ATLANTA – Nov. 17, 2015 – As part of today’s Sixth Annual John Imlay Leadership Award ceremony, hosted by The Technology Executives Roundtable (TER), Zoo Atlanta President and CEO Raymond King announced a fundraising initiative to name Zoo Atlanta’s Sumatran tiger habitat in honor of John Imlay’s leadership in the technology community and lifetime of philanthropy. The fundraising effort will be led by Tom Noonan and John Yates, two leaders in the Atlanta technology community.
“John Imlay left an incredible legacy within the Atlanta community having created two of Atlanta’s largest technology industries in software and internet security, said Noonan, former CEO of Internet Security Systems and Joulex. “John’s ability to motivate and inspire entrepreneurs, combined with his vision to build Management Science America (MSA) into a globally recognized software leader, helped launch the careers of more than 300 CEOs and nearly 100 companies. It’s only fitting that we commemorate his legacy and well-known admiration of tigers in this way.”
The goal is to raise at least $500,000 for this fundraising effort, of which $100,000 has already been committed. Once the goal is reached, the tiger habitat will be named the John P. Imlay Tiger Exhibit for the life of the exhibit, in addition to featuring a list recognizing donors of $5,000 or more.
“John is a genuine Atlanta business legend,” said Yates, partner, Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP. “As an original pioneer of our technology community, John supported hundreds of Atlanta entrepreneurs and technology businesses. For over three decades, he mentored, invested, doubled down, made money (and lost some too), and nurtured most of the current generation of our technology leaders. John has truly shaped the Atlanta technology community unlike anyone else.”
Funds raised through this effort will support the next phase of Zoo Atlanta’s growth through the Grand New View: Elephants, Events & Expansion capital campaign, with a matching grant from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation effectively increasing this fundraising initiative to $1 million.
“John Imlay’s legacy of building Atlanta’s high-tech industries and giving back to our community philanthropically has been a vital piece of Georgia’s success,” said King. “Naming Zoo Atlanta’s tiger habitat in John’s honor will be a tribute to his numerous contributions and his belief in the importance of having a strong tiger instinct in business.
Every year TER, an association that consists of more than 120 CEOs, CFOs and general managers in Georgia’s technology community, recognizes and celebrates individuals who have shown exceptional leadership on behalf of the Georgia high-tech community with the John Imlay Leadership Award. Today’s award, named in honor of Imlay, former chairman of Imlay Investments, was the first presented since Imlay’s passing this March and recognized David Cummings, CEO of Atlanta Ventures.
For more information or to support the John P. Imlay Tiger Tribute, visit www.zooatlanta.org/imlay.
About Technology Executives Roundtable
Technology Executives Roundtable (TER) is an association for Georgia technology executives that provides CEOs, CFOs and general managers with the ability to maximize the value of companies through the exchange of top ideas, candid talk and a forum to share what is working, what is not and best practices to unlock business value. Monthly meetings feature speakers and panels of local and national experts covering topics such as strategic alliances, crisis management, VC and non-conventional financing, M&A, intellectual property protection, marketing and sales strategies and other issues of interest to senior executives on company growth. For more information, visit www.ter-atlanta.com.
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