February 2024 Features

• Thrush Aircraft LLC Reports Record Year in 2023 Results

  February 29, 2024

  Thrush Aircraft LLC, an established American aerospace and technology company with a vision to make agricultural and fire-fighting aviation as safe, reliable and efficient as possible, today reported that 2023 was a record year.

• Georgia Benefiting from Tailwinds of Domestic Migration, EV, & Manufacturing Investment, Offset by National Headwinds of Corporate Job Compression & Weak Global Growth

  February 29, 2024

  Georgia’s economy is benefiting from the tailwinds of people moving to the state from the rest of the nation, electric vehicle and supplier-related construction, and general manufacturing investments, while also being buffeted by the headwinds of national job market compression and global growth woes.

• FLEX ABY Announces Top 3 Finalists for Youth Entrepreneurship Competition

  February 28, 2024

  FLEX ABY, the premier youth entrepreneurship competition in Albany, is thrilled to announce the finalists who will compete in the upcoming finale on March 22. FLEX ABY aims to ignite innovation and empower young entrepreneurs to transform their ideas into successful businesses.

• UGA SBDC Partners with Southeastern Universities to Bring Business Education Programs to Rural Communities with Support From SBA Grant

  February 28, 2024

  The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Small Business Administration to bring the popular Digital Marketing Bootcamp program to more rural towns across Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.

• State Leaders Celebrate Hyundai Motor Group’s Historic Impact on Georgia

  February 27, 2024

  Governor Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp joined President and Global COO of Hyundai Motor Company and President and CEO of Hyundai and Genesis Motor North America José Muñoz to celebrate Hyundai Motor Group’s historic and positive impact on the State of Georgia while providing an update on the progress of its Metaplant America.

• Unveiling Georgia’s $1.3B Arts Impact

  February 26, 2024

  Nonprofit arts and culture have a powerful ability to attract and hold dollars within local communities. Now, for the first time, Georgia has a custom economic analysis of its nonprofit arts and culture sector – and the data from Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 from Americans for the Arts is impressive.

• 2024 Georgia Grown Executive Chefs Announced

  February 23, 2024

  Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper and Georgia Restaurant Association President + CEO Stephanie Fischer announced six new Georgia Grown Executive Chefs at the 2024 Taste of Georgia Legislative Reception last night.

• The Albany Symphony is Bringing Back the St. Patrick's Day Crawfish Festival

  February 22, 2024

  As part of the celebration of its 60th season, the Albany Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is bringing back a community event that was a popular annual fundraiser for the ASO more than two decades ago and is inviting people throughout southwest Georgia to join the fun.

• Albany Apparel Brand Manages Growth with Help of the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center

  February 21, 2024

  Roy Steinberg’s golf apparel business was in full swing in Albany, Georgia, but his business needed additional cash flow to increase inventory and meet demand. With guidance from the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, Steinberg was able to develop a strong financial plan to refinance existing loans and improve cash flow. His hard work paid off—sales for his business, Steinberg Sportswear, have tripled.

• Farm Stress Summit to Spotlight Mental Health Challenges Among Georgia’s Farming Communities

  February 21, 2024

  The prevalence of mental health challenges experienced by farm families and farming communities in Georgia is staggering. Faced with unfavorable weather, unfriendly economic conditions, labor shortages and more, farmers of all types often cope with the pressures of their profession in unhealthy ways, including considering suicide.

• Baldwin & Associates Joins Draffin Tucker

  February 20, 2024

  Draffin Tucker is pleased to announce our expansion to South Carolina as we join services with Baldwin & Associates, an accounting firm offering individualized financial and accounting assistance for the greater Charleston area and coastal South Carolina since 2003.

• Wild Adventures Unveils 2024 Concerts and Special Events

  February 20, 2024

  Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta announced its 2024 Concert and Special Events lineup Tuesday, revealing a star-studded schedule including performances from award-winning artists and family-centered events promising to deliver the park’s biggest season yet.

• "Call Before You Dig" Celebrates Its 50th Anniversary in Georgia

  February 20, 2024

  2024 marks Georgia 811’s 50th Anniversary. With the mission to promote safety and prevent utility damage, Georgia 811 will celebrate the occasion with various events, initiatives, and tributes to remind stakeholders and the general public of the importance of contacting 811 before digging.

• The 1975 Transportation Group Emerges from Broadleaf Trucking and Sexton Farms Merger

  February 16, 2024

  Two industry giants, Broadleaf Trucking and Sexton Farms, have joined forces to create a powerful new entity, The 1975 Transportation Group. This merger marks a significant milestone in the world of transportation, solidifying 1975 as the leading resource for transportation and logistics in the Southern United States.

• Georgia Leading Nation in New Clean Energy Projects, 19 Projects Totalling 39k Jobs, $13B in Private Investments

  February 16, 2024

  Large-scale clean energy projects announced in Georgia in just the first year of the federal Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are projected to create or support almost 39,000 jobs and generate tens of billions of dollars in new wages, tax revenue, and economic growth, according to a new economic analysis by BW Research for the national nonpartisan business group E2.

• Albany State President Marion Ross Fedrick Taking New Leadership Role

  February 15, 2024

  In a letter to the Albany State community, President Marion Ross Fedrick said she has accepted a new role at Georgia State University as executive vice president and chief of staff to President Brian Blake, effective July 1st.

• State of Georgia Breaks Export Records for Third Straight Year

  February 15, 2024

  Governor Kemp joined the Georgia Department of Economic Development in announcing that the state surpassed $49.7 billion in exports in 2023, eclipsing the record-setting $47 billion in 2022.

• FirstNet Authority, AT&T Announce 10-Year Investment to Transform America’s Public Safety Broadband Network

  February 14, 2024

  The FirstNet Authority and its network partner, AT&T, are announcing a major investment in the future of public safety communications. The FirstNet Authority’s 10-year, $8 billion investment initiative will evolve and expand FirstNet — America’s public safety network.

• United Way SWGA Honors 211 Day by Providing Resources and Aid to Working, “ALICE” Families in the Dougherty County School System

  February 13, 2024

  The United Way of Southwest Georgia celebrated 211 day by hosting the first event in a series of events for United for ALICE, a program that helps those that are working but still struggle because they don’t qualify for any assistance like childcare, housing and food accessibility.

• Michael Hertz Promoted to President of United Distributors, Inc.

  February 13, 2024

  United Distributors, Inc., the largest beverage alcohol distributor in Georgia and Alabama, announced two leadership changes, effective February 1st, with the promotion of Michael Hertz to President and the appointment of Pete Moraitakis as Vice Chairman.

• Nurturing Dreams, Growing Futures: Small Business Assistance that Builds Your Community

  February 13, 2024

  Every year America's entrepreneurs take their dreams and ideas and start thriving small businesses with the help of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs). Through cutting-edge training programs and advising strategies, SBDCs aren't just helping create new businesses; they are helping thousands of others grow.

• Georgia Chamber Foundation Releases 2024 State of Housing Report

  February 12, 2024

  The Georgia Chamber of Commerce Foundation released its 2024 State of Housing Report highlighting opportunities for Georgia’s leaders to implement strategic policies that encourage housing development and address the current workforce housing shortage.

• CEO Confidence Improved in Q1 2024

  February 12, 2024

  The Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence in collaboration with The Business Council improved to 53 in Q1 2024, up from 46 in the fourth quarter of 2023. The Measure is now above 50, a reading that suggests CEOs have become optimistic about what's ahead for the economy.

• Georgia Chamber Hosts Business Prospects for 35th Annual ‘Georgia Quail Hunt’ in Albany

  February 09, 2024

  This week, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual Georgia Quail Hunt in Albany, as business leaders representing state recruitment and expansion prospects joined local and state economic developers and officials, including Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, to learn about the competitive advantages of doing business in Georgia.

• Atlanta Fed Opening Remarks: Uneven Outcomes in the Labor Market

  February 09, 2024

  At the Atlanta Fed, our tagline is "an economy that works for everyone." Such an economy will feature a labor market in which everyone can maximize their human capital and potential and find work commensurate with that full potential. The appeal of having this kind of economy is that it will be more resilient, more innovative, and more prosperous.