April 2021 Features

• New Filing Illustrates Atlanta Gas Light’s Plans to Enhance Its System, Support Growth in Georgia

  April 30, 2021

  Atlanta Gas Light submitted its first-ever Integrated Capacity Development Plan, a filing newly required by the Georgia Public Service Commission. The document, referred to as the i-CDP, provides insight into the company’s long-range plans for initiatives that will enable it to meet increased demand and deliver superior customer service while continuing to serve the state safely and reliably.

• goBeyondProfit Research Clarifies Georgians’ Heightened Expectations and Offers Road Map for Business Response

  April 29, 2021

  Georgia-specific research confirms employee and consumer rising expectations – and propensity to act – based on how businesses speak out about issues and care for employees, community and environment. Business executive input reveals increasing business value and commitment to corporate character efforts, according to goBeyondProfit, a statewide alliance of CEOs which conducted the survey in March 2021.

• Mercer Innovation Center Recognizes Three Teams for ‘Next Big Idea’ Business Pitches

  April 28, 2021

  Mercer Innovation Center on April 16th awarded prize money to three teams as part of the virtual Next Big Idea Competition to help student entrepreneurs launch their businesses.

• US Consumer Confidence Up Sharply Again in April

  April 28, 2021

  The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index rose sharply again in April, following a substantial gain in March.

• Georgia Ports Authority Details Capacity, Operations Expansion

  April 27, 2021

  At the Georgia Foreign Trade Conference, the Georgia Ports Authority released fiscal year to date numbers (July -March) showing record volumes of 3.9 million twenty-foot equivalent container units, an increase of 15 percent, and detailed a plan that expedites completion of more than 1.4 million additional TEUs of annual capacity.

• UGA SBDC Re-Launches Signature SBDC StartSmart Program in Virtual Format

  April 26, 2021

  The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (SBDC), a Public Service and Outreach unit of the University of Georgia, has re-launched the SBDC StartSmart Program in a virtual, live learning format. The educational program, paired with expert consulting from SBDC professionals, is designed to assist those who are planning a business or have been in business for less than two years.

• What to Expect in the Housing Market After the Pandemic

  April 26, 2021

  The coronavirus pandemic has upended the housing market, opening up new opportunities for many, pushing some to move back home and causing others to reevaluate how they want their home to look. With vaccines being widely distributed, new Zillow surveys reveal what's likely to change and what's expected to remain when the pandemic ends.

• Colony Bankcorp & SouthCrest Financial Group to Combine in Transformational Merger

  April 23, 2021

  Colony Bankcorp, Inc., the holding company for Colony Bank, and SouthCrest Financial Group, Inc., the holding company for SouthCrest Bank, N.A., jointly announced the signing of an Agreement and Plan of Merger under which Colony has agreed to acquire 100% of the common stock of SouthCrest in a combined stock-and-cash transaction valued at approximately $84.0 million.

• FVSU Unveils New Campus Amphitheater & Announces First Endowed Professorship

  April 23, 2021

  Fort Valley State University proudly announced it has received an endowment gift from the Jones family. Made up of generations of FVSU alumni including husband and wife, Dr. Alonzo E. Jones, Sr. and Kathy R. Jones-Jones of Columbus, Ga., the family has generously gifted their alma mater a total of $700,000 since 2017.

• Jobs Increase Over the Month in Every Georgia MSA

  April 23, 2021

  The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that the number of jobs and employment numbers were up in every metropolitan statistical area (MSA) from February to March of 2021. The unemployment rate was down over the month in every MSA. For March, the unemployment rate was down and the labor force and employment numbers were up in every reported regional commission.

• New Report Reveals Cox Enterprises Has Invested Nearly $1 Billion in Sustainability and Cleantech

  April 23, 2021

  Cox Enterprises released Making Our Mark, its collective impact report, which details the company's investment of nearly $1 billion in sustainable businesses and technologies, and more than $191 million donated to or invested in communities.

• Macon Area Habitat for Humanity is Commemorating 35 Years of Constructing Affordable Homeownership Opportunities

  April 21, 2021

  For Macon Area Habitat for Humanity, 2021 marks 35 years of building homes, communities, and hope by constructing simple, decent, affordable homes.

• AG Chris Carr & Partners Kick Off Annual Fundraiser to Benefit Georgia’s Regional Food Banks

  April 20, 2021

  Today marks the first day of the 10th Annual Georgia Legal Food Frenzy, a two-week virtual fundraising drive fortified by Georgia’s legal community, benefitting the state’s regional food banks.

• Phil J. & Alice S. Sheridan Foundation Commits $10 Million to Establish The Sheridan Center at Mercer

  April 19, 2021

  Directors of the Macon-based Phil J. and Alice S. Sheridan Foundation have committed $10 million to endow The Sheridan Center at Mercer University to support the work of Mercer On Mission throughout the globe.

• Macon's Kumho Tire Facility to Expand with $21.8 Million Investment

  April 16, 2021

  Macon-Bibb Mayor Lester Miller announced that Kumho Tire has approved a $21.8 million investment to add approximately 20,500 square feet to Kumho Tire of Georgia (KTG) for a new Automated Production Unit (APU) that will help boost product quality and manufacturing efficiency.

• Georgia’s Unemployment Rate Drops in March While Jobs Increase

  April 16, 2021

  The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced that Georgia’s unemployment rate dropped 0.3 percentage points to reach 4.5 percent in March while the state saw a significant increase in the number of jobs.

• Sheridan Construction Projects Earn AGC Build Georgia Awards

  April 14, 2021

  Sheridan Construction announces the following projects earned recognition from the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Georgia as AGC Build Georgia Award-winning projects for 2021.

• $8.43 Billion, 24,000+ Jobs from Economic Development Projects During First Three Quarters of Fiscal Year

  April 14, 2021

  Governor Brian P. Kemp, in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), today announced that more than 24,000 jobs were created across all regions of the state by economic development projects in Georgia during the first three quarters of fiscal year 2021.

• Ribbon-cutting Ceremony Held for Schnitzer's New Advanced Aluminum Separation System

  April 13, 2021

  Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. and the Macon Bibb County Industrial Authority announce that Schnitzer has commissioned a new state-of-the-art Advanced Aluminum Separation System in Macon. Schnitzer is one of the largest manufacturers of recycled metal products in North America,

• Parent Company of Cadence Bank to Merge with BancorpSouth Bank in $6B Deal

  April 13, 2021

  BancorpSouth Bank and Cadence Bancorporation, the parent company of Cadence Bank, N.A., jointly announced today that they have entered into a merger agreement under which the companies will combine in an all-stock merger with a total market value of more than $6 billion to create a leading Texas and Southeastern regional bank.

• Technology Association of Georgia Unveils TAG Tech Award Finalists

  April 12, 2021

  The Technology Association of Georgia has announced the TAG Technology Awards Finalists. In its first year, TAG’s Technology Awards recognize companies and individuals throughout Georgia who made an impact in 2020. The finalists will be recognized, and winners will be announced at the Georgia Technology Summit on April 28, 2021.

• Private, Public, And Philanthropic Partners Renovate Poplar Park In Downtown Macon

  April 09, 2021

  On Thursday, April 8th, The Business Improvement District, the Peyton Anderson Foundation, and Macon-Bibb Parks and Beautification announced the completed renovation of the Poplar Street park median between Second Street and Third Street.

• Indoor Greens Company Pete’s to Open First Eastern U.S. Indoor Farming Facility, Invest $18 Million in Peach County

  April 09, 2021

  Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that Pete’s, a long-time, California-based greenhouse grower, will invest $18 million in opening their first eastern U.S. indoor, controlled environment agriculture facility in Warner Robins in Peach County, Georgia.

• Explore Georgia: State Ready to Safely Host Meetings and Conventions

  April 09, 2021

  On Global Meetings Industry Day, Explore Georgia, the tourism division within the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), is proud to showcase the state’s leading-edge conference centers and destinations.

• Pelotons & Penny-Pinching: How COVID-19 Pulled US Consumers Toward New Extremes of Splurging & Saving

  April 07, 2021

  With the end of the pandemic finally in sight, one of its lasting legacies may be pulling American consumers toward new and seemingly contradictory directions of behavior.