First, let me thank and congratulate Missy Kendrick, our 2nd vice chair, and the entire Annual Meeting Planning Committee for this year’s conference! I thought it was an outstanding event with great informational programs and exceptional networking opportunities. They definitely raised the bar for our future conferences.
If you attended, I hope you have completed your survey to share your feedback. Please know that your comments and suggestions are reviewed and taken seriously as we plan for future conferences. If you have not already done so, please complete it today.
We grew, we innovated and we succeeded. Not quite Veni, Vidi, Vici, but it is our version of it. Thank you, Missy Kendrick, GEDA’s 2016 Annual Conference (AC) Chair, and President of the Development Authority of Polk County (as of September 19th), and your committee members for putting on a fantastic program. Thank you to all of our sponsors of the GEDA 2016 Annual Conference, including Savannah Economic Development Authority, Presenting and Wednesday Reception Sponsor, and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Platinum and Friday Breakfast Sponsor. See all of our sponsors HERE.
The Georgia Economic Developers Association 2016 Annual Conference in Savannah, the Hostess City of the South was a learning event, a networking extravaganza and a lot of fun!
Thank you to those of you who joined us at the Hyatt Regency Savannah. Click HERE to complete the survey, if you have not done so already. Also, you can see photos of all of your friends and colleagues by clicking HERE.
2016 Annual Conference Golf Tournament
Golfers had a wonderful day and a great course, the Club at Savannah Harbor, to play during the Annual Conference. Thanks again to the Golf sponsors of Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission; Athens-Clarke County Economic Development Department; and Toombs County Development Authorty; as well as the beverage-cart sponsors of Appling County Development Authority; and Tift County Development Authority! Special thanks to Brandt Herndon of SEDA and Ricky McGee of Georgia EMC for their coordination of the golf outing! Read More...
2016 Annual Conference Sporting Clays
The shooters also enjoyed a great day at the beautiful Dorchester Shooting Preserve in Midway, Georgia. Twenty-five people came out to shoot. Thanks to our sponsors: FCL Builders; Pattillo Construction Company; and Development Authority of Washington County! We are grateful to David Brazell of Pattillo Construction Corp.; Charles Lee of Washington County; and Bill Boone of the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center; for their efforts in coordinating this event.
Winners were:
Women's Division: Jade Morey of the Houston County Development Authority
Men’s Division: First Place, David Brazell of Pattillo Construction Corp. and Second Place, Jim Lovett of Georgia Power
Congratulations to Rachel Rowell, former President of the Development Authority of Polk County, who is now Director of Scheduling and Logistics for 365 Degree Total Marketing on St. Simons Island, as of September 12th. Rachel moved to the Georgia Coast with her husband, who is an instructor with FLETC at Glynco.
Georgia # 1 Again! Congratulations to Governor Nathan Deal and all of Georgia on being named Top State for Business for the Third Year in a Row by Area Development, a leading corporate site selection and relocation magazine. Read more…
Best wishes to the Georgia Department of Economic Development for its achievements. Global Commerce generated over $4.4 Billion in investments and the Tourism Division shared in the economic impact of Georgia’s tourism industry hitting record $58.9 billion.
Welcome back to economic development, Chris Moder! Chris was recently named Director, Economic Development for the City of Norcross. Most recently, Chris worked for the University of Georgia as the Associate Director of Corporate Relations in the Division of Development and Alumni Relations.
Joe Riley Receives the Rip Wiley Award
Joe Riley was presented with the GEDA Rip Wiley Award for Professional Excellence at his home on Wednesday, September 14th by members of the Executive Committee. Joe was alert and responsive and very grateful. On hand to witness the presentation was Peg Riley, Joe’s wife, and Lynn, Joe’s sister-in-law, as well as Bill Dobbs, Joe’s best friend of nearly thirty years. Pat Merritt, GEDA’s Secretary-Treasurer, Vice President of Community & Economic Development, Georgia EMC, and longtime friend and colleague of Joe, announced the award at the GEDA Business Meeting of the 2016 Annual Conference on Friday, September 23rd. Congratulations to Joe and his family on an award well-deserved. Joe went to his eternal reward on Saturday afternoon, September 24th. It was as if Joe was waiting on the announcement to breathe his last. Rest in peace, our dear friend, Joe, and Godspeed! Click here to read more about Joe Riley and his nomination by Pat Merritt and Dennis Chastin, President of Georgia EMC, to receive the Rip Wiley Award.
Nominate A Rising Star in Economic Development
Development Counsellors International (DCI) is again taking nominations of economic developers from around the country of individuals under 40, for their “40 under 40 program.” If you know of someone who is an outstanding young economic developer, take a few minutes to nominate them for their achievements. Click HERE to submit your nomination.
Project Announcements
Sentury Tire to create more than 1,000 jobs in Troup County Automotive and aerospace tire manufacturer to invest $530M in LaGrange
September 8, 2016 - Gov. Nathan Deal announced that Sentury Tire, the fifth-largest and fastest-growing tire manufacturer in China, will create more than 1,000 jobs and invest $530 million in a car and light truck tire manufacturing operation in Troup County. The new facility in LaGrange will support Sentury Tire’s existing customer base in North America.
Congratulations to Scott Malone, Executive Director, Development Authority of LaGrange; Nico Wijnberg, Director of International Investment, Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) Global Commerce Division; Charles Stallworth, Senior Project Manager, Georgia Power; Georgia Quick Start; and the Georgia Ports Authority who worked as a team in securing this announcement. Read more…Deal: Honeywell to create more than 800 jobs in Atlanta Fortune 100 company to invest $19 million in Midtown technology center
September 12, 2016 - Gov. Nathan Deal, along with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, announced that Honeywell, a Fortune 100 company specializing in diversified technology, software development and manufacturing, will create more than 800 jobs and invest $19 million in Atlanta. Honeywell will establish a software development center, the first of its kind, and the headquarters for its $9.4 billion Home and Building Technologies (HBT) business in Midtown.
Kudos to the team who worked with Honeywell, including Ashley Morris, Project Manager, Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), Global Commerce Division; Brenda Robbins, Senior Project Manager, Georgia Power; Randi Mason, Manager, Economic Development, and Kevin Johnson, CEcD, Senior Vice President, Economic Development, Invest Atlanta; the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Gregg Simon, Vice President, Economic Development; and Greg King, Associate Vice President for Economic Development, Georgia Institute of Technology/University System of Georgia. Read more…Deal: NCR to create more than 1,800 jobs in Midtown Atlanta Technology company will invest $145M to expand world headquarters
September 13, 2016 - Gov. Nathan Deal, along with Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, announced that the NCR Corporation will create more than 1,800 jobs and invest $145 million in its Midtown Atlanta expansion. NCR will a construct a second tower at its global headquarters to bring together employees from the Alpharetta, Atlanta and Duluth offices.
A shout out to the crew who assisted in this project, including E. Jane Caraway, Director of Life Sciences, Corporate Solutions, Digital Entertainment and IT; Tom Croteau, Deputy Commissioner; Scott McMurray, Division Director, Global Commerce Division; and Andrew Capezzuto, General Counsel; Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD); Dr. Eloisa Klementich, CEcD, President & CEO; Kevin Johnson, CEcD, Senior Vice President, Economic Development; and Randi Mason, Manager, Economic Development; with Invest Atlanta; Brenda Robbins, Senior Project Manager, Georgia Power Company; and Gregg Simon, Vice President, Economic Development, Metro Atlanta Chamber. Read more…Ritz Instrument Transformers to Expand in Hart County, Will Create 50 New Jobs
September 21, 2016 – The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) announced Ritz Instrument Transformers will expand their current operations in Hart County, investing $8 million and creating 50 new full-time jobs within the next five years. The planned expansion represents a 50 percent increase of its current workforce.
Way to go Tammy Caudell, Existing Industry and Regional Recruitment Sr. Project Manager, Region 2, Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), Global Commerce Division; Dwayne Dye, Director of Economic Development, Hart County Industrial Building Authority and the Hart County Board of Commissioners for their work in supporting this expansion. Read more… Deal: Tory Burch to create more than 150 jobs in Henry County Leading American lifestyle brand to invest more than $60 million in distribution center
September 29, 2016 - Governor Nathan Deal announced that Tory Burch LLC, a leading American lifestyle brand, will create more than 150 jobs and invest more than $60 million in a Henry County facility by 2020. The distribution center will support Tory Burch’s ecommerce business and is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2017.
Congratulations to the team members who worked on this project, which included Charlie Moseley, Executive Director, Henry County Development Authority; Joshua Stephens, Project Manager, Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), Global Commerce Division; Charles Stallworth, Senior Project Manager, Georgia Power; Bart Gobeil, Director of Economic Development and State Government Affairs, Stacy Watson, General Manager, Economic & Industrial Development, and John Petrino, Director, Business Development, Georgia Ports Authority; and Chris Tomasulo, Senior Vice President, Industrial Brokerage, Supply Chain & Logistics Solutions, and Steve Grable , SIOR, Industrial Broker, Supply Chain & Logistics Solutions, Jones Lang LaSalle. Read more…
The GEDA Small Business Rock Stars Awards will be held next March 2017, but nominations are being taken now. Be sure to nominate your favorite Small Business for one of these awards. The application deadline is Monday, October 31st. Click HERE for nomination application forms.
Professional Development Committee
This is your last chance to utilize a GEDA Professional Scholarship grant before the end of the year. Possibilities include the UGA Certified Economic Development Program courses; IEDC courses, trade missions, etc. Apply for a scholarship today! Click HERE to apply and to get for additional information. Contact Saralyn Stafford, Chair, GEDA Professional Development Committee, and Division Director, Community Services, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, at 404-679-3166 with questions and for details.
Congratulations to the Professional Development Scholarship recipients for the GEDA 2016 Annual Conference:
Justin Farquhar
Project Manager
Development Authority of Bryan County
Jonathan Jackson
Wilkinson County
Allen Nicas
Retired Executive Director
Development Authority of Elbert County, Elberton, Bowman Scholarship Provided by Craig Heighton of Georgia Transmission Corporation
Erin Phillips
Community Development Director
City of Springfield
Public Policy Committee
The Carl Vincent Institute of Government at the University of Georgia is currently assisting the Georgia General Assembly’s Joint High-Speed Broadband Communications Access for all Georgians Study Committee by providing a web based survey tool for Georgians to report their access to broadband.
The goal is to get rural Georgians to visit the website to:
1. View what access is currently reported as available in their area;
2. Perform a recorded speed test if they currently have broadband access; and,
3. Complete a brief survey about broadband availability at their home and/or business.
Joint Study Committee on
High Speed Broadband Communications Access for all Georgians
Remember that there will be a SECOND(!!!) Coffee with the Commissioner on Monday, November 14th with Gretchen Corbin, Commissioner of the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). This event will again be at the ECG Conference Room and Georgia CEO will provide financial support for breakfast and door prizes. Contact Meghan Duke, GEDA YP Committee Chair & City of West Point Economic Development Director.
We grew, we innovated and we succeeded. Not quite Veni, Vidi, Vici, but it is our version of it. Thank you, Missy Kendrick, GEDA’s 2016 Annual Conference (AC) Chair, and President of the Development Authority of Polk County (as of September 19th), and your committee members for putting on a fantastic program. Thank you to all of our sponsors of the GEDA 2016 Annual Conference, including 
Georgia # 1 Again! Congratulations to Governor Nathan Deal and all of Georgia on being named Top State for Business for the Third Year in a Row by Area Development, a leading corporate site selection and relocation magazine. 
Joe Riley was presented with the GEDA Rip Wiley Award for Professional Excellence at his home on Wednesday, September 14th by members of the Executive Committee. Joe was alert and responsive and very grateful. On hand to witness the presentation was Peg Riley, Joe’s wife, and Lynn, Joe’s sister-in-law, as well as Bill Dobbs, Joe’s best friend of nearly thirty years. Pat Merritt, GEDA’s Secretary-Treasurer, Vice President of Community & Economic Development, Georgia EMC, and longtime friend and colleague of Joe, announced the award at the GEDA Business Meeting of the 2016 Annual Conference on Friday, September 23rd. Congratulations to Joe and his family on an award well-deserved. Joe went to his eternal reward on Saturday afternoon, September 24th. It was as if Joe was waiting on the announcement to breathe his last. Rest in peace, our dear friend, Joe, and Godspeed! 
Deal: Honeywell to create more than 800 jobs in Atlanta 
