John Hall’s Story
The following is a newspaper article about Mr. Hall receiving a honor from the Georgian government in 2009:
The country of Georgia has named Atlanta attorney John Hall Jr. as its first honorary consul for the Southeast U.S. (August 27, 2009)
Mr. Hall's appointment brings to 62 the number of nations that have consulates, honorary consuls or trade offices in the state of Georgia, Chris Young, the state's chief of protocol, told GlobalAtlanta. Ireland, expected to open a consulate general in Atlanta later this year, will become nation number 63, Mr. Young said.
"It's obviously important and a cause for celebration any time a country opens an office in Georgia," said Mr. Young. "It's a great place to do business. It's a great place to live. Having those connections is a strong testament to that."
Mr. Hall's involvement with the country of Georgia began in 2007 when he participated in the Open World Program, which hosted a delegation of Georgian attorneys in Atlanta. That prompted Mr. Hall to become active in the Atlanta-Tbilisi Sister City Committee, which he currently chairs. Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, has been Atlanta's sister city since 1988.
Mr. Hall, a graduate of the Mercer University School of Law in Macon and a native of Omega in the southern part of the state, said his first duty as honorary consul will be to help Georgian citizens living here with immigration issues or other problems. As honorary consul, he will not have the authority to issue visas or renew passports, but he can refer Georgians to the appropriate office in Washington that would handle those matters. Mr. Hall said he will open an office at his law firm at 1180 West Peachtree St. in Atlanta, for consular business.
He said his second mission as consul is to encourage trade between the Southeast and Georgia.
Georgia, which has a population of about 4.6 million, gained its independence following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
It has a gross domestic product, the value of all its goods and services, of about $21.6 billion, which ranks it 117th in the world, just below Albania and above Gabon, according to the CIA World Fact Book.
Until the recent worldwide recession, Georgia's economy was expanding rapidly. It grows grapes, citrus fruits, hazelnuts and other agricultural products. It mines manganese and copper and produces industrial products such as machinery and chemicals.
There are no direct flights between Atlanta and Georgia, although Mr. Hall said as consul he will encourage carriers to consider flying there. He also plans to promote tourism between the Southeast and Georgia.
"The Caucasus Mountains are absolutely beautiful," said Mr. Hall. "Georgia has shoreline on the Black Sea. They have ski resorts that are world class."
Mr. Hall plans to encourage cultural exchanges between the two countries and also to help with humanitarian aid.
A Sept. 19 fundraiser at Atlanta City Hall will raise money for citizens of Georgia, including those displaced in fighting last August between Georgian and Russian troops. Georgian First Lady Sandra Saakashvili is scheduled to attend the fundraiser, said Mr. Hall. The event will feature authentic Georgian food.
Atlanta Hawks center Zaza Pachulia, a native of the nation of Georgia, is on the host committee for the fundraiser. In an e-mail interview with GlobalAtlanta, Mr. Pachulia praised the appointment of Mr. Hall as honorary consul.
"It means a lot, especially having somebody like John as a honorary consul, a person who loves Georgia and Georgians and who is willing to help all my country's people," said Mr. Pachulia.
Photo Caption: Atlanta-Tbilisi Sister City Committee (ATSCC) President John Hall (far right) and (from left) ATSCC members Rusty Brooks and Scott Henwood meet with Open World's executive director, John O'Keefe, and Georgia program manager, Lewis Madanick, during a visit to Capitol Hill. (Aug. 24, 2009)