By John Schaffner
editor@reporternewspapers.net
Best-selling business writer Harvey Mackay will be the keynote speaker at the Buckhead Business Association’s annual luncheon.
The 2009 Buckhead Business of the Year Award also will be presented during the Jan. 21 gathering.
Mackay wrote two of the top 15 best-selling business books, according to the New York Times. His books “Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive” and “Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt” have sold 10 million copies worldwide, been translated into 37 languages and sold in 80 countries. People attending the luncheon at the Atlanta History Center will be among the first who can purchase his latest book, “Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in the Door.”
During the event, which begins at 11:30 a.m. in the ballroom of the History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Road in Buckhead, the 2009 award for Buckhead Business of the Year will be presented to one of five finalists: Craft restaurant, David Gallery/Painting Exchange, Pizza Fusion, Private Bank of Buckhead and W Atlanta-Buckhead.
Tom Colicchio’s Craft in New York received the James Beard Award in 2002 for its “marriage of the finest ingredients, haute cuisine and family style service,” according Leo Barrera, general manager of Craft in Buckhead, 3376 Peachtree Road. In Atlanta, the casual Craftbar and the more formal Craft are united in a two-level space.
David Gallery/Painting Exchange, an art gallery at 3057 Peachtree Hills Ave. No. 103, sells contemporary paintings by local artists. The Painting Exchange resells 19th through 21st century art for its clients.
Pizza Fusion, located in Suite M at 2233 Peachtree Road, serves gourmet pizza with organic ingredients. Its pizzas are delivered with hybrids and smart cars or by scooter. It donates 10 percent of its revenues to Buckhead schools.
Private Bank of Buckhead, 3565 Piedmont Road, Suite 210, was chartered Dec. 11, 2006, with a mission to deliver client service to businesses and individuals in a tailored fashion.
W Atlanta-Buckhead general manager Marylouise Fitzgibbon calls the hotel at 3377 Peachtree Road “an iconic lifestyle brand destination,” with 291 guest rooms, 4,000 square feet of flexible meeting/event space, Whiskey Blue bar and Market restaurant.
The BBA also will present a Buckhead Beautification Award to the St. Regis Hotel, which opened on West Paces Ferry Road last year, and a Bullish on Buckhead Award to BATMA (Buckhead Area Transportation Management Association) and its Executive Director Denise Starling.
Tickets for the luncheon can be purchased online at www.buckheadbusiness.org through noon on Tuesday, Jan. 19. Individual tickets are $75 for BBA members and $100 for non-members. Tables of 10 with corporate signage can be purchased by BBA members for $750 and cost $1,000 for non-members.