Welcome to the very first issue of Georgianomics, the AJC’s newsletter reporting on the businesses, people and ideas shaping the unique economy here in Georgia.
I’m Scott Trubey, the AJC’s senior editor for business, climate and environment coverage.
Highlights for this week include:
- Tariff refunds 💸
- A Battery for Alpharetta? 🏒
- The business case for the Wienermobile 🌭
Time is money, so, let’s hit it.
1: Tariff refunds
Since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down certain of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, big companies, including name brands from Georgia, have made demands for their money back.
The AJC’s Amy Wenk found Georgia public companies are seeking or have recouped more than $1.5 billion in tariff refunds. That figure doesn’t include the refunds sought by private companies.
What some of Georgia’s biggest names have sought or are receiving in refunds:
- Home Depot: $730 million
- UPS: $500 million
- Newell Brands: $126 million
- Carter’s: $132 million
- Floor & Decor: $87 million
💰 Economics 101: Tariffs are import taxes levied on goods that cross a border, and are typically paid by the entity importing the product or the end buyer of the good.
Amy reports the owners of smaller companies she talked to expressed frustration with the government’s refund process. And there’s really no way for consumers to get back the taxes they’ve paid.
If you run a business and need information about filing for a tariff refund, the government’s information page is here.
🔍 READ MORE: Georgia’s biggest companies seek more than $1.5 billion in tariff refunds
Not signed up yet? Why wait? Get Georgianomics in your inbox each Wednesday. And keep scrolling for more news.
2: More tariffs, eh?
That tariff return figure is striking when over the weekend, the U.S. put into place new 50% tariffs on certain Canadian goods after trade talks broke down.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has vowed to retaliate, stating that Canada is now “at war” with the U.S. Then on Monday, Trump said he’d enact 50% tariffs on more Canadian goods starting Jan. 1, including automobiles, vehicle parts and steel.
Georgia impact: Canada is the top global market for Georgia-made exports, totaling $6.8 billion in 2025, according to data compiled by the state Department of Economic Development. Georgians also buy a lot of Canadian goods, totaling more than $6.5 billion last year.
🔍 READ MORE: Canada’s prime minister promises retaliatory tariffs as negotiations with the U.S. falter
3: Meet the editor
Each week, a different member of the team will be the anchor writer of the Georgianomics newsletter. Let’s get to know Business Editor Scott Trubey:
I’ve been the AJC’s leader for business, climate and environment coverage since April 2022. I joined the AJC in July 2010 and I’ve covered banking, commercial real estate and had a stint on the AJC investigative team. I’m a graduate of the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications and I’ve been a reporter covering local news, government and business at newspapers in Augusta and Atlanta.
Fun fact: In my first reporting job, a fire department nicknamed me “Torch” after my clothes and a shoe ignited while covering a brush fire. (In my defense, I told I was in the “safe zone.”) 🔥
Next week’s author is Mirtha Donastorg.
4: Face off
Alpharetta City Council early Tuesday morning approved a rezoning to allow a live-work-play community like The Battery Atlanta around a future 20,000-seat arena at North Point Mall if, and it’s still a big if, the NHL awards the mall’s owner an expansion franchise, the AJC’s Zachary Hansen reports.
The North Point group will now face off with a rival with a similar proposal in Forsyth County. That gives the NHL some leverage, if they pick metro Atlanta.
By the numbers: The Atlanta Braves created the modern local blueprint for the stadium-adjacent mixed-use project. So how does this North Point proposal compare to The Battery?
1,385: The maximum number of apartments, more than twice what the Braves have in Cobb County.
585,000: The planned restaurant and retail square footage, more than double The Battery.
750,000: The planned office square footage. That’s more office space than is currently under construction in all of metro Atlanta right now but less than half the office space the Atlanta Braves control.
It speaks to how entertainment districts outside stadiums could be evolving.
5: From clerk to key exec 🚂
What track do you take to go from clerk to a key executive at a Fortune 500 company?
It’s the path that Dianne Barnett has taken through her career at Norfolk Southern, where she recently was named chief mechanical officer. A big part of her job is improving rail safety, the AJC’s Kelly Yamanouchi reports.
🔍 READ MORE: She started as a clerk at Norfolk Southern. Now she’s a top executive.
6: Hot dog 🌭
What was that driving by on Peachtree Street? No, you haven’t time-traveled to the last century. One of the famed Wienermobiles really did stop in Atlanta in recent days, as AJC transportation reporter Sara Gregory chronicled.
The visit got the Georgianomics team thinking: what is the business case for the Wienermobile?
The challenge: Corporate parent Kraft Heinz acknowledges that it isn’t expecting to grow the market share of an age-old brand like Oscar Mayer. “Where we aim to hold (market) share — in brands like Oscar Mayer and Maxwell House — we are spending to defend,” said Kraft Heinz CEO Steve Cahillane during a conference call on the company’s financial results this month.
Impact: In its entry for the 2020 Shorty Awards in digital and social media, Oscar Mayer’s ad agency at the time, McGarryBowen, said the Wienermobiles made 4.7 billion media impressions, including on “The Today Show” and “Good Morning America,” along with an 80% increase in social media impressions and a 79% increase in engagements, according to McGarryBowen.
7: More top stories
🚗 Topping Tesla? Hyundai could expand its Georgia factory, which would surpass Tesla’s Fremont, California, electric vehicle plant as America’s busiest car factory by units built.
🌮 WaHo tacos: Waffle House is trying out tacos at dozens of its Georgia restaurants. I’m game. But how about an option for waffles as tortillas?
☀️ Solar surge: Georgia needs a lot of power to feed hungry data centers. Solar array proposals have recently been made public that would add clean energy to the grid.
🚀 Space startup: A Marietta company’s space armor to be part of upcoming SpaceX launch.
📺 Cable combination: What the merger of Charter Communications and Cox Communications means for Atlanta.
🛍️ Retail redevelopment: A public park, housing and shops are part of a development team’s plans to replace an aging Sandy Springs retail center.
8: Moving up
Pam Shipley, a former president of Kaiser Permanente Georgia and a past C-suite executive with Centene Corp. and Atlanta-based Sharecare, has been named the CEO of AArete, the Chicago-based management and technology consulting firm said.
Robert McLean joined Coastal States Bank where he will be a senior vice president in Atlanta, serving home builders, the bank said.
Erin Dee joined BankSouth Mortgage as senior vice president and chief innovation officer, the company said.
Jessica Swink also joined BankSouth Mortgage as senior vice president and director of marketing and digital strategy, the company said.
Thanks for reading to the bottom. Help us shape future editions of Georgianomics. Got a tip or an idea worthy of coverage or a key new hire you want to tout? Email us at businessnews@ajc.com.