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Dating back to the Cotton States Exhibition in 1895, Atlanta’s city government has enjoyed a strong, cooperative relationship with the private sector. The two have worked closely together and have achieved successes through both the cohesiveness of the business community and the efforts by Atlanta’s mayors to engage business leaders.
The Atlanta Committee for Progress (ACP) continues the City’s tradition of working in tandem with the private sector to develop public policy initiatives. ACP brings together top business executives and academic leaders to advise the mayor and other top public officials on selected issues that are important to the city of Atlanta’s economic development.
At first glance, ACP may appear similar to the blue-ribbon commission model of the past, or the loaned executive model that Atlanta has relied on heavily to find solutions to big challenges. While it is true that Atlanta’s public sector leaders have always engaged the private sector to take part in audits, ad-hoc commissions and committees, ACP embodies a new model – one based on joint accountability for planning and execution.
The committee (download list of members) is charged with identifying key issues and ensuring that they are addressed, through either existing organizations or new initiatives. Some of these new initiatives are temporary; others spur the creation of new organizations that continue long-term execution.
“The Atlanta Committee for Progress functions much like a venture capital firm – seeking solutions, identifying and leveraging leadership to jump-start initiatives, and then spinning them off to operate independently,” said John Ahmann, principal of Ahmann, Inc. and executive director of the ACP.
Mayor Shirley Franklin called for the creation of the ACP in 2003, after a pro-bono research report by Bain & Company found that a public-private leadership committee would help drive economic development in Atlanta and move the City towards its goal of becoming “best in class.” Launched by A. D. “Pete” Correll, then chairman and chief executive officer of Georgia Pacific, ACP was driven by a concept loosely modeled on Chicago’s Civic League and the Cincinnati Business Committee, both of which were studied by Bain & Company.
ACP’s current board is made up of 29 leading executives from Atlanta’s major businesses, colleges and universities. Phil Kent, Chairman & CEO, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., is chairman of the board and hosts the board’s quarterly meetings. Mayor Kasim Reed is an active participant, attending all of the meetings and engaging fully in its discussions. Other ACP officers include James Hannan, CEO & President of Georgia-Pacific LLC, who serves as vice chairman, William Clement, President & CEO of Atlanta Life Financial Group, who serves as secretary of the board; and Claire Arnold, CEO Leapfrog Services, Inc., who is treasurer.
The ACP works to advance the seven goals of the City of Atlanta's Economic Development Plan:
1. Create 60,000 new jobs
2. Develop 24,000 new, airport-related jobs
3. Create a $26 billion increase in property value
4. Create 10,000 new, affordable workforce housing units
5. Establish 1,900 new acres of parks and green space
6. Facilitate a 50 percent decrease in the crime rate
7. Support a 72% high school graduation rate for APS students
To achieve these goals, the mayor and ACP form task forces to develop policy recommendations. Each of these task forces is led by an ACP member, and additional ACP members, corporate executives, civic leaders and content experts are invited to participate.
A task force’s job is to generate and evaluate the best ideas to address its designated goal. Task force members are expected to think big and come up with the best possible strategies, without concern for political obstacles. The mayor is then responsible for navigating any political hurdles that arise. This ensures that the task force’s recommendations are neither dictated nor compromised by politics.
Ahmann is pleased to support ACP’s efforts by serving as its outsourced management team. John Ahmann serves as executive director to the coalition, and the entire Ahmann organization assists with strategic thinking, research, content development, media relations, and project management throughout the life of each task force and initiative. From coordinating meetings to identifying potential task force members, Ahmann uses its collective skill sets to help ACP achieve its mission.
ACP is focused on what it can impact; hence, it centers its efforts on Atlanta’s economic development. It is currently working on the following initiatives. Download the full case study with more information on the initiatives.
1. King Collection – Acquiring the works of Martin Luther King, Jr.
2. Local Education Fund – Finding dedicated funding to support Atlanta Public Schools
3. Cultural Investment Fund – Increasing public funding of the arts
4. Center for Human and Civil Rights – Creating an Atlanta-based center
5. Peachtree Corridor Partnership – Transforming Peachtree into one of America’s “great streets”
6. BeltLine – Enhancing the city’s green space and transportation
7. Brand Atlanta – Improving Atlanta’s appeal and reputation
8. Affordable Workforce Housing – Creating housing for “city infrastructure workers”
With its business acumen unencumbered by politics, ACP brings new solutions to these critical issues and more – yielding benefits that will improve Atlanta for many years to come.
Download issues of The Progress Report, the quarterly newsletter of the Atlanta Committee for Progress:June 2007
September 2007
December 2007
March 2008
June 2008
September 2008
January 2009
March 2009
June 2009
September 2009