Features
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Curt Fowler: The Return on Strategy
April 30, 2018
“In real life strategy is straightforward. You pick the direction and execute like heck.” – Jack Welch. I rarely quote Jack Welch, but I thought his statement on strategy was excellent even though I had to edit his language.
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Valdosta Posts Great March Job Numbers
April 27, 2018
Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said Valdosta posted an excellent March as critical job measures trended in the right direction again.
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UGA Small Business Development Center Offers Strategic Planning Workshop at VSU May 8th
April 27, 2018
The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center at Valdosta State University will present a Strategic Planning Workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8.
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Georgia Employers Association Legal & Benefits Workshop Covers the Bases for Georgia Employers
April 26, 2018
Georgia's thriving economy is producing excellent opportunities for business and associated challenges for business leaders and human resource professionals. Competition for the best employees is intense and the regulatory and legal environment continues to change rapidly. The upcoming Georgia Employers' Association Legal and Benefits Workshop is intended to help Georgia businesses keep all of the bases covered.
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SOS Brian Kemp Announces Commission Members to Review Georgia's Next Voting System
April 25, 2018
Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced his list of appointees to the Secure, Accessible & Fair Elections Commission, which is tasked with studying options for Georgia’s next voting system. The SAFE Commission will conduct thorough discussions on all options – including the feasibility of using all hand-marked paper ballots to all electronic machines with a voter-verified paper trail – and travel the state to solicit feedback from stakeholders.
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Amy Carter to Speak at VSU’s 225th Commencement Ceremony
April 24, 2018
Amy Carter, deputy commissioner for rural Georgia at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, will deliver the keynote address during Valdosta State University’s Spring 2018 commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 5th, on the Front Lawn.