Atlanta Coke reporter returning to Michigan; paper seeks replacement

TALKING BIZ NEWS EXCLUSIVE

Joe Guy Collier, who covers Coca-Cola Co. for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has resigned from the paper and will return to Michigan.

Collier’s last day will be Oct. 15. Collier had been a reporter for the Detroit Free-Press before joining the Atlanta paper. His wife is in Michigan and works in public relations at Ford Motor Co.

“I’ll continue to work as a blogger and freelance reporter covering the food and beverage industry,” said Collier, who joined the paper in February 2008. “As far as I know, the AJC is trying to determine how best to fill the position.”

Barbara Senftleber, the paper’s newsroom development editor, says that the paper is looking for someone with at least five years of experience to replace Collier. “Someone who knows the beverage industry would be even better, of course,” says Senftleber.

Collier has an MBA from Indiana University. His undergraduate degree is from the University of Alabama.

Collier replaced Duane Stanford, who covered Coca-Cola from October 2006 to November 2007 until leaving for a job in Bloomberg’s Atlanta bureau.

DISCLOSURE: I covered Coca-Cola for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution from 1994 to 1997, though I have never met Collier.