Georgia Business Minds

2025 was a busy year for Georgia business news. From manufacturing to economic development to healthcare, you tuned into nearly two dozen episodes covering the top trends and their impact on the state’s economy. As we mark the start of 2026, we pulled a couple of the top interviews from the year that was. 

This summer, electric vehicle maker Rivian opened its East Coast Headquarters in Atlanta. A few months later, it also broke ground on a $5 billion manufacturing plant near Social Circle about 45 miles east of downtown Atlanta. Rivian CFO Claire McDonough talks about why Rivian is expanding in Georgia.Learn more about this topic:https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/feature/made-in-georgia/2025

On any given night in metro Atlanta, there could be close to 3,000 people experiencing homelessness. Author and journalist Brian Goldstone explains in his book, “There is no Place for Us,” that some of those experiencing homelessness are working. We also talk about the nonprofit group Covenant House and its goal to eliminate youth homelessness in the next decade. Chapters00:00 Ending Youth Homelessness: A Bold Vision04:59 Understanding Housing Insecurity in Georgia11:02 Covenant House Georgia: Services and Support13:53 The Impact of Youth Homelessness on Communities19:00 Business Community's Role in Ending Youth Homelessness23:57 Optimism for the Future: A Collective Effort

Despite economic uncertainty and policy changes around tariffs, Georgia’s manufacturing sector continues to create jobs especially in automotive and aerospace which have announced expansion plans in the state. This episode takes you inside the Chronicle’s “Made in Georgia” live event for a discussion about what modern-day manufacturing looks like. Learn more about this topic:https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/feature/made-in-georgia/2025

More than entertainment, arts organizations are an economic engine in Georgia. The nonprofit arts sector has an economic impact of about $1 billion. When you factor in for-profit businesses tied to the creative economy, the impact grows to as much as $30 billion or 4% of Georgia’s economy. 

Georgia’s life sciences sector is the third largest in the southeast behind North Carolina and Florida based on economic impact and the number of companies. This episode features guests from a recent live event who discuss what’s needed to keep Georgia’s momentum going. Learn more about this topic:https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/feature/advancing-health-life-sciences-in-georgia/2025

While agriculture is considered Georgia’s largest industry, retail trade packs a bigger punch to the state’s economy—impacting the Georgia’s GDP to the tune of $171 billion. It employs 1.1 million. We look at how the economy is impacting the sector and where the opportunities lie.

From policy to technology, JP Morgan Chase’s CEO Jamie Dimon talks with Atlanta Business Chronicle about what’s moving Georgia’s economy. 

Metro Atlanta is one of the nation's busiest logistics hubs, largely due to proximity to the Port of Savannah and the world’s busiest airport. Nearly one in three jobs is tied to the sector, and whether by truck or train, as much as $400 billion worth of products move through the region.

Local organizers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup provide an update on planning for the event which could have more than a $500 million economic impact on the state. Also, highlights from a discussion about tomorrow’s golf league, aka TGL, which took place during Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Business of Sports Summit. 

Georgia has 159 counties, and almost all of them show signs of not having enough healthcare providers to meet the population’s demand. Partnerships between colleges and universities, and healthcare systems are finding ways to train more people to fill the pipeline of workers

From college athletics to global events, sports are big business for Georgia, attracting fans and investors alike. Hear about the biggest trends moving the economic needle in the region as told by Sports Business Journal Executive Editor Abe Madkour and others at Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Business of Sports live event.

Georgia ranks #3 among states based on the percentage of small businesses that are minority-owned with 36.6% of its small businesses falling in this category. Industry watchers share how these businesses are faring, and where the opportunities lie to continue to be a driver for Georgia’s economy. 

This episode features highlights from Atlanta Business Chronicle's recent live event called “The Future of Downtown" where guests, including the president of Georgia’s largest university and the CEO of the Atlanta Falcons, share their perspectives on shaping Atlanta’s urban core now and into the future.

This episode features highlights from a recent live event called “The Future of Downtown" where guests, including Atlanta Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler,  share their perspectives on revitalization efforts for Atlanta’s urban core.

The East Lake Foundation, the nonprofit created to steward the revitalization of the East Lake community, turns 30 this year. While decades in the making, the foundation’s CEO says its work “is never over.” The revitalization effort has proven to be an example for other community turnarounds. It has attracted and/or leveraged more than $600 million to change one of the nation’s most notorious public housing projects into a thriving mixed-income community. 

In Georgia, one in five adults report experiencing mental health conditions. To mark Mental Health Awareness month, we talk with organizations that are providing care and what it means for the state’s economy. 

The state of Georgia ranks ahead of most southern states when it comes to job growth, but there are some concerns about the pipeline of workers. This episode looks into what’s being done now to prepare young people to participate in Georgia's economic future. 

Despite economic uncertainties, studies show most companies say they will find ways to continue to invest in the communities where they operate. It is not just to be a good corporate citizen, but as it turns out, business generosity also boosts the bottom line.

Dr. Moiz Master, Piedmont’s chief medical officer (CMO), didn’t plan on entering the medical field — let alone leading the largest Georgia-based employer of locals in the state.“My thought process was that I would be an engineer,” Master reflects on his childhood aspirations growing up in Bombay, India. “I was really interested in math, physics — in those aspects of science.”As the health system’s newest CMO, Master is focused on delivering patient-focused care to the communities that need it most. And his background in statistics and physics plays a role.“We have started significant screenings with social drivers of health, understanding where the opportunities lie and how we connect our patients to the resources that they would need,” Master says. “If you also look at Piedmont's footprint, we have hospitals, clinics in a lot of our rural areas of Georgia where we are providing access closer to the patient, closer to their home.”Atlanta Business Chronicle Publisher and Market President David Rubinger speaks with Master in this episode of Georgia Business Minds. Tune in to learn more about:· What has surprised Master in his first 100 days as CMO (0:43)· How four years as the only physician in a small Alabama town expanded Master’s medical roster (5:25)· Plans to support health deserts in rural communities (8:05)· Why he thinks AI is a “double-edged sword” for the health care industry (14:36)· His thoughts on GLP-1 medications (18:30)· How Master manages stress and stays healthy during his free time (22:13) Georgia Business Minds is a twice-monthly podcast available on all the popular free apps. It brings you insights from top leaders across the state on topics ranging from agriculture to aviation, technology to transportation.

Two Atlanta housing leaders are on a mission to give more low- and middle-income families a place to call home. For Terri Lee, CEO of Atlanta Housing, and Rosalyn Merrick, CEO of Atlanta Habitat for Humanity, housing is just the starting point for more Atlanta residents to build wealth and move up the economic ladder.

The lack of genuine connectedness in the post pandemic workplace is creating some real challenges for leadership development and strategic career planning. We unpack some solutions for women in leadership and the organizations looking to promote their top talent. 

Georgia's restaurant sector has mostly rebounded from the economic downturn brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic. Each of the state's 23,000 restaurants has their own recipe for success. Together they generate about $34.4 billion in sales.

Downtown looks different in cities and towns across Georgia. Some are vibrant live-work-play areas. Others aspire to be. No matter the makeup, downtowns are resilient, remaking themselves every few decades into what residents want. 

 Each episode delivers a newsmaker interview based on the Atlanta Business Chronicle's in depth reporting and analysis you've come to expect. Georgia Business Minds, listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.