Downtown hotel gets $1.5 mil. renovation and more business news you mightve missed - Ledger-Enquirer

Four people from Columbus have landed on Georgia Trend’s list of “100 Most Influential Georgians of 2019,” while a downtown hotel has undergone a renovation that it plans to show off later this month. And two veteran Columbus real-estate brokers have departed one company to link up with another with high hopes of signing major deals in the area.

Here are those business developments in brief:

The four honorees are Dan Amos, chairman and chief executive officer of supplemental insurance firm Aflac; Brian Anderson, president and CEO of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce; Chris Markwood, president of Columbus State University; and Kessel Stelling, chairman and CEO of Synovus Financial Corp., a regional bankholding company.

“Not only are they successful in their careers, but they also wield remarkable power and influence and have contributed to making life better for Georgians,” Georgia Trend said of the 100 selected for the list by its staff.

The “Most Influential” list includes plenty of names that are familiar to many in the state — Stacey Abrams, Sara Blakely, Dan Cathy, Gretchen Corbin, Johnny Isakson, Brian Kemp, David Perdue, David Ralston and Michael Thurmond.

Here are Georgia Trend synopses on the Columbus people on list:

Dan Amos: “Under Amos’ leadership, Aflac makes money and a difference. The insurance giant supports causes to end childhood cancer, builds houses for Habitat for Humanity and diverts 881,631 pounds of solid waste from the landfill annually. Amos received the 2018 Corporate Responsibility Lifetime Achievement Award from CR Magazine.”

Brian Anderson: “A $63-million Veterans Administration Clinic (construction beginning in 2019 for 2021 completion) will provide services to 30,000 regional veterans and bring valuable medical jobs to Columbus, where Anderson has headed the chamber since 2015. Other initiatives include 600 jobs created in Muscogee County with the $4.9-million investment of Global Callcenter Solutions.”

Christopher Markwood: “After celebrating its 60th birthday in 2018, Columbus State University continues to surge forward under Markwood’s leadership. In November, CSU’s Center for Commerce and Technology was renamed for Columbus banking giant Synovus Financial Corp., which has contributed or pledged more than $6 million to the school over the last 20 years.”

Kessel Stelling: “Stelling became Synovus’ chair in 2012. Under his leadership, Synovus last year acquired FCB Financial Holdings, owner of Florida’s largest community bank. With this acquisition, Synovus will become the Southeast’s largest mid-cap bank by deposits when the deal closes early this year. Stelling has also served on the board of Georgia Power since 2016.”

Downtown hotel undergoes $1.5 million renovation

Old has become new again with a major renovation of the former Days Inn in downtown Columbus, complete with its conversion to the Motel 6 brand and a recently finished $1.5 million renovation.

Atlanta-based HP Hotels Management oversees the hotel that is owned by Global Hotel Group and Compass Real Estate. Improvements at the 137-room property include installation of wood floors and granite countertops in the kitchenettes to give them a “modern loft style look,” the company said.

An official ribbon cutting is set for Jan. 24 at the 1325 Veterans Parkway economy lodging property.

David Johnson, Jack Hayes connect with New York brokerage

Longtime Columbus-area real-estate brokers David Johnson and Jack Hayes have left KW Commercial to become affiliated with NAI Global, a commercial brokerage firm based in New York.

The Columbus office operated by Johnson and Hayes is called NAI G2 Commercial and located on Whitesville Road. Commercial agents Rem Brady, Dave Jackson and Jeff Ayers are part of their team, as are property management and administrative staff Amy Gill and Debra Duncan.

Johnson’s roots are in architecture, although he made a transition into commercial real estate in 1996 and now concentrates on industrial and office properties. Hayes, who also has experience in multifamily, will focus his efforts on professional and medical offices, industrial warehouse space, distribution centers, retail leasing and land sales.

“We looked extensively at aligning ourselves with a national and international CRE platform,” Johnson said. “NAI Global is by far the best choice for us. The company and its member offices are run by like-minded professionals with expertise in similar property types and deep relationships with developers, property owners and tenants in their respective markets.”

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