Atlanta

30 CEOs camp out in freezing temps to urge revitalization of city's west side

ATLANTA — A group of Atlanta business leaders camped out in the bitter cold Wednesday night to help urge revitalization in the city’s west side.

A total of 30 CEOs were part of the campout at the Chick-fil-A that is under construction on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in southwest Atlanta.

Among them was Chick-fil-A CEO Dan Cathy, whose foundation has a passion for the west side and its historic neighborhoods that have struggled, including Vine City, where the restaurant will open.


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“We want to bring attention to the fact that this is a tremendous area of opportunity for Atlanta. This is a local community that needs our encouragement, needs our involvement, our engagement. We’re going to see the resurrection of a very strong, viable, healthy west side of Atlanta to complement all the other areas of Atlanta that are doing really well,” Cathy said. “This community has been left behind for... far, too long and it’s time to reinvest.”

Also among the group of CEOs was Alex Taylor, CEO of Cox Enterprises, which is the parent company of WSB-TV.

“30 CEOs getting real to draw attention to this neighborhood that needs to be brought back. Go Atlanta!” Taylor said in a tweet Wednesday night that showed a picture of the tent he would be camping in.

Other leaders in the campout were from Habitat for Humanity, Georgia Power and the Atlanta Police Foundation. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms also stopped by to lend her support.

The new Chick-fil-A location is expected to open Thursday morning.