May 2018 Features

• Connecting Georgia’s Communities to Spur Economic Development: RuralWorks

  May 31, 2018

  The newest division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Rural Georgia Initiatives, has one primary focus in mind: to help rural Georgia communities become more competitive for economic development projects and identify new strategies for attracting jobs and investment.

• Georgia Department of Transportation Heads into 2018 Summer Construction Season

  May 30, 2018

  With Memorial Day in the rear view mirror, the unofficial start of summer has begun. For Georgia Department of Transportation, summer road construction is gearing up across Georgia. The Department announced plans for an active 2018 summer construction season, with hundreds of construction and maintenance projects along interstates and state routes across Georgia.

• New CAT Buses Will Enhance Customers’ Transit Experience

  May 29, 2018

  The Chatham Area Transit Authority today unveiled the first of 18 new 35-ft buses being added into its fleet during a brief program showcasing the new vehicles. For comparison, transit officials displayed one of its oldest buses in the fleet with an odometer reading of nearly 706,000 miles.

• Delta Offering More Trans-Atlantic Flying Than Ever

  May 29, 2018

  Memorial Day weekend marked the start of Delta's biggest ever summer on the trans-Atlantic. Some 11 routes – both new and old favorites – will begin over the next couple of days connecting the U.S. and nine countries in Europe.

• 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.

• J.C. Lewis Ford Launches Community Program, J.C. Lewis Serves

  May 24, 2018

  J.C. Lewis Serves is a division of J.C. Lewis Ford that drives volunteerism and community service. J.C. Lewis Serves unites our employees with the community through service – exchanging the communities participation for an entry for a two-year new-vehicle lease. Partnerships with local organizations will be announced each month throughout the year. Each partnership will have a way to serve, by volunteering, donating or tagging and sharing on social media.

• 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.

• 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.

• Local and Statewide Leaders Present at Leadership Southeast Georgia 2018 Graduation Weekend in Savannah

  May 22, 2018

  Leadership Southeast Georgia, a regional leadership program designed to advance the economic and community development in the 10-county southeast Georgia region, hosted well-respected statewide and local leaders during their 2018 graduation weekend held in Savannah, Georgia.

• 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.

• Hussey Gay Bell Celebrates 60 Years & Launches New Website

  May 18, 2018

  April 2nd marked the formal 60th anniversary of Hussey Gay Bell, one of the region’s largest privately held companies. Since its founding in 1958 by WWII veterans, Benjamin E. Gay, PE and Roy Hussey, PE, the firm has experienced substantial growth over the last six decades with the addition of Gus H. Bell, III, PE in 1966 and now under the leadership of CEO and Chairman, G. Holmes Bell, IV, PE.

• EDTS and EDTS Cyber Announce New Operations in Charleston & Charlotte

  May 18, 2018

  Nationally ranked cybersecurity firm EDTS Cyber, LLC, along with its affiliate EDTS, LLC, an 8-time Inc. 5000 Managed Services Provider, have expanded their operations to the Charleston, SC and Charlotte, NC Metropolitan areas. These two industry leaders are headquartered out of Augusta, GA, with offices also located in Columbia and Greenville, SC, Asheville, NC and Savannah, GA.

• 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.

• CRG Announces $57M Sale of Build-to-Suit for Shaw Industries Group in Savannah

  May 15, 2018

  CRG announced the sale of its 1 million square foot build-to-suit facility in Savannah, Georgia for Shaw Industries Group, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway Company to Griffin Capital Company, LLC for $57 million.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Goodwill Southeast Georgia Celebrates Annual Goodwill Industries Week

  May 07, 2018

  From May 6-12, Goodwill Southeast Georgia will celebrate Goodwill Industries Week and the mission impact its work has provided across the region. For more than 50 years, Goodwill Southeast Georgia has provided skills training, access to credentials and certifications, employment placement and job training, and community-based services for individuals facing challenges to finding employment.

• 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.

• 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.

• Gulfstream Marks 10-Year Anniversary of Successful Student Leadership Program

  May 02, 2018

  Gulfstream Aerospace Corp., its community partners, program alumni and students recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Savannah-based Student Leadership Program as part of the initiative’s year-end event and graduation.

• Historic Savannah Foundation to Celebrate National Preservation Month with Preservation Awards Luncheon May 11th

  May 02, 2018

  Historic Savannah Foundation will continue its monthlong celebration of preservation in May with the annual Preservation Awards Luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Friday, May 11 at the Savannah Golf Club, 1661 E. President St. Historic Savannah Foundation will present awards to individuals and organizations whose contributions demonstrate excellence in preservation in Savannah and Chatham County. This luncheon is generously sponsored by KEIM Mineral Coatings of Savannah, Inc.

• 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.

• 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.