#6 - Jon Birdsong - CEO of South Downtown

I sat down with Jon Birdsong, CEO of Atlanta Ventures, to talk about the vision behind South Downtown — one of the city’s biggest redevelopment projects.We cover the history of the area, what’s happening now with tech companies and new developments, and how ventures like the World Cup, improved transportation, and AI could impact downtown Atlanta’s future. We also talk about why preserving historic buildings and creating a safe, walkable community is so important.Big thanks to our sponsors for supporting this series:✨ Songy Highroads – songyhighroads.com✨ USA Cabling – usacablingtech.com✨ Corporate Environments – corporateenvironments.comAs always, if you’re looking for office space in Atlanta, give me a call — I’d love to help.linktr.ee/timwright.cre#Atlanta #SouthDowntown #UrbanDevelopment #RealEstate #DowntownAtlanta #CityRevival #JohnBirdsong⏱️ Timestamps0:00 – Intro / CNN Center0:39 – Discussion about CNN’s history and Ted Turner3:12 – Sponsor Break (USA Cabling Technologies and Solutions)3:30 – John’s background: growing up in Atlanta5:16 – Sponsor Break (Songy Highroads)6:18 – Early career: working on political campaigns8:30 – Joining the tech scene at Tech Square12:38 – Working at SalesLoft13:50 – Sponsor Break (Corporate Environments)14:53 – SalesLoft backstory and near failure20:37 – David Cummings buys Newport properties (South Downtown)22:39 – Career shift to real estate / South Downtown project23:40 – How the South Downtown deal came together25:44 – South Downtown vs. other development projects28:54 – The Center / International Plaza31:01 – Defining Downtown Atlanta34:05 – Peachtree Center35:06 – Sylvan – ADPipe37:07 – Tech world, remote work, and office culture39:36 – South Downtown45:48 – Venture Capital and the current state of the tech scene51:29 – Politics53:34 – Updates on 222 Mitchell58:53 – Liens and Lawsuits Bar59:54 – History of 82 Peachtree1:03:59 – South Downtown history1:12:27 – Candler Hotel / Atlanta history1:17:34 – BeltLine to Downtown1:19:36 – Closing RemarksMore info: https://linktr.ee/timwright.cre