The Atlanta Way
Larry Gellerstedt, Executive Chairman, Cousins
Doug Hertz, Chairman & CEO, United Distributors
Moderated by Ann Curry, Chairman & Chief Client Strategist, Coxe Curry & Associates
March 18, 2019 | 12:15-1:30PM
Loudermilk Conference Center
Speaker:
Doug Hertz
CEO & Chair,
United Distributors
A native Atlantan, Mr. Hertz attended Westminster High School and then Tulane University where he earned a BA in history, and a MBA in accounting and finance.
He began his professional career with KPMG in New Orleans, working in the accounting and consulting services area. Upon returning to Atlanta, he joined United Distributors, becoming its President and CEO in 1984. Under his leadership, United has experienced tremendous growth and has been listed as one of the top privately held companies in Georgia. He sits on the Boards of Georgia Power Company, Atlantic Capital Bank, and Narrative Content Group. The Atlanta Business Chronicle consistently has named Mr. Hertz as one of Atlanta’s 100 most influential individuals.
In addition to his responsibilities at United, Mr. Hertz is Chairman of Camp Twin Lakes, a camping facility he founded in 1989. The camp is designed for, and serves, nearly 10,000 special needs children and adults annually. He is the immediate past Chairman of the Board at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, one of the largest pediatric healthcare systems in the country, and the immediate past Chair of the Georgia Research Alliance, and the Woodruff Arts Center, the largest performing Arts Center in the Southeast. Mr. Hertz also serves as a trustee for the Marcus Foundation, the Holly Lane Foundation, and the East Lake Community Foundation.
Mr. Hertz currently serves as Chair of the Board of Tulane University and Atlanta Community for Progress. He was recently named by Governor Nathan Deal to the Georgia Ports Authority Board.
He is the recipient of the 2012 Atlanta Rotary Club’s Community Service Award, the Eleven Alive Community Service Award, and he received the Jefferson Award in Washington, D.C., as one of 20 in the country, for distinguished service to children. Mr. Hertz and his wife, Lila, were honored by the Georgia Association of Philanthropy as the 2017 Philanthropists of the Year. He has received numerous other civic and business awards including being inducted into the Junior Achievement Atlanta Business Hall of Fame. Georgia Trend Magazine named him the state’s most respected business leader in 2018.
In addition to his service to the Atlanta community, he is an avid sports fan, golfer, and a limited partner in the Atlanta Falcons. He successfully co-chaired Atlanta’s bid to land the 2019 Super Bowl.
Mr. Hertz and his wife, Lila, have four adult children, Amy and Ronnie Agami and Michael and Emily Hertz and four perfect grandchildren, Zachary, Jill, Noah, and Eloise.
Speaker:
Larry Gellerstedt
Executive Chairman, Cousins
In January 2019, Larry Gellerstedt became Executive Chairman of Cousins with a focus on strategy, key client relationships, board governance and civic engagement. In July 2017, Larry was named Chairman of the Board and CEO of Cousins Properties. From June 2009 to July 2017, Larry served as the Company's President and CEO, and prior to this period, he held the position of President and COO. Larry joined Cousins in 2005 following the acquisition of his firm, The Gellerstedt Group.
During his tenure at Cousins, Larry has steered the Company to focus on acquiring, developing and operating urban trophy office towers in high-growth Sunbelt markets while maintaining a conservative balance sheet. In 2016, he led the largest deal in Cousins history – the merger with Parkway Properties, Inc. and subsequent spin-off of the combined companies’ Houston-based assets into a separately traded REIT. From 2009 to 2017, Larry led Cousins from an equity market cap of $665 million to over $3.8 billion.
Larry began his career at Beers Construction Company (Beers) in 1978 as an estimator and project manager. Eight years later, he became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Beers and led the company to annual revenues in excess of $1.2 billion and the company’s eventual sale to Skanska AB.
He also has held positions as President and Chief Operating Officer of The Integral Group, recognized nationally for its visionary urban mixed-use development, and as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Business Products, a NYSE-listed manufacturer of packaging and printed office products.
Spanning a career of more than 35 years, Larry has received numerous accolades including Atlanta American Jewish Committee National Human Relations of the Year Award, Atlanta Business Chronicle Most Admired CEO, Georgia Trend magazine’s Georgia’s Most Admired CEO and 100 Most Influential Georgians.
Moderator:
Ann Curry
Chairman & Chief Client Strategist, Coxe Curry & Associates
Ann led Coxe Curry & Associates for more than two decades before turning its leadership over to David Eidson in 2015. She came to Coxe Curry, in 1992, after twenty years of community service and purchased the firm from prior owner, Frankie Coxe, in 1993. Her current role allows her to be a senior advisor to clients and a resource for the firm’s staff.
Ann's previous community service includes serving as president of the Atlanta-Fulton League of Women Voters, as Georgia president, and as a member of the League's national board, where she was development chair. She was a five-year member of the Board of Research Atlanta and its first woman president. She chaired the Board of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library for three years and was the founding president of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation.
Ann is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta and Leadership Georgia. She is a member of the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers and was the 2017 co-winner of their Woman of Achievement honor; a recipient of the Eudora Rogers Award as the outstanding League of Women Voters member; and also received the Eleanor Raoul Greene Award from the Georgia League. In 2017, she was recognized by the Foundation of Wesley Woods at its Heroes, Saints & Legends Event.
Ann holds a membership on the Corporate Board of State Bank and Trust, where she sits on the Independent Directors Committee and the Risk Committee, and on the CDC Foundation's Advisory Board, and the Advisory Board of the Georgia Conservancy. She is an active member of Atlanta Rotary and was the 2018 recipient of the M. Collier Ross Leadership Award.
Campaigns Ann leads or has led for the firm include two campaigns for the Grady Health Foundation, Spelman College's $150 million campaign, Atlanta Botanical Garden’s $53 million recent campaign; and a $100 million effort for Berry College. She currently consults with the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Grove Park Foundation, and HomeFirst initiative’s $50 million public/private partnership.
A graduate of Duke University, Ann is a past chair of the Duke University Women's Studies Council and a six-year member of the Board of Visitors for Trinity College at Duke. She currently serves as vice-chair of the Advisory Board for Duke University Libraries and co-chaired her most recent reunion.
She and her husband Jim have two adult children and three grandchildren. Ann and Jim enjoy city-living, adventure travel, and Duke basketball, having been present for every national championship.