Every thriving community has people going the extra mile to uplift and bring people together. Woodstock is the second fastest-growing city in Georgia, thanks to influential individuals who have unity and innovation in mind.
Marco Rossi, top Atlanta real estate agent and winner of Best Realtor of Woodstock/Canton in 2023, is the publisher of Woodstock City Lifestyle. His relentless passion for community inspired him to get more involved. He wanted to not only be a part of our community, but to help to engage and inspire Woodstock with hyper-local content, focusing on the passions of the people who work and live here. He is always excited to work with new small businesses and show the human side behind the name of a business. Rossi organized Woodstock Wishes, an event earlier this year that benefitted a local child through Make-A-Wish. He is also a fervent supporter of the arts and regularly contributes to Woodstock Arts.
Mayor Michael Caldwell devotes his career to improving the Woodstock community. All of his efforts come from one value: to create a community out of a city. Affordable housing, sustainability, and infrastructure are just a few of his focal points. As fast as Woodstock is growing, Mayor Caldwell is meeting that momentum as a leader every day. He says, “In this place, we have an entire city full of people who live here, visit here, work here, play here, that are genuinely rowing in the same direction and are trying to build a place that will be better tomorrow and better for our kids than it even is today.”
Tom Stratton is a business owner, but more importantly, he devotes as much time as possible to his philanthropic efforts benefitting the veteran community. Every month, Milvet Community meets at Reformation Brewery. This frequent engagement helps Stratton keep his ear to the ground to best help individual veterans in need. When military members return home, they often feel a lack of community and want to be a part of something, Tom says. Volunteerism and community engagement, especially with fellow veterans, gives them opportunities to pursue the enrichment and unity they need.
Christopher Braselton is the Executive Director of Woodstock Arts. This year alone, Woodstock Arts has a lineup of over 500 planned events. The scope of this program is almost unmatched nationwide. Braselton says the sweet spot of working in the arts is when he can find a need within the community and leverage art to foster connectivity and meet that need. Thanks to Braselton and his team's dedication, Woodstock Arts has had a tangible effect in several ways, such as advocating for mental health representation in theater and working with an artist who has personal experience in the foster system to make Woodstock a Foster Friendly Community.