Business

Top-ranked political strategist Fredrick Hicks gets things done

ROLLINGOUT.COM — For Fredrick Hicks, politics is more than a prestigious profession or means to earn a paycheck.

Published

7 years ago

February 6, 2019

By Terry Shropshire

For Fredrick Hicks, politics is more than a prestigious profession or means to earn a paycheck. Like red blood cells, politics runs in his veins. It’s a way of life — his raison d’être.

“Politics is my ministry,” said Hicks, founder and CEO of Hicks Evaluation Group (HEG) LLC, a political consulting firm in the Atlanta area. “This is my way that I get to impact the world. This is how I can change lives every single day.”

Hicks, 41, and his company have amassed a vast portfolio that includes more than 200 political campaigns in Georgia and throughout the country and an astounding 93 percent winning clip during his illustrious career.

Chances are you have benefited from Hicks’ work even if you have not heard his name. He has led campaigns across north Georgia, including races at every level in Cherokee County. He was a key player in the renaming of Spring Street to Ted Turner Drive in downtown Atlanta. He helped elect the first-ever African American district attorney in Henry County, the first African American and woman mayor of Douglasville, and many of the judges and the district attorney in DeKalb County. He also managed the campaign for transit advocate Republican State Sen. Brandon Beach and collaborated with leaders who have changed the landscape of the Atlanta region.

Speaking of change, Hicks managed the first and only successful MARTA expansion campaigns, totaling more than $3 billion. Additionally, he helped lead the city’s $250 million infrastructure campaign as well as campaigns that improved waterways, roads and bridges and installed traffic lights and bike lanes throughout the city.

“What makes us the best at what we do is that we work with both Democrats and Republicans openly. We are the leading nonpartisan political consulting firm,” said the south Georgia native, who graduated from high school in Alaska and is an alumnus of Clayton State University, located about 20 miles south of downtown Atlanta, and Florida State University in Tallahassee. “The reason why we are like that is that we go beyond the red and blue, beyond race, and we focus on what exactly people care about.”

Hicks believes Atlanta has helped to facilitate his successful marriage of skill and opportunity.

“Atlanta is great. It’s the Black mecca. It’s a place where you can connect, make something of yourself and really build something,” said the father of two. “Other cities, such as New York and San Francisco, have an entrenched class that really doesn’t let you in. In Atlanta, if you have a gift, you can make room for yourself and really become something.

“What is really special about Atlanta is that you have all-Black everything,” Hicks added. “You see Black leadership, Black excellence, up and down the line. You have a strong, private Black middle class. This gives us the opportunity to be thought leaders and engage our brothers and sisters in movements for social justice and social equality.”

Follow Hicks on Instagram and Twitter via @hicksreport, Facebook @HEG, and visit his website at hickspolling.com.

A military veteran and Buckeye State native, I’ve written for the likes of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Business Chronicle and the Detroit Free Press. I’m a lover of words, photography, books, travel, animals and The Ohio State Buckeyes. #GoBucks

This article originally appeared in Rollingout.com.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Mo’Nique threatens to slap Steve Harvey after his bold request

Don't Miss

Abrams Blasts Trump, McConnell for ‘Power Grab’ After State of the Union Address

Oakland Post

1 Comment

Art

After 10-Year Wait, Fillmore Heritage Center Reopens in San Francisco

After serving as the economic and cultural hub of the Fillmore’s historically Black community for more than a decade, the center’s closure ended what was called the “Rebirth of the Cool,” referring to the neighborhood’s role during the height of Black Jazz in the United States.

Published

3 days ago

June 10, 2026

bpusa-syndication

Rev. Amos Brown of Third Baptist Church addresses community members at the Fillmore Heritage Center ribbon cutting. Photo by Linda Parker Pennington.

By Linda Parker Pennington, Special to The Post

Last Saturday morning, the cloudy skies cleared just as the highly anticipated ribbon-cutting ceremony began, marking the reopening of the Fillmore Heritage Center at 1330 Fillmore and Eddy.

The complex – which had once included Yoshi’s Jazz Club, the Lush Life Art Gallery, the Koret Heritage Lobby, a 54-seat microcinema, and the Black-owned 1300 On Fillmore restaurant – shuttered in 2015.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announcing the reopening of the Fillmore Heritage Center. Erika Scott, owner of Honey Art Studio, looks on with pride. Photo by Linda Parker Pennington.

“The Fillmore is the most important neighborhood in San Francisco’s history for centering Black culture, music, business, and community, and has shaped this City and influenced the entire country,” said San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie to the gathering of more than 100 community leaders, business owners, and public officials. “This building reflects the deep roots of the Fillmore. Urban renewal left deep scars that are still felt today. This Center celebrates a strong Black community that continues to shape San Francisco. I am proud to join the community as we reopen the Fillmore Heritage Center.”

Although the previous stakeholders will not be returning to the center, spaces are available for nonprofit organizations and ventures, such as Fillmore native Ericka Johnson’s Honey Art Studio.

“This Center will be an economic engine and a thriving venue that shines a light on the Black-owned businesses in this neighborhood and lifts the entire district,” Lurie continued. “Our City is committed to this community for the long term.”

“We’re excited to collaborate with the City to finally reopen these doors,” said Ken Johnson, a videographer and community leader who’d been lobbying for the reopening of the center. “It’s an opportunity to showcase the entrepreneurship and creative spirit of this ‘Harlem of the West’ and the ‘Rebirth of the Cool,’ grounded in our uniquely gifted Fillmore community.”

This month, through its Office of Economic and Workforce Development, the city will begin renting the building’s noncommercial spaces for pop-up events celebrating local talent, arts, and entertainment primarily centered in the Fillmore.