December 2014 Features

  • M&R Marketing Group: Five Resolutions for Your Business in 2015

    December 19, 2014

    As you plan for 2015, M&R Marketing Group's Matthew Michael shares five resolutions that can add value to your company and help prepare you for a successful year.

  • Small Business Loans Bounce Back in November

    December 18, 2014

    Big bank lending to small businesses rebounded in November and resumed a positive trend that has lasted much of the year. This latest data from Biz2Credit’s Small Business Lending Index should be good news to any small business owner seeking more capital to expand or diversify their operations.

  • Columbus-Based Piper App Developers Connecting Communities with iBeacon Technology

    December 17, 2014

    Piper CEO Robert Hanczor and COO Wesley Ker-Fox discuss living in the moment with iBeacon technology and how a single app has the capability to connect and engage entire communities.

  • Eisenhower Corridor Part of Community Improvement District

    December 16, 2014

    Hull Storey Gibson Companies is a full service retail real estate firm, and they’ve set their sites on improving the Eisenhower Parkway between I-75 west and I-475 as an area that needs attention in Georgia.

  • Tis the Season for Strategic Giving

    December 15, 2014

    With the holidays just around the corner many are focused on giving back, especially in Atlanta, the fourth most charitable large metro in the United States. Forty-three percent of wealthy donors said that they make more charitable contributions during the holiday season compared to the rest of the year, according to the recent Bank of America Study on High Net Worth Philanthropy.

  • HeritageBank to Merge with Mississippi-Based Renasant Corporation

    December 11, 2014

    Renasant Corporation and Heritage Financial Group, Inc. jointly announced today the signing of a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which Renasant Corporation will acquire, in an all-stock merger, Heritage Financial Group, Inc., a bank holding company headquartered in Albany, Georgia, and the parent of HeritageBank of the South, aGeorgia savings bank.

  • Pete Tosh: Your Company Has More Than One Culture

    December 10, 2014

    Organizations devote considerable resources to developing business plans. But alone those plans are of little value; they require employees who want to execute them. Far more plans fail due to lack of execution than due to a poor plan. Emotionally engaged employees are a pre-requisite to the execution of any business strategy.

  • Knight Foundation Helps Build a Stronger Macon

    December 09, 2014

    Macon has all the ingredients to attract and retain college-educated talent – a reasonable cost of living, in-town neighborhoods, an historic downtown and proximity to a gateway airport in Atlanta.

  • Regions Bank Georgia President: Going Beyond the Brick and Mortar Branch

    December 08, 2014

    Now that the U.S. has traversed the recession and planted its feet on the banks of a new economic era, the banking industry is strengthening. Leaders within the banking industry are mobilizing to reinvigorate commercial enterprises that make the economy hum. Bill Linginfelter, Area President of Regions Bank for Georgia and South Carolina, says, “We try to take a lot of the financial management tasks off their plates so they can spend more time developing their business or making more products or innovating.”

  • Georgia Chamber Task Force Focused on Growing Film, Digital Industries

    December 05, 2014

    The Georgia Chamber’s Creative and Digital Industries Initiative shared a number of recommendations for updates to the state’s existing entertainment tax credits with the Georgia House Study Committee on Georgia-Based Film and Post Production during its meeting Thursday at the Savannah College of Art and Design.

  • Report Offers Lessons in Community Revitalization, Highlights Transformation in Macon

    December 03, 2014

    A new report provides lessons on building successful cities, highlighting the experiences of the once-blighted College Hill neighborhood in Macon, Ga. An initiative of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation the report, “The Magic of College Hill” outlines the factors that contributed to the renewed vibrancy of the area that connects Mercer University with downtown.

  • Who Do You Tip at the Holidays (and How Much)?

    December 02, 2014

    Tipping service providers during the holidays is a great way to show your appreciation for services throughout the year. Who do you tip at the holidays? And how much do you tip them? What is an appropriate gift or tip for that courier who always delivers your packages, or your hairdresser, or your landscaper?

  • BCBS Georgia President Morgan Kendrick: Blue Cross Blue Shield Starts New Healthcare Discussion

    December 01, 2014

    As the Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to unfold, insurance providers and businesses, particularly small to medium sized businesses, continue to adjust. Making decisions that best serve both the bottom line and employees requires knowledge and flexibility. Morgan Kendrick, President, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGa), acknowledges that the ACA is a response to health care costs that had risen to an untenable level.