🔵 The new 2.2M sq. ft. expansion of The Works

Hey.

Welcome to ATL Grind.

I’m Andrew (your host) who’ll be showing you the best events, news, jobs, and more in Atlanta’s business world. Let’s get started.

Startup & Tech Networking: Atlanta (Tonight, 7-10pm). Wild Heaven Beer & Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q at Toco Hills. Live startup pitches, investor feedback, and direct access to founders, angels, and operators. Attendance capped to keep it focused. Read more here.

Atlanta Business After Business (Wednesday, Feb 18, 5:30-7:30pm). Hard Rock Cafe. Chamber-curated business exchange for entrepreneurs navigating Atlanta's oversaturated market. Regional access meets local connection. Read more here.

General Business Networking | Elevating Your Potential (Wednesday, Feb 18). Ladybird Grove & Mess Hall. Multi-vertical event. Meet consultants, bankers, software engineers, entrepreneurs across finance, tech, real estate, healthcare. Read more here.

Startup Oasis Pitchathon (Thursday, Feb 20, 7pm). ATDC at Tech Square. Open mic + hackathon format. Founders get 3-minute slots to pitch, then breakout rooms for collaboration. Free food and drinks starting at 5pm. Read more here.​

Growth: London-based payments startup Ekko just opened its North American headquarters in Atlanta's South Downtown, marking a strategic bet on Transaction Alley's infrastructure and collaborative culture.

The hook: Ekko embeds real-time carbon tracking directly into payment flows. Customers see their purchase's environmental impact at checkout and can contribute to verified projects, turning every swipe into climate action.

Momentum: CEO Oli Cook told reporters the company chose Atlanta after visiting multiple cities. "In every other city, people said 'You should come here, we're the best.' In Atlanta, everyone said 'We want you here. How can we help?' That's the community we want to be part of."

Scale: Ekko already works with Worldpay and fintechs in Turkey and Brazil. Grant Wainscott, former VP of Ecosystem Expansion at Metro Atlanta Chamber, leads North American expansion.

Hiring: The team's building out product, sales, and marketing roles over the next 12-18 months.

Read more here.

Just opened Friday.

The concept: Contemporary Italian restaurant focused on radical transparency, 300-mile sourcing radius, and natural wines. "We're working with the seasons. We're working in a sustainable manner, with the Italian philosophy and roots," says cofounder and executive chef Sebastián Vargas.

The experience: Open kitchen, visible pasta-making room, dry-aging room, wine area, and cocktail bar designed to feel like wandering an Italian piazza. House-made sourdough focaccia from custom Georgia flour. Handmade pasta served in half portions so you can taste more. Crudo, tartar, oysters, charcuterie, plated meats and seafood.

Scale: 150 seats. Warm reds, soft greens, wood, metal, stone. Open hearth as centerpiece. Intentionally low ceilings for intimacy. Patio opens spring. Validated valet parking.

Read more here.

If you’re searching for a job right now (or just want to see all the salary bumps available in the city right now) start with our Job Board: jobs.atlgrind.com.

Director, Business Development at Varo Bank. Drive fintech growth strategy. Seed expansion partnerships across Southeast. Fast-growing neobank backed by $510M in funding. Read more here.

Vice President, Sales Operations at Global Payments ($150K - $200K). Lead sales ops transformation for Fortune 500 fintech. Direct team driving revenue systems and analytics. Strong benefits package. Read more here.

Sr. Director, Global Head of CRM at eBay. Shape customer relationship strategy for global marketplace. Atlanta tech hub role. Lead cross-functional CRM initiatives. Read more here.

Director, Credit Risk Management at Upgrade ($140K - $180K). Build risk frameworks for consumer lending fintech. $280M funding. Fast-growing credit platform. Read more here.

Sales Executive Senior Director at Onbe. Enterprise payments sales leadership. Atlanta-based fintech innovator in disbursements space. Commission upside. Read more here.

The move: Atlanta developer Selig Enterprises filed state paperwork this week for Phase II of The Works, planning to add up to 2.2 million square feet across 53 acres along Logan Circle and Chattahoochee Avenue. That's roughly the equivalent of Ponce City Market's main building.

The numbers: Phase II can include up to 1 million square feet of residential and up to 1.2 million square feet of nonresidential (office, retail, restaurant) development. Target completion: 2031.

The backstory: Selig amassed 80 acres of abandoned warehouses over eight decades. The adaptive-reuse vision is credited to Scott Selig (late son of longtime CEO Steve Selig), who died in 2017 before seeing it fully realized. "It was his vision," Steve told AJC in December. "It's won every award you can win."

The strategy: One of the first I-MIX (industrial mixed-use) zoning projects in the country, allowing dense economic development in underutilized industrial neighborhoods while preserving existing warehouse character. Tenants include Chattahoochee Food Works (31 stalls), Fox Bros Bar-B-Q, Google Fiber offices, and City of Atlanta public safety.

Read more here.

Hidden in plain sight at the heart of Buckhead, 2079 Old Settlement Road NW is listed at $4,250,000 and lives like a private resort on just under an acre.​

The stats: Roughly 10,100 square feet, 6 bedrooms, 5 full baths, 2 half baths, and a full terrace level that functions as a second residence with its own gourmet kitchen, bedroom suite, theater, fitness room, plus dedicated whiskey and wine rooms.​

The setting: Gated, with a sweeping circular drive, manicured lawns, serene courtyards, and a new private saltwater pool as the centerpiece of the backyard. A covered porch with stone fireplace extends the living space outdoors for year-round entertaining.​

The play: Completely reimagined and modernized in 2025, the home blends classic Buckhead architecture with high-end contemporary finishes, minutes from I-75 and Buckhead’s top dining, shopping, and business corridors.

Read more here.

Pull Logic raises $3.3M seed for supply chain AI. Atlanta startup landing investment from Silicon Road Ventures and Bay Area's New Build Venture Capital. Team of 20 plans to reach 30 by year-end. Read more here.

Invest Atlanta launches Business Readiness Loan Fund. $5K-$15K low-interest loans for small businesses preparing for FIFA World Cup 2026 and Super Bowl LXII. Focus on historically underserved communities. Applications open now. Read more here.

Centennial Yards targeting World Cup completion. $5 billion downtown development rushing to finish entertainment district by June. 14-story hotel, Live Nation venue, Cosm immersive experience, and 50K sq ft of F&B space. Read more here.

Alpaca Real Estate buys 227K sq ft industrial property in Atlanta. Third Southeast acquisition in firm's $250 million industrial strategy. Partnership with Outrigger Industrial. Read more here.

Atlanta BeltLine reaches 18 miles continuous trail by summer. 85% completion milestone creates massive new foot traffic for BeltLine-adjacent businesses. Read more here.

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See you next Tuesday.

Andrew