August 2019 Features

• Governor Kemp, Dept. of Community Affairs Announce $41M in Grants to 59 Communities

  August 30, 2019

  Governor Brian Kemp announced that fifty-nine Georgia communities will receive a total of $41 million in federal assistance to help grow their local economies.

• Phoebe Putney Announces $250M Investment and New Quality & Safety Initiative

  August 27, 2019

  Phoebe is planning to invest a quarter-billion dollars in capital improvements over the next five years to transform the delivery of healthcare throughout southwest Georgia and better meet the health needs of people in the region. Phoebe President & CEO Scott Steiner announced the investment at a news conference Tuesday morning unveiling Phoebe Focus, the health system’s new strategy, philosophy, plan and approach that will guide Phoebe into the future.

• Picking A Charitable Partner: First Steps to Finding the Best Fit

  August 27, 2019

  “How do I evaluate which charities are best for my business to support?” Business leaders ask goBeyondProfit this question often, in their quest to find the best charitable partner. Beyond choosing charities by their proximity, relevance to your business and resonance with staff and customers, we wanted to share a few evaluation insights and resources from national and local experts.

• Study Says More Than Half of Americans Aren't Using Their Vacation Days

  August 26, 2019

  Last year, more than half of U.S. residents did not use all of their vacation days, equating to 768 million unused days, according to research from the U.S. Travel Association. Travel insurance comparison site, Squaremouth, explains how travel insurance can help protect vacation investments when unforeseen work commitments arise.

• Albany Area Chamber Announces ‘Albany Under 40’ Category Winners

  August 23, 2019

  The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce recognized the finalists and announced the category winners of the 2019 Albany Under 40 Awards, a program that celebrates the Albany Area’s emerging leaders and professionals in a variety of business sectors, each representing a component of the area’s diversified talent pool and economy.

• CSU’s Leadership Institute to Bring 2019 Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum to Columbus August 26-27

  August 23, 2019

  For the 14th 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 “Science of Leadership” bring speakers from all realms of science and technology and features a futurist, revolutionist, entrepreneur and astronaut.

• ‘Sustainable Highway’ The Ray Announces New Partnership

  August 23, 2019

  Having already been called the world’s “first sustainable highway,” that 18 mile stretch of I-85 near Columbus called “The Ray” is setting its sights even higher as it formalizes a partnership with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The new agreement seeks to increase opportunity for the living transportation innovation laboratory.

• South GeorgiaLEADS Kicks Off 4th Class of Regional Leadership Program

  August 22, 2019

  The fourth class of South GeorgiaLEADS, presented by Electric Cities of Georgia, will kick off Thursday, at Southern Woods in Sylvester-Worth County. The class includes 41 participants representing 19 counties throughout the region.

• University System of Georgia Increases Statewide Economic Impact to $17.7B

  August 21, 2019

  The University System of Georgia (USG) in fiscal year 2018 had a $17.7 billion impact on communities across Georgia, an increase of almost 5 percent over the previous fiscal year. It also created 168,284 direct and indirect jobs, a nearly 3 percent increase over last fiscal year.

• Georgia Southwestern Realigns Colleges to Meet Workforce Needs of Region and Propel Student Success

  August 16, 2019

  Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) recently implemented institutional changes to the school’s academic structure in an effort to improve student success, better align with Georgia’s current and future workforce needs and increase efficiency.

• Mark Holloway Inducted as President of Georgia Propane Gas Association

  August 15, 2019

  On Tuesday, Modern Gas President, Mark Holloway, was inducted as President of the Georgia Propane Gas Association, an organization whose membership includes propane marketers and affiliate members throughout the state of Georgia.

• Chao Tells Georgia Leaders Rural Areas Key Focus of New Transportation and Infrastructure Funding

  August 15, 2019

  More than 2,000 Georgia business leaders, state and federal officials, and policy advocates broke into applause Tuesday at the Georgia Chamber’s annual Congressional Luncheon in Macon when U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao announced that Georgia will receive more than $189 million in transportation grants to expand infrastructure.

• Georgia Sets Another Jobs Record in July

  August 15, 2019

  State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said today that Georgia added jobs again in July as the state’s unemployment rate approached an all-time low. The commissioner also noted that preliminary figures showed Georgia’s number of employed residents continued to climb. Meanwhile, Georgia’s workforce dipped slightly again.

• Georgia Restaurant Association Honors Grace Award Winners

  August 13, 2019

  The winners of the 2019 Georgia Restaurant Association Crystal of Excellence (GRACE) Awards were announced Sunday, August 11th at the Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta. The GRACE Awards Gala is the Georgia Restaurant Association’s (GRA) annual black tie event honoring Georgia’s restaurant industry.

• Creating a Skilled Workforce is Ongoing Challenge for Georgia Industries

  August 12, 2019

  Communities and business districts looking to grow know that economic development and the availability of a skilled workforce go hand in hand. In Georgia’s tight labor market, new ways to attract employees are as important as ever.

• Governor Kemp: Back to School, Not the Status Quo

  August 08, 2019

  In the coming weeks, thousands of Georgia students will return to school and officially begin the 2019-2020 academic year.

• Georgia Awarded A+ for Small Business Friendliness

  August 07, 2019

  Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that Thumbtack, a website and app that finds local professionals for projects, announced its 2019 Small Business Friendliness Survey, ranking forty-nine (49) states and forty-four (44) cities based on licensing requirements, tax regulations, and labor and hiring regulations.

• Highlights from the goBeyondProfit CEO Forum

  August 06, 2019

  In Case You Missed It: goBeyondProfit hosted their first ever CEO Forum on April 23rd. Take a moment to watch the highlights of the event which featured a panel with Delta CEO Ed Bastain, AT&T Georgia President Vennesa Harrison, and retired Home Depot CEO Frank Blake.

• AG Carr: Consumer Protection Division Yields More than $109M for Georgia Consumers and State Treasury in FY19

  August 06, 2019

  Attorney General Chris Carr announced that the Georgia Department of Law’s Consumer Protection Division generated more than $109 million for consumers and the State Treasury in fiscal year 2019 (FY19).

• Georgia Among the Most Military Friendly States in the Nation

  August 05, 2019

  Three years ago Georgia set out on a mission — to become the most military friendly state in the nation. And at least one state lawmaker believes Georgia has accomplished that goal, thanks in part to the creation of the Georgia House Military Affairs Working Group by Speaker David Ralston (R-Blue Ridge).

• What are The Fastest Growing Jobs in Georgia?

  August 01, 2019

  COMMERCIALCafé has released its most recent analysis on the fastest growing jobs, both nationwide and by state. The most compelling facts of the study are the top seven fastest growing jobs in the last decade nationwide and the jobs that are growing fastest by individual state.