August 2018 Features

• Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Establish Partnership

  August 30, 2018

  On Tuesday, the Georgia Chamber and Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce announced the launch of their strategic partnership as their newest initiative to promote inclusive economic growth and development.

• Georgia Tourism Industry Professionals Honored at Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference

  August 30, 2018

  Several of the state’s top tourism professionals were recognized at the 2018 Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference in Atlanta. Hosted by the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Georgia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus, the annual industry event brought together more than 400 tourism industry professionals from across the state.

• Cole Posey Named Director of Economic Development for SRTC-Moultrie

  August 28, 2018

  Southern Regional Technical College recently named Cole Posey Director for Economic Development for the Moultrie Campus.

• LG Casey Cagle Names Georgia’s College & Career Academy of the Year, Business Partner of the Year

  August 28, 2018

  Lt. Governor Casey Cagle concluded his Eleventh Annual Business and Education Summit, uniting education and business leaders from across the state. Recognizing the successful partnership between the school system, local industry, and community leaders, Cagle named Golden Isles CCA as the 2018 College and Career Academy of the Year. In recognition of the company’s innovative partnerships with more than 20 College and Career Academies across our state, Lt. Governor Cagle named Georgia Power as Business Partner of the Year for 2018.

• Governor Deal Announces More Than $40M in Development Awards to 60 Communities

  August 27, 2018

  Gov. Nathan Deal announced that 60 Georgia communities will receive a total of more than $40 million in federal assistance to help grow their local economies. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocated the funding to Georgia’s Community Development Block Grant program, which is administered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

• CSU’s Leadership Institute to Bring 2018 Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum to Columbus August 27th-28th

  August 24, 2018

  For the 13th year, the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum, hosted by the Leadership Institute at Columbus State University, will bring a lineup of the best and brightest minds in the world to Columbus. This year’s event, themed “Art of Leadership” features leaders in various sectors, including business, education, technology, art, music, film and military.

• Georgia Banks Earn $2.1B during First Half of 2018

  August 24, 2018

  The 175 banks based in Georgia earned $2.1 billion in the first six months of 2018, according to data released by the FDIC Thursday. Net income for the period was up 31 percent over the same time in 2017.

• The Georgia Chamber of Commerce to Host Mary Ellen McClanahan and Ryan Waldrep August 30th in Tifton

  August 22, 2018

  The Georgia Chamber of Commerce is excited to host Mary Ellen McClanahan, Georgia Department of Economic Development Entrepreneur & Small Business Director and Ryan Waldrep, GDEcD Entrepreneur & Small Business Assistant Director on August 30th.

• Georgia State Transportation Board Elects New Leadership

  August 20, 2018

  The State Transportation Board elected its new executive leadership team during its monthly meeting on August 16th. Ann R. Purcell was elected unanimously as chairman; Tim Golden was elected vice chairman; and Rudy Bowen was elected secretary. The new positions are effective immediately. Board elections are held annually to ensure that all regions of the state are represented at the executive leadership level.

• 11th Annual Southern Automotive Conference Makes Georgia Debut, October 3rd–5th

  August 17, 2018

  The Georgia Automotive Manufacturers Association is proud to host the Southern Automotive Conference at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Oct. 3 – 5, 2018. The internationally-recognized event brings together thought leaders, Original Equipment Manufacturers, suppliers and service providers to discuss the latest innovations driving the industry forward.

• Nonprofit Network Launched in South Georgia

  August 16, 2018

  A year-long effort to form a network of nonprofits that serve south Georgia is about to become a reality. The South Georgia Nonprofit Network, a regional organization that brings together nonprofits of all sizes and missions that serve communities across the southern part of the state, has begun operations.

• New Faculty Learn How UGA Drives Agricultural Success in Georgia during Annual Tour of the State

  August 15, 2018

  New faculty at the University of Georgia learned why agriculture continues to be the state's biggest economic driver and how UGA leads the way in helping Georgians sustain and improve commodities like peanuts, poultry, pecans and turfgrass.

• Speaker Ralston & House Rural Development Council Leadership Announce Creation of Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation

  August 15, 2018

  House Speaker David Ralston and the leadership of the House Rural Development Council announced the creation of the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation. The RDC is co-chaired by State Representatives Terry England (R-Auburn) and Jay Powell (R-Camilla). State Representative Sam Watson (R-Moultrie) serves as vice chair of the council.

• Charlie Harper: Talk Of I-14 Grows – But Still Just Talk

  August 14, 2018

  Roughly 25 miles of Texas interstate highway has started making a stir in social media in Georgia and Alabama. Interstate 14 currently runs between Fort Hood and Belton Texas, just north of the Austin metro area. A few students from Georgia and Alabama operating at the “Youth Infrastructure Coalition” have dusted off old plans and are promoting a corridor that would run from Texas to Augusta Georgia, passing through Columbus and Macon along the way.

• VSU, Wild Adventures Theme Park Join Forces to Increase Impact on South Georgia

  August 09, 2018

  Recognizing the unique role they play in supporting the people who live, learn, work, and play in Valdosta and Lowndes County, Valdosta State University and Wild Adventures Theme Park announced a new co-branding and advertising initiative.

• Significant Progress Made on Vogtle 3 & 4 Construction

  August 09, 2018

  Georgia Power announced that Southern Nuclear has made significant progress on construction of Vogtle 3 & 4 since assuming project management on behalf of the project co-owners (Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities) from Westinghouse following its bankruptcy in 2017.

• UGA-Tifton to Commemorate 100 Years with Centennial Celebration

  August 08, 2018

  For 100 years, UGA-Tifton has been a part of the community. Now, the campus is ready to celebrate its centennial. On Tuesday, Aug. 21, the community is invited to a special kickoff event at the front of campus that will feature several speakers and Country music artists Keith Anderson and special guest James Otto.

• AT&T Announces an Investment of More Than $5.3B in Georgia Networks During 2015-2017

  August 08, 2018

  AT&T has invested nearly $5.3 billion in their Georgia wireless and wired networks during 2015-2017. These investments have boosted reliability, coverage, speed and overall performance for residents and businesses. They also improve critical services that support public safety and first responders.

• Recap: Georgia Chamber of Commerce Hosts Annual Congressional Luncheon

  August 08, 2018

  On Tuesday, August 21st, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Congressional Luncheon at the Marriott City Center in Macon. With over 1,500 industry leaders and elected officials in attendance, gubernatorial candidates discussed issues surrounding economic prosperity and the state’s business climate.

• Survey: One-third of Americans Thought about Starting a Business Last Year

  August 07, 2018

  LendingTree, the nation's leading online loan marketplace, today released its survey of aspiring small business owners, as the company celebrates a new milestone for its small business vertical – surpassing $1 billion in loan volume through LendingTree's small business marketplace.

• Global Commerce Generates $5.56B in Investments in Past Year

  August 03, 2018

  Gov. Nathan Deal announced that the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Global Commerce Division helped create a total of 27,373 new jobs during FY 18, generating $5.56 billion in investments. This growth is the result of a record-breaking 419 expansion or relocation projects throughout the state.

• Final Defense Bill Includes More Than 30 Georgia Priorities

  August 02, 2018

  As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a negotiator for the final defense bill, U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) praises final passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. Senator Perdue helped secured more than 30 provisions of importance to Georgia in the annual defense bill, which now heads to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.

• Georgia World Congress Center Authority Breaks Ground on Congress Center Expansion Project

  August 01, 2018

  Governor Nathan Deal and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority’s Board of Governors officially broke ground on the Georgia World Congress Center’s first major expansion since 2002. The $55 million expansion project, a component of the Authority’s 2020 Vision strategic plan, features a new 100,000-square-foot exhibit hall affixed between the convention center’s Buildings B and C that, once complete, will create over one million square feet of contiguous exhibition space.

• AG Chris Carr Reveals Georgia’s Top Consumer Complaints for 2017

  August 01, 2018

  Attorney General Chris Carr announced Georgia’s top consumer complaints for 2017. This announcement falls on the heels of the latest report from the annual survey of state and local consumer agencies conducted by Consumer Federation of America. Georgia was one of forty agencies from twenty-three states that participated in the survey.