February 2018 Features

• EDTS Recognized for Excellence in Managed IT Services with a Specialization in Security

  February 28, 2018

  CRN, a brand of The Channel Company, has named EDTS to its 2018 Managed Service Provider 500 list in the Managed Security 100 category. This annual list recognizes North American solution providers with award-winning approaches to delivering managed IT services.

• Georgia Banks Earn $3.4B During 2017

  February 28, 2018

  Georgia’s 177 state-based FDIC insured banks earned $3.4 billion in 2017, an increase of 13.7 percent over the previous year. Total deposits, loans and assets all increased during the year.

• Film Day at the Capitol Celebrates Georgia’s Film and Television Industry

  February 28, 2018

  The Georgia Film Office, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, celebrated Film Day at the Capitol to recognize the state’s past, present and future in the film industry. “No other film production center has seen more growth in infrastructure than Georgia has over the last eight years,” said Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Pat Wilson. “Governor Deal’s leadership and unwavering support has ensured Georgia’s place as a top destination for film and television activity.”

• GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry Receives Award for Engineering Influence

  February 27, 2018

  Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russell R. McMurry, P.E. received ACEC Georgia’s Engineering Influence Award “in recognition of his exceptional leadership and management of the department’s response to the Interstate 85 fire and bridge collapse” last year.

• Senators Johnny Isakson & David Perdue: Tax Cuts Are Helping Georgians

  February 26, 2018

  The tax cuts passed by the U.S. Senate and signed into law by President Donald J. Trump are already having a positive impact across the country. Businesses are investing in our economy again. More than 3 million Americans have received bonuses. Wages are rising at their highest rate in eight years. Here in Georgia, we are seeing this positive impact firsthand.

• Technology Association of Georgia Unveils the Top 40 Innovative Technology Companies in Georgia

  February 23, 2018

  The Technology Association of Georgia announced the Top 40 Innovative Technology Companies in Georgia. TAG’S Top 40 Awards recognize Georgia-based technology companies for their innovation, financial impact, and their efforts at spreading awareness of the state’s technology initiatives throughout the U.S. and globally.

• Hollywood South: Entertainment Industry Brings $9.5B to Georgia

  February 22, 2018

  Still thinking about which films to check off on the Oscar ballot before awards season wraps up March 4 with the 90th Academy Awards? Consider “Baby Driver,” “I, Tonya,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” and “DeKalb Elementary.” They all were filmed in Georgia and contributed to the $9.5 billion the film industry brought to the state last year.

• Georgia Power Continue Building the Future of Energy with Innovative Smart Neighborhood Projects

  February 21, 2018

  Southern Company and its Alabama Power and Georgia Power subsidiaries have officially announced Smart Neighborhood initiatives that will provide customers with state-of-the-art home construction, distributed energy resources – including solar and battery energy storage – and smart home appliances and technologies.

• Record-breaking Year for Georgia’s International Trade

  February 20, 2018

  The Georgia Department of Economic Development released Georgia’s 2017 international trade numbers, which indicate another record breaking year. In 2017, total trade between Georgia and the world reached 225 unique countries and territories, exceeding $128.6 billion.

• City Leaders Gain Critical Knowledge through UGA Partnership

  February 20, 2018

  More than 250 first-time mayors and city council members from Georgia cities gathered in Athens last week for the two-day Newly Elected Officials Institute, held every February to teach new leaders the basics of effective governance.

• Chuck Leavell to Headline Savannah’s 2018 A-Town Get Down Art & Music Festival

  February 19, 2018

  Returning to Savannah for its 8th year on Saturday, April 21st, the ATown Get Down Art & Music Festival will feature music legend Chuck Leavell as its 2018 headliner. While many in the Savannah area will remember him as a key figure in The Allman Brothers Band, Leavell’s keyboard work has also been heard on the works of Eric Clapton, the Rolling Stones, George Harrison, The Black Crowes, Blues Traveler, Train, Martina McBride, John Mayer, David Gilmour and many other prominent artists.

• University System Saves Students More Than $18M a Year in Free Textbooks

  February 19, 2018

  The University System of Georgia is saving students more than $18 million a year with its free online textbook initiative called Affordable Learning Georgia.

• Chairman Jason Shaw Introduces Legislation to Create the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation

  February 16, 2018

  State Representative Jason Shaw (R-Lakeland) introduced legislation that would create the Center for Rural Prosperity and Innovation.

• Cambria Hotels Breaks Ground in Downtown Savannah

  February 15, 2018

  Choice Hotels International, Inc., one of the world's largest hotel companies, in collaboration with HOS Management, broke ground yesterday afternoon at the future home of the Cambria Hotel Savannah Historic District. Located at 321 Montgomery St., the 103-room, six-story property is slated to open in 2019.

• Delta Pays Employees More Than $1B in Profit Sharing for Fourth Consecutive Year

  February 15, 2018

  Delta Air Lines will pay out more than $1 billion in profit sharing for the fourth year in a row and celebrate the outstanding accomplishments made possible by its more than 80,000 employees around the world.

• Supply Chain Expert Led Georgia Tech Savannah’s First Learners & Leaders Series of 2018

  February 13, 2018

  Georgia Tech-Savannah’s Learners & Leaders session, “Three Key Principles of Influence: Driving Business Deals and Effective Negotiations,” was led by G’Sean Williams. More than 80 attendees came to learn from the supply chain expert.

• UGA Extension, Mercer University Partner to Recruit Future Doctors for Rural Georgia

  February 13, 2018

  Jean Sumner is a third-generation rural doctor. As a child, she watched her grandfather and father care for the residents of Washington County, Georgia. She followed in their footsteps and became a “small-town doctor,” the kind who knows your mother, sits behind you in church and roots for the local football team.

• Secretary of State Brian Kemp Announces Record-Breaking Month of Annual Business Registrations

  February 12, 2018

  Secretary of State Brian Kemp announced a record-breaking month of annual business registrations. In the month of January, the Corporations Division processed over 216,000 annual business registrations – more registrations in one month’s time than ever before.

• Georgia Quail Hunt Celebrates 30th Anniversary

  February 09, 2018

  Area leaders were on hand this week to welcome 27 site selection professionals to Southwest Georgia, not only for the world-class quail hunting but more importantly to learn about the potential for doing business in the region. It’s all part of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s 30th Annual Georgia Quail Hunt in Albany.

• There’s a New Agency Manager at Savannah’s Sapelo Creative Insurance: Our One-on-One with Lori Hampton

  February 08, 2018

  Georgia CEO sat down with Lori Hampton to learn about her new role serving as Agency Manager for Savannah’s Sapelo Creative Insurance Solutions, LLC, part of the Sullivan Group HR. During our one-on-one, Hampton shares insights into her background in commercial insurance, her excitement about stepping into her new position and how she and this Savannah-based firm are focused on developing quality carrier relationships to better serve businesses throughout the Southeast, including the booming entertainment industry.

• Exporting Provides Opportunity for Growth for Rural Companies in Georgia

  February 08, 2018

  Even the basics of international commerce felt foreign to Bruce Roberts. He knew how to ship something via UPS but didn’t have a clue how international ocean freight worked. He didn’t know how helpful a Skype account or making a website friendly to international customers could be in attracting overseas clients.

• The Georgia Ports Authority Wants to More Than Double Container Capacity by 2028

  February 06, 2018

  At the 50th annual Georgia Foreign Trade Conference Monday, GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch reviewed the strategic plan for Georgia's ports that will allow for 10 million twenty-foot equivalent container units, 1 million rail lifts, and more than 1 million auto and machinery units per year.

• Memorial Health in Savannah Joins HCA Healthcare’s South Atlantic Division

  February 02, 2018

  Memorial Health leadership, the Memorial Health Board of Directors and the Chatham County Hospital Authority are celebrating the successful integration of Memorial Health into HCA Healthcare’s South Atlantic Division.

• Renaissance Man, Richard C. Kessler, Renews a Renaissance Revival Landmark

  February 02, 2018

  Luxury hotelier, Mr. Richard C. Kessler, brings the most prominent, and largest, historic mansion in Savannah back to life as a private residence. Having assembled an all-star team of architectural, design, and restoration professionals to bring the mansion back full-circle to its original glory, Kessler is restoring the Armstrong-Kessler Mansion as his legacy project to honor his beloved city of Savannah. This will bring new grandeur to the iconic Forsyth Park at the corner of Bull and Gaston Streets.