Business: Local in brief

Three builders honored for 50+ housing design

Greater Atlanta was well represented at the Best of 50+ Housing Awards, held recently in Philadelphia. Two companies won gold awards and a third received two silver honors.

The Atlanta designers of Towne Club Peachtree City, Niles Bolton Associates, took gold for market-rate multifamily rental 50+ community. Interior Design Associates Inc., based in Nashville, received top honors for best common area of a continuing care retirement center, for Lenbrook at Buckhead.

Jim Chapman Communities received two silver awards, one for Community of the Year Division for its active adult community at Brookhaven of East Cobb and the other for Best Detached Home at an Active Adult Community over 2,000 square feet, for the Ansley floor plan at Brookhaven at Johns Creek.

The Best of 50+ Housing award, sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders, recognizes and rewards innovation, emerging trends and quality housing for the mature demographic. MICHELLE E. SHAW

Delta picks new agency for ad, brand campaign

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has chosen Wieden+Kennedy as its new advertising agency, the company said Friday. Wieden+Kennedy, founded in Portland, Ore., will lead the Delta account out of New York.

The agency will work on a new advertising and brand campaign for the merged Delta. Delta will unveil the campaign to employees in late 2009 and externally in 2010. Delta closed its merger with Northwest Airlines last year.

Delta’s previous agency was Digitas, which will continue to do some work for the airline; Northwest’s agency was Riley Hayes. KELLY YAMANOUCHI

Jury awards $6.1 million in epidural lawsuit

A DeKalb County jury found an Atlanta anesthesiologist was negligent in a 2003 epidural on a Duluth woman who said it left her permanently disabled.

The jury, which returned its verdict Tuesday night, awarded Diane Whitaker $6.1 million in damages against Dennis C. Doherty. In her suit, Whitaker said the doctor botched an epidural procedure to relieve neck pain. Instead, she said he inserted the needle directly into her spinal cord leaving her with permanent neck pain and the loss of the use of her left hand.

Peralte C. Paul