2007 Articles
By Arielle Kass
Staff Writer
Arielle.kass@gwinnettdailypost.com
‘We’ve come a long way’
Five years after Morsberger’s first purchase, city seeing benefits from redevelopment
LAWRENCEVILLE –When he was in business school, Emory Morsberger studied Walt Disney.
As the entertainment giant planned for Disney World, he started buying property in Florida under the names of fake companies to amass enough land to build the amusement park and keep prices low.
When Morsberger decided to take on downtown Lawrenceville, he took a page from Disney’s book.
Sweet Rod’s Hair Salon wanted to build in the Square. So did Elmer’s Hardware. And Gertie’s Antiques.
Soon, property owners began talking at the First Baptist Church across the street. More transactions had taken place in the prior year than Lawrenceville had seen in the previous 30. Morsberger started getting calls from reporters, but had sworn his staff to secrecy.
“They never did figure out all those goofy LLCs,” he said. “You’re better off quietly accumulating as much mass as you can before you start fixing things. I spent a year and a half buying property before anyone I knew what I was doing.”
That was five years ago. Today, the Aurora Theatre calls the Square home. Lawrenceville Rings brings New Year’s revelers downtown. There is a resurgence of restaurants and shops in the county seat. And Thursday, Morsberger will break ground on the first homes on the Square.
The first project, 32 town homes and condominiums, is just part of Morsberger’s plan to have 500 residential units within walking distance of downtown in the next five years. He plans walking trails that will link the Square to nearby Rhodes Jordan Park and Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, improved streetscapes and even more business.
The condos and town homes are scheduled open next September. . . . read the rest in the clipping below
2009 Articles
Email Address: heather.darenberg@gwinnettdailypost.com
LAWRENCEVILLE — When Gwinnett Technical College student Erica Cooper was given an assignment to use Web media to market six Lawrenceville restaurants, she created a blog of information about the establishments.
The blog had brief descriptions of Dominick’s of Lawrenceville, Jack Brown’s Café, McCray’s Tavern on the Square, Oyster Bay Seafood Café, Sperata on the Square and Sweets on the Square, including menus and contact information.
While each of the restaurants has a Web site, Cooper said there wasn’t a place online that focused on dining in downtown Lawrenceville.
“There was nothing that tied them together,” said Cooper, a student in the hotel, restaurant and tourism management program.
Cooper’s idea prompted developer Emory Morsberger to create a Web site about the restaurants, www.lawrencevilledining.com.
Morsberger, who is revitalizing downtown Lawrenceville, has partnered with Mark Newton, Gwinnett Tech’s hotel, restaurant and tourism management program director, to develop a marketing campaign for the six restaurants.
“This has been a great win-win relationship,” Morsberger said. “We are learning together.”
Thanks to social media like Facebook and Twitter, Morsberger said, students are “tuned in much better than I will ever be.”
The partnership started with students in a food and beverage management class, but Newton said he plans to continue it in a marketing class.
“Visible students are successful students,” Newton said. “You never know when something like this opens up an opportunity for them.”
Cooper said she learned a lot in the class, which gave her the opportunity to meet the managers of the different dining establishments. She said she plans to continue working with Morsberger and the restaurants.
Morsberger said he’s open to any ideas the students have to make downtown Lawrenceville successful.
“People are seeking community,” he said. “A community is not centered around Wal-Mart, it’s not centered around the Mall of Georgia, and it’s not centered around some strip mall on Lawrenceville Highway. This is the center of the community. … That’s what we’re trying to do here in Lawrenceville is build that sense of community, and the restaurants are kind of the focal point of the community.”
NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS BELOW
