavirus, two days after being tested for COVID-19.
Ossoff, who is challenging Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., said he was told to expect a result from the test within two to four days. He was tested on Saturday after his wife, Dr. Alisha Kramer, an ob-gyn at Emory University, tested positive for COVID-19.
Ossoff noted that some people have received results from COVID-19 tests quickly, while others have had to wait up to two weeks.
“In order to respond to this crisis, we need to get fast results for everybody,” he said. “We need elected officials to listen to and implement scientific expertise.”
In keeping with that theme, the Ossoff campaign released its second general-election ad on Monday, accusing Perdue of echoing misinformation President Donald Trump has disseminated during the coronavirus pandemic downplaying the threat posed by the virus.
The ad “Echo” alternates sound bites Trump has delivered on the low risks posed by COVID-19 with nearly identical quotes from Perdue.
For his part, Perdue charged Ossoff in a news release Monday with falsely claiming legislation Perdue introduced in the Senate last week would deny federal grants to schools that do not reopen immediately to in-person instruction.
“It’s puzzling that Jon Ossoff would be against a good faith proposal that gives our schools, teachers and parents the tools they need to reopen safely now and in the coming weeks,” said Casey Black, a senior spokeswoman for the Perdue campaign. “The SCHOOL Act uses guidelines recommended by the [federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention], pediatric health-care experts and local school officials and provides the resources to reopen with confidence.”
Meanwhile, Ossoff said his wife has been improving steadily during the last three days since testing positive for coronavirus.
Ossoff said his decision to self-quarantine after his wife tested positive is not affecting his campaign.
“I was already in de facto quarantine,” he said. “I haven’t done a public campaign event in more than a month.”
Ossoff won the Democratic nomination to oppose Perdue last month. Perdue was unopposed for the Republican nod for a second six-year term.
