September 2020 Features

• Aflac Leadership Honored with Georgia’s goBeyondProfit Champion Award

  September 30, 2020

  In a fitting capstone to the designation of September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, Aflac has been honored with the goBeyondProfit Champion Award. The peer-nominated goBeyondProfit Champion honor is given for Aflac’s consistency in benefiting its community and business with a generous and diverse company culture, while deploying company resources and priorities toward community empowerment.

• Amid Pandemic, Small Business Owners Respond With Meaningful Transformation; Remain Resilient

  September 30, 2020

  Amid this year's historic coronavirus pandemic, businesses are adapting by making major changes to their operations including increased use of technology, according to the latest PNC semi-annual survey of small and mid-size business owners and executives, which concluded Sept. 8th.

• Lt. Governor Duncan Address Sets Stage for Health Connect South 2020 Platform

  September 29, 2020

  The seventh annual Health Connect South (HCS), the Southeast’s gathering of thought leaders in the field of medicine, convened on September 24th with over 750 in attendance—its largest forum ever. Its unique networking platform encourages collaborative innovations and advances key health topics via 17 panel sessions, featuring over 40 renowned moderators and speakers, including Lt. Governor Geoff Duncan.

• Chris Clark: D.C. Fly-in Emphasizes Importance of Vote

  September 28, 2020

  Last week has been nothing short of extraordinary. From economic recovery and foreign affairs to health care, transportation, rural initiatives, agriculture and so much more, last week’s all-virtual Georgia Chamber D.C. Fly-In reported record attendance and conveyed a strong message that business and government can and must work together for a better future and more rapid recovery from the COVID recession.

• Georgia Tech-Savannah to Offer Professional Education Courses for Savannah's Logistics Community

  September 25, 2020

  Georgia Tech-Savannah is presenting a series of online Supply Chain and Logistics short courses from October through November 2020. Previously, some of the courses had been planned as in-person sessions, but due to the health and safety concerns posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, all courses have transitioned to a virtual delivery.

• Georgia Historical Society Announces Former United States Senator Sam Nunn to Keynote Georgia History Festival Series

  September 25, 2020

  The Georgia Historical Society announced today that the theme and focus of study for the 2020-2021 Georgia History Festivalis Tear Down This Wall: Georgia in Cold War America.

• Savannah Technical College’s Tribute to Community STARs Event to be Held Virtually on October 23rd

  September 24, 2020

  The Savannah Technical College Foundation Community Council will host the 2020 Tribute to Community STARs (Savannah Tech Achievement Recognition awards) on Friday, October 23rd. The event, now in its fourteenth year, honors some 20+ individuals, nominated for their service and dedication at work or in the community.

• Carl Vinson Institute Fellowship Helps Communities Address Revitalization Challenges

  September 23, 2020

  The City of Richmond Hill is promoting a unified “look” and the City of Dahlonega is envisioning visitor-friendly parking solutions through a community development collaborative with the University of Georgia.

• Georgia Congressional Delegation Fights to Close Digital Divide

  September 22, 2020

  U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA), U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), and 10 members of the Georgia congressional delegation sent a letter urging Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai to utilize Georgia’s recently completed location-level broadband maps as the federal government works to improve access to high-speed internet.

• Critical Panel Discussion to be Featured at Health Connect South: Atlanta Hospital CEOs Collaboration to Combat COVID-19

  September 21, 2020

  The agenda for the 2020 Health Connect South (HCS) annual gathering on September 24th will feature a compelling panel discussion with three Atlanta area hospital CEO’s who will share how they spearheaded unprecedented, collaborative efforts to combat the Novel Coronavirus pandemic.

• Four Community Leaders Join Bethesda Academy Board of Governors

  September 18, 2020

  Bethesda Academy recently welcomed Carol Bell, G. Holmes Bell, IV, Al Kennickell, and Judith Thomas to its Bethesda Union Society Board of Governors. These community leaders will serve three-year terms for the private day and boarding school serving young men in grades six through 12.

• Savannah Serves Largest Vessel Ever, the 15,000+ TEU Brazil

  September 18, 2020

  On the heels of reporting all-time record container volumes, the Port of Savannah welcomes Friday the CMA CGM Brazil, the largest ship to ever call the U.S. East Coast with a capacity of 15,072 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs).

• Georgia Significantly Outperforms National Unemployment Rate in August

  September 18, 2020

  The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) announced today that for the month of August, Georgia’s unemployment rate was 5.6 percent, while the national unemployment rate stood at 8.4 percent. Along with outpacing the national rate, Georgia recorded a decrease of 2 percentage points since July and a seven-point drop since the beginning of the pandemic.

• Poll Worker Training: Aggressive Statewide Program Targets Those Who Make the Critical Difference on Election Day

  September 18, 2020

  Even with new technology and new procedures, one thing has not changed about Georgia elections: Those who will have the most direct impact on achieving a smooth, successful election day are the poll managers and workers who will staff Georgia’s 3100 precincts on Nov. 3rd.

• Georgia Commission for Freight and Logistics Kicks Off 2020 Meeting Series

  September 17, 2020

  The Georgia Commission for Freight and Logistics has kicked-off its 2020 Meeting Series with its first meeting held on September 15th. This year’s regional meetings will continue the work launched in 2019 with the creation of the commission through House Resolution 37.

• Georgia Tech-Savannah's 'Learners & Leaders' to Focus on Public Education in a Pandemic

  September 16, 2020

  For all educational institutions, teaching during a pandemic is challenging to say the least. Different strategies and methods are being used to deliver instruction, and there are challenges and successes. The community is invited to learn more about those during Georgia Tech Savannah’s next virtual Learners and Leaders session, which will focus on public education in a pandemic.

• Health Connect South 2020 Set to Showcase Best of the Southeast Regions’ Health Collaborations

  September 16, 2020

  The 2020 Health Connect South (HCS) annual gathering on September 24th will present a unique view into health collaborations happening across the Southeast among health systems, academia, healthcare providers, investors, health innovators and key state and national policy makers.

• State’s International Trade Team Announces New Export Directory Connecting Georgia Suppliers to Global Buyers

  September 15, 2020

  The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s International Trade division is officially announcing a new marketing tool created to provide virtual connections between international buyers and Georgia suppliers.

• United Way of the Coastal Empire Sets $8M Community Campaign Goal

  September 14, 2020

  The United Way of the Coastal Empire kicked-off its 2020 annual fundraising with a goal of $8 million. Typically, kick-off means a big event with hundreds of donors and volunteers gathering at the Savannah Civic Center. Due to the pandemic, the organization celebrated the campaign entirely via social media and with creative support from local media friends.

• Alzheimer’s Association, Georgia Chapter Now Offering Monthly Virtual Lunch & Learn Alzheimer’s Series

  September 14, 2020

• Chris Clark: Building a Global Talent Pipeline

  September 14, 2020

  Even before COVID-19 hit our borders and changed virtually every business plan and legislative priority for 2020, the war for talent was being fought across every industry sector around the world.

• Historic Savannah Foundation Announces 2020 Preservation Award Winners

  September 11, 2020

  Historic Savannah Foundation held a virtual event last night in celebration of its annual Preservation Awards. The nonprofit organization presented awards to individuals and organizations whose contributions demonstrate excellence in preservation in Savannah and Chatham County.

• CareSource Commits Millions to Affordable Housing Investments in Georgia

  September 11, 2020

  CareSource, a nonprofit multi-state managed care plan, announced it is committing $3.5 million in investments to affordable housing projects in Atlanta and Savannah.

• Join GeorgiaForward and Georgia Municipal Association for Let Your Voice Be Heard: How, When, and Why To Vote

  September 11, 2020

  Join GeorgiaForward and Georgia Municipal Association on September 15 at 6pm for Let Your Voice Be Heard: How, When, and Why To Vote featuring Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Carter Center Chair Jason Carter, and Professor Andra Gillespie of Emory University with a U.S. Census reminder from Janet Lee.

• Job Creation Up In First Two Months of Fiscal Year

  September 10, 2020

  Governor Brian P. Kemp announced new economic development job numbers showing that Georgia’s economic momentum is continuing to grow two months into the state’s new fiscal year.