ATLANTA, Georgia (PRWEB) September 29, 2015 -- The Council for Quality Growth honors Dan T. Cathy, President & CEO of Chick-fil-A, Inc., with its 26th annual leadership award at the Four Pillar Tribute on Thursday, October 1 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, The Coca-Cola Company Chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent, Georgia Power Company Chairman, President and CEO Paul Bowers, and Larry Gellerstedt, President and CEO of Cousins Properties – among others will co-chair the ceremony and tribute to Mr. Cathy.
The event’s theme – “Climb with Care and Confidence” – is one of the many lessons Cathy learned from his late father, Chick-fil-A, Inc. founder S. Truett Cathy. Cathy has been a vocal proponent of investment and community improvement in Atlanta’s most impoverished neighborhoods, especially its 30314 zip code. To support his efforts, the Council for Quality Growth will be making a gift in Cathy’s honor to organizations focused on empowering and improving Atlanta’s Westside communities.
“While Dan is certainly humbled and honored by the Four Pillar recognition, he would tell you that this evening is not about him being recognized with an award. For him, this is an opportunity to bring attention and awareness to the challenges facing the Westside," said Rodney Bullard, Chick-fil-A’s vice president of community affairs and executive director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation. Bullard, also a Tribute Chair, continued, “We hope the evening will encourage other leaders to join Arthur Blank, Richard Dugas, Dan and other Atlanta business leaders in the movement to reinvest in the Westside."
Interactive installations in the welcome reception will highlight these initiatives. Guests will have an opportunity to experience and learn more about organizations working in one of Atlanta’s most challenged neighborhoods.
“We are thrilled that the Four Pillar Tribute is able to help draw attention to the needs of this area of Atlanta,” said Michael Paris, Council for Quality Growth President & CEO. “Dan is a true servant leader, and focusing on these opportunities in our community is the ideal way to honor him.”
An esteemed group of Tribute Co-Chairs will assemble to pay tribute to Cathy for his demonstration of the “Four Pillars” of leadership – Quality, Responsibility, Vision and Integrity. The complete list of Tribute Co-Chairs include:
• Frank Blake, Former Chairman and CEO, The Home Depot
• Ted Blum, Managing Shareholder-Atlanta, Greenberg Traurig, LLP
• Paul Bowers, Chairman, President and CEO, Georgia Power Company
• Rodney Bullard, Vice President, Community Affairs at Chick-fil-A, Inc.
• Vince Dooley, Former Head Coach and Athletic Director, University of Georgia
• Larry Gellerstedt, President and CEO, Cousins Properties
• Jack Harris, President and CEO, Junior Achievement of Georgia
• Virginia Hepner, President and CEO, Woodruff Arts Center
• Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Company
• The Honorable Kasim Reed, Mayor, City of Atlanta
• H. Jerome Russell, President, H.J. Russell & Company
• John Stephenson, Jr., President and CEO, College Football Hall of Fame
• Dr. Charles Wilmer, M.D., Chief of Patient Outreach, Piedmont Heart Institute
While Cathy and his siblings grew up working in the family business, his tenure with the company officially began in 1975. Cathy has served as the President and COO since 2001 and became Chairman and CEO in 2013. As the next generation of leadership for the country’s top quick-service chicken brand, Dan embodies his Four Pillar theme selection through his work in and out of the office. He is committed to upholding Chick-fil-A’s mission to “have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.”
The Council is proud to honor Dan Cathy with its Four Pillar Tribute and invites you to celebrate on October 1. For tickets and sponsorship information, please visit http://www.fourpillartribute.com for ticket and sponsorship information.
About the Four Pillar Tribute:
The Four Pillar Award & Tribute is a unique honor that celebrates the recipient’s significant contributions to economic development and the region’s quality of life. This prestigious award is unparalleled in the Atlanta region and has come to be known as the highest honor bestowed for the aforementioned contributions.
Past recipients of the Council’s Four Pillar award include:
1990 Steve Reynolds
1991 Wayne Shackelford
1992 J.W. Benefield
1993 D. Scott Hudgens
1994 Wayne H. Mason
1995 Virgil R. Williams
1996 Paul A. Duke
1997 Jim Cowart
1998 J.D. Caswell
1999 A. Ray Weeks
2000 Richard L. Tucker
2001 Louise Radloff
2002 George Busbee
2003 F. Wayne Hill
2004 Charlie Brown
2005 Senator Johnny Isakson
2006 John Wieland
2007 John A. Williams
2008 Tom Cousins
2009 Mayor Shirley Franklin
2010 Arthur M. Blank
2011 R. Charles Loudermilk, Sr.
2012 Sam Massell
2013 John Portman
2014 Steve Selig
About the Council for Quality Growth:
The Council for Quality Growth is a trade organization that works to ensure continued growth and economic success for generations to come by providing advocacy, information and education to its members. For 30 years, the Council has been committed to the mission of promoting balanced and responsible growth, and is proactively involved in the formulation of policy and legislation critical to the growth and development industry. The Council addresses, head-on, strategic economic planning, infrastructure needs and tough quality-of-life issues throughout the metro Atlanta region and state. http://www.councilforqualitygrowth.org.
Amy Stinson, HL Strategy, +1 (770) 653-3560, [email protected]
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