On July 31, 2012, Georgians will vote on a one-cent sales tax to invest in a specifically identified list of transportation improvements in each of our State’s twelve economic development regions. Each region’s election will be separate from the other eleven regions, and each region’s citizens will determine the fate of a new 10-year Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (T-SPLOST) on all sales in the counties within that particular region.

Today’s guests discussed the impact of T-SPLOST on Atlanta and Georgia.

Rob Hill/Hill Corporate Partners

Rob Hill is a commercial Realtor along with his partner and father Bob at Hill Corporate Partners in Atlanta.  Hill Corporate Partners is one of the few firms in the country that specializes in the exclusive representation of the end-users of commercial real estate: the tenants and the buyers, and for years they have been the most recommended commercial Realtors in metropolitan Atlanta on LinkedIn.

Before entering the real estate field, Rob founded and ran The Historian’s Gallery, a broker/dealer inhistoric documents and artifacts for museums and private collectors.  He has since served as a consultant to major museums and universities in the acquisition and authentication of historically significant items and even entire collections.

He was Program Director for the Leadership Exchange and Analysis Program (LEAP) for the Yale School of Management and has also worked in the field of mergers and acquisitions as well as commercial lending.

Rob is a member of the Board of Advisors for the Metro Atlanta Chamber as well as a sought-after speaker on Atlanta history, transportation, and business.

Bert Brantley/McRae Communications (representing MAVEN)

Bert Brantley joined McRae Communications in January 2011 after serving four years in Governor Sonny Perdue’s Communications Office, including the last two and a half years as Communications Director. Before that, Bert was in state government for nearly eight years at the Department of Transportation and the Department of Economic Development. Since joining McRae, Bert has worked with Southwest Airlines as they entered the Atlanta market, the Metro Atlanta Regional Transportation Referendum campaign and a number of other clients providing public affairs counsel, crisis communications strategy and traditional media relations activities.

Mitch Kaminer/Atlanta Board of REALTORS® and RE/MAX Paramount Properties

Mitch Kaminer is President of the Atlanta Board of REALTORS®, the largest Boards of its kind in Georgia and considered one of the strongest and most successful in the nation.  With nearly 5,000 members, ABR serves as a valuable resource for real estate education, the promotion of professionalism in the industry, and as a force for legislative initiatives geared toward creating positive change for the real estate community.

Mitch has been successfully involved in the metro Atlanta real estate scene since 1994, an active participant in ABR since 2002, and is currently a Associate Broker/REALTOR with ReMax Paramount Properties in Roswell.

Mike Alexander/Atlanta Regional Commission

Mike Alexander is the Chief of Atlanta Regional Commission’s Research Division. This Division provides a broad and accurate base of demographic, economic, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) information to support ARC’s long-range planning efforts including the Regional Transportation and Development plans, functional plans, policies and implementation strategies.

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the 10-county area including Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties, as well as the City of Atlanta. For 60 years, ARC and its predecessor agencies have helped to focus the region’s leadership, attention and resources on key issues of regional consequence.

ARC is dedicated to unifying the region’s collective resources to prepare the metropolitan area for a prosperous future. It does so through professional planning initiatives, the provision of objective information and the involvement of the community in collaborative partnerships.

Greg Harley/Burr & Forman

Greg is a partner in Burr & Forman’s Commercial Litigation group with a concentration on business litigation, class action defense and employment matters. Greg has extensive experience in all aspects of civil litigation and has handled disputes on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants on a broad range of issues including breach of contract, fraud, bad faith, trade secrets, defamation and unfair business practices claims. While Greg’s practice is centered in Georgia and Alabama, he has represented clients in matters across the United States.

Greg’s clients include national banking institutions, insurers and one of Georgia’s largest residential contracting companies. Greg also currently serves as national litigation counsel for a diversified telecommunications company.