February 2018 Features

• Georgia Banks Earn $3.4B During 2017

  February 28, 2018

  Georgia’s 177 state-based FDIC insured banks earned $3.4 billion in 2017, an increase of 13.7 percent over the previous year. Total deposits, loans and assets all increased during the year.

• Film Day at the Capitol Celebrates Georgia’s Film and Television Industry

  February 28, 2018

  The Georgia Film Office, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, celebrated Film Day at the Capitol to recognize the state’s past, present and future in the film industry. “No other film production center has seen more growth in infrastructure than Georgia has over the last eight years,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. “Governor Deal’s leadership and unwavering support has ensured Georgia’s place as a top destination for film and television activity.”

• GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry Receives Award for Engineering Influence

  February 27, 2018

  Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell R. McMurry, P.E. received ACEC Georgia’s Engineering Influence Award “in recognition of his exceptional leadership and management of the department’s response to the Interstate 85 fire and bridge collapse” last year.

• Senators Johnny Isakson & David Perdue: Tax Cuts Are Helping Georgians

  February 26, 2018

  The tax cuts passed by the U.S. Senate and signed into law by President Donald J. Trump are already having a positive impact across the country. Businesses are investing in our economy again. More than 3 million Americans have received bonuses. Wages are rising at their highest rate in eight years. Here in Georgia, we are seeing this positive impact firsthand.

• Technology Association of Georgia Unveils the Top 40 Innovative Technology Companies in Georgia

  February 23, 2018

  The Technology Association of Georgia announced the Top 40 Innovative Technology Companies in Georgia. TAG’S Top 40 Awards recognize Georgia-based technology companies for their innovation, financial impact, and their efforts at spreading awareness of the state’s technology initiatives throughout the U.S. and globally.

• Cynthia George Joins Horizons Community Solutions as CEO

  February 22, 2018

  The Board of Directors of Horizons Community Solutions, formerly the Cancer Coalition of South Georgia, has named Cynthia George as the new Chief Executive Officer, effective February 26th.

• Hollywood South: Entertainment Industry Brings $9.5B to Georgia

  February 22, 2018

  Still thinking about which films to check off on the Oscar ballot before awards season wraps up March 4 with the 90th Academy Awards? Consider “Baby Driver,” “I, Tonya,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” and “DeKalb Elementary.” They all were filmed in Georgia and contributed to the $9.5 billion the film industry brought to the state last year.

• $198K Conservation Innovation Grant to Fund Research at UGA Tifton Campus

  February 21, 2018

  A $198,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture-sponsored Conservation Innovation Grant will support ongoing University of Georgia research on cover crops and the effects of those crops on water quality and availability for row crop production.

• Georgia Power Continue Building the Future of Energy with Innovative Smart Neighborhood Projects

  February 21, 2018

  Southern Company and its Alabama Power and Georgia Power subsidiaries have officially announced Smart Neighborhood initiatives that will provide customers with state-of-the-art home construction, distributed energy resources – including solar and battery energy storage – and smart home appliances and technologies.

• Tift, Bridges Key Figures as ABAC Celebrates 110th Birthday Today

  February 20, 2018

  Captain Henry Harding Tift and Dr. David Bridges never met. But the founder of Tifton and the president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College certainly espouse similar philosophies, and both have played pivotal roles in the growth of ABAC, which celebrates its 110th birthday today.

• Record-breaking Year for Georgia’s International Trade

  February 20, 2018

  The Georgia Department of Economic Development released Georgia’s 2017 international trade numbers, which indicate another record breaking year. In 2017, total trade between Georgia and the world reached 225 unique countries and territories, exceeding $128.6 billion.

• City Leaders Gain Critical Knowledge through UGA Partnership

  February 20, 2018

  More than 250 first-time mayors and city council members from Georgia cities gathered in Athens last week for the two-day Newly Elected Officials Institute, held every February to teach new leaders the basics of effective governance.

• University System Saves Students More Than $18M a Year in Free Textbooks

  February 19, 2018

  The University System of Georgia is saving students more than $18 million a year with its free online textbook initiative called Affordable Learning Georgia.

• Chairman Jason Shaw Introduces Legislation to Create the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation

  February 16, 2018

  State Representative Jason Shaw (R-Lakeland) introduced legislation that would create the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation.

• ABAC Wildlife Society Hosts Sixth Annual Beast Feast March 3rd

  February 15, 2018

  The ABAC Wildlife Society will host its sixth annual Beast Feast on March 3rd in the conference room of the Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Georgia Museum of Agriculture and Historic Village.

• Delta Pays Employees More Than $1B in Profit Sharing for Fourth Consecutive Year

  February 15, 2018

  Delta Air Lines will pay out more than $1 billion in profit sharing for the fourth year in a row and celebrate the outstanding accomplishments made possible by its more than 80,000 employees around the world.

• VSU to Host South Georgia Film Festival March 2nd-4th

  February 14, 2018

  Valdosta State University will host the South Georgia Film Festival Friday, March 2, through Sunday, March 4. The event will showcase the beauty of the South Georgia region and its people with film screenings, panels, and networking events.

• UGA Extension, Mercer University Partner to Recruit Future Doctors for Rural Georgia

  February 13, 2018

  Jean Sumner is a third-generation rural doctor. As a child, she watched her grandfather and father care for the residents of Washington County, Georgia. She followed in their footsteps and became a “small-town doctor,” the kind who knows your mother, sits behind you in church and roots for the local football team.

• Secretary of State Brian Kemp Announces Record-Breaking Month of Annual Business Registrations

  February 12, 2018

  Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced a record-breaking month of annual business registrations. In the month of January, the Corporations Division processed over 216,000 annual business registrations – more registrations in one month’s time than ever before.

• Georgia Quail Hunt Celebrates 30 Years in Southwest Georgia

  February 09, 2018

  Area leaders were on hand this week to welcome 27 site selection professionals to Southwest Georgia, not only for the world-class quail hunting but more importantly to learn about the potential for doing business in the region. It’s all part of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s 30th Annual Georgia Quail Hunt in Albany.

• Exporting Provides Opportunity for Growth for Rural Companies in Georgia

  February 08, 2018

  Even the basics of international commerce felt foreign to Bruce Roberts. He knew how to ship something via UPS but didn’t have a clue how international ocean freight worked. He didn’t know how helpful a Skype account or making a website friendly to international customers could be in attracting overseas clients.

• Tift Regional Acquires Tifton Ophthalmology

  February 06, 2018

  Tift Regional Health System announced that it has acquired Tifton Ophthalmology and will now employ eye physicians Dr. Bret Wagenhorst and Dr. Robert Holme and the practice’s support staff.

• The Georgia Ports Authority Wants to More Than Double Container Capacity by 2028

  February 06, 2018

  At the 50th annual Georgia Foreign Trade Conference Monday, GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch reviewed the strategic plan for Georgia's ports that will allow for 10 million twenty-foot equivalent container units, 1 million rail lifts, and more than 1 million auto and machinery units per year.