So as not to conflict with the Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC) Annual Conference in Charlotte, NC on August 20-22, the GEDA board has decided to move our August meeting to Monday, August 14th. The program will be on Placemaking and will take place at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta Midtown Hotel. Panelists include Ethan Kent, Senior Vice President, Project for Public Spaces, Andrea Taylor, President, Douglas-Coffee Chamber and Development Authority; Jerald Mitchell, Director of Economic Development, Atlanta Beltline; and moderated by Jessica Hood, Executive Director, Development Authority of Burke County.
We are still seeking a sponsor for this event. If you are interested in presenting your message to a great GEDA audience (estimated over 200 attendees) please let Jessica Hood, our GEDA Sponsorship Chair, or Kevin Shea, GEDA President, know ASAP!
Several Regions had meetings in July and attendees shared some great news and accomplishments and all seemed to have a good time. Events were held in Region 4 at Kyle Fletcher's cabin on July 7th, the Northeast at Chateau Elan and at The Atrium Event Center in Douglas-Coffee County Chamber on the 17th; the Northwest at Northwest Technical College in Calhoun on the 19th; and the at the Richmond Hill City Center on the Coast on the 27th. Thank you to all those who attended and to the sponsors of these events: Georgia Power (at all four meetings!), AT&T, Georgia Power, J M Williams Contractors, Pattillo Construction Corp., Pattillo Industrial Real Estate, RAI Industrial Fabricators LLC, Rooker, and Williams & Associates.
GEDA - Lite
Summer is a time of vacations and possibly a bit slower pace of life due to the warmer weather. GEDA, as you know does not have an official meeting during the month of July, so even our organization experiences a bit of a slower pace during this time of year. You might even call it a bit of “GEDA-Lite.”
Friday, August 11th – Deadline. Click HERE for details.
2017 Georgia International Awards
Friday, August 11th, 2017 – Deadline. Click HERE for details. These awards will be presented on October 5th at Atlanta History Center.
Our Post Office Box 1776 is going away. We have shared this address with the Georgia Department of Economic Development for some time. They are going to stop using it, and it is too expensive for us to keep, so we will use our physical address (75 Fifth St., NW, Suite 1200, Atlanta, GA 30308) in the future. Please make a note of this for your checks and other important mailings.
Small Business ROCK STAR Awards Applications Open: August 1-October 31, 2017
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) and the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA) have once again teamed up to recognize the outstanding, unique and impacting small businesses in the state of Georgia.
This unique endeavor for Georgia is a huge success only because of the small businesses that impact Georgia every day…the risks, the innovation, the outreach, the reasons why…all of these qualities abound in Georgia and we want to recognize them at the March 19, 2018, GEDA Luncheon.
The General Assembly has adjourned over four months now, but the “business” of politics continues on. There are several study committees that are active this summer and into the fall. Be on the lookout for these traveling road shows. If you can make it to one or more of these meetings, it would be great so that you can be informed. Let your leadership know of your concerns and interests, and particularly if you learn something that could affect economic development, either in a good or particularly in a bad way. Click HERE to see a list of the meetings.
GEDA Member News
Congratulations to Chris Clark, John Cushnie, Morgan Law, Kelsey Moore and the entire staff of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce for being honored as the Chamber of the Year!
Congratulations to Matthew Patterson whowas a National Account Executive with EMJ Construction and is now Business Development Manager with O'Neal Inc.
If you are moving, changing jobs or getting a promotion, please let us know by emailing us at Info@GEDA.org, and we’ll publicize this in the GEDA newsletter.
GEDA July New Members
Williams Atkinson, Georgia Department of Economic Development Jacqueline Bellwoar, Athens-Clarke County Economic Development Department Kimberly Black, Economic Development, City of Warner Robins Sarah Carnes, Georgia Power Braden Copeland, Progressive Communications, LLC Clint Courson, Hodges, Harbin, Newberry & Tribble, Inc. Roman Dakare, Gwinnett County Government Jeff Doubrava, S&ME, Inc. Elizabeth Jones, Stephens County Development Authority Laura Pemberton, Georgia Department of Economic Development Michael Starling, City of Dunwoody Barbara Wall, Georgia Department of Education Melvin Williams, S&ME, Inc.
Project Announcements
COYOTE LOGISTICS, A UPS COMPANY, TO CREATE 325 JOBS IN ATLANTA
July 20, 2017 The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) today announced that Coyote Logistics LLC, a business unit of Atlanta-based United Parcel Service Inc., will create 325 professional jobs in a new Atlanta office.
Congratulations to the team of Ashley Varnum, Senior Project Manager, GDEcD Global Commerce Division; Randi Mason, Director of Economic Development, Invest Atlanta; Bob Kosek, Project Manager, Metro Atlanta Chamber; and Mary Beth Flournoy, Assistant Project Manager, Georgia Power; for their work on this project. Read more…
ADVANCED DIGITAL CABLE TO CREATE 65 JOBS, INVEST $15 MILLION IN BLAIRSVILLE
July 18, 2017 — Governor Nathan Deal announced that Advanced Digital Cable Inc. (ADC), a leading manufacturer of electronic and communication wire and cable, will create 65 jobs and invest $15 million in a Union County facility expansion. The new jobs will include positions in manufacturing and operations.
Way to go Mitch Griggs, Executive Director, Union County Development Authority; and Tammy Caudell, Existing Industry And Regional Recruitment Team and Senior Project Manager, Region 2, Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) Global Commerce Division; and their teams for their work on getting to this announcement! Read more…
STARBUCKS TO EXPAND AUGUSTA ROASTING PLANT - Premier coffee retailer to create 100 jobs, invest $120 million in roasting operation
July 6, 2017 — Governor Nathan Deal announced that Starbucks Corp. will create 100 new jobs and invest $120 million in expanding the company’s coffee roasting facility in Augusta.
Kudos to Walter Sprouse, Executive Director, Augusta Economic Development Authority; and Adela Kelley, Existing Industry And Regional Recruitment Team & Senior Project Manager, Region 7, Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) Global Commerce Division; Pam Griffin, Director, Corporate/Customized Contract Training, and Jan Melcher, Director, Eastern Operations, Georgia Quick Start and GDEcD’s Workforce Division. Read more…
Scott Poag, CEcD, GEDA Chair, Professional Development; & Director of Business Development, Williams & Associates has money to give away. There are at least three grant scholarships to this year’s Annual Conference. Also, Craig Heighton, Georgia Transmission Corp., has for several years offered another $600 scholarship to a worthy candidate and is doing it again this year. Thank you, Craig! To apply, follow the same procedures for the GEDA grants. Apply today! GEDA has other grant scholarships available, whether they be for UGA / IEDC educational courses, training, trade missions, etc. Contact Scott for information today.
Young Professionals Committee
Join GEDA’s Young Professionals and Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson for a quality conversation on effective leadership, strategies for success, and intentionally preparing the next generation of economic development leaders to make a tangible impact on Georgia communities.
Monday, August 14 9:15-10:30 AM. CLICK HERE to RSVP to attend by Wednesday, August 9. Centergy One Building – Suite 850, ECG Conference Room.
*Coffee and Continental Breakfast will be provided.
GEDA Young Professional Spotlight
Join GEDA in recognizing Young Professionals throughout 2017 by nominating a young emerging leader in the economic development profession for GEDA’s YP Spotlight. Nominations should provide a detailed application of significant career achievements to date and the impact of those achievements on their economic development organization and the community as a whole, and also explain how these achievements contribute to the advancement of economic development as a profession.
Nominations Open for the August, September, October and November GEDA YP Spotlight. Contact Meghan Duke, Chair, Young Professionals, & Economic Development Director, Development Authority of West Point, for additional details.
Please mark your calendars for our next meeting, which will be immediately following the August 14 GEDA luncheon.
The place:
Crowne Plaza Atlanta Midtown
590 West Peachtree Street NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
We’ll meet for about 45 minutes in the same room as the luncheon. Our topic will be the GEDA SIG itself – its structure, meeting schedule, and goals. We’ll also have some open discussion about any other topics you’d like to cover.
To recap where we are this year, our first quarterly meeting was at the Burson Center, and in lieu of a second quarter meeting, we held a panel discussion at the GEDA Spring Workshop on rural entrepreneurship. We got good marks on the evaluations for the panel.
The Georgia Chamber held an inaugural meeting of their Rural Prosperity Council in Tifton in late June. Statistics were shared on the decline of many rural communities and what we might do to change that trend. Areas of concentration included: Rural incentives, regional military opportunities, and talent/workforce. Several GEDA members were in attendance and committees were set up to work on “next steps” for each of these issues. Anyone interested in participating or learning more about the Rural Prosperity Council should contact Morgan Law at the Georgia Chamber. There will also be a summit held in Tifton Nov. 29th - 30th for those wanting to learn more about rural initiatives in Georgia.
Get involved in GEDA's Committees and SIGs to learn about projects and meet fellow members - visit your profile on GEDA.org to join. View the Committee and SIG 2016 Action Plans
Upcoming Events
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Please join us for the next Critical Issues Forum on Wednesday, August 16, 2017, as we discuss the issue of CLOSING GEORGIA’S TALENT GAP. 
Congratulations to Matthew Patterson who was a National Account Executive with EMJ Construction and is now Business Development Manager with O'Neal Inc.
