October 2011 Newsletter

Featured Articles Annual Conference Wrap Committee Structure Changes 40 Under 40! CEcD Study Group Library of Documents IEDC Recognizes Two Georgians!   CEcD Study Group Learn From the Pros! GEDA is very excited to announce that we are creating a Certified Economic Developer exam study group!  Georgia has a very proud history of CEcDs. And we know that there are many of you that are nearing completion of the study and experience requirements to sit for the exam. GEDA's Professional Development Committee will host an informal session after the October luncheon to kick off this group.  This study group will be led by several people who have passed the certification and grade the exams.  If anyone knows how to pass - this is the group!!  Let us know if you are interested in participating, and make plans to stay a little after the October luncheon  Library of Documents Exclusive for GEDA Members Over the past years, GEDA and its committees have created/compiled a vast array of institutional knowledge.  We strive to provide documents and best practices to you as a benefit of your membership.  These documents reside on the individual committee pages on the website.  Now that we have approximately 80 documents, it has become increasingly difficult for you to find what it is you're looking for.  That defeats the purpose!!!  GEDA has now compiled all of the documents into one handy location on our home page.  On the right, under the "Quick Links" section, you will see a link to the "Library of Documents."  Here, you will be able to conveniently access everything GEDA has to offer you. Is there a document that we don't have?  Let us know and we will look into providing that for you!

Annual Conference Wrap We Survived Spring Workshop and now we Stayed Alive through Annual Conference!  What a great event we had in Savannah!  Our attendance was the highest we have seen in the past few years; the sessions were all well-done and highly praised afterwards - even Mother Nature cooperated as the majority of the rain stayed away from us.  In case you missed it, here are some of the highlights ... At our Awards Ceremony on Wednesday night, John Travolta ... I mean Tony Manero ... I mean Roger Harrison served as our MC for the night.  GEDA recognized three communities and two individuals with awards.  Our Deals of the Year went to: Small Community - Barnesville-Lamar County for the Piedmont Green Power project, Medium Community - Griffin-Spalding County for the Caterpillar project, and  Large Community - Cartersville-Bartow County for the Toyo Tires project. For individual awards, the Volunteer of the Year Award went to Mr. Philip Wilheit.  Mr. Wilheit has been a champion of economic development in Gainesville, Hall County and the state of Georgia for a very long time and is richly deserving of the award, as are so many of our volunteers around the state. The Rip Wiley Award for Professional Excellence was awarded to Dennis Chastain of Georgia EMC.  A Past Chair of GEDA, Dennis has guided the economic development efforts of Oglethorpe Power/Georgia EMC for twenty years now.  He has been a long-time supporter of GEDA, leading the Strategic Planning process in 2006.  Congratulations to all of our winners! To see presentations from the concurrent sessions on Wednesday or general sessions on Thursday and Friday, visit our Past Presentations page.  The photos are up as well.  As always, thank you to our sponsors and to JoAnne Lewis and her committee.  This event doesn't happen without you!   Committee Structure Changes From YOUR Feedback! Based on feedback from YOU, the membership, GEDA and Chair-Elect Misti Martin last week announced changes to our existing committee structure.  Instead of the same 15 committees we have enjoyed for several years, we will now have 10 committees (including one new one) and 6 Shared Interest Groups (SIG).  GEDA Leadership felt that 6 of our standing committees did not fit into the traditional, formal committee structure and deserved better attention from GEDA.  These 6 "SIGs" will serve as a place and a means for our members with interest in certain areas to meet and discuss subject matter, without having to focus in on completing certain goals for the year.  Many of you have said that you would like to get involved but are not interested in joining an official committee.  Well, here is your chance!  The Shared Interest Group is exactly that - a group od GEDA members that share an interest one aspect of economic development.  The SIGs can choose to meet when they like and can bring in subject matter experts to discuss those issues and items. To see the 10 committees, 6 SIGs and their chairs, continue reading this article ...   40 Under 40!  GEDA Members Recognized by Georgia Trend Magazine In the October issue of Georgia Trend Magazine, the 2011 "40 Under 40" honorees were unveiled.  On the COVER is Misti Martin (GEDA Chair-Elect) with the Cherokee Office of Economic Development.  Also honored are Brooks Mathis - Cobb County Chamber of Commerce, Brad Carver - Hall Booth Smith & Slover, Jennifer Fordham - DCA, and Luke Howe - City of Doraville.  Congratulations to all five!!

Upcoming Events October 17 Luncheon.  Site Selection Consultants Panel!!  At the Marriott Renaissance Midtown.  Register today! November 14 Luncheon.  SmartGrid IQ Panel at the Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center.  Registration open soon. New Members! Welcome to GEDA Adam Causey, Griffin Downtown Development Authority Michael Garvey, Tift County Development Authority Kathryn Lookofsky, Athens Downtown Development Authority Tommy Lowman, City of Blackshear Jonathan Lupo, GDEcD Candice McKie, Gwinnett County Planning & Development Mary Renner, Renner Consulting Service Sabrina Young, City of Marrietta Nicole Ward, Dublin-Laurens County Development Authority Charlie Wilson, Hogan Construction IEDC Awards! Recognize Two Georgians! Bob Cassel recently received the "Pioneer in Modern Economic Development" Award from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). Mr. Cassel was instrumental in founding the Georgia Industrial Developers Association nearly 50 years ago and is an Honorary Life Member.  This award was created especially for Cassel for his five decades of work with GEDA, Georgia Tech Basic Course, SIDC (SEDC), and AIDC (AEDC.)  He has...   Read the entire press release from IEDC.  Congratulations to Mr. Bob Cassel!! At the recent IEDC Annual Conference, our own Walter Sprouse received double recognition. He was recognized for twelve years of service on the IEDC Board of Directors and received Honorary Life Member Designation!  IEDC presented this award to Walter in response to his "lasting commitment to the field of economic development."  You can read the entire press release here. Congratulations, Walter!