H.J. Russell & Company, the venerable Atlanta construction, development and hospitality business, is rolling out a new logo and brand strategy and plans to turn the company’s old Castleberry Hill offices into an entrepreneurial center.
Russell — the streamlined name emphasized in the updated logo — recently moved to a new headquarters in Atlantic Station.
Russell is among the largest minority-owned businesses in the U.S. It was founded by Herman J. Russell, an entrepreneur, philanthropist and an icon of Atlanta's business community who died in 2014.
He turned a small plastering firm into one of the nation’s most successful African-American-owned real estate development and construction companies.
The firm, run by his children, is part of the team building Mercedes-Benz Stadium and has had its hands in major projects from Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to Turner Field. The firm includes Concessions International, an airport hospitality company.
Russell’s old logo featured the founder’s initials and an umbrella. The new one has an “R” atop a green square split into four segments reflecting the company’s business lines.
“Although the umbrella icon will always be an important part of H.J. Russell & Company’s history, we wanted to update our brand so that it speaks for the contemporary vision we have for our company and for the industries we operate in while still showing respect for our legacy,” Russell CEO Michael Russell said in a news release.
A spokeswoman for the firm said the new headquarters at 171 17th Street is home to about 50 Russell employees.
Jerome Russell, the company’s president, said the new Midtown digs and branding will inspire innovative ideas and forward thinking by our team as we meet the evolving needs of our clients.”
The company also plans to convert its 40,000-square-foot former headquarters on Fair Street into a startup incubator.
Donata Russell Ross, CEO of Concessions International, said the center “will be designed to breed success for up and coming entrepreneurs, particularly minorities, by connecting them with the tools, skills and relationships they need to turn their dreams into reality.”
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