The Governmental Affairs Division of the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce announces a new event this year with the First Annual State of the Community Leadership Forum presented by the One Sumter Economic Development Foundation, Inc. This inaugural event will be held on Thursday, April 20, at 7:00am.
 
Hosted by Georgia Southwestern State University, this brand-new event will serve as a public forum for business and industry leaders to hear firsthand the demographic trends, economic development opportunities, and political influences that are shaping our state, region and community here in Sumter County.
 
Governmental Affairs Division Chairman and Georgia Power Area Manager, Jem Morris shares the Chamber Board’s enthusiasm for the event, “The Chamber of Commerce is proud to host a State Of The Community breakfast at GSW's Wheatley Center.  Chris Clark, the President & CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, will be our guest speaker. He will focus on the challenges in driving economic growth in our region in the coming decades. We'll have an opportunity to discuss many of the partnerships currently underway that being set up to overcome these challenges."
 
The event opens at 7:00am with a Coffee & Networking Reception sponsored by AT&T, before the doors open to breakfast and the formal program at 7:30am.  Guests will be joined by Georgia Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Clark, who will share highlights of the Chamber’s Georgia 2030 Initiative, and the findings that have direct implications and both policy and programming impacts for South Georgia.
 
Following Clark’s remarks, Sumter County’s key leadership will have the opportunity to address how they are engaging around critical issues of local importance in response to those trends happening statewide.  Special guests include Sumter County Administrator Bill Twomey, Americus City Manager Steve Kennedy, and Sumter County Payroll Development Authority Executive Director Barbara Grogan.  Through a moderated discussion, the breakfast will serve as the business community’s first forum in which to better understand local challenges and growth opportunities from the perspective of our own leadership team.  The floor will open to questions from the audience, following their remarks.
 
The First Annual State of the Community is sure to be an event you won’t want to miss! Please contact the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce to reserve your seat today! Tickets are $20 each, and tables can be purchased on a limited, first come basis for a cost of $225 per table.  Any business or organization wishing to purchase a table will be featured as a Gold Table Sponsor in the event program.
 
Please contact the Chamber for further information. Reservations and ticket purchases can be made by phone at (229) 924-2646, or by email at [email protected].  For more information on table sponsorships, please contact One Sumter Executive Director Mary Beth Bass at (229) 815-1669, or at [email protected].