If you are a basketball fan like myself you probably heard a lot about Atlanta these days. Whether it was the 2021 NBA All-Star game back in March, or Trae Young and the Hawks making it to the Eastern Conference finals and facing the eventual champions. Aside from being basketball fans at Rogue380, Atlanta is important to us for another reason. As we consider expanding, Atlanta often comes up in our discussions. So today in Going Rogue, we look at a few things that, in our eyes, make Atlanta.
First a little trivia: One of the things that Atlanta is known for is being the home of The Coca-Cola Company. If you have been to a restaurant like Subway, you have probably seen or used the Freestyle machine. Introduced in 2009, it allows you to choose a soft drink from the Coca-Cola family and mix it with a number of flavours from vanilla, to orange, to cherry, and more.
What famous inventor conceived of this machine?
First correct answer in the comments below will win a book give away!
A few years ago, Serious Eats did a great review of all possible flavor combinations:
Atlanta is home of the Centre for Disease Control (CDC). An organization that we have unfortunately heard about too much about these days. As Dr. Charity Dean, a key character in the latest Michael Lewis book, The Premonition: A Pandemic Story, says when speaking about public health officials, “if you are really good at your job, nobody knows.”
A key issue during the pandemic was healthcare staffing. Our frontline heroes were pushed to the limit in trying to help everyone get through the pandemic as healthy as possible. SnapNurse, an Atlanta based startup has helped to solve at least part of this issue. Their tech-based staffing platform that helps to get healthcare professionals to where they are needed most, is an idea that not only makes sense but is one we hope grows fast and far.
Listen to an interview with Dr. Charity Dean here
As I have mentioned in a previous post, mental health should be a key focus for all of us. And many professional athletes are sharing their struggles in hopes to help others. Trae Young of the Hawks is not only leading on the court, but with his foundation he is leading off the court as well. His Family Foundation supports people of all ages in their fight with mental issues including those stemming from cyber bullying or depression.
If you have a pet you will want to try Goodboy, based in Atlanta. They were around before the pandemic and the 2020 pet rush. They offer personalized supplements for your dog. Their algorithm takes into accounts everything from breed to age. My favourite was their advent calendar of supplements for dogs. I know my dog would have loved one of those!
Their other claim to fame is that they have suffered from several cases of obvious plagiarism. Some competitors copied their website practically word for word. But with their Rogue-like spirit they fought back.
Modern Retail published a great article about their struggle.
If you are in Atlanta and would want to chat or meet up. I would love to do so at Bellwood Coffee. A shop that mixes coffee and plants. Looks like a beautiful space. And coffee will be on me. On top of it, their values of openness, sustainability, creativity, and forward-thinking are similar to ours at Rogue380.
Check out some images and an interview with the owners here: