The Board Chairman of Develop Fulton, Michel “Marty” Turpeau, has passed away from a brief illness. Marty, as he was known, was a native of Atlanta and possessed a deep, abiding love for our city. He served as the Board Chair Develop Fulton since November 2020.
Develop Fulton, under Chairman Turpeau, emphasized the tangible community benefits that each economic development opportunity brings. Since his appointment, Develop Fulton has sought to address the economic imbalance in Fulton County, specifically south of Interstate 20 that has for too long been left behind from the red-hot growth in other areas inside the City of Atlanta and elsewhere within Fulton County.
Turpeau oversaw the rebrand of the agency during his tenure in an effort to freshen things up. Develop Fulton’s slogan is “Partnering for progress, powering development.”
“Because we are very aware of the lack of development in certain under-served areas of the county,” Turpeau said in a 2021 interview with The Atlanta Voice. “We must do something about it. This doesn’t mean we neglect any area, but we must pay special attention to developing tools that target under-served areas.”
Turpeau was a son of Atlanta. He graduated from Fredrick Douglass High School, received his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College and his Masters of Business Administration from Clark Atlanta University. His father, Aaron, was in the City of Atlanta’s mayoral cabinets of both Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young.
Develop Fulton issued the following statement. It reads in part:
It is with deep sorrow that I inform you of the passing of our board member and Chairman, Michel “Marty” Turpeau. Marty passed away today after a brief illness. Marty was devoted to Develop Fulton and anyone who knew him knew how much he loved this Authority and serving the community. He led important economic development work and spearheaded the recent rebranding and repositioning of the Authority. He believed fully in Develop Fulton’s mission to stimulate quality economic development, expand and diversify the tax base, provide quality jobs, retain existing businesses and improve the quality of life for residents throughout Fulton County. We will miss him greatly and will do everything we can to further the work that he so loved. Information regarding a memorial will be forthcoming.