STATE FOCUS | GEORGIA Proud to call Georgia home
In 1836, the Georgia General Assembly voted to build a railroad to connect the Port of Savannah to settlements in the Midwest. That decision set in motion a series of events that would culminate in the creation of a major hub of commerce in the southern United States.
completed almost 200 years ago, four other rail lines were built and met at the same spot. That junction was the foundation of the city and the catalyst for moving Georgia away from an agrarian economy. The rail lines allowed Georgia and Atlanta to become a southern hub for business and Georgia to adopt the nickname “Empire State of the South”. You can still visit Five Points, located not too far from the original zero mile post of those rail lines. While the rail lines are no longer there, Five Points provides a reminder of the origins of the city and the fact that where five rail lines or roads come together, business (and traffic) are not too far behind. Just make sure you visit the Vortex while you’re there for an incredible burger. One of the most interesting stories from the early days of Atlanta is how prohibition created one of the world’s largest companies. It proves the old adage that necessity is the mother of invention. For a lot of people raised in the south, all carbonated beverages are collectively called “Coke”. It makes it easy to recognize someone from Georgia. We don’t have pop or soda here. I’m personally thankful to the Coca-Cola Company for helping to save the city during the Great Depression. I happen to know someone who was struggling to make ends meet back then.
I
t’s hard to imagine what Atlanta must have looked like in the early days. After the first rail line from Savannah to the Midwest was
My grandfather, Harold Arwood Sr., was an A strong reputation for reliable service
Atlanta native. Growing up just outside the city and coming of age at the onset of the Great Depression, he struggled to find work like most Americans. He tried many ventures to provide for his family and after years of trying, something finally stuck. He was blessed with an ability to work with his hands and used his talents to repair electric motors. In 1932, he started a small business named Ace Electric with its first office on Edgewood Avenue, just outside downtown Atlanta. For years, he worked tirelessly in that shop, perfecting his craft. Fortunately, Georgia has a large paper industry and was a leading producer of compounds and rosins that were used in the shipping industry in the early 1900’s. Those paper mills provided a solid foundation of electric motor repairs for Ace Electric. Today, there are paper mills throughout Georgia producing a wide variety of paper products. Companies like Georgia Pacific, Rayonier and International Paper all have deep roots in Georgia.
While the state of Georgia was more agrarian,
Atlanta was developing into a business and transportation hub. A new airport took the place of trains, roads were constructed to connect the cities and Atlanta became the center of commerce for Georgia. That connected infrastructure set the stage for the next phase for Ace Electric. My father, Harold Arwood, Jr., was affectionately called “Bud” by everyone who knew him. After a seven-year stint in the FBI, he decided to move his family back to Atlanta to work with his father. I was born shortly thereafter, the first of my siblings to be born in Atlanta. I was never able to visit the Edgewood office as Bud moved the business way out of the city to a small office on Huber Street. It’s funny now, because what was way out in the mid-1970’s is considered “in-town” today. Unlike his father, Bud had a knack for
computers and systems. While he was never one to shy away from physical work, his true talents were tailor made for the Atlanta business
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