August 2018 Features

  • Goodwill Celebrates Thirty Years of Leadership

    August 30, 2018

    James K. Stiff, President of Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia and the CSRA, celebrated his 30th anniversary with the organization.

  • Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Establish Partnership

    August 30, 2018

    On Tuesday, the Georgia Chamber and Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce announced the launch of their strategic partnership as their newest initiative to promote inclusive economic growth and development.

  • Georgia Tourism Industry Professionals Honored at Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference

    August 30, 2018

    Several of the state’s top tourism professionals were recognized at the 2018 Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference in Atlanta. Hosted by the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Georgia Association of Convention & Visitors Bureaus, the annual industry event brought together more than 400 tourism industry professionals from across the state.

  • LG Casey Cagle Names Georgia’s College & Career Academy of the Year, Business Partner of the Year

    August 28, 2018

    Lt. Governor Casey Cagle concluded his Eleventh Annual Business and Education Summit, uniting education and business leaders from across the state. Recognizing the successful partnership between the school system, local industry, and community leaders, Cagle named Golden Isles CCA as the 2018 College and Career Academy of the Year. In recognition of the company’s innovative partnerships with more than 20 College and Career Academies across our state, Lt. Governor Cagle named Georgia Power as Business Partner of the Year for 2018.

  • United Way of Central Georgia Announces $5.1M Fundraising Goal

    August 27, 2018

    The United Way of Central Georgia hopes to raise more than $5 million for the third time in its history and break a new fundraising record to support 29 community agencies and program initiatives.

  • Governor Deal Announces More Than $40M in Development Awards to 60 Communities

    August 27, 2018

    Gov. Nathan Deal announced that 60 Georgia communities will receive a total of more than $40 million in federal assistance to help grow their local economies. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development allocated the funding to Georgia’s Community Development Block Grant program, which is administered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

  • Senator David Perdue Celebrates 25th Anniversary Of Perdue Elementary

    August 27, 2018

    U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) shared the following video recognizing the 25th anniversary of David A. Perdue Elementary School, which was named after his father, David A. Perdue Sr., in August 1993. Mr. Perdue was a longtime educator and served as Superintendent of the Houston County School System for nearly 20 years.

  • Ember Bishop Bentley Joins Middle Georgia State University As Chief of Staff & Government Relations Officer

    August 24, 2018

    Ember Bishop Bentley, currently executive director of the Georgia Forestry Foundation and former chief of staff for Georgia First Lady Sandra Deal, is joining Middle Georgia State University as chief of staff and government relations officer. Bentley, who lives in Macon, will begin her new job on September 4th.

  • CSU’s Leadership Institute to Bring 2018 Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum to Columbus August 27th-28th

    August 24, 2018

    For the 13th 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 “Art of Leadership” features leaders in various sectors, including business, education, technology, art, music, film and military.

  • Georgia Banks Earn $2.1B during First Half of 2018

    August 24, 2018

    The 175 banks based in Georgia earned $2.1 billion in the first six months of 2018, according to data released by the FDIC Thursday. Net income for the period was up 31 percent over the same time in 2017.

  • Mercer University, President and Mrs. Carter Celebrate Grand Opening of Mercer Medicine Plains

    August 23, 2018

    Representatives from Mercer University and the city of Plains gathered with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter on Wednesday to celebrate the grand opening of Mercer Medicine Plains.

  • Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Georgia Receives $4 Million Gift

    August 22, 2018

    Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Georgia has received a $4,000,000 gift from AbbVie for a building expansion. This announcement was made at the Ronald McDonald House Charities Global Conference, held in Chicago, IL.

  • Georgia State Transportation Board Elects New Leadership

    August 20, 2018

    The State Transportation Board elected its new executive leadership team during its monthly meeting on August 16th. Ann R. Purcell was elected unanimously as chairman; Tim Golden was elected vice chairman; and Rudy Bowen was elected secretary. The new positions are effective immediately. Board elections are held annually to ensure that all regions of the state are represented at the executive leadership level.

  • 11th Annual Southern Automotive Conference Makes Georgia Debut, October 3rd–5th

    August 17, 2018

    The Georgia Automotive Manufacturers Association is proud to host the Southern Automotive Conference at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Oct. 3 – 5, 2018. The internationally-recognized event brings together thought leaders, Original Equipment Manufacturers, suppliers and service providers to discuss the latest innovations driving the industry forward.

  • M&R Marketing Group: 13 Ways Social Media Engages a B2B Audience

    August 16, 2018

    I can sense it – some of you read the title and have immediate doubts about social media’s impact on your B2B-focused company. So, I’ll jump right in: some sources say that social media drives more traffic to your website than search engines do. Over 31% of all visitors to a website originate from social media (Shareaholic).

  • Speaker Ralston & House Rural Development Council Leadership Announce Creation of Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation

    August 15, 2018

    House Speaker David Ralston and the leadership of the House Rural Development Council announced the creation of the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation. The RDC is co-chaired by State Representatives Terry England (R-Auburn) and Jay Powell (R-Camilla). State Representative Sam Watson (R-Moultrie) serves as vice chair of the council.

  • Charlie Harper: Talk Of I-14 Grows – But Still Just Talk

    August 14, 2018

    Roughly 25 miles of Texas interstate highway has started making a stir in social media in Georgia and Alabama. Interstate 14 currently runs between Fort Hood and Belton Texas, just north of the Austin metro area. A few students from Georgia and Alabama operating at the “Youth Infrastructure Coalition” have dusted off old plans and are promoting a corridor that would run from Texas to Augusta Georgia, passing through Columbus and Macon along the way.

  • Solid Blue Bird Fiscal 2018 Third Quarter Performance Impacted by Commodities Headwind

    August 10, 2018

    Blue Bird Corporation, the leading independent designer and manufacturer of school buses, announced its fiscal 2018 third quarter results. Blue Bird Corporation delivered higher net income, up 9.3% from prior year as well as solid Adjusted EBITDA of $23.7 million. Strong earnings were delivered despite higher commodity costs.

  • The University of Georgia's Small Business Development Center to Host GrowSmart Program in Macon

    August 09, 2018

    The University of Georgia's Small Business Development Center in Macon will host the GrowSmart, program in Macon Sept. 18th – Oct.16th. In its fourteenth year, SBDC GrowSmart, the signature series of the University of Georgia SBDC, consists of five modules delivered over five weeks.

  • Significant Progress Made on Vogtle 3 & 4 Construction

    August 09, 2018

    Georgia Power announced that Southern Nuclear has made significant progress on construction of Vogtle 3 & 4 since assuming project management on behalf of the project co-owners (Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, MEAG Power and Dalton Utilities) from Westinghouse following its bankruptcy in 2017.

  • AT&T Announces an Investment of More Than $5.3B in Georgia Networks During 2015-2017

    August 08, 2018

    AT&T has invested nearly $5.3 billion in their Georgia wireless and wired networks during 2015-2017. These investments have boosted reliability, coverage, speed and overall performance for residents and businesses. They also improve critical services that support public safety and first responders.

  • Recap: Georgia Chamber of Commerce Hosts Annual Congressional Luncheon

    August 08, 2018

    On Tuesday, August 21st, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Congressional Luncheon at the Marriott City Center in Macon. With over 1,500 industry leaders and elected officials in attendance, gubernatorial candidates discussed issues surrounding economic prosperity and the state’s business climate.

  • Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders Named One of 2018’s Most Influential Women by CEO Connection

    August 07, 2018

    The Top 25 2018 Most Influential Women of the Mid-Market has been announced by CEO Connection, the only membership organization exclusively for mid-market CEOs. For the second consecutive year, Dr. Ninfa M. Saunders, FACHE, President and CEO of Navicent Health has been included on CEO Connection’s listing.

  • Survey: One-third of Americans Thought about Starting a Business Last Year

    August 07, 2018

    LendingTree, the nation's leading online loan marketplace, today released its survey of aspiring small business owners, as the company celebrates a new milestone for its small business vertical – surpassing $1 billion in loan volume through LendingTree's small business marketplace.

  • Global Commerce Generates $5.56B in Investments in Past Year

    August 03, 2018

    Gov. Nathan Deal announced that the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Global Commerce Division helped create a total of 27,373 new jobs during FY 18, generating $5.56 billion in investments. This growth is the result of a record-breaking 419 expansion or relocation projects throughout the state.