East Cobb Business

The Coder School East Cobb to celebrate 5th anniversary

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The Coder School East Cobb 5th anniversary

The 5th anniversary of The Coder School in East Cobb will be observed this month with a special Halloween costume event.

The franchised afterschool coding program, is inviting students from its locations in East Cobb at the Shallowford Falls Shopping Center (3142 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 430) as well as Johns Creek and Suwanee on Saturday, Oct. 29 from 4-7 p.m. in their costumes.

Once at the event, costume contest participants will get their pictures made to be posted online for a virtual vote.

“The parties will be going simultaneously and the vote will take place online,” said Jerry Massey, The Coder School franchisee at all three locations. “We will tally up the votes from all three centers to choose one final winner.”

The winners at each location will receive a portable video game console.

“This is just a fun event we wanted to do for our kids to celebrate our anniversary,” he said. “Not only will there be cake, goodies and games, but we will also award the winner of the best costume contest with a new Nintendo Switch Lite.”

Massey and his wife Kim started the East Cobb location in 2017. The Coder School, which is based in Silicon Valley, teaches coding to children ages 8-16 and has more than 50 locations in 15 states.

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New Paper Mill Village flower studio to hold grand opening

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New Paper Mill Village flower decor studio opening

What’s new at Paper Mill Village:

We noted that plans for a two-story Starbucks have been delayed until the November zoning calendar and that the owners of Camps Kitchen & Bar have purchased Moxie Taco from the Moxie Restaurant Group and will be renaming it the Green Coyote Cantina.

In another part of the retail center, a new shop is holding its grand opening this week. It’s the second location of the Rose Jasmine Flower and Decor Studio, and two days of events are taking place Friday and Saturday from 12-4.

It’s located at 255 Village Parkway, Suite 740, next to Fit for Life Personal Training, and offers what it calls “chic, elegant and modern arrangements.” Rose Jasmine claims to be the first “24/7 availability flower shop in Atlanta.”

The grand opening festivities include music, appetizers, champagne, raffle prizes, gift cards to use at the store and a wrapped arrangement master class by founder and owner Anastasia Sudarikova.

Visitors also can go to a DIY floral station to prepare their own signature wrapped arrangements for a discounted price.

Sudarikova opened the first Rose Jasmine store in Owings Mills, Md. in 2017. Rose Jasmine specializes in fresh boxed arrangements for same-day delivery by couriers wearing white gloves. The store also sells floral complements like balloons and rose petals, preserved and dried florals and a variety of boxes and arrangements.

Online orders and curbside pickup service are available.

The store hours are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and couriers can deliver 24/7.

Phone: (404) 494-6473.

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Crumbl Cookies to open second East Cobb location at Parkaire

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Crumbl Cookies to open Parkaire Landing

A second East Cobb location of Crumbl Cookies will be opening soon in the Parkaire Landing Shopping Center.

The Utah-based chain, which opened its first shop in 2017, will be moving into the former Cold Stone Creamery space at 640 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 110, next to Ted’s Montana Grill.

Cold Stone Creamery’s signage disappeared last week, and although Parkaire Landing hasn’t removed the store from its directory the store’s website said it’s “temporarily closed.”

A response from Crumbl to an inquiry from East Cobb News said that “this store is still in the early stages. . . we are at the very beginning and months away from opening. . . permits, buildout and staffing still ahead.”

Crumbl Cookies makes fresh-baked cookies on premises, allowing customers to watch. After starting with a single product—chocolate chip cookies—Crumbl has grown its product line to include a rotating menu, and with ubiquitous pink carry-out and curbside pickup boxes.

Aggressive social media campaigns, especially on TikTok, also have helped Crumbl Cookies’ rapid expansion to nearly 600 locations nationwide.

Locally, Crumbl Cookies has opened at Sandy Plains MarketPlace, as well as Kennesaw and Marietta.

East Cobb News also has left a message with Cold Stone Creamery.

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As Moxie Burger restaurants expand, Moxie Taco is sold

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Moxie Taco restaurant sold

The Moxie Restaurant Group opened its fourth Moxie Burger location last month in the Kennesaw area.

On Tuesday, the East Cobb-based company announced it has sold its Moxie Taco restaurant at Paper Mill Village.

In a Facebook message Tuesday morning, the Moxie Restaurant Group said that the new owners are those who operate Camps Kitchen and Bar next door.

The new name of the restaurant will be the Green Coyote Cantina, and it will have a similar menu.

“We’ve truly loved building Moxie Taco into a favorite neighborhood restaurant within the East Cobb community and are so thankful for everyone who supported Moxie Taco with their visits, parties, and catering,” the Moxie Restaurant Group message said. “We ultimately made the difficult decision to sell, so that we can focus our efforts on putting Moxie Burger locations into more local community neighborhoods.

“The decision was made easier by knowing it will be handed over to seasoned, successful owners, who are passionate about the concept,” the Moxie message said. “We know our loyal MT customers will be in the best of hands.”

Robert Caswick, a co-owner of Camps, told East Cobb News that his ownership team, the MooCoo Group, took over operations of Moxie Taco last week and has begun a gradual transition to the Green Coyote Cantina.

The restaurant is open from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily, and Caswick said hours will expand “once we are staffed up.”

He said the menu (see below) will feature scratch Tex-Mex entrees and specialty margaritas.

“We’re smoking meats in-house and have a margarita menu like no one else” he said. “We love East Cobb and are excited to serve the community we’ve met through Camp’s Kitchen & Bar.”

He said the interior of the Green Coyote will be updated gradually over the coming months during off-hours to make it resemble “a Far West Texas cantina.”

There also will be an expansion of the back patio overlooking the Paper Mill pond.

Moxie Taco opened in 2017 as La Novia Taqueria, then changed the name to reflect the Moxie brand.

Moxie Burger was started by Pope High School graduate Chas D’Huyvetter, who opened his first gourmet hamburger restaurant at Paper Mill Village in 2011.

The newest Moxie Burger is located at 1600 Kennesaw Due West Road, joining other locations on Shallowford Road near Lassiter High School and in Roswell.

The Moxie Restaurant Group message Tuesday said that there are “more to follow soon.”

East Cobb News has left a message with Moxie Burger.

‘How to Do Business With Cobb’ seminar includes Cobb schools

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Cobb County.Government and the Cobb County School District are teaming up to hold a “How to Do Business With Cobb” seminar on Oct. 12.

The seminar takes place from 5-7 p.m. at the Cobb Senior Wellness Center (1150 Powder Springs Street, Marietta) and is free to the public. 

The seminars, conducted with assistance from the Cobb government purchasing department, assist local businesses seeking contracts as vendors.

Space is limited. To RSVP for the seminar, send an e-mail to Kimberly.Jorgensen@cobbcounty.org or call 770-528-3317.

How to Do Business With Cobb seminar

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East Cobb resident joins boutique commercial real estate advisory

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Anna Hunt, Atlanta commercial real estate firm

East Cobb resident Anna Hunt has been named an associate at terra alma, a commercial real estate advisory based in Alpharetta that specializes in emerging retail and restaurant brands.

She had previously worked at Van Michael Salons as a hair stylist and in a management capacity and has a decade of experience in customer relations and in building relationships.

“I’ll have a hand in transactions from the beginning and the opportunity to work with unique, exciting clients,” Hunt said in a release. “Best of all, I’m not just a number and not doing landlord work like I would have been doing at a bigger firm. I get the opportunity to work all over Atlanta with cool developments.”

Edie Weintraub, terra firma’s founder and Chief Community Builder, said Hunt’s “enthusiasm and eagerness are contagious.”

Hunt attended Valdosta State University and Georgia Perimeter College. She holds a cosmetology license from Aveda and is a former member of the Atlanta Board of Realtors.

She and her husband have two dogs and a cat and they enjoy hiking in North Georgia, taking the dogs on long walks, hiking, camping, exploring the great outdoors and traveling around the country.

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Cobb Police detective named 2022 public safety employee of the year

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2022 Cobb public safety employee of the year
Cobb Police Det. Zachary Stannard. Photo: Karl L. Moore/Mooreshots LLC, courtesy Cobb Chamber of Commerce

A Cobb Police detective who linked a double murder to the stabbing of a police officer, leading to the apprehension of the suspect, was named the 2022 public safety employee of the year Monday by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce.

The award, according to a Cobb Chamber release, “is given to an employee who has performed his or her job with exceptional skill, exhibited leadership and critical incident management and a devotion to their responsibilities.

Det. Zachary Stannard was called to investigate the double murder of a Cherokee firefighter and his wife in November in a north Cobb home, the day before a Sandy Springs police officer was stabbed in the face and neck.

Initially the cases were not connected, but Matthew Lanz, 22, of Acworth was taken into custody two days later and charged in both incidents.

He was indicted on 13 counts by a Cobb grand jury in April, including malice murder in the slayings of Timothy and Amber Hicks.

Lanz also has been indicted on 35 counts in Fulton County, including attempted murder.

“Detective Stannard worked for days without rest to deliver justice for the family of the deceased,” the Cobb Chamber release states, including keeping “the family updated throughout his investigation and even attended the funeral of the victims.

Earlier last year, Stannard responded to the murder of a father who was shot while driving with his daughter in their car. The detective eventually identified the vehicles of the suspects and tracked them several hundred miles away.

“Detective Stannard maintains a fierce devotion to aid the citizens of Cobb County. Long hours and stressful cases can certainly demoralize many in the law enforcement profession. However, he has shown his ongoing desire to serve as the voice of those who cannot speak for themselves, and he provides closure for the families of his victims. Detective Stannard’s dedication, exceptional skill and expertise are what make him the incredible public servant he is to Cobb.”

The Award of Merit was given to the Cobb Fire and Emergency Service’s Squad 7 and Rescue 23 for their lifesaving actions during a house fire.

Cobb Emergency Communications Officer Theresa Carcioppolo was named the recipient of the Outstanding Community Contribution Award for her work educating children and adults about the 911 industry.

The Cobb Chamber luncheon on Monday included a tribute to the two Cobb Sheriff’s deputies who were killed last month in the line of duty. You can see that presentation below.

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Kyle Wright of Braves to appear at East Cobb Flying Biscuit

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The Atlanta Braves are playing host to the New York Mets at Truist Park this weekend in a big series that likely will determine the winner of the National League Eastern Division.Kyle Wright, East Cobb Flying Biscuit

The Flying Biscuit Cafe in East Cobb is marking a big slate of events in October during its grand reopening, and has snagged one of the team’s stars to make an appearance this Sunday.

Pitcher Kyle Wright, the only player in Major League Baseball with 20 wins this season, will sign autographs and meet with fans Sunday starting at 10 a.m. at Flying Biscuit, located at Parkaire Landing Shopping Center (4880 Lower Roswell Road, Suite 70).

Wright won his 21st game Saturday as the Braves defeated the Mets 4-1 to take a one-game lead with four games remaining for each team in the regular season.

The Braves and Mets will play Sunday night at 7 p.m. in a nationally televised game on ESPN.

Flying Biscuit opened at Parkaire Landing in March 2021 but closed in August for a month to undergo training following an ownership and management change.

The restaurant kicks off a month of specials this week that include $1 and $5 meals. Gift giveaways are scheduled for next week, and the promotions are updated on its Facebook page.

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East Cobb teen learns business, life skills with plant sales

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East Cobb teen plant sales business
Drew Collins is learning the ropes of running a business that he and his father David, a horticulturalist, started four years ago.

On the first Saturday of the fall, Drew Collins moves about rows of native perennial plants aligned in a portion of a community park in his East Cobb neighborhood.

As customers browse nearly 200 species of plants—from Black-Eyed Susans to Yarrow “Peter Cottontails” and many others in between—the 14-year-old answers questions and helps place items on wagons.

What’s called “Drew’s Plant Sale” are the semi-annual fruits of his labor growing and tending to a sprawling nursery in the back yard of his home in Fox Hills, an enterprise that has expanded due to word-of-mouth referrals and making connections with local garden clubs.

(Here’s a list of what was available for last weekend’s sale.)

While Drew has been around the plant world all his life—his father David is a long-time horticulturalist at Fernbank Science Center—the freshman at Fellowship Christian School in Roswell is gaining valuable experience as he earns money for college.

East Cobb teen plant sale business
“Drew’s Plant Sale” includes descriptive information about each plant, including several varieties of the Canna Lily.

“It was something to do and it was pretty fun,” Drew explains about getting serious about plant-raising that started at the age of nine, with a few basic herbs.

His father saw something more, and they parlayed it into a local business venture.

For the last four years they have held sales in April and September; on Saturday, more than 1,500 plants were on display.

“I told him, ‘If we’re going to do this, let’s have some goals,’ ” David Collins said. First up was raising enough money from the initial sales to purchase a truck to transport the plants.

They started with 500 plants sold at their home, but two years ago required more room. The Fox Hills park comprises seven acres along Sope Creek where homes were demolished after the area was declared to be in a flood plain.

This year Drew grew more than 2,000 plants, and next year the aim is to double that. David Collins didn’t want to divulge dollar figures from the sales, but said that “we’re two-and-a-half years ahead” of where they thought they would be financially.

Drew is self-funding the business with proceeds from past sales, and has been making presentations to community groups, including the Sope Creek Garden Club.

The work is physically challenging. Setting up for the sale took several days, and David Collins said the biggest issue is that they’re running out of room in their backyard nursery, which includes a greenhouse for unsold plants.

While the teen is soft-spoken and shy, his father sees him growing in many ways in having to deal with the public.

In his years as an educator, David Collins sees young people struggling to communicate with others, especially adults. Giving teens the confidence during what for many of them is an awkward time in their lives is invaluable.

Drew hasn’t started thinking about where he might go to college, and for now he says he relishes learning and growing with every stage as his business develops.

“I don’t know if Drew will go into this” professionally, his father said. “But there are so many life lessons that he is learning from this.”

East Cobb teen plant sale business

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UrgentVet to open pet clinic at East Cobb Crossing

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UrgentVet opening East Cobb Crossing

An urgent care clinic for pets will be opening soon at East Cobb Crossing Shopping Center.

UrgentVet, which says it’s the first dedicated urgent care clinic for pets in the country, will open at 4363 Roswell Road, Suite 100, on Sept. 29.

The Belmont, N.C.-based company founded in 2015 has 20 existing locations, including 8 in North Carolina, 11 in Florida and one in Texas.

UrgentVet provides after-hours emergency and specialty veterinary care. A company release said that “UrgentVet clinics routinely treat vomiting, diarrhea, lacerations, wounds, and skin and ear problems among many other presenting complaints.”

UrgentVet East Cobb will have 2,200 square feet (a couple doors down from the Dog City Bakery) with five exam rooms and a comfort room. The exam rooms include dimmable lighting for anxious animals and relaxing music.

The facility also will include an in-house diagnostic lab, digital X-ray machine, ultrasound and cloud-based medical record-keeping software.

UrgentVet is open 365 days a year—from 3 -11 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, and 12-8 p.m. on holidays. A clinic in Cumming is opening on Thursday.

“It feels so good to expand the UrgentVet footprint into a new state, and Georgia is a place that we’ve wanted to be for a long time,”  UrgentVet founder Dr. Jim Dobies said in the release. “Opening clinics in Cumming and East Cobb make sense for so many reasons, and we couldn’t be more excited about giving pet parents in the north Atlanta suburbs a new after-hours option for their dogs and cats.”

No appointments are necessary for UrgentVet, and pet owners who check in online can request to receive a text message when their arrival time approaches.

The company claims that UrgentVet veterinarians and support staff are “Fear Free Certified Professionals,” meaning that skilled in caring for the pet’s physical and emotional well-being.

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Warby Parker store at The Avenue East Cobb to open Saturday

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Warby Parker store opens The Avenue East Cobb

The Warby Parker eyeglass retail store at The Avenue East Cobb (4475 Roswell Road) is opening this Saturday, Sept. 24.

According to a company release, it will be the fifth Warby Parker store in Georgia, joining locations in Buckhead, Westside  Atlanta, Ponce City Market and Perimeter Mall.

The East Cobb store will be in Suite 205, between the Versona store and Ansley Atlanta Real Estate.

Warby Parker offers customers eye exams and sells a full line of optical eyewear and sunglasses, as well as contact lenses and accessories.

The store also features custom artwork by Atlanta artist and muralist George F. Baker III.  

Opening hours for The Avenue East Cobb Warby Parker store are 11-7 Monday-Saturday and 12-6 Sunday.

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Electric vehicle charging stations installed at Parkaire Landing

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Parkaire Landing electric vehicle charging stations

A handful of public electric vehicle charging stations in East Cobb are primarily centered along Johnson Ferry Road.

The latest are at Parkaire Landing Shopping Center, where two free Volta charging stations have been installed in the corner of the parking lot closest to the East Cobb Library.

They provide a Level 2 charge, delivering 6.2 to 19.2 kilowatts, requiring a 208-240 Volt, 40 Amp circuit.

According to Evocharge, an EV charging station manufacturer, a Level 2 charge typically provides 32 miles of driving range per hour of charge, and takes an estimated 6-8 hours to fully charge.

Most electric vehicles are equipped with a Level 1 charge that provides a 1.2 kilowatt charge using a common household 120-volt circuit and provides typically four hours of driving range per hour of charge. The estimated time for a full charge is 11-20 hours.

Based in San Francisco, Volta has nearly 3,000 free EV charging stations across the country, including nearly 200 in metro Atlanta. Volta also has installed six chargers at Six Flags Whitewater and four at Town Center at Cobb.

Other EV charging stations in East Cobb charge customers to use their stations.

SemaConnect has installed two Level 2 stations at Woodlawn Point Shopping Center (1100 Johnson Ferry Road) that costs $1.50 an hour.

The same cost applies for two Level 2 chargers at the Koala Express Shell Station (1280 Johnson Ferry Road).

At Merchants Walk (1311 Johnson Ferry Road), there are two ChargePoint Level 2 chargers at the front entrance to the Kohl’s department store. The cost is $1.25 an hour.

The AAA Car Care Plus at 1197 Johnson Ferry Road has two EVGo Level 3 chargers. Those are considered the fastest chargers. An EVGo membership is required, and there are various levels of charging rates available.

Charge Hub, which helps EV drivers find charging stations, has created an interactive map. Other East Cobb-area EV stations include the Walgreens at 2975 Delk Road, the Franklin Gateway Sports Complex and GE Complex at Wildwood Office Park.

EV owners are encouraged to check with each charging station provider for availability, pricing and reservations before heading to the pumps.

More information can also be found at Drive Electric Georgia and Kelley Blue Book.

According to Axios, an estimated 30,000 electric vehicles are registered in Georgia, around three percent of all vehicles, and that number has grown rapidly.

Rivian, an electric truck manufacturer based in California, is building a $5 billion plant in Morgan and Walton counties in Georgia. It’s expected to open in 2024, and is aiming to produce 400,000 vehicles a year there and employ more than 7,500 people.

Rivian, which received more than $1.5 billion in state tax incentives in the largest industrial project in Georgia, has drawn opposition for environmental reasons, and from locals who don’t want their rural way of life to be affected.

California recently became the first state in the country to ban the production of gasoline-fueled vehicles, by 2035, and other states could follow suit.

Georgia is not among those states that have tied state laws to federal vehicle emissions standards.

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PHOTOS: Groundbreaking celebration at The Avenue East Cobb

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The Avenue East Cobb groundbreaking celebration

Amid the sounds of tinkling champagne classes and a jazz band, East Cobbers, local dignitaries and shop owners at The Avenue East Cobb gathered Thursday afternoon to kick off a new era for the major retail center.

As an honorary wrecking ball—signed by many of the attendees—slammed into a window of the former Bravura store, and green and white confetti rained down on what will be a public plaza.

That’s at the heart of a reimagined and expanded “Central Boulevard” concept that includes events, two “jewel box” buildings with patio-centric restaurants and retail space and valet parking.

The Avenue East Cobb groundbreaking celebration
Guests were shown renderings of what will be the The Avenue East Cobb’s public plaza and other redevelopment features.

Cobb commissioners in June approved a site plan change at The Avenue, which is being managed by North American Properties, developer of Avalon and redeveloper of Atlantic Station and Colony Square.

East Cobb-area representatives Jerica Richardson and JoAnn Birrell spoke, and were given the honors of taking sledgehammers to the windows.

The Avenue East Cobb groundbreaking celebration
Commissioners Jerica Richardson and JoAnn Birrell with representatives of North American Properties, including CEO Tim Perry (center).

The Avenue East Cobb opened in 1999, and much like its other projects, NAP wants it to become a “destination” location, not just for shopping, but dining, entertainment and congregating with friends and family.

The redevelopment is expected to be complete by early next year.

The Avenue East Cobb groundbreaking celebration
Serving champagne on stilts.
The Avenue East Cobb groundbreaking celebration
Signing the wrecking ball.

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Fragrance company Arylessence to expand NE Cobb campus

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Arylessence expands Northeast Cobb campus

After receiving a $27 million bond issue from the Development Authority of Cobb County, the fragrance and flavor company Arylessence announced Tuesday it’s expanding its campus in Northeast Cobb.

The bonds—and nearly $1.5 million in tax abatements over the next decade—were approved after Arylessence announced the construction of a new 54.000-square-foot building.

According to a release issued by the Cobb Chamber of Commerce, the new facility will include greater manufacturing capacity, a receiving facility, office spaces and other amenities.

The project will create an additional 30 jobs for Arylessence, which moved to its present facility at 1091 Lake Drive—near the intersection of Canton Road and Jamerson Road—in 1986, after starting out in Smyrna in the late 1970s.

Arylessence “creates and manufactures custom fragrances and flavors for products in the personal care, pharmaceutical, home fragrance, food and beverage and industrial and institutional markets,” according to the Chamber, selling products in 57 countries.

Arylessence last expanded in 2018 with the opening of its Fragrance Research and Development Center.

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Lockheed presents $1.6B bond proposal to Cobb school board

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Lockheed bond proposals
Tony Frese, vice president of business development, Lockheed-Martin Corp. and a Walton HS graduate.

What could be the largest package of bond and tax incentives in the history of the Development Authority of Cobb County was explained to the Cobb Board of Education Thursday.

There were a lot of “ifs” and “woulds” mentioned by officials from the Development Authority and the Lockheed Martin Corp. during a board work session.

That’s because Lockheed has only bid for a wide range of federal defense contracts that the company said could net Cobb government and schools more than $51 million in additional tax revenue over 26 years.

The proposal is codenamed “Project Mike.” Next week Lockheed will formally request the Development Authority’s approval of $1.6 billion in bonds and tax abatements, contingent upon a decision expected in the next few months by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Proposed tax abatements also come to the school board as a courtesy and don’t require a vote.

During the presentation, Tony Frese, Lockheed’s vice president of business development, told school board members that the federal projects it is seeking entail “next generation air dominance” and include classified high-tech work.

He rattled off some of the aeronautics’ giants current projects, noting that “some day they will come to an end . . . and we have to secure our future.”

Frese boasted of being a graduate of Walton High School, which gave him opportunities to attend Georgia Tech, become an aerospace engineer and work for Lockheed for 37 years.

He said that if Lockheed gets the contracts, it could add between 500 to more than 3,000 jobs by 2042.

When Frese was asked by vice chairman David Banks about the disparity in those figures, he said they depend on how many federal contracts Lockheed may receive.

The contracts would enable Lockheed, he said, “to attract the very best in aerospace engineers and talent and a wide spectrum of other high-tech opportunities.”

These opportunities, Frese said, “have been real for me, and with your support they will be real for many generations to come.”

Lockheed also would be spending more than $400 million to upgrade its Marietta plant on South Cobb Drive to accommodate the new workforce and projects.

When companies seek tax breaks from the Cobb Development Authority, they usually take place over a 10-year period.

Should Lockheed receive the contracts, those breaks would extend over 26 years, authority executive director Nelson Geter told the board.

“It’s beneficial to begin the abatement when the capital investment is to start,” Geter said, referring to the $400 million. “That’s why you’re seeing a 26-year cycle, instead of a 10-year cycle, because the last expenses associated with this project will occur 16 years after the original period [expires].

“It’s not a common but a proper process that we use when major capital investments are made over a period of time instead of one capital investment up front.”

Authority board member Clark Hungerford said the body wants to do “whatever we can do to assist [Lockheed] in setting up the bid to be as competitive as possible.”

Board chairman David Chastain, a proposal analyst for Lockheed, recused himself from the discussion.

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The Music Studio Atlanta to open second location in East Cobb

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The Music Studio Atlanta East Cobb

The Music Studio Atlanta, which offers music lessons to youths and adults, is opening a second location in East Cobb in September.

The new studio is located at the Pavilions of East Lake Shopping Center (2100 Roswell Road Suite 1128) and there will be a continuous open house starting on Monday up until the formal opening.

The business offers lessons in a wide range of instruments and includes a lounge, a professional front desk staff and performance opportunities.

Lessons will be offered seven days a week from fully credentialed musical teachers and the studio is “fully stocked” with instruments and sheet music.

The Music Studio Atlanta opened in Vinings in 2011 as a division of the Courtnay and Rowe in-home music academy.

The open houses will take place Monday-Saturday from 2-6 p.m. until the studio officially opens on Sept. 6.

Phone: 404-630-3886; Facebook and Instagram.

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East Cobb audiologist recognized by Cobb Young Professionals

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East Cobb audiologist Next Generation Award

Dr. Melissa Wikoff, the founder and director of audiology at Peachtree Hearing in East Cobb, has been named a Next Generation Award winner by Cobb Young Professionals.

CYP is the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s networking and development arm for professionals in their 20s and 30s. Wikoff leads her own practice in addressing issues regarding hearing loss at 4939 Lower Roswell Road and is involved in the field nationally.

According to the Cobb Chamber, “CYP award winners and nominees are all in their 20s or 30s, active within their community, demonstrate leadership ability in the community and in their current role, and offer a unique perspective.”

Wikoff—pictured with fellow NGA recipient Jon Ingram, Director of Corporate Relations at the Woodruff Arts Center—opened Peachtree Hearing in 2016.

She is on the board of directors on the national level for the American Tinnitus Association (ATA) and at the local level for Aloha to Aging, an East Cobb-based non-profit that helps seniors and their caregivers.

Wikoff mentors students at the Washington University School of Medicine, where she earned her Doctor of Audiology degree, and founded a program called Hearing Aids for Holocaust Survivors.

She donates hearing aids and services to survivors in the metro Atlanta area and was recently honored with the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta’s Jewish Abilities Alliance’s Very-Inclusive-Person award for her work with local hard-of-hearing community.

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New East Cobb Christian bookstore to hold Grand Opening

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Back in March All Things Inspiration, a Christian bookstore, opened a second location in Cobb County in Northeast Cobb with a “soft” opening.East Cobb Christian store grand opening

On Wednesday, the store (2745 Sandy Plains Road, Suite 156) will start a four-day official Grand Opening with a ribbon-cutting at 3 p.m.

Owner LaVonya Williams-Tensley said that there will be special savings and prizes through Saturday (see flyer for more).

Like the original location in South Cobb, All Things Inspiration offers a variety of Bibles, Christian books, church supplies, Bible study materials, Christian greeting cards, Christian-themed gifts and more.

Williams-Tensley also said the store, which has meeting space, will host Bible study groups, book clubs, story times, author signings and other events.

“We are so excited to be blessed with the opportunity to make Marietta the home of our second store,” she said. “It is a privilege to serve God by serving the community with an enjoyable shopping experience, great customer service and access to an assortment of life changing resources.”

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East Cobb retail update: J. Crew store coming to Merchants Walk

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J. Crew store Merchants Walk

There hasn’t been an official announcement other than what’s covering up the windows as renovations continue:

A  J. Crew Factory store is coming to Merchants Walk (1311 Johnson Ferry Road).

It’s taking the former Calico Homes space, between the relocated Verizon Wireless spot and the Old Navy store.

Edens, the retail center owner, doesn’t comment on when its tenants are opening, and we’ve reached out to J. Crew for more information.

J. Crew Factory has metro Atlanta locations in Woodstock, Locust Grove, Lenox Square and Perimeter Mall. There’s also a J. Crew men’s store at Ponce City Market.Merchants Walk Marshalls sign

Set to open this month at Merchants Walk is a Perspire Sauna Studio, in the former Bar Method space. It’s a national chain with existing locations in Sandy Springs, Buckhead and Virginia-Highland, with another opening soon in Alpharetta.

Perspire is is providing updates about the East Cobb location on its Instagram page.

Remodeling is continuing for the Marshalls store where Stein Mart used to be, and while there is a Marshalls sign at the Johnson Ferry Road entrance to Merchants Walk, there still hasn’t been an official announcement.

Taking up a portion of the old Stein Mart store is a new Sleep Galleria store, and Cobb records indicate it’s received a business license.

There’s still no signage up over both of those forthcoming retailers.

First Watch update

Just down the road a bit, a former Wells Fargo Bank has been leveled at the Shops at Woodlawn (1062 Johnson Ferry Road) and will be the site for a freestanding First Watch restaurant.

A reader asked about this last week, and we can add that Cobb County has granted the breakfast and lunch restaurant a beer and wine pouring license.

First Watch hasn’t announced an opening date, as the construction of the new building is just getting underway.

Parkaire Landing update

We noted recently the closure of the Earthwise Pet Supply store at Parkaire Landing (4880 Lower Roswell Road), but that’s the only current vacancy there.

Pure Barre, a gym and fitness center, will be opening soon in the space formerly occupied by the Draisen-Edwards Music Center, near McCray’s Tavern.

Pure Barre also is a franchise and its opening will make four fitness-oriented businesses at Parkaire, along with Anytime Fitness, Pro Martial Arts and CycleBar.

Pure Barre is updating its pre-opening events on its Facebook page, including a private class and shopping event on Aug. 21 at the Athleta store at Merchants Walk.

There also two “pop up” Pure Barre events Aug. 13 and Aug. 27 at 9 a.m. in front of the new studio.

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The Avenue East Cobb to hold redevelopment groundbreaking

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The Avenue East Cobb groundbreaking

The Avenue East Cobb (4475 Roswell Road) has announced that it will have a groundbreaking celebration to kick off redevelopment plans on Aug. 25.

The event takes place from 5-7 p.m. on that date in the Central Lot, in front of what had been the Bravura store, with live music, “lite bites” and beverages.

The groundbreaking is free and open to the public and RSVPs can be made by clicking here. Guests may still be able to walk up and receive complimentary entry the day of the event, but they’re encouraged to sign up in advance.

Cobb commissioners in June approved a site plan change at The Avenue, which is being managed by North American Properties, developer of Avalon and redeveloper of Atlantic Station and Colony Square.

The Central Lot area is the focal point of the “jewel box” plans that include a public plaza with a live music and performance stage, restaurant and retail space and concierge service.

Bravura is relocating to the Alpharetta area, and The Avenue has moved its on-site offices there.

As we also reported earlier, a couple of restaurant/food changes are taking place at The Avenue, with Stockyard Burgers & Bones closing, and New York Butcher Shoppe opening in the fall, next to the J. Jill store.

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