For 16 years, the Council for Quality Growth, metro Atlanta’s voice for the growth and development industry, has paid tribute annually to an outstanding individual in the metro Atlanta region that best exemplifies the Council’s mission of promoting balanced and responsible growth through an annual leadership award and tribute gala. The Council has proudly named John Wieland as the 2006 Four Pillar Honoree.

The Four Pillar Award & Tribute is a unique honor that celebrates the recipient’s significant contributions to the growth, economic development and quality of life of this region. Past recipients have been exemplary leaders that have set the bar high and have undoubtedly made the world around them a better place.

The award’s solid marble pillars represent the ‘Four Pillars’ of leadership and success – quality, responsibility, vision and integrity. These are the very principals on which the Council was founded and continues to focus on two decades later.

John Wieland was nominated in March along with more than a dozen industry leaders for this year’s award. The Council solicits nominations each year from their membership and a private selection committee is named to determine who will receive the award. Candidates must demonstrate unselfish dedication of time and resources, as well as foster a positive, progressive sense of “community in the region,” as well as focus business, professional and/or volunteer activities towards promoting balanced and responsible growth.

Kerry Armstrong of Duke Realty and Chair of the 2006 Four Pillar Tribute shares, “This year’s list of nominees was stellar and it was a very daunting task to select just one person. After hours of careful consideration, the committee made an outstanding selection. John Wieland definitely meets all criteria and his name is unquestionably synonymous with the words quality, responsibility, vision and integrity. There is no one more deserving!”

Because of the Council’s desire to showcase the significant career-long achievements and accomplishments of each honoree, this tribute goes far beyond the presentation of just one more trophy for the shelf. Michael Paris, President & CEO of the Council explains, “This event will pay tribute to John Wieland’s life and his many accomplishments. The Council works daily on sustaining a high quality of life for this region and seeks to recognize those that live the example of contributing to the balance through their personal, professional, and civic work. We totally customize the event each year and incorporate the honoree’s unique style and passions. The Council works closely with the honoree’s family, colleagues and friends to comprehensively reflect how they live a life focused on quality, responsibility, vision and integrity.”

Though this event is the Council’s one and only fundraising event annually, recipients have shared that it proved to be much more than a fundraiser. Armstrong explains, “This annual tribute has proven to be a wonderful experience that allows our honorees to look back over their lives and realize just how much they have done to impact the lives of others and how they have personally helped shape this region. The Council keeps the event focused solely on the honoree and works hard to make it one their entire family will remember for a lifetime.”

This year’s tribute will be held at a dinner gala in Wieland’s honor on Thursday, September 28, 2006. The venue for this year’s black-tie gala is the Gwinnett Center Ballroom. The event will include lively music, splendid decorations, and a multi-media presentation showcasing the life-long accomplishments of John Wieland. This annual tribute is historically the Council’s largest event of the year with an attendance of 800 guests anticipated.

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