Managing Editor
photo: Sara Hanna
From influential celebrity duos to prominent political partnerships, power couples help run the world. Here in Atlanta, a headquarters of thriving businesses and charitable organizations, it’s no different. In this issue, we introduce you to four outstanding local pairs who are making waves in our community.
Steve and Eydie Koonin find time to give back while Eydie runs a million-dollar-plus real estate business, and Steve is at the helm of the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. John Rice, former vice chairman of the General Electric Company, serves on the board of Fortune 500 companies and is an Emory University trustee, while his wife, Cammie Wolf Rice, is the founder of nonprofit CWC Alliance. Matt Smith, a retired two-star Army major general, works with veterans, and his wife, Laura Balser, is a senior client partner at global organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry. The couple also remains involved in their alma mater, Emory University, where they met while getting their MBAs. Ernest Greer, co-president at Greenberg Traurig, and his wife, Patrice, founder of airport concessions firm Creative Concourse Concepts, focus on work but also pay it forward to numerous charitable organizations, from The Grady Foundation to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. I’m not sure how these couples fit it all in, but I’m grateful for their efforts to make our city a better place to live.
This issue also includes pages of stories to help kick off your new year, from a Croatia travel feature that will have you adding the destination to your 2026 vacation list and a kid’s column with tips for planning a stress-free babymoon to a Strategies piece offering advice on adding healthy protein to your diet. Sit back, enjoy and happy new year!
