July 2013 Newsletter

Featured Articles Important Dates and Update Your Profile Celebrate 50 Years at Annual Get Your Grants Here Member Spotlight New Members App of the Month Back in Time What are you doing for your career for the rest of 2013? Make sure these 2013 GEDA Events are on your calendar: August 19:  Small Business Rock Star Awards, Renaissance Midtown, Atlanta September 25-27: 50th Anniversary Annual Conference, Hyatt Regency Savannah October 21:  Annual Awards Celebration, Museum of Aviation, Warner Robins November 18:  Site Selectors Luncheon, Renaissance Midtown, Atlanta  Update Your Profile Don't be that faceless member. Make sure when you are at these fantastic GEDA events they can find you and put a face with a name.  What if someone is looking for a you because they have a project that would be perfect for your business?  Make sure your contact information is up-to-date.  What if that new member is looking for a contractor but you aren't listed as such in the directory?  Stop what you are doing and add the above events to your calendar and update your profile by clicking "view/edit profile".  It's for your own good.  We are here to help you succeed.   Celebrate 50 years at Annual Conference We have already been having so much fun celebrating GEDA's 50 year anniversary this year and now it's time for the big finale!  It will be big, it will be fantastic, and we want you there! Don't miss the opening of the 25th Anniversary Time Capsule. Here's what you need to know: WHEN:  September 25-27, 2013 WHERE:  Hyatt Regency Savannah WHO:  You, and 400+ of your closest friends WEB:  www.GEDAannual.org Registration is now open, and there are several options you can choose while registering: SPONSOR:  we still have room for gold, silver, bronze, golf tournament  hole sponsorships. Door prizes. With your support we expect to be able to give away tons of caash! Run with us Thursday morning on River Street in the GEDA Gallop. Thursday activities:  golf at The Club at Savannah Harbor, a walking tour of SCAD, or Tybee Island beach excursion. Hotel information:  The host hotel for Annual Conference is the Hyatt Regency Savannah. We have a great rate of $172/night. If you use this link and get an error saying that there are no available rooms, it may mean that only one night is not available. For instance, there are very few Tuesday night rooms available at present. Try the search for just Wednesday and Thursday night stays for best results.  Get Your Grants Here The last round of GEDA Grants is just around the corner.  During this round we have just over $5,000 in available funds to recommend for awarding:  FOUR Annual Conference grants ($600 each), TWO International Missions grants ($1,000 each), and up to $650 in Penn Worden funds which can be used toward any accredited economic development program. The deadline is August 2nd and the application is now online!!  Apply now by clicking here and then click on the grant name to access the online application. Member Spotlight We might be partial but we think our website is pretty awesome and we want to make sure you know all the cool things that are available at your fingertips.  This month we are highlighing one section that you need to know about:  Member Spotlight.  In this section we will keep you updated with jobs, babies and engagements that are submitted to us and that we find out about and confirm.  You can get to the member spotlight from the home page by scrolling down about halfway as shown below. Let us know if you have breaking news and we will add it.  We are as excited for you about your accomplishments as you are and we want to brag about it. Welcome New Members Shelby Perkins, HLB Gross Collins, P.C.  App of the Month ReceiptMatchSM stores and organizes your receipts for you. It helps make managing expenses easier. Using the app, you and your employees can snap and upload photos of your receipts on the go, and ReceiptMatchSM will begin matching them to the corresponding transactions on your online statement.  Now to decide what you will do with all this extra time.  Available for Apple and Android Devices. Back in Time How much did groceries cost in 1963? What about a car? Well here are the dollar figures on a few things from 50 years ago: Jan 7th - 1st class postage raised from 4 cents to 5 cents Bacon - $0.99 for 5 pounds Syrup - $0.27 a pint Potatoes - $0.03 per pound Oranges - $0.29/dozen Beans - $0.13/pound Sausage - $0.49/pound Average new home - $19,300 Ford Mustang 2 door hardtop $2,368 Gallon of gas - $0.30 Eggs - $0.55/dozen Milk - $0.49/gallon Federal debt - $310.3 billion Federal spending - $111.32 billion Minimum wage - $1.00/hour Average teacher’s salary - $5,174

June 2013 Newsletter

Featured Articles Register for Meet the Brokers Nominating Committee Spring Workshop Wrap ExportGA 2013 A Look Back - 1963 Time Capsule Export GA 2013 App of the Month COI - Logistics It's Almost Time to Open the Time Capsule Buried Since 1988 ... The Georgia Industrial Developers Association created and sealed a time capsule during the 25th Anniversary celebration, September 16, 1988.  On Wednesday, September 25, 2013, those contents will be revealed for the first time in over 9,000 days (or almost 800 million seconds).  This is just one of many exciting treats that you will enjoy at the 2013 Annual Conference.  More details to come soon! But for now, start thinking of what will go into the next time capsule.  That's right!  We will turn right back around after opening the 25th Anniverary time capsule and create a 50th Anniversary version, to be opened in 2038! Photos?  iPods? What objects, fun artifacts and really cool items should be included?  Be thinking about that - we'll come back to you in the coming months to see what your thoughts are.   App of the Month Today we're featuring Vine, an app that lets you create and share beautiful, short looping videos. With Vine, capturing life in motion is fun and easy.  Vine is available for free, worldwide, on the iPhone and iPod touch. Go make a scene. We think you'll love it. COI In Georgia, It's All About Logistics With the nation's fastest growing port, the world's busiest and most-efficient airport, the most rail in the Southeast and a nationally ranked interstate highway system, Georgia is all about logistics. This video showcases the numerous strengths in Georgia's logistics infrastructure and how the Center of Innovation for Logistics serves this key industry. Join us at the June luncheon for an update from Page Siplon. Meet the Brokers - June 17 Join us for the4th Annual GEDA Broker’s eventat the Renaissance Atlanta Midtown Hotel on Monday, June 17. Some of our members may not be as familiar with the brokerage community as with some others, and quite frankly, some brokers may not be as familiar with all of the communities in Georgia. GEDA Leadership felt that this was the right time to bring everyone together for yet another "Get to Know You" luncheon. So mark your calendars for June 17th andregister onlinetoday! This year’s event will be BUSINESS CASUAL. It’s hot in the summer so at least we can be comfortable at the luncheon, right? Thank you to this month's sponsor:ROOKER Nominating Committee It is time once again tonominateyour peers for a coveted spot on the GEDABoard of Directors! Immediately following the June luncheon, the GEDANominating Committee will meet to create a recommended slate of Officers and Directors for the coming year. Do you know of a deserving candidate? Someone who has what it takes to lead GEDA into ournextfifty years? Fill out thisformto let us know all about them and why you feel they are ready. The Nominating Committee will be looking to fill five openings: the incoming Secretary-Treasurer and four (4) Directors. According to GEDA policies, the Secretary-Treasurer is the chief financial officer for the corporation, is responsible for general policy oversight of accounting and financial management procedures, serves as the corporate secretary and is the officer responsible for the "Spring Workshop" program. Directors are elected by the Members of GEDA to exercise fiduciary responsibility for the affairs of the corporation, to establish policy and to provide strategic direction and general oversight for GEDA committees and programs, and for the administrative and financial management of the corporation. Sound like someone you know? Spring Workshop Wrap Near record attendance, beautiful new facility, perfect weather ... oh, and a great program too. The 2013 Spring Workshop was entitled "Achieving the Extraordinary" and it did just that. If you are dying to relive some of the magic, follow these links: Photosfrom the week SPONSORS! Speakerpresentations Survey- let us know what you think! ExportGA 2013 Georgia SBDC’s International Trade Center is now accepting applications for the upcoming ExportGA 2013 program. The program takes 15 companies through a series of five workshops in which they are guided through the various areas involving export market development. Any company, big or small, new-to-export or activelyexporting, benefits from this program. Experts from the private and public sectors provide the expertise throughout the workshops. A team of trade outreach specialists are assigned to the companies, as well as an intern from the University of Georgia’s International Business program. The objective of the program is to create new real export opportunities for the participants by the end of the process. Companies interested in the program can apply on-line atwww.exportga.com. Their information is held confidential and not distributed. They do not need to pay at time of application. Payment would not be required until August 5. For more information, please contact Rick Martin, Director of the International Trade Center, The University of Georgia SBDC, at 678-797-2530 orrmartin@georgiasbdc.org.Click herefor the brochure. 2013 Events Calendar June 17. 4th Annual Meet the Brokers' Luncheon at the Renaissance Atlanta Midown.Register today! 2013 Calendar New Members in May Stephanie S Davis, Terracon Consultants, Inc. Charlie Giffen, Putnam Development Authority Alvin Nash, Progress Partners Andrew Smith, RB Baker Construction Back in Time...to 1963 - Sports Champions Football: AFL – San Diego Chargers 51, Boston Patriots 10 NFL – Chicago Bears 14, New York Giants 10 #1 Texas defeated #2 Navy in the Cotton Bowl, 28-7 World Series: LA Dodgers swept the NY Yankees 4-0. Basketball: NBA Finals: Boston Celtics over the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2. NCAA Men: Loyola (IL) 60, Cincinnati 58 No women’s tournament Stanley Cup: Toronto Maple Leafs beat Detroit Red Wings, 4 games to 1 Golf Major Champions: Men Masters – Jack Nicklaus US Open – Julius Boros British Open – Bob Charles PGA Championship – Jack Nicklaus Women Women’s Western Open – Mickey Wright LPGA Championship – Mickey Wright US Women’s Open – Mary Mills Titleholders Championship – Marilynn Smith Tennis Grand Slam Champions: Men Australian Open – Roy Emerson Wimbledon – Chuck McKinley French Open – Roy Emerson US Open – Rafael Osuna Women Australian Open – Margaret Smith Court Wimbledon – Margaret Smith Court French Open – Lesley Turner Bowrey US Open – Maria Bueno

April 2013 Newsletter

Featured Articles Growing Agribusiness One Jar at a Time CEcD Study Group Small Business Award Sustainability Survey A Look Back - 1963 2013 eNERGy Conference IEDC Awards App of the Month Growing Agribusiness One Jar at a Time When Lauri Jo Bennett decided to start a business, she had just four recipes handed down from her great-grandmother. Now her company has 22 employees and 37 products that are sold in 3 countries and 41 states. “When I first met Donnie Smith, the director for the Center of Innovation for Agribusiness, I didn’t have a business plan,” said Lauri Jo Bennett, founder of Lauri Jo’s Southern Style Canning. “I didn’t have a clue what a business plan was.” Since she began her business, the COI has provided her with business plan preparation, international business opportunities, revenue generation strategies, food analysis for nutrition labels, food label design and marketing resources. “Doing business in Georgia is fantastic. Georgia just really has it going on. And everybody from the governor to the lieutenant governor to the ag commissioner, they are all about helping small businesses grow,” said Lauri Jo. “The Centers of Innovation—I just can’t say enough good about them.”  Sustainability Survey Researchers from Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern University, the University System of Georgia, and the Technical College System of Georgia are working with GDEcD and several regional economic development authorities to conduct a short survey focusing on the workforce skills that are important to organizations trying to increase their sustainability. By taking the survey, you will help the research team design education and training programs at Georgia’s universities and technical colleges that better suits the needs of the state’s businesses and industries. Take the survey by clicking here. 2013 eNERGy Conference May 14-15, 2013 at Middle Georgia Technical College The 2013 eNERGy Conference is the opportunity to meet face to face with your counterparts in other cities, across the state; from other colleges, universities and technical schools; with the decision makers from your local military installation to explore ways to grow your local economy. Visit the website for to view the full agenda. Registration closes April 24th. Space is limited, so register today! www.TheHGEC.org Spring Workshop Registration is Open GEDA's 2013 Spring Workshop will take place at the brand new (some would say 'extraordinary') Jekyll Island Convention Center May 15-17. We will have a huge audience, a great venue and fantastic programming. The only thing we need to add now is YOU! Help us "Achieve the Extraordinary" in May! Registration is open and rooms are still available at the Beachview Club Hotel (rates $119-199). Just let them know you are with GEDA when you call them at 800.299.2228.  CEcD Study Group and Exam Join us for GEDA's CEcD Study Group. Georgia is home to scores of successful CEcD candidates, several of whom will be on hand this weekend. They will be teaching the Bob Koepke study model, which has helped hundreds of people pass the exam, including many here in Georgia. This training course will take place Saturday (8 hours) & Sunday (4 hours), April 27-28, 2013 at the brand new Hotel Indigo in College Park. GEDA is very pleased to be able to offer this course for only $200 for GEDA members ($300 for non-members). That is an incredible savings and almost certainly saves money on travel to/from training!  Click here to register. What the fee includes: Study materials 2 months of pre-session study Breakfast & Lunch Saturday Breakfast on Sunday Expert facilitation Mock interviews One-on-one mentoring with a GEDA CEcD And more great news: GEDA will host the Certified Economic Developer exam in Atlanta December 14-15!  NOW is a great time to start your planning and studying. Are you a Small Business Rock Star? The August 19th GEDA luncheon will showcase small businesses – that is, the Rock Stars of Small Business. The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) and the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA) have teamed together to recognize the outstanding, out-of-the-box, unique and impacting small businesses in the state of Georgia. Recognizing any type of small business that employs under 50, we want to salute the risks, the innovations, the outreach, the impact, the reasons why…all of these qualities abound in Georgia and we want to make this a special day for our small businesses! Nominate a company, forward to your connections or send this to any company who you believe stands above the rest (companies may also nominate themselves). The DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION is JUNE 1, 2013 and the winners will be notified by July 1, 2013. This will give you enough time to coordinate any travel plans with your winners. We look forward to saluting Georgia’s small businesses with you! The August 2013 Luncheon Committee: Mike Pennington, President, GEDA Eric van Otteran, Entrepreneur SIG chair, GEDA Mary Ellen McClanahan, Director, Entrepreneur & Small Business, GDEcD Ryan Waldrep, Project Manager Region 9, GDEcD Adela Kelley, Project Manager Region 7, GDEcD IEDC's 2013 Excellence in Economic Development International Economic Development Council’s 2013 Excellence in Economic Development awards recognize the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials, and the year’s most influential leaders in 35 categories.  Georgia certainly has a number of projects that should be considered for entry into this awards program. This is our time to shine! Send your innovative program, promotion, or project in and get the recognition you and your organization deserve. Call for Entries will end on May 17th. Enter before April 12th to receive an early bird discount. Please visit http://www.iedconline.org to learn more and to download the entry packet.   New Members in March Rebecca Coppedge, Georgia Foreign-Trade Zone James Dennis, Douglas-Coffee County Chamber & Development Authority Lidell Greenway, Douglas-Coffee County Chamber & Development Authority Jimmy Kitchens, Douglas-Coffee County Chamber & Development Authority Michael Parkerson, Georgia Public Safety Training Center Rob Ragan, New South Construction Company Adam Smith, Douglas-Coffee County Chamber & Development Authority Erika Smith, Fulton County Economic Development Brian Stockton, City of Woodstock Oscar Street, Douglas-Coffee County Chamber & Development Authority Back in Time...to 1963 Billboard's Top 15 for 1963    1.    Sugar Shack,            Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs     2.    Surfin' U.S.A.,            The Beach Boys     3.    The End of the World,            Skeeter Davis    4.    Rhythm Of The Rain,            The Cascades     5.    He's So Fine,            The Chiffons     6.    Blue Velvet,            Bobby Vinton     7.    Hey Paula,            Paul & Paula     8.    Fingertips, Part 2,            Little Stevie Wonder     9.    Washington Square,            Village Stompers   10.   It's All Right,            The Impressions   11.   Can't Get Used to Losing You,            Andy Williams   12.   My Boyfriend's Back,            The Angels   13.   Sukiyaki,            Kyu Sakamoto   14.   She's a Fool,            Lesley Gore   15.   So Much In Love,            The Tymes  App of the Month Our Facebook friend Kwame suggested this month's App of the Month:  Evernote.  "Evernote is an easy-to-use, free app that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use. Stay organized, save your ideas and improve productivity. It lets you take notes, capture photos, create to-do lists, record voice reminders--and makes these notes completely searchable, whether you are at home, at work, or on the go."

March 2013 Newsletter

Featured Articles Register for the March Luncheon! Scholarships have been awarded!! Sustainability Survey   IEDC Salary Survey EDRP Announcement GEDA Scholarships at Work! 2013 IEDC Salary Survey   In 2012, GEDA partnered with the International Economic Development Council to collect data for their bi-annual salary survey. The results have been finalized and GEDA has obtained the Georgia-specific results from this survey. We have arranged to be able to provide these results to our members. You can find the pdf document in the Library of Documents. ANOTHER great benefit of GEDA membership!   EDRP Announcement As we mentioned a few months ago, there is new funding from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) for the EDRP program. The program is designed to fund community-based research that will enhance economic development in the state and local communities. The first recipients of these grants are: Liberty County Development Authority – Analysis of the ex-military and military-dependent labor force in Liberty County (and surrounding area). This will be used to assist potential employers and industries in their evaluation of opportunities for utilizing people who have served in the armed forces or are dependent on the military presence in the region. Grady County Joint Development Authority - Economic Impact Analysis of the Motocross Training Facilities in Cairo, GA. This research will help provide an in depth evaluation of the elite-level training facilities that are attracting international athletes to Cairo, and provide a new platform to market industrial expansion to the motocross equipment manufacturing industry. March 18th Luncheon Join us as we celebrate 50 years of GEDA at this special edition luncheon! Joining us as our guest speaker will be Dan Reeves, famed NFL Coach.Georgia born and raised, Mr. Reeves was the only coach to lead the Falcons to the Super Bowl. You won't want to miss it! We look forward to see you at the Georgia Aquarium on March 18th. Sponsor this Monthly Meeting Our March Luncheon has only 3 spots left for sponsorship! Check out ourSponsorship Brochureto learn more or emailBrian Dillto secure your spot. Scholarships Awarded for Round 1! We are so honored to be able to award our outstanding and deserving members with multiple scholarships each year. The 2013 season of giving has begun and we are delighted to announce the winners of the first round. And the winners are (based on one or more of the following criteria: participation in GEDA, economic development service in Georgia, and financial need): 1. Georgia Tech BEDC: Andy Camp, City of LaGrange Kyle Fletcher, Thomaston-Upson County Industrial Development Authority 2. CEcD Exam: Roger Harrison, Newton County Office of Economic Development Peter Tokar, City of Alpharetta Andrea Griner, Houston County Development Authority 3. Community Development Institute: Darren Harper, City of Kingsland 4. GEDA Annual Conference: Christy Hammons, Pike Co. Chamber of Commerce & Development Authority Wally Orrel, McIntosh Co. Industrial Development Authority 5. IEDC Courses: Laura Hale, Development Authority of Butts Co. 6. Penn Worden: Meghan Duke, Valdosta-Lowndes Co. Industrial Authority CONGRATULATIONS to all the winners! The next round of applications will be due by March 29. For more information,click here. GEDASends Cal Wray to Europe 2012 European Prospect Trip Summary by Cal Wray In October 2012, I was able to participate in a 17 day marketing/recruitment trip to Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, and Denmark. By use of the GEDA scholarship I was able to supplement our travel budget to make this trip more economically feasible. As you will see below the trip was successful and met all of its goals. The main portion of the trip was visiting the Volkswagen supplier show in Wolfsburg, Germany. This 3 day event brings major suppliers to the Volkswagen main campus and allows for a high concentration of potential targets for the State of Georgia and Laurens County. With the help of Antje Abshoff and Franz Pastorius, we were able to meet with potential prospects, current active projects, and call upon many future targets in a very quick time. This trip resulted in meetings with 10+ companies directly and contact with an additional 20+ prospects. This is a high amount of potential targets that are seen for a very economical price compared to single visits in our own counties. Further, the German trip allowed me to meet companies at their own facilities in Leipzig, Leisnig, Herzberg, and Austria. This was very important as several had visited Laurens County and were active prospects. These 5 companies represent over $50 million in investment and 350+ jobs for our community. These were an added bonus to the trip. Lessons Learned: Translated materials into German would be a nice touch for added ease for potential executives to have in front of them. While all speak excellent or very proficient English it gives them an added sense of comfort to have something to refer to in their own language. Travel to additional companies in different locations is much easier than anticipated by train, car, and air. Future trips will allow for added visits to other companies. Overall this trip was excellent and the assistance by GEDA is much appreciated. 2013 Events Calendar March 18. 50th Anniversary Celebration Luncheon. Georgia Aquarium. Register today! April 15. Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center. Registration will open soon. 2013 Calendar New Members in February Hannah Bowles,Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development Darron Cooper Lavette Dow-Jones Barbara Grogan,Americus Sumter Payroll Development Authority Shehzin Jafar,Georgia Department of Economic Development Mabel Jenkins,Millen/Jenkins County Chamber of Commerce Kristina Jones,Schiff Hardin LLP Clay Loyd,T.E.L.C.O. Inc Joint Sustainabilty Survey A team of sustainability experts from Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern University, the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia will soon be conducting a “sustainability” skills survey.Click herefor the full article. App of the Month Google it! Raise your hand if you use the term Google as a verb. We do too! And we have the app for it.Here are some of our favorite features: Speak your search into yourApple device Search and navigate fast, directly from the same box Choose from results that appear as you type "Swipe" between an unlimited number of tabs the way you would fan a deck of cards Long press on the back button to quickly access any page in your tab history Sign in to Chrome to sync your open tabs, bookmarks, passwords, and omnibox data from your computer to your Apple Device. Pick up right where you left off. Send pages from Chrome on your computer to your Apple device with one click and read them on the go, even if you’re offline. Open a tab in Incognito* to browse without saving your history

February 2013 Newsletter

Featured Articles Advanced Manufacturing: Research and Grants Fuel Innovation Legislative Updates GEDA On YouTube February Luncheon New Members Back in Time Advanced Manufacturing: Research and Grants Fuel Innovation The unplanned breakdown of equipment has devastating consequences if not properly detected. To combat this issue, Georgia-based Polymer Aging Concepts developed a polymer-based sensor, Age Alert, that makes it possible to monitor equipment before it breaks down and is no longer able to perform its function. This revolutionary sensor has virtually limitless applications including the monitoring of motors, generators, transformers, electric and hybrid vehicles, solid rocket propellants, foods and pharmaceuticals Early in the commercialization process, they discovered the need to manufacture these sensors at a higher rate in order to meet potential market demand. Under a supporting grant from the Center of Innovation for Manufacturing they were connected to Georgia Institute of Technology researchers who built a new automated curing and data acquisition system. This system enabled Polymer Aging Concepts to increase their production capacity exponentially and included flexibility for future research and development. “Commercialization would have been difficult, if not almost impossible, without the help of the Centers of Innovation and the Manufacturing Institute at Georgia Tech”, said Ken Watkins, CEO Polymer Aging Concepts, “I strongly urge any new business, especially high-technology innovative companies to locate in Georgia. It’s a very, very pro-business…pro-technology environment.”  >>Watch the Video<<   Legislative Updates It's that time of year again!  Jim Finch is reporting to us the latest from the Capitol and we are giving that to you as part of your member benefits.  Be on the lookout for updates weekly and if you miss them, you can always check the Library of Documents for past issues. You can see a recap of GEDA's Legislative Day including photos here. The GEDA Channel on YouTube! Our Marketing Committee is working diligently to make sure GEDA is marketed properly and what better way than on the website that boasts more than 4 billion views per day.  GEDA now has it's own channel - http://www.youtube.com/georgiaecdev - so go, click, and subscribe!  We will post various videos from committees and events so check back and check often. February 18th Luncheon If you attended Legislative Day, you know this year is off to a great start and the GEDA events are not-to-be-missed.  Join us at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center on February 18 to learn how your community can get into the business of helping entrepreneurial growth.  This month our speaker will be from Jumpstart, an organization in Northeast Ohio that is considered a leader in working with entrepreneurs to help them grow into fully-functioning successful businesses. One of the major resources they can provide is expertise on how to access funding that any new business needs to get up and running. Jumpstart also works with regional leaders across the country, helping them develop the ecosystem to encourage and promote growth. Jumpstart is currently working with communities in Georgia to foster that atmosphere. Sponsor this Monthly Meeting  Our February Luncheon is currently available for sponsorship! GEDA has one sponsorship available for each of our monthly meetings. These usually sell out very early each year so you have to act fast! Check out our Sponsorship Brochure to learn more or email Brian Dill to secure your spot. 2013 Events Calendar February 18. Luncheon at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center.  March 18.  50th Anniversary Celebration Luncheon.  Registration will open soon. 2013 Calendar New Members in January April Bragg, Milledgeville-Baldwin County Chamber Anthony Campbell, Georgia Power Company Dan Cash, BRPH Architects-Engineers, Inc. Eddie Fite, Georgia Quick Start Jeff George, Gilbane Building Company Johnny Grant, Georgia College Tim McDonald, Lanier Technical College Bob Newsome, Faithful+Gould Emily Poole, Fayette County Development Authority Jonathan Sangster, Georgia Power John VanBrunt, IV, Department of Community Affairs Bob Watson, Watson Properties Matthew Williams, City of LaFayette Kathy Yates, Georgia Power Company  Let's Go Back in Time As we are celebrating 50 years of GEDA, we will look back at some of the top box office hits from 1963.  How many of these movies have you seen?   Cleopatra It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World How the West Was Won The Birds From Russia With Love Tom Jones The Sword in the Stone The Great Escape Bye Bye Birdie 55 Days at Peking Love with the Proper Stranger Lord of the Flies The Pink Panther The Nutty Professor Jason and the Argonauts

January 2013 Newsletter

Featured Articles Legislative Day 2013 Join a Committee We Want to SHOW YOU THE MONEY Georgia Trend App of the Month A Look Back - 1963 GEDA and Georgia Trend You may have noticed a little something extra wrapped in your copy of Georgia Trend magazine this month. GEDA has spent the last year collecting stories, facts, photographs, articles, and more to create a publication celebrating economic development in Georgia, the role YOU have played in Georgia’s growth and the vital role our professionals play in the lives of our citizens. We set out to accomplish many goals with this publication: Show the tremendous economic rise our state has taken in the last half century, Highlight the role our members have played in that growth, Demonstrate the vital importance of having professional, highly-trained economic developers at the state and local level, Celebrate the great partnerships that GEDA has been able to enjoy, Look ahead to what the future holds for the state and for the association. We hope that you will be able to use this piece as a resource for years to come. A wise man once said, “You know you’re an economic developer if you’re 43 years old and your mother still doesn’t understand what you do for a living.” This book will go a long way toward describing the great work you do and how very important it is. Thank you to Deb Murphy for coordinating and managing the project, Susan Contreras for writing the entire piece, Heidi Rizzi (and the entire Georgia Trend team) for the layout and printing work and of course Dr. Annie Hunt Burriss and Jim Lenahan – co-chairs of our 50th Anniversary Committee. This is their vision, and we are all better off for it.

2013 Legislative Day Happy New Year! GEDA hopes that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is back ready to kick off a GREAT 2013! We are ready to start things off with a bang at the GEDA Legislative Luncheon on Wednesday, January 30th. We had tremendous support from everyone last year and great attendance from the legislators. This is an unbeatable opportunity to rub elbows and break bread with the decision-makers at the Capitol. Impress your Board and staff with a great trip to Atlanta and chance to discuss those issues that matter to YOU and your community in an intimate setting. Early bird deadline for registrations is next Friday, January 18. Send us your reservations today and make sure to include your Board and other key local leaders. All of your guests can come at the member rate! Also, GEDA has invited all legislators to attend the luncheon, but it means SO MUCH MORE if you, the constituent, call your Senators and Representatives urging them to join you for lunch. Please take this opportunity to invite them to lunch - at GEDA's expense! That's right - Legislators do not have to pay thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Douglas-Coffee Co Chamber & Development Authority! Join a Committee If your new year's resolutions include personal or professional improvement, look no further!  There is no better way to make friends, meet clients, and learn more about economic development than to get involved with the Committee and Special Interest Groups (SIG) of GEDA.  We have 10 committees and 7 SIGs to choose from so there's sure to be something for you.  Click here to learn more and to sign up. Committees: Business Recruitment - Chair: Amanda Shailendra, GDEcD Business Retention & Expansion Development Authority Executives - Chair: Eric McDonald, Polk Co. Development Authority Marketing & Communications - Chair: Kevin Johnson, Georgia Power & John Riddle, Wayne Co. Chamber & Economic Development Authority Membership Services - Chair: Roger Harrison, Covington-Newton Co. Chamber Professional Development - Chair: Joy Wilkins, UGA Public Policy - Chair: Elmer Stancil, GDEcD Special Service Awards - Chair: Morgan Law, Robins Regional Chamber of Commerce Sponsorship - Chair: Brian Dill, Carroll Tomorrow Young Professionals - Chair: Annie Baxter, GDEcD SIGs: Education & Workforce Development Entrepreneur Development - Chair: Eric Van Otteren, City of Snellville Infrastructure - Chair: Page Siplon, GDEcD Center of Innovation for Logistics Natural Resources & Environment - Chair: Bill Bryant, Georgia Power Non-Traditional Economic Development - Chair: Alison Starnes, City of Dunwoody Research - Chair:  Jennifer Zeller, Georgia Power Rural Development - Chair: Dorie Bacon, Screven Co. Development Authority GEDA Shows You the Money! Each year, GEDA awards thousands of dollars in scholarships to support the professional development of our members. These scholarships cover a significant portion of the expenses associated with many of the programs you value. In 2012, more than $15,000 were awarded through three rounds of applications and we are doing it again in 2013.  Round 1 applications are due February 1st.  Programs which may be eligible for scholarship support include: Community Development Institute Georgia Tech Basic Economic Development Course (Atlanta) – March 12-15th Upcoming IEDC exam dates: April 13-14 (Alexandria, VA) June 8-9 (Ann Arbor, MI) October 5-6 (Philadelphia, PA) Stay tuned.  We may soon announce dates for ATLANTA in December 2013! NOTE: In 2013, GEDA will award a total of ONE scholarship for the Community Development Institute (CDI), THREE scholarships for the Georgia Tech Basic Economic Development Course, and TWO scholarships for IEDC courses. If the total number of available scholarships for the CDI and IEDC are not awarded in Round 1, they will be offered in later rounds. In these tight fiscal times, let GEDA help you continue your professional development journey. Apply for a scholarship today! To download an application, please go to the Professional Development Committee documents page.  For further information on GEDA’s scholarship program, please contact Joy Wilkins, 2013 Professional Development Committee chair, at 404-895-6115 or jwilkins@georgiasbdc.org.

2013 Events Calendar January 30.  Legislative Luncheon.  James H. Sloppy Floyd Building. Invite your legislators today! February 18. Luncheon at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center.  Registration will open soon. 2013 Calendar New Members in December Doug Duncan, MAU Lonnie Smallwood, Electric Cities of Georgia Mohu Sultana, M2SYS Technology Trip Tollison, Savannah Economic Development Authority App of the Month UX Write This month’s app is the most expensive one we have ever featured, but it also may be one of the most useful.  One of the main knocks against the iPad has been lack of real office software tools, like word processors, etc.  This $14.99 app has the most functionality of other apps we have seen.  Watch the video demo to see some of the neat tricks and decide for yourself whether or not this is worth downloading. Click here to recommend an app.    Let's Go Back in Time As we are celebrating 50 years of GEDA, we will look back at some of the big stories from 1963.  Where were you when … ? Major Headlines From 1963: March 21st - Alcatraz federal penitentiary in SF Bay closed May 1st - 1st American (James Whittaker) conquers Mount Everest June 10th - JFK signs law for equal pay for equal work for men & women June 3 – Pope John XXIII dies.  Succeeded by Pope Paul VI July 8th - US bans all monetary transactions with Cuba August 8th - Great Train Robbery in England, $7.3 million August 28th - Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech" August 30th - Hotline between U.S. and Soviet leaders goes into operation. September 7th - 1st US TV appearance of Beatles  October 20th - South Africa begins trial of Nelson Mandela November 22nd - President John F. Kennedy assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald November 22nd - Lyndon B. Johnson sworn in as the 36th US president November 24th - 1st live murder on TV - Jack Ruby shoots Lee Harvey Oswald November 25th - JFK laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery December 30th - "Let's Make A Deal," debuts on NBC-TV

December 2012 Newsletter

Featured Articles ...Three ... Two ... One ... 2012 Scholarship Recipients Profile Update Time! Two New Award Winners Save the Date! App of the Month CEcD Interest?   Congrats to Our Award Winners! First Annual Committee Chair/Member of the Year At the November luncheon, GEDA presented the First Annual Committee Member of the Year and Chair of the Year Awards.  We present these as a way to say thank you to the numerous volunteers who spend so much time making GEDA the great association that it is.   Because of his great work with the Business Recruitment Committee, specifically with doing such great work making our Brokers' Event a huge success, Elbert Rivers with Rooker was awarded the Committee Member of the Year Award. Joy Wilkins, chair of the Professional Development Committee, was honored as our Committee Chair of the Year for her tireless efforts in promoting GEDA's professional development scholarships, as well as leading the effort to create the new CEcD Exam Prep Class. Congratulations to both Elbert and Joy!  Mark Your Calendars!   For 2015 and 2016 ... GEDA is very happy to announce the dates and locations of the 2015-2016 GEDA Spring Workshops!  Based on feedback from you, we solicited bids from properties all over the state and selected two that you said were your favorites.  Here are the dates and location of the next four Spring Workshops: May 15-17, 2013 - Jekyll Island May 14-16, 2014 - Brasstown Valley May 20-22, 2015 - Callaway Gardens May 18-20, 2016 - Sea Palms @ St. Simons

...Three ... Two ... One ...   Congratulations! One More Look at Our 2012 Scholarship Recipients GEDA has awarded over $100,000 in scholarships to our members in the last 15 years.  2012 was no different with the following 15 individuals receiving professional development assistance: Georgia Tech Basic Course: Dawn Malin (Okefenokee Chamber of Commerce), Charles Lee (Development Authority of Washington County) and Laura Hale (Development Authority of Butts County) Economic Development Institute: Roger Harrison (Covington-Newton County Chamber of Commerce) GEDA Spring Workshop: Dorie Bacon (Screven County Development Authority), Paige Gilchrist (Mitchell County Development Authority) and Samantha Ovsak (Cobb Chamber of Commerce) IEDC: Wally Orrel (McIntosh County Industrial Development Authority) and Terry Schwindler (Macon Economic Development Commission) GEDA Annual Conference: Paula Herrington (Jenkins County Development Authority), Heath Tippens (Cherokee Office of Economic Development), Linda Moore (Barrow Economic Development Council) and Andrew Carnes (Dalton-Whitfield County Joint Development Authority) International Missions: Cal Wray (Dublin-Laurens County Development Authority) Penn Worden Grant: Meghan Duke (Valdosta-Lowndes Industrial Authority)  We will again award as much as $15,000 in scholarships in 2013.  Our application deadlines will be February 1, March 30 and August 2.  Look for more information and applications very soon!     It's Profile Update Time! New Stuff Added End of the year means it's a GREAT time to update your GEDA membership profile!  Have you changed jobs?  Changed email address or cell phone?  Have you lost 15 pounds and want a new profile picture?  Married and need to add a spouse name?  All of that fun stuff is still right where it's always been.  But wait, there's more! We have added a few new fields for you in an attempt to create a more interactive membership experience for you.  If you are involved with Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter, we have a place for you to add a link to your page/profile/handle/moniker.  Just copy the link from your page and paste it into the fields provided.  Click save and your done! But wait, there's STILL more!  GEDA has recently adopted a new media/PR strategy and we will be much more proactive about communicating the value of what you do every day.  To that end, we have a "local media contact" section on the profile now too.  This is just a place to let us know who to contact when you win an award, a giant project or something else that is newsworthy. And there may even be a prize drawing for those people who completely fill out their profiles.  Just maybe.

2013 Events Calendar December.  NO MEETING.  Happy Holidays! January 30.  Legislative Luncheon.  Invite your legislators today! 2013 Calendar is available now too! New Members in November! Brittany Romig, Jackson EMC Roy Beeson, MBP Construction App of the Month The new year is almost upon us.  And what January is complete without New Years resolutions?  And what February is complete without regret about not following through on one or more of those resolutions?  LIFT is a new app that helps track your progress toward any goal you set: read more, drink more water, floss, exercise, etc.  You set the goal and then the app helps you record progress along the way!  Free, for iPhone and iPad.  Learn more or download today! Have an app to recommend to us?   Fill out this simple form.    Interest in Becoming a CEcD? As you know, Georgia is the second most successful state in the country for professionals gaining their Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) status.  Georgia is noted by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) as a leader in offering professional development assistance to the membership.  In addition to all of our scholarship offerings, the Professional Development Committee also brought a CEcD Training Course to Atlanta in April of this year.  In our first year, we had 15 participants from around the country come in for a day and a half of training on the exam.  Feedback was extremely positive.  Without yet even deciding if we will repeat the class in 2013, we have received several unsolicited inquiries about the class from outside Georgia.  If demand is there, we will definitely offer it again.  So, are you interested in the CEcD status?  Are you close to being able to sit for the exam and need a study guide?  Let us know!  We have several things you might be interested in: CEcD Study Group One-on-one mentoring from a GEDA member who has been through the exam process The exam itself.  Yes - GEDA is very close to announcing that we will host the exam here in Atlanta in late 2013.  Dates, details, location etc are all still to be determined. If you're interested at all, let us know!