Neighborhood Series: North Fulton

Andrea Worthy has served as the Economic Development Director for the City of Sandy Springs since 2012, where she is responsible for facilitating the location or expansion of businesses in the City. In this role, Andrea works with various partners at the local, state and regional levels to provide site selection assistance for companies and acts as the City’s business ombudsperson. Prior to joining Sandy Springs, Andrea served five years as the Economic Development Manager for the City of Smyrna. In addition to business retention and recruiting efforts, she was also involved in the City’s redevelopment efforts, working with Tax Allocation Districts and a variety of public-private partnership tools. Before her public sector work, Andrea worked with Mirant, an independent power producer and energy trading firm, where she worked in various positions, including Economic Development, Regulatory Affairs, and Performance Management. Her past experience also includes real estate and site selection work with Arthur Andersen LLP. Ms. Worthy is a member of the International Economic Development Council, the Urban Land Institute and the Georgia Economic Developers Association. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Urban Studies from Georgia State University and a Master in City Planning from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Andrea believes she has one of the best jobs in the world – she gets to combine her love of policy with assisting companies to make the decision that Sandy Springs is THE BEST place to grow their business.

Joining the Pope & Land Team in July 2012, Mr. Armstrong is primarily involved in the development, marketing, leasing and management of commercial real estate. He is the current Chairman of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), 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. Prior to joining Pope & Land, Mr. Armstrong, as a senior vice president, worked with Duke Realty Corporation for nearly 22 years where he played a leadership role in building Duke Realty’s Atlanta Office portfolio from about 460,000 SF in 1990 to more than 4.5 million SF through development and acquisition. Mr. Armstrong holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University. He is a member of several key organizations in the commercial real estate industry, including the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP), the Atlanta Commercial Board of Realtors, CoreNet and the Urban Land Institute (ULI).

Cheri Morris develops and owns upscale mixed-use communities, with a focus on downtown revitalizations. Morris recently completed Alpharetta City Center, and is underway with Woodstock City Center, both as public-private partnerships with their host cities. Her earlier Main Street Woodstock development has garnered international attention as an unprecedented financial success and driver of ancillary economic development in its downtown environs. She was also on the teams that created downtown Rosemary Beach on Florida’s Emerald Coast, The Summit, one of the nation’s first and most successful lifestyle centers, Vickery Village in Forsyth County, Town Brookhaven on Dresden Drive, Luckie Marietta, a three-block dining and entertainment district on Centennial Olympic Park in downtown Atlanta, and Lime Grove, a mixed use resort in Barbados Morris & Fellows’ development projects have been awarded the “Development of Excellence” by the Urban Land Institute, cited as “Development of the Year” by the Atlanta Regional Commission, received the CNU International Charter Award for Best Neighborhood-Scale District, named “America’s Best Smart Growth Community” by the National Homebuilders Association, and “America’s Neighborhood” by Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. Cheri also consults to municipalities, creating downtown revitalization plans that combine her unique knowledge of both public-sector planning and private sector development. She is a sought-after thought leader in urban planning and a principal in public-private partnerships, often heading teams that redevelop the downtown districts of cities and towns based on her master plans. Morris served on the teaching faculty of the International Council of Shopping Centers for over 20 years. She is a frequent speaker for such groups as ICSC, Urban Land Institute, Congress for the New Urbanism and the Atlanta Regional Commission, and has contributed to several prestigious media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, CNN, Shopping Centers Today, The Journal of Property Management, and Shopping Center Business. Active in civic planning, the arts and sustainable development, Morris has served on numerous civic and municipal boards and several Livable Centers Initiative planning teams in metro Atlanta, and is currently a member of the Urban Land Institute’s Livable Communities Council. She was the first Chair of the City of Sandy Springs’ Design Review Board, is on the boards of the Sandy Springs Conservancy, Act3 Theater, and Art Sandy Springs. Cheri is married to Terry Morris. The couple have two grown children, and four grandchildren, all of whom reside in Sandy Springs, Ga.

Alan Kennedy is a Managing Director at Hines and is responsible for securing and managing various real estate projects in the Southeast Region of the United States. Since joining Hines in 2005, he has been involved in the development, management and leasing of over 4.5 million SF of office, retail and multifamily projects and has led the master planning of over 7.5 million SF of mixed-use projects. Most recently in North Fulton, Mr. Kennedy is the development manager for 8000 Avalon (a 230,000 SF office building that delivered in 2017) and 10000 Avalon (a 250,000 SF office building that is currently under construction). Mr. Kennedy has a mechanical engineering degree from Georgia Tech and a MBA from Emory University.

Kirk S. Demetrops is President and founder of MidCity. He oversees the acquisition/development strategy, equity/debt partners, user/partner transactions, advisory services and overall management of the company. With over twenty-five years of commercial real estate experience, Mr. Demetrops has a broad skill set that includes acquisition/disposition, development, redevelopment, underwriting, sales/marketing, master planning, capital formation, zoning, investment sales, and landlord/tenant representation. This skill set spreads across many real estate asset classes, including office, mixed-use, retail, land, multi-family residential and for-sale housing. Prior to forming MidCity in 2009, Mr. Demetrops was President of The Griffin Company, a 35 year old full service real estate development and construction company headquartered in Atlanta, GA. He joined The Griffin Company in 2001 and spearheaded the acquisition and development of office and mixed-use properties. Upon becoming President in 2007, his responsibilities were expanded to include managing the construction division and organizational structure. While at The Griffin Company, Mr. Demetrops completed many full cycle transactions. In addition to strong financial returns, highlights include an award winning project and several landmark zonings. For details regarding completed projects at both MidCity and The Griffin Company, please go to Completed Projects. From 1996 to 2000, Mr. Demetrops was a partner in Forum Realty Corporation where he specialized in office tenant representation and land brokerage. Office clients ranged from 1,500 square feet to 100,000 square feet, including Fortune 500 companies such as John Hancock and Jefferson Pilot. From 1998 through 2007, Mr. Demetrops was the lead broker for Southstar Funding as they expanded into more than 20 major U.S. markets. The Griffin Company purchased Forum in late 2000. Mr. Demetrops started his career with Bailey & Associates, an Atlanta developer of office buildings, where he worked from 1988 to 1996. His primary responsibilities were the marketing and leasing of the company’s 1.5 million square feet portfolio. This included the spearheading of building renovations and repositioning projects, the majority of which was owned in a joint venture with New York Life Insurance Company. In his 8 years at Bailey, Mr. Demetrops personally handled over $100 million of leasing and sales transactions. He was twice recognized by the Atlanta Business Chronicle for brokering Atlanta’s Top Office Leasing Deals. Mr. Demetrops received an MBA from Emory University and BBA from University of Georgia. Mr. Demetrops is a licensed real estate broker in the State of Georgia. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute, International Council of Shopping Centers and Atlanta Board of Realtors. In Sandy Springs, GA, Mr. Demetrops is an active member of the Main Street Alliance, served on the Sandy Springs / Perimeter Chamber of Commerce Strategic Planning Task Force and was appointed by Mayor Eva Galambos to the Gwinnett Tech Campus Committee. Mr. Demetrops resides in the Brookhaven neighborhood of Atlanta, GA. He is married with four children and is very active in cycling (indoor, road & mountain) and skiing (snow & water). Mr. Demetrops enjoys traveling, particularly throughout the western United States.

Mr. Forrest is a results-oriented visionary with over 27 years of experience in successfully leading and growing companies. Has consistently achieved success in identifying and capitalizing on market opportunities leading to rapid business growth. Areas of expertise include Land/Site Acquisition, Zoning/Entitlement, Full-cycle Site Development, Full-Cycle Management of General and sub-contractors, as well as leasing, sales and acquisitions of improved and unimproved properties and businesses. Robert most recently spent the last 15 years as the owner and managing partner of Stonewalk Companies, overseeing all day-to-day activities in residential and commercial development of residential & condo developments, retail centers including single-tenant and multi-tenant developments, and outparcels for hotel, fast-food, and office users. He’s experienced in dealing with national and regional tenants including Panera Bread, Sarku Japan, Jimmy Johns, McDonald’s, Waffle House, Chipotle, CiCi’s Pizza, Genghis Grill, BodyPlex Fitness, Radio Shack, MetroPCS, D Geller Jewelers, Anthropologie, IHG Hotels, Tilted Kilt, $3 Café and many more plus numerous property transactions and new developments in excess of $1B in value. Current projects include over 5M sq.ft. of retail, office, hospitality and mixed use projects in the South and Northeast. Robert graduated with a BBA Information Systems from Georgia Southern University.

Kali Kirkham Boatright is the president and chief executive officer of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce in Alpharetta, Georgia. The seasoned professional previously served in the same position with the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce (Douglasville, Georgia), a position she held since 2004. “Kali fits the needs of the GNFCC at this juncture in our lifecycle,” according to Jeff Petrea, 2018 chair of the board and Area Manager for Georgia Power Company. “She has the skillsets to build upon a solid foundation that has been established over many years. Her proven ability to deliver solid results, internal and external, was a key factor in the executive committee’s decision. The executive committee is extremely pleased to have Kali joining the chamber team.” Boatright led the Douglas County Chamber from a near bankrupt organization when she arrived to a flourishing business organization with strong financial stability. To accomplish the success, she inspired staff and volunteers to create new sponsorship opportunities and events as well as a Chairman’s Club for membership investment and community engagement. Boatright has most recently been instrumental in a community-wide economic and community development initiative with elected leaders, business leaders and non-profit professionals collaborating for change transformation. “The opportunity to lead the GNFCC is both exciting and challenging for me,” says Boatright. “There is a lot of potential for this chamber to deliver new levels of service to our members and the communities we serve. The infrastructure improvements put in place for the north Fulton area over the past 15 years are the catalyst for the growth opportunities in terms of leadership, livability and workforce development. I look forward to building collaborative relationships and being a significant part of the next steps for the region.” Boatright is a graduate of the US Chamber’s Institute for Organization Management and a Georgia Certified Chamber Executive. In addition to her chamber responsibilities, she served as vice president of the Technical College Foundation Association of Georgia, chair of the Georgia Chamber Small Business Federation on the Georgia Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, executive board member of the Regional Business Coalition, and member of the WellStar Douglas Regional Health board. Boatright is a past chair of the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, founding board member of Brighten Academy Charter School, and past president of the Junior League of Douglas County. In 2017, Boatright was honored by her peers in the chamber industry when she received the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Legacy Award. As the association’s most prestigious award, it recognizes long-term executives who have excelled over a period of years in leading and innovatively building their chamber. The award is based on the demonstration of excellence in areas of chamber leadership, organizational management, service to the profession, community reputation/involvement, and personal attributes. Boatright and her husband, David, have two children. Aiden recently graduated from the University of Georgia and Devon is a student at Georgia Tech. The family moved to the Alpharetta area this summer. Boatright’s first day at the GNFCC was April 9. The executive committee of the Greater North Fulton Chamber spent four months focused on a pursuit for their new leader. A nationwide search was launched after Brandon Beach announced he would be stepping down from the president’s role after 15 years in the seat. Beach, a Georgia state senator, now serves as executive director of the North Fulton Community Improvement District. The Chason Group, an executive search firm specializing in services to non-profit and economic development organizations, and POWER 10, a capital campaign management firm, assisted the GNFCC with the professional search.

Samir Abdullahi is the Deputy Director of Economic Development for Select Fulton, Fulton County’s economic development initiative. His role is focused on promoting and attracting commerce and industry to Fulton County through strategic partnerships, marketing and preparing incentive packages for developers and businesses. He also works with Fulton County’s leadership to ensure the community continues to be a business friendly place. Prior to his current role, he was the Economic Development Manager of the City of Alpharetta where he worked to brand the city as technology hub, establish a city driven tech incubator formally known as the Alpharetta Technology Commission and led the recruitment of large global and regional headquarter relocations like Fiserv Solutions and Halyard Health. He also previously worked for Partnership Gwinnett, Gwinnett County’s public-private economic development initiative. A graduate of the University of Georgia, Samir holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations. He also holds a master’s in Public Policy from Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies where he frequently lectures.