Features
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Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority Launches Site to Attract Investment
August 07, 2018
The Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority has launched ValdostaLowndesProspector.com to promote the community for business relocation and expansion. The online data portal makes information, research and analysis instantly accessible to community stakeholders, site selectors and businesses making location decisions.
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Survey: One-third of Americans Thought about Starting a Business Last Year
August 07, 2018
LendingTree, the nation's leading online loan marketplace, today released its survey of aspiring small business owners, as the company celebrates a new milestone for its small business vertical – surpassing $1 billion in loan volume through LendingTree's small business marketplace.
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Global Commerce Generates $5.56B in Investments in Past Year
August 03, 2018
Gov. Nathan Deal announced that the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Global Commerce Division helped create a total of 27,373 new jobs during FY 18, generating $5.56 billion in investments. This growth is the result of a record-breaking 419 expansion or relocation projects throughout the state.
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Final Defense Bill Includes More Than 30 Georgia Priorities
August 02, 2018
As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a negotiator for the final defense bill, U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) praises final passage of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. Senator Perdue helped secured more than 30 provisions of importance to Georgia in the annual defense bill, which now heads to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.
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SGMC Foundation Receives Award
August 01, 2018
The Georgia Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations awarded South Georgia Medical Center Foundation with the Special Events Gold Award for ‘The Art of Philanthropy’ event.
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Georgia World Congress Center Authority Breaks Ground on Congress Center Expansion Project
August 01, 2018
Governor Nathan Deal and the Georgia World Congress Center Authority’s Board of Governors officially broke ground on the Georgia World Congress Center’s first major expansion since 2002. The $55 million expansion project, a component of the Authority’s 2020 Vision strategic plan, features a new 100,000-square-foot exhibit hall affixed between the convention center’s Buildings B and C that, once complete, will create over one million square feet of contiguous exhibition space.
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AG Chris Carr Reveals Georgia’s Top Consumer Complaints for 2017
August 01, 2018
Attorney General Chris Carr announced Georgia’s top consumer complaints for 2017. This announcement falls on the heels of the latest report from the annual survey of state and local consumer agencies conducted by Consumer Federation of America. Georgia was one of forty agencies from twenty-three states that participated in the survey.
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VFD Partners with the University of Houston in Research Study to Understand Health and Wellness of Firefighters
July 31, 2018
The Valdosta Fire Department and the University of Houston have partnered to create a survey for firefighters and EMS personnel as part of a new research initiative to better understand individuals in the fire service.
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CEO Activism in 2018: Half of Americans Say CEO Activism Influences Government
July 31, 2018
Significantly more Americans in 2018 believe that CEOs who speak out on hotly debated current issues influence the decisions and actions of government (48 percent vs. 38 percent in 2017). This is according to CEO Activism in 2018: The Purposeful CEO, a survey of 1,006 adult Americans.
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Georgia’s Disability Employment Initiative Receives National Recognition for Demonstrating Best Practice
July 26, 2018
Georgia’s Disability Employment Initiative received national recognition this week by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy for demonstrating best practices and delivering superior service.
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UGA SBDC at VSU Offers Workshop on Hiring the Right People
July 20, 2018
The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center at Valdosta State University will present Maximum People from 9:30 a.m. to noon on four consecutive Wednesdays beginning August 8th.
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Darrell Moore Named Executive Director of New VSU Center for South Georgia Regional Impact
July 19, 2018
Darrell Moore has been named executive director for the newly created Center for South Georgia Regional Impact at Valdosta State University. He will begin serving as the center’s inaugural leader on August 13th.
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Georgia Lottery Transfers More than $1.14B to Education
July 19, 2018
Gov. Nathan Deal today announced that the Georgia Lottery Corp. transferred its fiscal year 2018 profits, a total of $1,143,514,000, to the State Treasury’s Lottery for Education Account. This is the largest annual transfer on record, bringing the total funding raised for education programs to more than $19.8 billion during the 25-year history of the Georgia Lottery.
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Valdosta Main Street Kicks Off Downtown Restaurant Week
July 18, 2018
More than 150 people helped kick off Valdosta Main Street’s week-long Downtown Valdosta Restaurant Week at the annual ‘Taste of Downtown’ event Monday.
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How The Gig Economy Could Aid Planning for Older Adult and Disability Services in Georgia
July 18, 2018
It is well-known that the baby-boom generation is aging, with about 10,000 individuals turning 65 each day. This generation has the longest life expectancy to date and benefits from advances in health care and technology. However, this generation is also more disabled, dealing with more chronic health conditions and managing more prescription medications than previous generations.
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ABM to Reduce Energy and Operating Costs of Lowndes County School System by More Than $13.6M
July 16, 2018
ABM, a leading provider of facility solutions, has initiated an Energy Performance Contracting program for Lowndes County Schools in Valdosta, Georgia. ABM's customized solution is projected to save Lowndes County Schools more than $13.6 million in energy and operating costs over a 15-year period, which the school system will utilize to make facility upgrades and put more funding toward building a new high school. The project launched in June 2018, and is scheduled for completion in June 2019.
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Young Gamechangers to Present Big Ideas to Albany on August 10th
July 16, 2018
Since the beginning of the year 48 of Georgia’s brightest young professionals have researched Albany’s history, met with community leaders, toured campuses and neighborhoods, visited recreation areas, and re-imagined downtown in their quest to come up with big ideas and innovative solutions to some of the area’s most persistent challenges. Their hard work will be revealed when they present their final recommendations to the community on Friday, August 10th at Albany State University.
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First Building of $100 Million Georgia Cyber Center Opens in Augusta
July 11, 2018
Gov. Nathan Deal yesterday attended the opening of The Hull McKnight Building at The Georgia Cyber Center, a first-of-its-kind collaborative cybersecurity center located in Augusta. The $100 million Georgia Cyber Center is the single largest investment in a cybersecurity facility by a state government to-date, with the aim of strengthening the state of Georgia’s position as a national leader in cybersecurity.
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Georgia Council for the Arts Awards Grant Funding to 132 Organizations
July 10, 2018
The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) announced the recipients of its Partner, Project and Arts Education grants for fiscal year 2019. One hundred and thirty-two organizations throughout the state were collectively awarded more than $1 million in funding.
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In Era Of Government Scarcity, Public-Private Partnerships Bridge Community Needs
July 05, 2018
Solving problems like poverty, or inequities in housing, education or healthcare, is an expensive undertaking, and the gap between what’s required and what’s actually available, especially from public resource pools, is dramatic and widening.
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Summer Travel Report: Trending International Destinations in Every State
July 05, 2018
A new report from InsureMyTrip ranks the top trending international destinations for summer travelers state by state. The data shows twenty-three states favor trips to the United Kingdom, while other states prefer visiting Canada, Mexico or Italy. Results are based on all 2018 travel insurance purchases for international trips with June, July or August departures.
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Hands-Free Law Will Become Effective on July 1st
June 29, 2018
House Bill 673, also known as the “Hands-Free Georgia Act,” will become effective on July 1, 2018. The legislation was introduced during the 2018 Legislative Session, passed both the Senate and House and was signed by Governor Nathan Deal on May 2nd.
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Auburn Mayor Linda Blechinger Elected President of GMA
June 28, 2018
Auburn Mayor Linda Blechinger was elected president of the Georgia Municipal Association during the association’s annual meeting in Savannah on Sunday, June 24th. The city of Auburn has maintained its old southern charm while evolving to attract businesses and provide valued amenities to its residents. Community members, local and state leaders credit much of this redevelopment success to Blechinger.
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How to Develop A Connected, State-Wide Innovation Ecosystem
June 27, 2018
Most entrepreneurs are jacks-of-all-trades who are equipped with the knowledge and abilities to solve business problems as they arise, but there are some obstacles that require a more specialized industry-centric approach. These are the challenges that keep business owners up at night because they don’t have the in-house expertise or resources necessary to develop a solution.
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Locate South GeorgiaLEADS Recruits Regional Leaders for Third Year
June 26, 2018
Locate South GeorgiaLEADS is actively recruiting for participants for the third year across a 21-county region in South Georgia. With Locate South GeorgiaLEADS, presented by Electric Cities of Georgia, recruiting the class for the 2018-2019 program, the region’s economic development initiative, Locate South Georgia seeks to link business and civic leaders, as well as elected and public officials, to the region’s economic development agenda and efforts.