James May-June 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 38
Williams’ favorites? As a mom with
three kids, it’s the Children’s Garden
at the State Botanical Garden. And
a non-kid’s favorite? Osteria Olio, a
modern Italian restaurant just outside the lovely Normaltown neighborhood in Athens.
AKIN S FORD A RENA
and what our history is about and what
are the reasons that people continue to
come back. I just discovered this whole
other side of Athens.”
She points to the arena as the
biggest win during her tenure, saying, “It’s getting us an entertainment
venue, and it’s bringing events to this
region that otherwise people would
have to travel to Atlanta or to Greenville to experience.”
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When she was interviewed, the
arena had just hosted Megan Maroney,
country singer and UGA graduate. She
sold out two nights in the 8,500-seat
arena. “People came from all over, they
stayed in hotels, they shopped downtown, and they went to the concert,”
said Williams. “So we’ve created an
economic driver that is having huge impacts, not just on the arena, but on our
small businesses and our restaurants.”
Leading and developing
David Bradley is the president
and CEO of the Athens Chamber. He
arrived in Athens in 2018 after serving
as president of two other chambers in
his native North Carolina. The Athens
Chamber has nearly 800 members, representing 9,000 employees, and acts
as a promoter of Athens business, an
education resource and also as a place
for discussion between local government and local business.
“When we got here in 2018, we
were awestruck by the Athens aura.
The most eye-opening component of
the community was the recognition
that the depth of passionate compassion that so many Athenians hold
