More than 180 associates of the Blank Family of Businesses on Friday worked to "lay the groundwork for the first park for current residents of the English Avenue community of Atlanta" during its Sixth Annual All-Associates Day. Among the volunteers were Falcons Owner ARTHUR BLANK, GM THOMAS DIMITROFF, coach MIKE SMITH and President & CEO RICH MCKAY (AJC.com, 4/4)....Under Armour Founder, Chair & CEO KEVIN PLANK was "so impressed with Friday's winner of the nationwide entrepreneur competition he runs" with the Univ. of Maryland, he offered graduate student JOHN LEWANDOWSKI $25,000 "in exchange for a stake in his company," Disease Diagnostic Group (Baltimore SUN, 4/5).
GLAMOROUS GIFTING: In N.Y., Kirsten Fleming profiled Barclays Center Premium Events Manager ARIANNA KANE, noting she is " in charge of finding personal gifts for each of the venue’s headliners." The arena staff "hopes this sort of personal touch sets them apart -- and keeps the artists coming back." Kane "jokingly calls herself a 'glorified stalker' who scours the web for old magazine profiles and fan pages" (N.Y. POST, 4/6).
CRIBS: Former NBAer SASHA VUJACIC has sold his home in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif. for $2.6M. He bought the property two years ago for 1.38M (L.A. TIMES, 4/5)....Ravens coach JOHN HARBAUGH is selling his Reisterstown, Md. home for $2.1M. The residence was built in '07 and "sits on two acres of land" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 4/6)....Dolphins DT RANDY STARKS bought a 9,361-square-foot house in Davie, Fla. for $1.9M (BIZJOURNALS.com, 4/4)....DAVID BECKHAM recently was “looking at homes and condos to buy” in Miami (NYPOST.com, 4/5).
NAMES: WNBA Mercury C BRITTNEY GRINER’s memoir, "IN MY SKIN: MY LIFE ON AND OFF THE BASKETBALL COURT," is a “plain-spoken story," written with SUE HOVEY. The book “highlights Griner’s talent, independence and youthful volatility.” It is an “act of independence, a young woman’s effort to set the record straight” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4/7)....The NBA awarded Rockets C DWIGHT HOWARD with the Kia Community Assist Award on Friday night. His Block Out Violence program “promotes anti-bullying, nonviolence, respect and acceptance.” It “has taken off, spreading through social media (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 4/6)….Saints QB DREW BREES will receive the President’s Medal at Tulane Univ.’s commencement program May 17 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The award is given “for contributing to the well-being of Tulane or New Orleans” (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 4/7)….Two fields being funded by MLB and the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation “will be named” after Baseball HOFer ROD CAREW and Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist SID HARTMAN (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/6).
IN MEMORY: Prominent Maryland-based horse trainer RICHARD “DICKIE” SMALL died late Friday night at 68 after a battle with cancer (Baltimore SUN, 4/6).
