Council for Quality Growth Announces Recipients of 14th Annual CID Awards
Natalie Tyler-Martin & Jim Durrett to be Recognized for Regional Impact and CID Leadership
ATLANTA, GA – RealEstateRama – The Council for Quality Growth announces its 14th Annual Community Improvement District (CID) Recognition Reception on November 14th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event is presented by Georgia Power and will be held in the West End CID at Monday Night Garage.
The Council’s CID Recognition event annually acknowledges the work of all our metro CIDs and presents two awards to carefully nominated and selected CID leaders that have greatly impacted the region. The John Williams CID Leadership Award recognizes a CID volunteer, and the CID Professional Excellence Award recognizes a CID industry professional.
The 2023 recipient of the John Williams CID Leadership Award is Natalie Tyler-Martin, Director of Real Estate at the Veritiv Corporation. Natalie served 10 years as Board Chair of the Airport West CID from 2014 to 2023, where she played an integral role in its formation and efforts to build economic value for residents and businesses surrounding the “economic engine” of Atlanta, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Under her leadership, Airport West CID – part of the ATL Airport CIDs – has been a driving force for growth in the south metro region. During her tenure as Chair, Tyler-Martin prioritized increasing property values to fund the CIDs, leading to over $16 million collected and leveraged for four times the beautification, public safety, and transportation projects.
Early on in her CID involvement, Natalie played a key part in the administrative agreement between five cities in Fulton County to join forces with the neighboring Airport South CID in Clayton County and form what is now known as the ATL Airport CIDs. “Natalie’s leadership, from the formation of the original Airport West CID, will have a lasting impact on our CIDs’ collective ability to make effective enhancements moving forward,” said Gerald McDowell, Executive Director of the ATL Airport CIDs, the 2023 Secretary of the Council for Quality Growth, and the inaugural recipient of the CID Professional Excellence Award. “I look forward to recognizing her ongoing commitment to south metro communities and honoring her with this award.” Natalie Tyler-Martin is the first woman of color to serve in the capacity of Board Chair of a CID in Georgia. In addition to her list of achievements in the CID world, Natalie has a notable career in real estate, holding various Vice President positions at Duke Realty and managing its 21-million square-foot portfolio of Atlanta properties. More recently, she joined Vertiv Corporation as its Director of Real Estate. She also served as the 2021 President of BOMA Georgia and is an active member of CREW Atlanta.
Jim Durrett, Executive Director of the Buckhead CID, is the 2023 recipient of the Council’s CID Professional Excellence Award. In his 14 years serving the Buckhead CID, Jim has been a part of countless beautification, accessibility, and safety projects for the residents and businesses of Buckhead. He’s leveraged $109 million in property taxes to secure another $52 million in government funds to spearhead key infrastructure projects. Durrett oversaw the completion of a 10-year project to make Peachtree Road the signature and pedestrian-friend boulevard that it is today. He’s been an integral part of HUB404, one of our region’s highway capping parks with the goal of reconnecting communities divided by GA-400. He serves as treasurer of the HUB404 Conservancy and recently secured a $750,000 federal grant to advance the project.
Of his many accomplishments through the Buckhead CID, some of Durrett’s most notable are his acts of leadership during threats of cityhood and rising crime rates. Jim was integral in the successful effort to keep Atlanta and Buckhead together earlier this year. In 2020, when crime in Buckhead spiked, Durrett rallied 11 government and civic entities together to create the Buckhead Security Plan, which led to a two-year-and-counting reduction in crime. Jim also helped to bring an additional Atlanta Police Department precinct to Buckhead. “Through all the challenges Buckhead has faced in recent years, Jim has remained a resolved and impactful leader among our region’s CIDs,” said Michael Paris, President & CEO of the Council for Quality Growth. “We’re proud to honor his accomplishments this year as he continues to push for transformative projects that enhance the quality of life not just in Buckhead, but all of metro Atlanta.”
For nearly three decades, Jim has worked to promote smart growth development and livable communities across metro Atlanta. He previously served as Vice President of Environmental Affairs for the Metro Atlanta Chamber and the founding Executive Director of both ULI Atlanta and the Livable Communities Coalition. Jim is also the longest-tenured member of MARTA’s Board of Directors, having served as Chair in 2011, and he is the current President of the Buckhead Coalition.
Natalie Tyler-Martin and Jim Durrett will be recognized and presented with their respective awards at the Council for Quality Growth’s CID Recognition Event on November 14th at 5:30 p.m. at Monday Night Garage. Each year, the Council for Quality Growth uniquely convenes the 30 Community Improvement Districts in our region to recognize the work they do year-round to enhance the quality of life here across metro Atlanta and to support the newly established CIDs as they become activated across the state of Georgia.. This is the 14th year the Council has held this event and presented the CID Awards.
For details about Community Improvement Districts or the 14th Annual CID Recognition, please visit www.CouncilforQualityGrowth.org/CIDs. Sponsorships and individual tickets are available online.
Press are invited to attend with prior registration. Please RSVP to Kathryn Jones at ">
About the John Williams CID Leadership Award
The John Williams CID Leadership Award recognizes volunteers who have played an instrumental role in championing CIDs around the metro Atlanta region through their vision, leadership, and dedication. Previous award recipients include Governor Roy Barnes, Senator Johnny Isakson, Tad Leithead, Kerry Armstrong, Bob Voyles, Mason Zimmerman, David Allman, and John Shern.
About the CID Professional Excellence Award
The CID Professional Excellence Award is given annually to a CID Executive Director, staff member, or contractor recognizing an individual’s commitment to professional excellence through leadership in successfully investing in critical transportation infrastructure and quality of life improvement projects to enhance the district’s economic vitality. In 2020, Gerald McDowell received the inaugural award, followed by Ann Hanlon in 2021 and Emory Morsberger in 2022.
About the Council for Quality Growth
The Council for Quality Growth is a trade organization that works to ensure continued growth and economic success for generations to come by providing advocacy, information, and education to its members. For 38 years, the Council has been committed to the mission of promoting balanced and responsible growth and is proactively involved in the formulation of policy and legislation critical to the growth and development industry. The Council addresses, head-on, strategic economic planning, infrastructure needs, and tough quality-of-life issues throughout the metro Atlanta region and state. Visit www.councilforqualitygrowth.org for more.
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Media Contact:
Kathryn Jones
770-813-3381
