Georgia’s Capital and the Bulldogs’ Backyard

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Right in the Bulldogs’ backyard and at the heart of the Peach State, the UGA Atlanta Alumni Chapter stands as the largest alumni chapter, representing nearly one-third of all UGA alumni. 

“This chapter represents around 30% of all living UGA alumni, so our board has the opportunity to connect a huge Bulldog family and rally them to support both the university and our Atlanta community,” Will Ferrand (BBA ’15), the Atlanta chapter president said. 

“Working for this UGA family is a big responsibility, but a massive privilege as well.” 

With multiple game-watching parties across the city, the Atlanta game day experience is always a classic. The chapter’s most well-known watch party location is Monday Night Brewing, located in West Midtown; this year, they also incorporated Red Pepper Taqueria and the new greenspace in the city of Tucker, Georgia. 

Members of the Tucker municipal government reached out to the university and the Atlanta chapter to inquire into being an official game-watching party venue in their newly created outdoor space. By working with the Mayor of Tucker and city council staff, they were able to create the first UGA Alumni chapter/local municipality partnership of its kind.  

“We held three watch parties in Tucker this season, and each was a great success,” Ferrand said. “We’re excited to continue working with them and hope this kind of partnership can become a model for other chapters as well.”

The Atlanta Chapter hosts game-watching parties across the city.

The Atlanta Chapter hosts game-watching parties across the city.

Per game, there is an average of 75-100 people ready to cheer on the Dawgs and for the bigger matchups of the season, up to 200 fans will gather together. With UGA making post-season appearances the past few years, they have also seen huge crowds of over 300 people for events like the SEC Championship.

Aside from cheering on the Dawgs, this chapter loves to host events to support Atlanta sports teams, including the Hawks and the Braves. In previous years, they helped host the UGA Night at the Hawks and the UGA Day at the Braves events, where a portion of ticket proceeds supported the Atlanta Chapter Scholarship Fund.  

This fund supports a student in the greater Atlanta area attending the University of Georgia.  

Fun UGA merch that the UGA Atlanta Alumni Chapter has at their game-watching parties.

Fun UGA merch that the UGA Atlanta Alumni Chapter has at their game-watching parties.

Alumni chapter leaders work with business leaders and large corporations from all over the metro Atlanta area to help connect the community back to UGA. From the Georgia Economic Outlook series hosted by the Terry College of Business each year at the Georgia Aquarium, to UGA Emeritus Board of Trustees events around the city, Atlanta is a home away from home for UGA outside of Athens. 

“The partnership between Atlanta and Athens is such an important one for our state and our university, and our chapter is excited to be a part of it,” Ferrand said. 

“The Atlanta Chapter is going to have more opportunities for alumni engagement. Since we Never Bark Alone, the chapter wants to be a conduit for our alumni to find the UGA causes they are most passionate about and help them contribute their time, talent, or treasure back to the university.” 

Interested in connecting with alumni through your local chapter?

Find Your Alumni Chapter

 

Meet UGA’s 2026 Bulldog 100

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The University of Georgia announced the 2026 Bulldog 100, a list of the fastest-growing businesses owned or led by UGA graduates. This class joins a list of over 900 business leaders who have been honored since the program’s first celebration in 2010.

Among this year’s class, businesses are headquartered in 10 states, with 85 of the businesses located in Georgia. In total, 140 alumni, representing industries from health care and engineering to construction and marketing, are being recognized as a part of this year’s list. 

The 2026 fastest-growing businesses, in alphabetical order, include: 

Alexander & Alexander Attorneys at Law, Barnwell, SC 

AmeriPro Health, LLC, Atlanta, GA 

Arch Legacy Firm, LLC, Watkinsville, GA 

Baddies Burger House, Athens, GA 

Beach Building Products Inc., Jacksonville, FL 

Beck’s Contracting, LLC, Bogart, GA 

Big Apple Services Inc., Conyers, GA 

Biscuit Belly, Louisville, KY 

BlueBear Solutions, Atlanta, GA 

Branch Partners, Athens, GA 

Burke Stelling Group, LLC, Atlanta, GA

C. Terry Hunt Industries Inc., Valdosta, GA

Catherine Denham Travel, Athens, GA 

Coastal Drug Company, Midway, GA 

Coastal Greenery, Brunswick, GA 

Conger & Smith, LLC, Bainbridge, GA 

Cruise Planners, Madison, AL 

Daniel Long Agency Inc., Statesboro, GA 

Data Science Connect, Atlanta, GA  

Dearth Law, LLC, Alpharetta, GA 

Dental Claim Support, Savannah, GA 

DF International Group, Weston, FL 

Ellsworth Cleaning & Facility Services, Atlanta, GA 

enewton, Atlanta, GA 

Event Management Technologies, LLC, Atlanta, GA 

FirstPage Marketing, Savannah, GA 

FranBridge Consulting, Atlanta, GA 

Georgia Boy Properties, LLC, Monroe, GA 

Good Dog Veterinary Care, Marietta, GA 

Helping Mamas Inc., Norcross, GA 

Hess Media Inc., Gallatin, TN 

Historic Athens, Athens, GA 

I Buy All Shoes, Alpharetta, GA  

ImagineX, Sandy Springs, GA 

Intown Golf Club, Atlanta, GA

J. Ryan Brown Law, LLC, Newnan, GA

Jacobs Land Management, LLC, Augusta, GA 

Joe Powell & Associates, Alpharetta, GA 

Joe Powell Services Inc., Alpharetta, GA 

Kairos Government Affairs, Raleigh, NC 

KBH Industrial, Smyrna, GA 

Keystone Land Surveying, Lawrenceville, GA 

King’s Pharmacy, Blairsville, GA 

Lakeside Tree Experts, LLC, Hartwell, GA 

Latitude Seafood Co., Midlothian, VA 

Malchow Johnson Injury Lawyers, Augusta, GA 

Manly Shipley LLP, Savannah, GA 

Marion Body Works Inc., Marion, WI 

Marlin Construction Partners Inc., Lake City, FL 

Marlow Landscape Services, Cumming, GA  

Martin CPA, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 

Mary Sells Atlanta, Marietta, GA 

Matthews Motors, Augusta, GA 

Merit Partners, Atlanta, GA 

Miller, Dawson, Sigal & Ward – The Thumbs Up Guys, North Charleston, SC 

Murray Osorio, Fairfax, VA 

NXG Studio, North Palm Beach, FL 

Pathwise CPA Group, Watkinsville, GA 

PinDot Media, Roswell, GA 

Pittman and Greer Engineering, Watkinsville, GA  

Porter Steel Inc., Lilburn, GA 

Rebel Raw, Atlanta, GA 

ResiBuilt, Atlanta, GA 

Richardson Law, LLC, Atlanta, GA 

RichLife Advisors, Gainesville, GA 

Rise Property Group, Marietta, GA 

Robin Burnett Design, Athens, GA 

Rugged Road, Norcross, GA 

Ryals Brothers, LLC, Lula, GA 

Scarbor Land Planning, LLC, Tifton, GA 

Scena, Marietta, GA 

Scotland Wright Associates, Atlanta, GA  

ServeScape, Chamblee, GA 

Shore Coaching, Athens, GA 

Shuma Sports, Lawrenceville, GA 

SlicedHealth, Woodstock, GA 

Southern Commercial Roof Tech, LLC, Norcross, GA 

Southern Luxury Homes, Greensboro, GA 

Southern Reins Logistics, LLC, Alpharetta, GA 

Stable Kernel, Atlanta, GA  

Stable Waters Financial, Athens, GA 

Starface, New York, NY 

Stratus Property Group, Atlanta, GA 

Tailfin Marketing, Atlanta, GA  

Technology Pathfinders Consulting, LLC, Alpharetta, GA 

teXga Farms, Clarkesville, GA 

The Abundant Life Institute Inc., Winder, GA 

The Georgia Smile Group, St. Simons Island, GA  

The King Firm, LLC, Tifton, GA  

The Live Oak Insurance Agency, St. Simons Island, GA 

The Whole Tooth, Dunwoody, GA 

Tioga Capital, Atlanta, GA 

Toler Law, LLC, Savannah, GA  

Translation Station, Atlanta, GA 

Vertical Earth Inc., Cumming, GA 

Weezie Inc., Austell, GA  

Whitmire Animal Hospital, Dawsonville, GA 

Williams Teusink, Decatur, GA 

WinGen By Swordpoint Services, Atlanta, GA 

Yonder Yoga, Atlanta, GA 

Each year, Bulldog 100 applicants are measured by their business’s compounded annual growth rate during a three-year period. The Atlanta office of Warren Averett CPAs and Advisors, a Bulldog 100 partner since the program began, verified the information submitted by each company. 

“The Bulldog 100 showcases the remarkable vision and resilience of our alumni,” said Corey Dortch (BSA ’03, MED ’05, PHD ’11), president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors. “Each honoree embodies the values of innovation, leadership and excellence that define the University of Georgia. We are proud to celebrate their achievements and the impact they are making across their communities and industries.” 

The university will host the annual Bulldog 100 Celebration in Athens on Feb. 7, 2026, to celebrate these alumni business leaders and count down the ranked list to reveal the No. 1 fastest-growing business.  

To view the alumni business leaders for each company and learn more about this program, see alumni.uga.edu/b100. 

The (holiday) magic of mentorship

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Regan Holroyd (BBA ’99) has carved a career path for herself. As chief operating officer of The Lumistella Company, she has helped grow a beloved global brand while staying deeply involved with the University of Georgia community that helped shape her journey.  

What started out as a simple online job application in 2012, turned into a career-defining opportunity whose mission hit close to home — literally.  

Regan’s daughter had an Elf on the Shelf, and that personal connection sparked her interest in the company behind the magic. That spark turned into a dream job and more than a decade later, Regan is helping lead the very company that created this well-known brand that brings joy to millions of families around the world.  

The Lumistella Company is a family-owned business committed to elevating holiday celebrations and enriching family moments. Their portfolio of brands, collectively known as the Santaverse, includes the iconic Elf on the Shelf. Their reach spans 25 different countries across five continents. 

As COO, Regan oversees the company’s administrative operations. As a member of the Executive Board, she has oversight for people operations, finance and accounting, philanthropy, facilities (the physical office footprint infrastructure) and administrative services — essentially, all of the internal operations that help run the business beyond the creative, sales and supply chain functions. 

Although she credits many people for helping her to grow during her career, her current manager, who hired her back in 2012 and is now the company’s president and chief legal officer, has been the biggest mentor and champion for her throughout the years. 

“Over the years, I’ve had numerous mentors, and they come in different forms,” Regan said. “Having that resource makes a huge difference, so I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to explore this.” 

That desire to give back led her to joining the UGA Mentor Program, where she wanted to invest in someone, just as others had done for her. 

Regan matched with Kay Kergosien ’27, a Leonard Leadership Scholar studying finance and business management, during Kay’s first semester at UGA. Their bond has only continued to grow since then. 

Regan Holroyd and Kay Kergosien pose together at The Lumistella Company office.

“I value her authenticity, honestly, and especially her positivity,” Kay said. “I think that it was cool to see just how excited someone was to pour into me.” 

But the mentorship isn’t just a one-way street. Regan finds herself just as inspired by Kay. 

“She’s very inquisitive,” Regan said. “And we’ll talk about what’s going on in my world, which is super interesting because it actually has the opposite effect, where, in many ways, she’s also developing me as a human.”  

“I think that’s why we continue to talk,” she continues. “Because we just left it like, ‘Hey, I’m here for you. Anytime you reach out, I will hop on with you, whatever you need.’” 

Kay recently visited Regan at The Lumistella Company and had the opportunity to dive headfirst into the corporate world as she looks ahead to a long-term career in corporate philanthropy and social responsibility.  

“The culture that I experienced at The Lumistella Company is something that, once you’re exposed to and you know that it exists in the corporate world, it’s definitely something that I’m not going to be able to let go of as I look for a job in the future,” Kay said. 

Not only was it the company culture that interested Kay, but it was the way that Regan carried herself and led her team. 

“I would hope to be the type of leader she is,” Kay said. “I mean, you can tell how she empowers the people around her. You can tell how much respect people have for her, her personal relationship skills, but also her ability to get the job done.” 

For Regan, part of that strong leadership comes from her love for her team. 

“I feel so fortunate to work with this amazing group of people,” Regan said. “I feel like the team is just so incredibly smart and entrepreneurial that they elevate me and inspire me to continue on my own journey of growth.” 

Her advice to current Bulldog students and future alumni entering the workforce: “Enjoy the journey and let the path take you where it takes you.” 

Regan’s story is proof that a UGA degree is just the beginning. Her commitment to mentorship and leadership ensures that the next generation of Bulldogs is in good hands.  

One connection can spark a lifelong impact. Whether you’re looking to guide a student or grow with a mentor by your side, the UGA Mentor Program is where meaningful mentorships begin. 

Become a Mentor Today

Regan Holroyd and Kay Kergosien pose with Elf on the Shelf toy at The Lumistella Company office.