Buckhead Coalition Arranges Sister Community Ties With Bermuda

Buckhead and Bermuda will be "sister communities," thanks to an agreement reached by the Buckhead Coalition.

A delegation from the Buckhead Coalition, a chamber of commerce type nonprofit organization, will travel to Bermuda's capital of Hamilton Thursday through Saturday to exchange formal proclamations with officials of the city. The group, which will stay at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel, will also discuss business, tourism and trade with Bermuda officials. 

"This is a good way to create goodwill and have a new initiative for the coalition to build economic interests, tourism and social interests through the exchange of ideas and just being good neighbors across the Atlantic," Buckhead Coaltion President Sam Massell said.

The delegation, which will visit the deputy premier of the British territory, will include Alana Shepherd, board secretary of Shepherd Spinal Center, and Sam Friedman, chairman of AFCO Realty, both members of the coalition’s Chairman’s Council; Tim Lowe, chief executive officer of Lowe Engineers, coalition vice president; Charlie Crawford, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Private Bank of Buckhead, coalition treasurer;  and Michael Robison, chairman and chief executive officer of Lanier Holdings, coalition director.

The group will be led by Garth Peters, coalition director of development (formerly with Bermuda’s Department of Tourism), and will be accompanied by Amy Henderson, editor of Georgia’s Cities. In Hamilton, they will meet with professional counterparts,and will visit with the mayor, Charles Gosling, to deliver a letter of greetings from  Massell, a former mayor of Atlanta.

Bermuda, which also includes the city of St. Georges, and Buckhead have much in common: The island is 21 square miles with a population of 65,000, and the Georgia city is 28 square miles with 76,000 residents.

"I've been there a number of times, and it's a delightful destination," Massell said. "I'm convinced that people from Bermuda who come to Buckhead will feel the same way. They both have good shopping, both have good restaurants, and both have good weather."

Massell said that AirTran Airways' recent addition of  daily, nonstop service to Bermuda "sort of helped trigger this. This is a real boost to the economic wellbeing of both destinations." The group's trip will be aboard the inaugural flight of AirTran's  service between Atlanta and Hamilton.

With Delta Air Lines also having Bermuda service, "the competition is healthy," Massell said.

The Buckhead group will meet with professional counterparts at a planned dinner where "the exchange of information will be mutually beneficial," Massell said. "They may strike up some deals right on the spot."

The group will enjoy entertainment at the airport and stay in one of Bermuda's better hotels, he said. "They're treating us like royalty and we're going to see their royalty, the deputy prime minster, the mayor of Hamilton and other dignitaries."

At a later date, a Bermuda contingency will visit Buckhead, Massell said. "We'll host them in the same fashion," he said.