Atlanta’s Commerce Club was the venue yesterday evening for the annual InsiderAdvantage/James Magazine “2018 Influential Georgians” reception sponsored by the Atlanta law firm Hall Booth and Smith. Approximately 100 attendees– ranging from various state and local elected officials to prominent business, judicial and political leaders– were welcomed by InsiderAdvantage/James CEO and Publisher Phil Kent and Hall Booth Smith Managing Partner John Hall.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue introduces James Magazine’s 2018 Georgian of the Year Nick Ayers
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and former Gov. Sonny Perdue joined Kent in presenting the “2018 Influential Georgian Award” to Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence’s chief of staff. A special congratulatory video was also shown from the vice president, who said “Georgia is always on the mind” of his right hand man.
Ayers, born in Cobb County and a graduate of South Cobb High School who later earned his B.A. in political science from Kennesaw State University, was just 19 years old when hired by the Perdue for Governor campaign on Halloween 2001. He emerged to later oversee then-Gov. Perdue’s 2006 re-election campaign. He later served as a highly-successful executive director of the Republican Governors Association. In July 2017 he became the vice president’s chief of staff. He and his wife Jamie have three children and maintain their home in Buckhead and their farm in middle Georgia.
Also honored with InsiderAdvantage/James awards are three “2018 Lawmakers of the Year.” The recipients were state Sen. Butch Miller, R-Gainesville, just re-elected Senate president pro tempore and who is a key policy-maker; state Sen. Jack Hill, R-Reidsville, a skilled, veteran lawmaker who chairs the important Appropriations Committee; and state Rep. Bob Trammell, D-Luthersville, a formidable attorney who was recently re-elected the House of Representatives minority leader.
IAG CEO Phil Kent with Senate president pro tempore Butch Miller, one of James‘ Legislators of the Year
Attendees included prominent Peach State businesspeople, members of the state Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, various judges and lawyers, Republican and Democrat activists, high-powered lobbyists of government affairs firms, a college president, former Atlanta Mayor Sam Massell and congressional staffers.
