November 2010 Newsletter

Featured Articles Election Day! November Luncheon 2010 Scholarship Recipients Renew Your Membership Economic Development Law Seminar (ICLE) Georgia Work Ready Summit New Members New GEDA.ORG Coming Soon Renew Your Membership! Avoid the Rush - Renew today! DID YOU KNOW that you can renew your membership any time between now and the end of the year and it will count for 2011?  That's right!  If you go online and renew, you won't have to worry about dues again until late 2011!  This can be particularly helpful if you have some budget room remaining in 2010 and would like to go ahead and pay your dues for nest year now. Click on the link and the system will guide you through the process.  As always, let us know if you have any questions! Economic Development Law in Georgia GEDA Partners with ICLE GEDA is excited to announce that we will co-sponsor the Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia's (ICLE) "Economic Development Law in Georgia seminar.  On Thursday, December 2nd, ICLE will host this program at the State Bar of Georgia.  Come and hear from industry experts like Brian Williamson, Dan McRae, John Gornall, Bob Simmons and MORE! IMPORTANT NOTE!  This program qualifies for EIGHT HOURS of credit for Development Authority Board Member training. Click here to see the flyer for the program and to see the full agenda. Georgia Work Ready Summit 2011 and Beyond Georgia Work Ready Summit provides a look ahead at Georgia's plan for continued growth and innovation.  It delivers information on the benefits of the Work Ready initiative to job seekers, businesses and communities.  The summit also serves as an opportunity to honor Governor Sonny Perdue for his leadership in building one of the leading workforce development initiatives in the country.  Summit attendees are automatically registered for the awards luncheon. Georgia Work Ready Awards Luncheon is the annual time for the Governor's Office of Workforce Development to honor the partners, businesses and individuals who have achieved success with the initiative. Click here to learn more about the event and to register.  The event is on December 8-9 and will be held at the Atlanta Hilton.

Election Day is Here! November 2nd is election day!  There are so many big stories that could come out of these elections.  The only way to make your voice heard is to get out there and vote!  Federal, State, Local, Constitutional Amendments, Statewide Referendum ... there is so much to decide! First, the Georgia Secretary if State's Office has launched a new voter service called "MVP."  My Voter Page is exactly that - it is a one-stop shop to know everything about your personal election day needs.  Log in to this site and you will be directed to customized information for election day, including: - Your voter information - Your polling place - A list of all qualified candidates that will appear on your ballot - Information on Constitutional Amendments and Statewide Referendums You can't complain about the outcomes if you don't get out there and vote! There are five Constitutional Amendments and one referendum this year.  Click here to read an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article about the different votes.  (As a reminder, GEDA does not favor votes in either direction.  We ask you to make informed decisions about what is best for business and growth in Georgia.) November Luncheon The November Luncheon will take place on November 15th - just two weeks away!  We will be at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center, directly across the street from the Centergy Office Building.  This month, we are very pleased to welcome Brad Bryant, Georgia State School Superintendent.   Among other topics, Mr. Bryant will cover the progress Georgia has made in education recently (especially the recent announcement that high school graduation rates are at an all=-time high - over 80%!!)  We can also learn more about Georgia receiving $400 million in the Race to the Top program and what we can expect those funds to go toward.  There are a lot of exciting things going on in Georgia as relates to education, so you do not want to miss this luncheon.  (And, it's the last time we'll get together as a group this year.) Thank you to the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority for sponsoring the November program!   NOTE: For those of you wishing to pay by check, you can STILL register online. When you register online, on the payment screen, you can select "Pay By Check."  This will do two things - it will tell the system that you plan on coming, and it will mark your payment as receivable.  At that point, all you need to do is mail the check and you're done!  No paper forms to fill out! GEDA Scholarship Recipients GEDA has awarded 8 scholarships this year to help support the professional development and continuing education of its members.  Please join us in congratulating the following scholarship recipients: Basic Economic Development Course Scholarship Heath Tippens (Development Authority of Cherokee County) Paul Leath (AGL Resources) David Jones (Macon Economic Development Commission) GEDA Spring Workshop Scholarship Paula Herrington (Jenkins County Chamber of Commerce & Development Authority) International Trade Missions Scholarship Angie Gheesling (Milledgeville-Baldwin County Development Authority) GEDA Annual Meeting Scholarship Jeanie Boland (Brantley County Development Authority) IEDC Training Course Scholarship Yvonne (Susie) Haggard (Georgia Department of Economic Development) J. R. Charles (Thomaston-Upson County Industrial Development Authority)  GEDA still has more scholarship opportunities available including scholarships for Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) courses, the CEcD Exam, International Trade Missions, and the Penn Worden Grant.  *APPLICATIONS* for 2010 awards and scholarships can be found on the Professional Development Committee section of GEDA’s website.  For more information, contact Committee Chair Leah Brown.

Upcoming Events November 15 - Monthly Luncheon at the Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center. December 2 - ICLE "Economic Development Law in Georgia" seminar December 8-9 - Georgia Work Ready Summit Welcome New Members Jeremy Corbett, Evans General Contractors Shayla Harris, City of Union City Eric Nicholson, Filter Innovations New and Improved GEDA.ORG! Big Changes Coming in Early 2011 Be on the lookout for more information about the new and improved GEDA.ORG.  Our web services company is adding a great deal more functionality and YOU will be the beneficiary! The look will not change all that much for now, but we will add a lot more power, better search functions and some new pages that YOU have been asking for! We will add a "Member Portal" page that will have a great deal of your personal GEDA information it, including: Events you have registered for, And payments that are due Receipts for past payments Invoices for events Log in information Biographical information Photographs MUCH more!! This page will be the place to go to answer many of your questions, saving you the time it takes to email or call GEDA.  (Of course, we still welcome that contact from you!) We will also be adding a new store feature, where you can order GEDA-logo shirts, hats, bags - you can do all of your holiday and birthday shopping with us!I know your loved ones will be ecstatic to unwrap a GEDA shirt! All of this (and a great deal more) will be coming your way soon.  Keep watching this space for more details. Have An Idea? Is there a topic you think we should cover in the Gazette?  Is there something missing from our website?  What can we do to make your membership experience better? Email us and let us know!