Power Breakfast: Hawks searching for investors, Aflac takes hit from Europe, Chick-fil-A, solar power, oil, Nike

Will another Atlanta sports team be sold?

Hawks part-owner Bruce Levenson denied a report Thursday by Sports Illustrated that the basketball team is on the verge of being sold, AJC writer Tim Tucker reports.

“Not true,” Levenson said in an email to Tucker. “We will issue a statement shortly.”

That statement indicated a deal is not imminent but reiterated that the Hawks’ owners are at least seeking new investors, Tucker reports.

“As we have stated for an extended period of time, we engaged an investment banker to assist us in looking for investors for the Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena operating rights,” the statement said. “We have spoken with a number of parties, but at this time, there is no deal in place, nor is there an exclusive negotiating agreement in place. We will have no further comment at this time.”

As the AJC has previously reported, the Hawks’ ownership group, through investment bank The Raine Group, has had talks with various potential buyers or investors over the past year, Tucker writes. Those efforts continue.

Also in the AJC:

• New Atlanta pension deal negotiated
• Day care records in toddler’s death may have been falsified
• Aflac to absorb $610 million loss on European investments
• Chick-fil-A founder advises debt-free approach
• Entrepreneurs push to add solar power in Georgia
• Habitat receives $15 million grant

In other media:

• Tax dispute stalls federal debt talks
• Oil stabilizes around $91 after big drop from announcement on tapping reserves
• Feds to launch probe of Google
• Layoffs, housing data point to chronic problems
• Nike faces anti-drug backlash to shirts

- Henry Unger, The Biz Beat

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