June 2015 Features

  • Cliff Oxford: How Entrepreneurs Can Trump Donald Trump

    June 30, 2015

    Cliff Oxford discusses former President of Atlanta Chamber of Commerce Sam William's book "The CEO as Urban Statesman," and shares some real-world examples on how entrepreneurs can make a difference in cities after exiting their companies.

  • VFD Urges Citizens to Play it Safe this Fourth of July Holiday

    June 29, 2015

    Effective July 1, the sale of consumer fireworks will be legal in Georgia, and with bigger explosives comes bigger risks. The City of Valdosta urges citizens to be aware of these risks and employ the proper safety measures to prevent harm to themselves and those around them.

  • City of Valdosta Delivers a Balanced Budget

    June 26, 2015

    After making some tough decisions that resulted in the reduction of over $6 million of department requests, the City of Valdosta Fiscal Year 2016 Budget, balanced and with no property tax increase, was approved by the Mayor and City Council at their June 25 City Council meeting.

  • VSU Welcomes 676 High School Students for Governor’s Honors Program

    June 25, 2015

    Sponsored by the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, the 2015 Governor’s Honors Program kicked off Sunday, with 676 rising juniors and seniors from public and private high schools across the state moving onto the Valdosta State University campus. The summer residential enrichment program will run through July 18.

  • Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Expanding Opportunities for Dual Enrollment

    June 23, 2015

    Wiregrass Georgia Technical College has been a leader in South Central Georgia for dual enrollment programs for many years. Students attending public or private high schools and approved home school programs in Wiregrass Georgia Technical College’s 11-county service region are given an opportunity to take technical and college level courses while working toward earning a high school diploma

  • Georgia Credit Unions Affiliates Host Business Leaders from Dominican Republic

    June 22, 2015

    Georgia Credit Union Affiliates will host a group of business leaders from the Dominican Foundation for Social and Cooperative Development (FUNDESCOOP) in Atlanta June 22-24. The visitors represent financial and non-financial cooperatives in the Dominican Republic. Established in 2007, FUNDESCOOP is a non-profit group devoted to finding solutions to social and business needs in the Dominican Republic.

  • Guardian Bank Strengthens Community Businesses Through Rapid Growth Management Seminar

    June 18, 2015

    Guardian Bank was established to serve the citizens and businesses of Valdosta and Lowndes County. In partnership with the UGA Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Valdosta State University, Guardian Bank will sponsor a Grow Manage Fund seminar on June 24th.

  • 5 Tips to Get Higher Email Open Rates on Mobile

    June 18, 2015

  • Ambling University Development Group Rebrands as RISE: A Real Estate Company

    June 16, 2015

    RISE: A Real Estate Company, formerly Ambling University Development Group, today unveiled the company’s new name and branding.

  • Smart Solutions: Redesigning the Open Door in the Age of Entrepreneurship

    June 12, 2015

    Texting and social media have made the open door policy an old door that needs to be closed. It is obsolete. You don’t need people in your office all day long. Nowadays, you can keep the pulse on your organization with just your iPhone. The open door policy, as we knew it, no longer makes sense.

  • South Georgia Pecan Company Expansion Set for Processing Facility

    June 09, 2015

    The Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority announced that in the effort to meet the capacity and growth needs, South Georgia Pecan Company, the Valdosta-based family-owned leading sheller and processor of shelled pecans in the United States, will expand its operations in Valdosta with the construction of a new 74,000-square-foot expansion.

  • Ed Farley on What is CRM?…You Really Should Know

    June 08, 2015

    There are a myriad of CRM software companies out there; SalesForce, Infusionsoft, Snapforce, SageCRM and Bullhorn are some of the most popular. Some are web based and other are “in-house” managed. The CRM solutions all vary in complexity, some are even designed for specific industry types.

  • AT&T Supports Student Scholarships at VSU

    June 05, 2015

    Committed to advancing education, strengthening communities, and improving lives, AT&T recently presented a $3,500 gift to Valdosta State University. The funds will be used to support scholarships for high-achieving, ambitious, motivated students who are successful inside and outside the classroom and engaged leaders on and off campus.

  • Cliff Oxford: How Joe's BBQ Got Ranked the Best BBQ in the Country

    June 03, 2015

    TripAdvisor.com, based in Newton, MA announced last Wednesday that Joe’s BBQ in Blue Ridge, GA was the best BBQ restaurant in the country. That’s big news here in the South, but it went national fast. Major media like CNN, Huffington Post and Fox News poured fuel on the story by repeating it over and over.

  • 5 Effective Positioning Techniques for the Non-Salesy Entrepreneur

    June 02, 2015

    It just happened again. Someone asked you about your business and once again, you didn’t have a compelling answer for them. We’ve all been there.

  • Curt Fowler on What is Good Strategy?

    June 01, 2015

    This series of posts is a primer on business strategy inspired by Richard Rumelt's book titled "Good Strategy / Bad Strategy" combined with my personal experiences. This series will give you a solid knowledge base so you can set a good strategy for your organization and avoid the bad strategies that plague far too many organizations today.