Features

• CJB Industries Receives National Performance Improvement Honor

  December 17, 2014

  CJB Industries is pleased to announce it has been recognized for exemplary efforts in improving its environmental, health, safety and security by the Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates'.

• SGMC Named Best Hospital for Patient Experience

  December 16, 2014

  South Georgia Medical Center earned recognition from the Women's Choice Award as one of America's Best Hospitals for Outstanding Patient Experience. The award identifies the best hospitals based on data from patient satisfaction surveys that is weighted by what a group of 200,000 women surveyed by Women's Choice Award say they want from a hospital.

• Tis the Season for Strategic Giving

  December 15, 2014

  With the holidays just around the corner many are focused on giving back, especially in Atlanta, the fourth most charitable large metro in the United States. Forty-three percent of wealthy donors said that they make more charitable contributions during the holiday season compared to the rest of the year, according to the recent Bank of America Study on High Net Worth Philanthropy.

• 7 Ways to Make “Write a Business Plan Month” Work for You

  December 12, 2014

  December is National Write a Business Plan Month! Every business owner needs a plan — whether you’re in startup mode, seeking financing or preparing for another year at the helm of a growing business.

• HeritageBank to Merge with Mississippi-Based Renasant Corporation

  December 11, 2014

  Renasant Corporation and Heritage Financial Group, Inc. jointly announced today the signing of a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which Renasant Corporation will acquire, in an all-stock merger, Heritage Financial Group, Inc., a bank holding company headquartered in Albany, Georgia, and the parent of HeritageBank of the South, aGeorgia savings bank.

• Valdosta Named “Smart Energy Municipality of the Year”

  December 09, 2014

  The City of Valdosta was named “Smart Energy Municipality of the Year” by the Technology Association of Georgia on Dec. 4, at an awards banquet held at the Georgia Tech Wardlaw Building in Atlanta, Ga. The event recognized successful individuals, businesses and municipalities who have shown dynamic leadership over the past year in Georgia’s large and growing Smart Energy sector.

• Regions Bank Georgia President: Going Beyond the Brick and Mortar Branch

  December 08, 2014

  Now that the U.S. has traversed the recession and planted its feet on the banks of a new economic era, the banking industry is strengthening. Leaders within the banking industry are mobilizing to reinvigorate commercial enterprises that make the economy hum. Bill Linginfelter, Area President of Regions Bank for Georgia and South Carolina, says, “We try to take a lot of the financial management tasks off their plates so they can spend more time developing their business or making more products or innovating.”

• Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber Announces 2015 Board

  December 05, 2014

  “Board of Directors” typically brings to mind a room full of business men and women in suits speaking in monotone about the affairs of their organization, but the Chamber Board of Directors doesn’t fit any such stereotype. The 2015 group is made up of active professionals who take pride in serving on a working Board as well as a governing Board.

• Mediacom Business Launches Real Customer Story Series

  December 03, 2014

  We recently chatted with Kristi Salmon, Mediacom Business’ Marketing Director, to find out what the telecommunications service provider is planning for 2015, especially concerning the hot topic of Google Fiber.

• Make Time for Time Basics at a Book-Signing Reception this Saturday

  December 02, 2014

  In his new book Time Basics, Dr. Jim Muncy, Professor of Marketing in the Harley Langdale College of Business at Valdosta State University, offers 24 principles to help people get the most out of each 24-hour day. Muncy has taught a time management class based on these principles for several years to business students. Many of them encouraged him to write this book.

• BCBS Georgia President Morgan Kendrick: Blue Cross Blue Shield Starts New Healthcare Discussion

  December 01, 2014

  As the Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to unfold, insurance providers and businesses, particularly small to medium sized businesses, continue to adjust. Making decisions that best serve both the bottom line and employees requires knowledge and flexibility. Morgan Kendrick, President, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGa), acknowledges that the ACA is a response to health care costs that had risen to an untenable level.

• Facebook at Work Could Rival LinkedIn, Google Drive

  November 20, 2014

  Unless you’re updating the company page, using Facebook at work is frowned upon generally. But a new report suggests that Facebook is planning to invade the workplace with the intent of getting actual work done, not frittering away your day. The purported Facebook at Work would seek to challenge competition in the social media and cloud collaboration markets.

• Curt Fowler on Four Steps to Customer Service

  November 17, 2014

  We've discussed what Customer Excellence is and is why it is worth the effort. Today Curt Fowler shows us how to build customer excellence into your organization.

• 15 Startup Mistakes You Should Avoid

  November 14, 2014

  Think back to when you started your most recent company. What were the biggest mistakes you made at the time? Or, if you’re in the process of starting a business today, what mistake are you most concerned about making? Expert Market has come up with this infographic listing 15 startup mistakes small business owners and entrepreneurs need to consider.

• Gulfstream Shines in Georgia, A Conversation with Their CEO 
Larry Flynn

  November 12, 2014

  Recently, Georgia CEO tried to catch Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation CEO, Larry Flynn, on the fly while he was busily preparing for the National Business Aviation Association Convention and Exhibit in Orlando, Florida. Mr. Flynn provides the very latest updates about the show and many other current initiatives at Gulfstream for our readers in the following interview.

• Proven Management and Leadership Training Program Comes to South Georgia

  November 10, 2014

  Denise Pope is bringing the Bullet Proof Manager training program from Crestcom to South Georgia. The program offers business management and leadership training over the course of a year in monthly sessions on communications, critical thinking, negotiations and customer service, among other topics.

• H Two Marketing Wins International Award at the World Waterpark Convention

  November 07, 2014

  H Two Marketing, a Valdosta based marketing firm, won a coveted Wave Review Award at the World Waterpark Association 34rd Annual Symposium and Trade Show in Las Vegas, NV, held October 27 – 31, 2014.

• Zaxby’s CEO McLeroy Drums Up Decades of Growth

  November 06, 2014

  As a youngster, Zaxby’s CEO, Zach McLeroy, dreamed of playing the drums as a rock star, or playing basketball as an all-star, but never could he have imagined becoming a superstar in the chicken business. In the relatively short span of a little over two decades, McLeroy and his grade school buddy and co-founder, Tony Townley, have taken their original Zaxby’s location in Statesboro, Georgia and replicated it more than 640 times—far exceeding their original long-term objective of 10 stores.

• Curt Fowler: Get Out of the Building to Succeed

  November 04, 2014

  Iridium was founded in 1991 to deliver a mobile phone system that would work anywhere on Earth. It spent seven years and $5.2 billion to put its service in place. In 1998, the first call on its network was made and nine months later the company was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. What could Iridium have done differently?

• Wynfield Plantation Gives Guests a Little Something Extra

  October 30, 2014

  The South Georgia plantation belt running from Albany to Thomasville is home to the long traditions of hospitality and hunting. At Wynfield Plantation in Albany quail hunting and gracious hospitality merge into the picture-perfect setting for formal corporate events and informal business strategizing. Leaders in Georgia’s and the nation’s agricultural, banking, oil and gas, medical, chemical, trucking and private equity industries, as well as others, reward their best salespeople and top clients with excellent accommodations and guided hunting experiences.

• VSU Names 2014 Graduates of the Last Decade

  October 29, 2014

  The Valdosta State University Alumni Association presented Micha Hogan, Jamie Hill, and Lindsey Lloyd with the Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD), an honor bestowed upon graduates who excel within 10 years of graduation, during this year’s Homecoming festivities.

• Hannah Solar Ensures Georgia’s Place in the Sun

  October 27, 2014

  Georgia is one of the fastest growing solar markets in the country and Hannah Solar, winner of the 2014 Champion of Change Award, is accommodating commercial-industrial and agricultural demand for solar energy. We talk to CEO of Georgia-Based Hannah Solar Pete Marte about the growth of the industry in the state.

• VSU SBDC Presents Digital Marketing Boot Camp in Valdosta

  October 23, 2014

  The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is launching Digital Marketing Boot Camp in Valdosta November 5th, followed by more Digital Boot Camps scheduled throughout the state, providing the latest marketing strategies for business. Digital Marketing Boot Camp is designed specifically for business owners and organizations who want to strategically develop marketing technologies to build loyal customers and increase profits.

• Stacy Bush on the Importance of Professional Advice

  October 22, 2014

  In an endeavor as critical as managing your investments, it is prudent to handle some situations with the help of a competent professional advisor. Many individual investors simply do not have the time, patience, or persistence to deal effectively with their investments over the long term. Many investors have the motivation to put in the required time to fully address their investments at the outset, but become less motivated as time goes by.

• GaMEP Positively Impacts Georgia’s Manufacturing Sector

  October 21, 2014

  U.S. manufacturing is experiencing a renaissance, and the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Program (GaMEP) is ensuring that Georgia’s manufacturing industry resurges with the nation’s.

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