Features
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Brown Bag Lunch Concert Series Returns
May 07, 2015
The popular lunch-time concert series is back! The Main Street Office will host the Brown Bag Lunch Concert Series in Downtown Valdosta, Monday, May 11 through Friday, May 15.
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Nexxtep Awards Second Second Annual Scholarship to VSU CIS Student
May 06, 2015
Nexxtep and Valdosta State University recently partnered to recognize senior Christopher Rich as this year’s recipient of the Nexxtep Scholarship for Outstanding Student in Computer Information Systems.
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Georgia's Tourism Industry Generated Record Impact of $57.1B
May 05, 2015
The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Tourism division announced that the state’s tourism industry generated $57.1 billion in business sales including direct, indirect and induced impact in 2014, up 6.7 percent, according to the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics. The tourism industry supports employment across many industry sectors, employing an estimated 425,000 Georgians statewide.
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Winners in the Workplace Breakfast Promises to Ignite Your Morning
May 01, 2015
A free breakfast is always good, but a free breakfast with a motivational message is even better. The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber along with sponsors First State Bank and Trust, Fresh Beginnings and ELEAD1ONE are hosting the Winners in the Workplace breakfast at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 5th at the Rainwater Conference Center.
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SGMC Hosts Regional Conference for Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Nursing
April 30, 2015
South Georgia Medical Center’s Dasher Memorial Heart Center will host a regional conference for Georgia emergency medical services and emergency nursing professionals on May 20-21 at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College.
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Tickle Your Funny Bone: 20 Desk Toys for the Office
April 29, 2015
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Stacy Bush Discusses 529 College Savings Plans
April 27, 2015
Section 529 college savings plans are tax-advantaged college savings vehicles and one of the most popular ways to save for college today. Much like the way 401(k) plans changed the world of retirement savings a few decades ago, 529 college savings plans have changed the world of college savings. Valdosta's Stacy Bush of Bush Wealth Management goes through the 529 plan and its advantages.
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AGL Resources Moves the Natural Gas Industry and the Economy Forward
April 23, 2015
Hank Linginfelter, Executive Vice President, Distribution Operations, articulates with ease the activities of AGL Resources, headquartered in Atlanta since 1856. “Every year we’re running pipes to new areas of the state. We want to serve customers reliably and safely. We want to keep costs low,” he says.
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Curt Fowler on More Time in Meetings, Less Time at Work
April 22, 2015
How could you possibly spend one more minute in meetings and get more accomplished in your work? Here’s how meetings allow you to accomplish more in less time.
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Valdosta Celebrates Georgia Cities Week
April 20, 2015
The City of Valdosta will join other cities across Georgia in celebrating Georgia Cities Week, April 19-25, to recognize the many services city governments provide for the quality of life of citizens. The theme this year is “Destination Downtown”and will feature how Valdosta Main Street is a gathering spot for people throughout our region and an economic development hot spot.
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Wiregrass Foundation Kicks Off Fundraising Campaign with $50,000 Endowment Gift
April 17, 2015
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Foundation South got a jump start on its annual fundraising campaign with a very generous gift of $50,000 from a special friend of the college, Clarence Smith.
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New Chamber Director of Business Development Cachet Prescott Discusses Helping Businesses Succeed
April 16, 2015
Helping business owners find entrepreneurial success is Cachet Prescott’s passion. As the new director of Business Development for the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce, the Bridgeport, Conn., native is excited to help current, and future business owners achieve success.
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Q&A With GDEcD Director of Global Commerce Annie Baxter
April 14, 2015
In the first of a monthly series with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Director of Global Commerce for Logistics, Energy, Agribusiness & Food Annie Baxter discusses important transportation projects, innovations in logistics, and the economic development climate in Georgia.
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Are Your Employees Getting Enough Sleep? (And if Not, Why Do You Care?)
April 13, 2015
It’s no secret to any harried entrepreneur that getting too little sleep has plenty of ill effects. But did you ever stop to think about the effect lack of sleep might be having on your employees. And, by extension, how that could be affecting your business?
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Cecil Staton Named Interim President of Valdosta State University
April 09, 2015
University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby has named Dr. Cecil Staton as interim president of Valdosta State University. Staton currently serves as the vice chancellor for Extended Education for the University System of Georgia. He will assume presidential responsibilities at Valdosta State on July 1, 2015, after current President William McKinney steps down.
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2015 Georgia Chamber Red Carpet Tour Begins Today
April 08, 2015
The 2015 Georgia Chamber of Commerce Red Carpet Tour kicks off today and runs through Saturday, April 11th. Twenty-four business leaders who are planning to locate or expand from throughout the nation and the world are participating in this year’s tour, which will visit the Governor’s Mansion, the College Football Hall of Fame and the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta and the Masters golf tournament in Augusta.
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Valdosta Celebrates National Community Development Week
April 06, 2015
The City of Valdosta will participate in the 2015 observance of National Community Development Week, April 6-11, with a variety of events that highlight the city’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.
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VSU President William McKinney Announces Plans to Step Down
April 03, 2015
Valdosta State University President William McKinney has announced he will step down as president effective July 1st.
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From Customer to Franchise Owner: Barry Robinson Opens His Own Huddle House in Hahira
April 01, 2015
For more than two decades, Barry Robinson would leave his office where he was vice president of the popular Harvey's supermarket chain and walk across the street to eat at Huddle House. Earlier this month he fulfilled a lifelong entrepreneurial dream by opening his own Huddle House restaurant in his home community of Hahira, Ga.
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First State Bank and Trust, Bill Cowart Support Invest. Ignite. Inspire. The Campaign for VSU
March 30, 2015
For Bill Cowart, Valdosta State University alumnus and president of First State Bank and Trust of Valdosta, the university’s Invest. Ignite. Inspire. comprehensive capital campaign helps ensure that the university maintains its place as an important economic engine for the community.
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Building for the Future: Chamber to Launch Campaign to Spruce Up 100-Year-Old E.R. Barber House
March 27, 2015
You only get one chance to make a legendary first impression. The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber has made the E.R. Barber House its home since 1981, welcoming more than 2,800 visitors, Chamber members and citizens through its doors each year. At 100-years-old, the historic home, located at 416 North Ashley Street in Valdosta, is in need of a touch up.
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Casino Gambling Legalization Introduced; Projections Suggest $250M For HOPE
March 26, 2015
Georgia legislators have toyed around with the idea of allowing horse racing at a new small scale race track. Yesterday, a bi-partisan group of lawmakers has dropped bills that would pave the way for Georgia to aim higher and assert itself into the major leagues of casino gambling. Charlie Harper of Peach Pundit writes that supporters of HR 807 and HB 677 tout a potential payoff of 10,000 construction jobs, 10,000 permanent jobs, and – perhaps most importantly – $250 Million dollars added to HOPE’s dwindling coffers every year.
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SGMC and LifeLink Raise Organ Donor Awareness
March 25, 2015
This April, during the federally sanctioned National Donate Life Month, LifeLink of Georgia and South Georgia Medical Center honor the spirit of those individuals who make transplants possible—organ, tissue, and eye donors. We celebrate the lives of those who received their second chance - and finally, we call attention to the more than 123,000 - over 4,800 of whom are local men, women and children - who still wait across the United States.
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Tips On Effective Ways to Market to Millennials
March 23, 2015
The millennial generation has grown to be one of the largest populations in the United States, even outnumbering the baby boomer generation. And now, not only are they the largest group in America, but they are also the most financially influential group, representing more than $1.3 trillion in consumer spending power, according to the Hartman Group. Communicorp's Amanda Bass gives us some tips on marketing to this growing generation.
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Herschend Enterprises CEO Joel Manby to Lead SeaWorld Entertainment
March 20, 2015
SeaWorld Entertainment, Inc., a leading theme park and entertainment company, announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Joel Manby as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 7, 2015. At that time, Manby, 55, will also join the Company's Board of Directors. Manby has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Herschend Enterprises, Wild Adventures' Parent Company.