May 2018 Features

• Connecting Georgia’s Communities to Spur Economic Development: RuralWorks

  May 31, 2018

  The newest division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Rural Georgia Initiatives, has one primary focus in mind: to help rural Georgia communities become more competitive for economic development projects and identify new strategies for attracting jobs and investment.

• Georgia Department of Transportation Heads into 2018 Summer Construction Season

  May 30, 2018

  With Memorial Day in the rear view mirror, the unofficial start of summer has begun. For Georgia Department of Transportation, summer road construction is gearing up across Georgia. The Department announced plans for an active 2018 summer construction season, with hundreds of construction and maintenance projects along interstates and state routes across Georgia.

• Valdosta Has Mostly Positive Jobs Numbers in April

  May 29, 2018

  Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Thursday that Valdosta mostly prospered even as the state saw generally down numbers in April for several cities. In Valdosta, the April unemployment rate and initial unemployment claims fell while the number of employed residents and the number of jobs climbed. On the other hand, the labor force slightly declined for the month.

• Delta Offering More Trans-Atlantic Flying Than Ever

  May 29, 2018

  Memorial Day weekend marked the start of Delta's biggest ever summer on the trans-Atlantic. Some 11 routes – both new and old favorites – will begin over the next couple of days connecting the U.S. and nine countries in Europe.

• U.S. CEOs' Confidence Soars As Hunt For Sustained Growth Continues

  May 29, 2018

  U.S. chief executives are highly confident in the growth prospects for their companies over the next three years and will focus on M&A and collaborative efforts such as accelerator or incubator programs for startup firms to achieve sustained growth, according to a study released today by KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax, and advisory firm.

• Georgia Banks & Industry Groups Applaud Dodd-Frank Rollback

  May 24, 2018

  Georgia-based community banks, regional banks, and industry groups are applauding the significant rollback of Dodd-Frank Act regulations. As a member of the Senate Banking Committee, U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) helped craft the bipartisan rollback plan, which included three of his provisions. The rollback plan now heads to President Trump’s desk to become law.

• Georgia DOT Restricts Construction-Related Closures Statewide During Memorial Day Holiday Weekend

  May 24, 2018

  To ease Memorial Day weekend traffic congestion, the Georgia Department of Transportation is suspending construction-related lane closures from Friday, May 25th through Tuesday, May 29th on Interstate Highways, and limiting lane closures on state routes that directly serve major tourist and recreation centers.

• Southern Company Announces Sale of Certain Florida Assets to NextEra Energy

  May 22, 2018

  Southern Company today announced that it has entered into agreements to sell Gulf Power Company, Florida City Gas and the entities holding Southern Power's interests in Plant Oleander and Plant Stanton to NextEra Energy for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $6.475 billion. Net of debt, this reflects an equity value of approximately $5.075 billion.

• Zillow: Federal Tax Cut Will Inject Nearly $40B into the Housing Market

  May 21, 2018

  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted at the end of last year could result in tens of billions of dollars being reinvested into the housing market, according to the Zillow Housing Aspirations Report. This is despite the fact that legislation expressly limited a number of longstanding tax benefits for homeowners.

• Coleman Talley LLP Wins 7th Consecutive Georgia Legal Food Frenzy with 160,305 Pounds of Food

  May 17, 2018

  Attorney General Chris Carr announced this week that the state’s legal community raised a record breaking $400,325 and 18,809 pounds of food during the 7th Annual Georgia Legal Food Frenzy, an annual competition sponsored by the Georgia Food Bank Association, the Young Lawyers Division, and the Attorney General's office. The two-week event raised the equivalent of 1.61 million meals for Georgia’s food banks.

• Financial Technology Report Shows Georgia Leads as Global FinTech Hub

  May 17, 2018

  The Technology Association of Georgia, the state's leading association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of Georgia's technology industry, has unveiled its 2018 State of Georgia's FinTech Ecosystem Report.

• Business Leaders to Meet with Georgia Labor Commissioner at Wiregrass Tech May 23rd

  May 15, 2018

  Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler will host the fourth of 12 regional business summits on May 23. The event will be held at the Wiregrass Technical College, from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m.

• GDOT Commissioner: Georgia Well-Positioned for Infrastructure Plan

  May 15, 2018

  This week is National Infrastructure Week. There will be events across the nation to bring awareness to the criticality of infrastructure conditions and the need for investment. The Georgia Department of Transportation is focused on improving both the state of good repair of our infrastructure and investing in mobility enhancements to our transportation network in order to facilitate growth and improve the quality of life for all Georgians.

• ACG Atlanta Announces 40 Fastest-­Growing Companies in Georgia

  May 14, 2018

  The Atlanta Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, a global professional organization with the mission of Driving Middle-­Market Growth, announced the 2018 Georgia Fast 40, recognizing the top 40 fastest-­growing middle-­market companies in Georgia.

• 31st Annual Spring Into Art Exhibition Opening Gala a Success

  May 11, 2018

  Hundreds gathered on April 9 for the 31st annual Spring Into Art exhibition opening gala, hosted by the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts. Nearly 400 original works of art created by 212 artists were celebrated at the local and regional exhibition.

• Georgia’s 2017 Tourism Economic Impact Tops $63M, Breaks Records

  May 08, 2018

  Gov. Nathan Deal announced that the state’s tourism industry generated a record-breaking $63.1 billion in economic impact in 2017, for an increase of 3.8 percent over last year, according to the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics.

• The Home Depot Co-founder: Profits are Not the Only Measure of Success

  May 07, 2018

  American businesses are giving and doing more than ever before, like the hundreds of companies that have pledged bonuses, raises, new or expanded benefits, or price reductions since December, when Congress retooled the federal tax code for the first time in 30 years. Those responses are tremendous—they could mean a family’s first vacation or provide hope of paying down medical expenses or debt—but understand that business need not rely on unexpected windfalls before realizing the benefits of giving back.

• Metal Benderz to Create 50 Jobs in Lowndes County

  May 04, 2018

  The Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority announced that Metal Benderz, a Georgia-based company that designs, engineers, manufactures, and fabricates cold-formed steel framing systems will be relocating to Hahira Business Park.

• Region-wide Audience Celebrates PCOM South Georgia at Groundbreaking Ceremony

  May 03, 2018

  A broad cross-section of South Georgia's healthcare, education, development, political and community leadership came together in Moultrie, Georgia, on Thursday, April 26th, for a groundbreaking ceremony for PCOM South Georgia.

• Governor Signs $26 Billion State Budget

  May 03, 2018

  Gov. Nathan Deal held budget signing ceremonies in Atlanta, Acworth, Blue Ridge, Statesboro and Tifton for next year’s $26 billion state budget. HB 684, the FY 2019 budget, continues Deal’s efforts to invest in Georgia’s citizens and its economy through education and transportation initiatives.

• Local Leaders Attend Lunch and Learn on Leadership

  May 02, 2018

  Nearly 50 CEO’s, presidents, directors, vice-presidents, general and plant managers and other leaders throughout our local existing industries attended Leadership: Managing for Effective Change.

• Georgia's Credit Unions Finish 2017 with Strong Loan Growth

  May 02, 2018

  Georgia credit unions finished 2017 with strong loan growth aided by near cyclical highs in U.S. consumer confidence. Lending at Georgia credit unions grew by 1.8 percent in the fourth quarter – eclipsing the third quarter’s 1.5 percent rate but landing short of the 3.2 percent rate in the fourth quarter of 2016, according to data collected by the Credit Union National Association.

• Billy Payne’s Olympian Triumph

  May 01, 2018

  The story of Atlanta’s emergence as an international city began, as unlikely triumphs often do, with one man’s improbable dream. And yet, William Porter “Billy” Payne was not known as a dreamer. In fact, before 1987—when he resolved to bring the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games to Atlanta, in defiance of all odds—the then-middle-aged real estate lawyer wasn’t widely known at all.