By Ann Boutwell

Significant change hallmarked the 68^th annual meeting of Central Atlanta Progress (CAP) held recently at the Georgia World Congress Center. CAP Chairman S. Taylor Glover, President and CEO of Turner Enterprises, welcomed the 1,200 attendees and noted some of the accomplishments of 2009.

• The Downtown Transportation Management Association helped more than 2,000 employees change commuting habits.
• Give Change that Makes Sense, the panhandling prevention initiative was successfully implemented.
• CAP’s website took on a new look. Visit it at www.atlantadowntown.com.
• Looking ahead, CAP and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) see great resilience and opportunities with new Mayor Kasim Reed, Georgia State University football at the Georgia Dome, a major addition to the Georgia Aquarium and the new Hotel Indigo opening this summer.

Mayor Reed addressed the gathering about his administration’s mission of revitalization. “In spite of fiscal challenges and operational challenges the foundation of this city is strong because of the people in this room,” Reed said

Reed also had a positive report about safety: “With the exact police force we had four months ago, but with new revitalized leadership, crime in major categories has been reduced  by 21 percent and crime overall reduced by 10 percent, and we’re just getting started.”

Charlie Loudermilk and Jim Maddox were recipients of the Dan Sweat Award and Turner Broadcasting Downtown Community Leadership Award, respectively. Loudermilk, a longtime philanthropist, is founder of Atlanta-based Aaron’s Inc. Maddox recently retired after a 32-year career on the Atlanta City Council.