May 2020 Features

• GPA Commissions First Nine Mason Mega Rail Tracks

  May 29, 2020

  Georgia Ports Authority's Mason Mega Rail project, in the works for more than four years and designed to expand service to the Southeast and Midwestern U.S., has passed a major milestone. GPA has put into operation the first nine of 18 new working tracks, with its first two rail-mounted gantry cranes to be commissioned in June.

• FFCRA Leave Documentation: What Businesses Need to Know

  May 29, 2020

  Now that businesses are reopening and recalling employees, some employees will be requesting paid leave pursuant to the Families First Coronavirus Relief Act (FFCRA). Businesses need to know what documentation they can and cannot request from employees requesting leave, and what documentation the business should maintain.

• Georgia Power Customers to See Approximately $10 Reduction in Monthly Summer Bills

  May 29, 2020

  The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) approved Georgia Power's plan to reduce its fuel rates by 17.2 percent and total billings by approximately $740 million over a two-year period. This reduction will lower the total monthly bill by approximately $5.32 for the typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month beginning June 1st..

• Georgia Tech’s Economic Development Research Program Selects City of Woodbury for Revitalization Initiative

  May 29, 2020

  The Economic Development Research Program (EDRP) at the Georgia Institute of Technology is working with Woodbury, a community in West Georgia’s Meriwether County, under an agreement to help a coalition of civic and business leaders develop a strategic assessment plan to guide the city’s economic development efforts.

• Registration Is Now Open for Georgia Tech-Savannah’s Leading Well Workshop Series

  May 28, 2020

  Georgia Tech-Savannah is excited to open registration for their highly anticipated Leading Well leadership workshop series, designed to take tomorrow’s leaders to the next level.

• Researchers Study Teleworking Effects during COVID-19

  May 28, 2020

  The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing protocols resulted in many workers conducting business from home, altering the environments in which they work at a moment’s notice and allowing organizations to continue their operations.

• Southern Company Announces Transition to Net-zero Carbon Emissions Goal

  May 28, 2020

  Southern Company moved to a long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

• Survey of 14,000 Travelers Shows Domestic Travel is About to Boom

  May 28, 2020

  While most travel has been put on pause because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a May 2020 survey indicates new travel trends lean toward domestic travel. As industry leaders, AirportParkingReservations.com and ParkSleepFly.com reveal what the next step may look like for travelers.

• GDOT Awards Nearly $113.5M in Construction Contracts for April

  May 27, 2020

  Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) awarded 19 construction contracts for statewide transportation projects totaling $113,519,873.

• Communities Team with UGA, Go Virtual to Develop Leaders

  May 21, 2020

  In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Fanning Institute—a unit of UGA Public Service and Outreach—has created virtual program formats for both its Community Leadership Program and Youth Leadership in Action curricula. This now allows the institute’s faculty to deliver the adult and youth curriculum modules to program participants in an interactive, virtual format.

• USG Administrator Says Government/Constitution Requirement Restored

  May 21, 2020

  Several months ago University System of Georgia (USG) chief academic officer, Dr. Tristan Denley, floated a plan to reduce core courses students must take upon enrollment. It included abolition of the American government requirement— POLS 1101, which incorporates study of the U.S. Constitution and federalism. Yesterday, however, Denley made news.

• Deloitte CFO Signals Survey: Executive Teams Are Largely Focused on Adapting Operations for Near-Term Performance & Evolving Their Businesses for a Post-Crisis Future

  May 21, 2020

  Executive teams are primarily focused on responding by maximizing performance during the crisis and preparing to thrive by evolving business models and making fundamental business strategy shifts for the post-crisis future. CFOs cite historic lows for expected revenue and earnings growth, with domestic hiring growth also falling sharply.

• Healthy Savannah Wins Statewide Recognition for Public Health Initiatives

  May 20, 2020

  Healthy Savannah is pleased to announce it has received statewide recognition from the Healthcare Georgia Foundation. The coalition has received the 2020 Joseph D. Greene Community Service Collaborative Award for its work to make Savannah a healthier place to live.

• Delta-designed Airport Lobby & Gate Safety Barriers on the Way

  May 20, 2020

  To add another layer of safety at airports for Delta customers and our people, Delta turned to its Delta Flight Products subsidiary to design and manufacture a custom plexiglass safety barrier especially for airport check-in lobbies, departure gates and Delta Sky Club counters.

• Georgia DOT Restricts Construction-Related Lane Closures Statewide During Memorial Day Holiday Weekend

  May 20, 2020

  To ease potential Memorial Day weekend traffic congestion, the Georgia Department of Transportation is suspending construction-related lane closures from noon Friday, May 22nd through 5 a.m. Tuesday, May 26th on Interstate highways and limiting lane closures on state routes that directly serve major tourist and recreation centers.

• Georgia Marks Lowest COVID-19 Positive Hospitalizations Since Early April

  May 20, 2020

  Governor Brian Kemp announced that Georgia reached its lowest number of COVID-19 positive patients hospitalized since hospitals started reporting data to the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) on April 8th.

• Over 220 Georgia Companies Producing Critical Supplies to Fight COVID-19

  May 19, 2020

  The Georgia Suppliers Interactive Map and List, compiled by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), includes more than 220 Georgia companies providing needed protective supplies, along with an interactive map displaying business location and a tool to sort supplies by category.

• Small Business Employment Declines, Reflecting the Ongoing Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic

  May 19, 2020

  The latest Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch shows a decrease in small business employment as the COVID-19 pandemic caused instability for employers nationwide.

• Microsoft Corp. to Expand Presence in Atlanta with 1,500 New Jobs, New Facility

  May 18, 2020

  Governor Brian Kemp announced that Fortune 500 company Microsoft Corp., a worldwide leader in software, services, devices, and solutions, will open a new facility in Atlanta, anticipated in summer 2021. The $75 million investment will create 1,500 new high-tech jobs in West Midtown.

• GDOL Launches Claims Conversion Program for Employers

  May 18, 2020

  Georgia Labor Commissioner Mark Butler announced that the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) has developed a program which will allow employer filed partial claims to be converted to individual claims. This new process will allow employees who are permanently terminated the opportunity to continue receiving benefits without interruption.

• Homegrown Georgia Artists and Songwriters Unite on May 26th for "Georgia On My Mind"

  May 15, 2020

  Traditionally hosted at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN, the seventh annual “Gretsch Presents Georgia On My Mind” concert benefiting the Georgia Music Foundation will reach a global audience this year with an online musical event Tuesday, May 26th hosted by Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls and artist/songwriter Brent Cobb.

• Senator David Perdue: Why We Need to Continue Opening the Economy

  May 15, 2020

  Since the Covid-19 crisis began, tens of millions of Americans have filed for unemployment. Consumer confidence has fallen dramatically. Small businesses, which operate on thin margins even in the best of times, are hanging by a thread. This should be a glaring wake-up call: we must continue taking critical steps to reopen the economy.

• First Quarter-Million Absentee Ballots Cast

  May 15, 2020

  Counties have accepted more than 250,000 absentee ballots for the combined Presidential Preference Primary and General Primary, a record amount considering there are still more than three weeks to go before Election Day, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Thursday.

• Georgia Southern and Ogeechee Tech Create Accelerated Pathway for Student Success

  May 14, 2020

  Georgia Southern University signed a memorandum of understanding with Ogeechee Technical College to provide an automatic admission pathway for local students.

• Georgia To Receive $260M For COVID-19 Testing

  May 14, 2020

  The White House announced that Georgia will receive over $260 million in federal funding to increase testing capacity in the state.