Area businesses experienced a very positive 2017 and expect an even better 2018, according to the results of Mercer University’s 2017 Middle Georgia Economic Outlook Survey.
 
The survey was conducted by the BB&T Center for Undergraduate Research in Public Policy and Capitalism in Mercer’s Eugene W. Stetson School of Business and Economics, in partnership with the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce, the Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Forsyth-Monroe County Chamber of Commerce, the Milledgeville-Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, the Jones County/Gray Chamber of Commerce, the Roberta-Crawford County Chamber of Commerce and the Wilkinson County Chamber of Commerce.
 
The BB&T Center and the partner chambers received responses to their electronic survey from 97 individuals. Dr. Antonio Saravia, assistant professor of economics and director of the BB&T Center, compiled the results.
 
“In general terms, businesses in Middle Georgia seemed to have experienced a very positive 2017 and expect an even better 2018,” said Dr. Saravia. “The indices for net earnings, sales and hiring were all up for 2017 and are predicted to continue to increase in 2018, which is good news. The report shows no recessionary signals at all.”
 
Respondents represented considerable variety in terms of company size, geography and industry. Most were small businesses under 10 employees, which accounted for 43 percent of the total number of respondents. The majority had principal offices located in Bibb (56 percent), Houston (21 percent) and Baldwin (10 percent) counties. Respondents represented a wide range of industries, led by professional and retail trade (13 percent).
 
The BB&T Center for Undergraduate Research in Public Policy and Capitalism conducts the survey and publishes its results each year.
 
For more information, contact Dr. Saravia at (478) 301-5541 or [email protected].