In part 2 of our interview with Colin Connolly, President and CEO of Cousins Properties, we explored their historic involvement with the East Lake Community as well as their more recent efforts to pay their civic rent in Atlanta.
Let’s talk about Cousins role in developing East Lake Community and how it influences the company’s current community engagement strategy?
As I mentioned, Cousins has been focused on social issues for decades. Our founder Tom Cousins’ vision and involvement in the East Lake neighborhood is a great example of how Cousins intentionally partners in creating vibrant communities where those who might not have had the same chances at life could see an ecosystem around them that fosters success. It’s a model for investing not only in the success of individual communities, but in Atlanta as a whole.
To be clear the community development work that built the East Lake Community has always been done out of the East Lake Foundation, which is operated by the Cousins family. Mr. Cousins saw a neighborhood that at the time was plagued by violence, drugs, and lack of opportunity. But my sense is that two things caught his attention 1) he understood that a cradle-to-grave ecosystem could make a difference in people’s lives, and he envisioned creating an environment that would give the children of East Lake real opportunity and 2) he understood that vibrant neighborhoods support and attract talent in Atlanta. And a vibrant Atlanta with greater opportunity and vibrant neighborhoods was good business ultimately for Cousins Properties. And I think that vision is part of the reason why Atlanta is now a top destination for corporate relocation.
The East Lake model of a purpose-built community has been a huge success. Success in creating a mixed income approach where middle- and higher-income levels live in neighborhoods alongside people from historically lower income levels. Today, there are fifteen communities around the country that have…
Read the full article here