May 2018 Features

• Connecting Georgia’s Communities to Spur Economic Development: RuralWorks

  May 31, 2018

  The newest division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Rural Georgia Initiatives, has one primary focus in mind: to help rural Georgia communities become more competitive for economic development projects and identify new strategies for attracting jobs and investment.

• Georgia Department of Transportation Heads into 2018 Summer Construction Season

  May 30, 2018

  With Memorial Day in the rear view mirror, the unofficial start of summer has begun. For Georgia Department of Transportation, summer road construction is gearing up across Georgia. The Department announced plans for an active 2018 summer construction season, with hundreds of construction and maintenance projects along interstates and state routes across Georgia.

• Delta Offering More Trans-Atlantic Flying Than Ever

  May 29, 2018

  Memorial Day weekend marked the start of Delta's biggest ever summer on the trans-Atlantic. Some 11 routes – both new and old favorites – will begin over the next couple of days connecting the U.S. and nine countries in Europe.

• U.S. CEOs' Confidence Soars As Hunt For Sustained Growth Continues

  May 29, 2018

  U.S. chief executives are highly confident in the growth prospects for their companies over the next three years and will focus on M&A and collaborative efforts such as accelerator or incubator programs for startup firms to achieve sustained growth, according to a study released today by KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax, and advisory firm.

• Georgia Banks & Industry Groups Applaud Dodd-Frank Rollback

  May 24, 2018

  Georgia-based community banks, regional banks, and industry groups are applauding the significant rollback of Dodd-Frank Act regulations. As a member of the Senate Banking Committee, U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) helped craft the bipartisan rollback plan, which included three of his provisions. The rollback plan now heads to President Trump’s desk to become law.

• Georgia DOT Restricts Construction-Related Closures Statewide During Memorial Day Holiday Weekend

  May 24, 2018

  To ease Memorial Day weekend traffic congestion, the Georgia Department of Transportation is suspending construction-related lane closures from Friday, May 25th through Tuesday, May 29th on Interstate Highways, and limiting lane closures on state routes that directly serve major tourist and recreation centers.

• Middle Georgia State University's Growing School of Aviation Prepares Students for Careers in All Areas of Georgia’s Fastest-Growing Industry

  May 23, 2018

  After Brittni Giddens earned her bachelor’s degree in behavioral sciences, she had a realization. “That wasn’t what I wanted to do.” An aunt who was working at Robins Air Force Base encouraged Giddens to look at a career in aviation. “I fell in love with it,” she says. “Since then, it’s been airplanes, airplanes, airplanes.”

• Dinner on The Diamond Wednesday June 13th

  May 22, 2018

  The Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Georgia and the Macon Bacon Baseball Club are joining forces to bring a one-of-a-kind event to Macon, Dinner on the Diamond. The event was originally scheduled to be held on Wednesday, May 30th; however, the date is being adjusted to June 13th.

• Zillow: Federal Tax Cut Will Inject Nearly $40B into the Housing Market

  May 21, 2018

  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted at the end of last year could result in tens of billions of dollars being reinvested into the housing market, according to the Zillow Housing Aspirations Report. This is despite the fact that legislation expressly limited a number of longstanding tax benefits for homeowners.

• Community Foundation of Central Georgia Invites Area Residents to Put the Future of Our Community On the Table

  May 18, 2018

  On Wednesday, October 17th, citizens of Macon-Bibb County will participate in On the Table, a unique opportunity, led by the Community Foundation of Central Georgia and supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, that encourages the public to engage in meaningful, mealtime conversations about how to make our community safer, stronger, and more dynamic.

• Financial Technology Report Shows Georgia Leads as Global FinTech Hub

  May 17, 2018

  The Technology Association of Georgia, the state's leading association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of Georgia's technology industry, has unveiled its 2018 State of Georgia's FinTech Ecosystem Report.

• Navicent Health Generates $1.6B for Local and State Economy

  May 15, 2018

  In 2016, Navicent Health hospitals in central Georgia generated $1,599,457,541in revenue for the local and state economy, according to a recently released report by the Georgia Hospital Association, the state’s largest hospital trade association. During the same time period, Navicent Health provided $69,980, 089 in uncompensated care while sustaining more than 12,000 full-time jobs throughout central Georgia and the state.

• GDOT Commissioner: Georgia Well-Positioned for Infrastructure Plan

  May 15, 2018

  This week is National Infrastructure Week. There will be events across the nation to bring awareness to the criticality of infrastructure conditions and the need for investment. The Georgia Department of Transportation is focused on improving both the state of good repair of our infrastructure and investing in mobility enhancements to our transportation network in order to facilitate growth and improve the quality of life for all Georgians.

• Hargray Expands to Warner Robins

  May 14, 2018

  Hargray Communications Group, Inc., a leader in fiber communication services in Georgia and South Carolina, announced today that it is expanding into Warner Robins, Georgia. This announcement comes one year after Hargray launched its world-class fiber-optic network in Macon, Georgia.

• ACG Atlanta Announces 40 Fastest-­Growing Companies in Georgia

  May 14, 2018

  The Atlanta Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, a global professional organization with the mission of Driving Middle-­Market Growth, announced the 2018 Georgia Fast 40, recognizing the top 40 fastest-­growing middle-­market companies in Georgia.

• Navicent Health Hospital Achieves StormReady Certification, Macon-Bibb Recertified

  May 11, 2018

  The Medical Center, Navicent Health has achieved StormReady certification from the National Weather Service, and Macon-Bibb County’s StormReady certification has been renewed for another three years. MCNH is one of only three commercial sites in the state to achieve this certification.

• Georgia’s 2017 Tourism Economic Impact Tops $63M, Breaks Records

  May 08, 2018

  Gov. Nathan Deal announced that the state’s tourism industry generated a record-breaking $63.1 billion in economic impact in 2017, for an increase of 3.8 percent over last year, according to the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics.

• The Home Depot Co-founder: Profits are Not the Only Measure of Success

  May 07, 2018

  American businesses are giving and doing more than ever before, like the hundreds of companies that have pledged bonuses, raises, new or expanded benefits, or price reductions since December, when Congress retooled the federal tax code for the first time in 30 years. Those responses are tremendous—they could mean a family’s first vacation or provide hope of paying down medical expenses or debt—but understand that business need not rely on unexpected windfalls before realizing the benefits of giving back.

• Mercer University School of Medicine, Partners Launch H.O.P.E. Initiative to Improve Community Health Through Local Churches

  May 04, 2018

  Mercer University School of Medicine is partnering with Bethel CME Church and Navicent Health on the H.O.P.E. (Health Outreach Prevention and Enrichment) Initiative, a collaborative effort to improve the health status of the Macon community from different perspectives.

• Governor Signs $26 Billion State Budget

  May 03, 2018

  Gov. Nathan Deal held budget signing ceremonies in Atlanta, Acworth, Blue Ridge, Statesboro and Tifton for next year’s $26 billion state budget. HB 684, the FY 2019 budget, continues Deal’s efforts to invest in Georgia’s citizens and its economy through education and transportation initiatives.

• Third Annual Middle Georgia State of Small Business Summit, Bridge to Scale

  May 02, 2018

  Small business owners in Middle Georgia have opportunity within reach, and Macon-Bibb Small Business Affairs and SCORE Middle Georgia intend to deliver. With the primary goals of strengthening established small businesses and creating more small business jobs, Middle Georgia State of Small Business Summit encourages small businesses to register for the third annual summit: Bridge to Scale, May 3rd-4th at the Tubman Museum.

• Georgia's Credit Unions Finish 2017 with Strong Loan Growth

  May 02, 2018

  Georgia credit unions finished 2017 with strong loan growth aided by near cyclical highs in U.S. consumer confidence. Lending at Georgia credit unions grew by 1.8 percent in the fourth quarter – eclipsing the third quarter’s 1.5 percent rate but landing short of the 3.2 percent rate in the fourth quarter of 2016, according to data collected by the Credit Union National Association.

• Senator David Perdue Talks Tax Cuts With Cox Communications Employees

  May 01, 2018

  U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) visited Cox Communications in Macon, Georgia to tour the facility and meet with employees about recent changes to the federal tax code. In response to savings from federal tax cuts, Cox Enterprises gave bonuses of up to $2,000 for non-executive employees.

• Billy Payne’s Olympian Triumph

  May 01, 2018

  The story of Atlanta’s emergence as an international city began, as unlikely triumphs often do, with one man’s improbable dream. And yet, William Porter “Billy” Payne was not known as a dreamer. In fact, before 1987—when he resolved to bring the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games to Atlanta, in defiance of all odds—the then-middle-aged real estate lawyer wasn’t widely known at all.