PRESS RELEASE Media Contact:
For Immediate Release: Kathryn Jones
Thursday, June 26, 2025 770-813-3381
Council for Quality Growth Names Speakers & Chairs for the
2025 Four Pillar Tribute honoring Tommy Holder
Chairman & Former CEO of Holder Construction to
Receive 36th Annual Four Pillar Award on October 16
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – The Council for Quality Growth will honor Thomas M. “Tommy” Holder, Chairman and Former CEO of Holder Construction, with its 36th annual Four Pillar Tribute on October 16, 2025 at the Georgia World Congress Center. The Council’s prestigious Four Pillar Award annually recognizes an outstanding individual who demonstrates the ‘Four Pillars’ of leadership – Quality, Responsibility, Vision, and Integrity – and exemplifies the Council’s mission of promoting balanced and responsible growth. The 2025 Tribute will recognize many lasting and ongoing contributions Tommy Holder has made to our Atlanta region, state of Georgia, and beyond. The 2025 reception and dinner are presented by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Delta Air Lines, Georgia Power, and Norfolk Southern, and will be held in the Georgia Ballroom of the Georgia World Congress Center.
The theme of Tommy’s Four Pillar Tribute is Opportunity | Empowerment | Integrity, inspired by the values by which he ran his company for 30 years. Under Tommy’s leadership, Holder Construction has seen strategic expansion into other major cities and markets. Today, as one of the nation’s premier contractors, Holder Construction operates 8 different offices, has projects in over 30 states, and generates over $8 billion in annual revenues. Tommy has been instrumental in shaping the Atlanta skyline with large-scale projects across commercial, education, aviation, and civic sectors. Among the long list of his projects in Atlanta are the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Cox Enterprises Headquarters, NCR Global Headquarters, the New World of Coca-Cola, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, Norfolk Southern Corporate offices, and Georgia Tech Square. Outside of Atlanta, Tommy and Holder Construction have built out Delta Sky Club lounges, the Devon Energy Center in Oklahoma City, the Institute for Building & Home Safety in Richburg, South Carolina, the Clemson University Core Campus, Apple Park in Cupertino, California, and over 400 data centers across the U.S. for clients such as Verizon, Google, Amazon, and State Farm.
At the 2025 Four Pillar Tribute, a special group of Tribute Speakers will speak to the presence of these ‘Four Pillars’ of leadership in the lives and work of Tommy Holder. Tribute Speakers include Dr. Ángel Cabrera, President of Georgia Institute of Technology, Donna Hyland, CEO of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Beth Lowry, President & CEO of Holder Construction, and Reverend Sam Candler, Dean of the Cathedral of St. Philip. Doug Hertz, Chairman & CEO of United Distributors, will serve as the Master of Ceremonies. The evening will also feature a special musical tribute and entertainment, a video tribute to Tommy, and remarks from other special guests. An esteemed group of Tribute Chairs have been selected to pay tribute to Tommy Holder for his impact and exemplary leadership across Atlanta and beyond, including:
| John Ahmann | Dr. Ángel Cabrera | Jonathan Goldman | Donna Hyland | Michael Russell Sr. |
| Ed Bastian | Dan T. Cathy | Kim Greene | Phil Jacobs | Bill Schwartz |
| Liz Blake | Shan Cooper | Ernest Greer | Katie Kirkpatrick | Alana Shepherd |
| Arthur M. Blank | Sonny Deriso | W. Todd Groce | Hala Moddelmog | T. Dallas Smith |
| Jim Borders | Elise Eplan | Doug Hertz | C. David Moody Jr. | Clyde C. Tuggle |
| Paul Bowers | J. Rex Fuqua | Bob Holder | Tom Noonan | Kathy Waller |
| Paul J. Brown | Larry Gellerstedt III | Hilton H. Howell Jr. | Norman Radow |
The Council for Quality Growth commends the work of Tommy Holder and his company that has contributed to Atlanta’s success story, making it a better place to live, to work, and to visit. The Council is incredibly proud to continue its annual tradition of recognizing extraordinary leaders in our region and state by adding Tommy to its prestigious list of Four Pillar Award honorees. Sponsorship information is now available at www.FourPillarTribute.com.
What: Council for Quality Growth’s 36th Annual Four Pillar Tribute
Who: Honoring Tommy Holder, Chairman & Former CEO, Holder Construction
Master of Ceremonies
- Doug Hertz, Chairman & CEO, United Distributors
Tribute Speakers on Quality, Responsibility, Vision, and Integrity
- Dr. Ángel Cabrera, President, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Donna Hyland, CEO, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
- Beth Lowry, President & CEO, Holder Construction
- The Very Reverend Sam Candler, Dean, Cathedral of St. Philip
Other Featured Speakers
- Clyde Higgs, 2025 Chairman of the Board, Council for Quality Growth
- Michael Paris, President & CEO, Council for Quality Growth
Tickets are required for guests and are available at www.FourPillarTribute.com.
Read the 2025 Four Pillar Tribute Honoree Announcement Here.
Download the full 2025 Sponsorship Brochure Here.
About the Four Pillar Tribute:
For 36 years the Council for Quality Growth has paid tribute to an outstanding individual in the metro Atlanta region who exemplifies the Council’s mission of promoting balanced and responsible growth through an annual leadership tribute gala that recognizes the ‘Four Pillars’ of leadership – Quality, Responsibility, Vision, and Integrity.
The Four Pillar Award and Tribute is an unparalleled honor that allows the opportunity for the metro Atlanta region and State of Georgia to celebrate the recipient’s significant contributions to quality of life, community leadership, and economic development. The gala and award have come to be known as the highest honor bestowed for the contributions. The event provides a platform to align the honorees’ impacts on the region and the state with the Council’s ambitions and serves as a beacon of inspiration to perpetuate our economic prosperity. More information about the annual Four Pillar Tribute can be found at www.fourpillartribute.com.
Past recipients of the Council’s Four Pillar Award can be viewed here: https://www.fourpillartribute.com/about-the-award/
About the Council for Quality Growth:
The Council for Quality Growth is a trade organization that works to ensure continued growth and economic success for generations to come by providing advocacy, information, and education to its members. For 39 years, the Council has been committed to the mission of promoting balanced and responsible growth and is proactively involved in the formulation of policy and legislation critical to the growth and development industry. The Council addresses, head-on, strategic economic planning, infrastructure needs, and tough quality-of-life issues throughout the metro Atlanta region and state. Visit www.councilforqualitygrowth.org for more.
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