The Effingham County Chamber of Commerce will relocate its offices to the planned Co-Op Business Center in downtown Springfield, Ga. in the spring of 2022. The chamber’s board of directors reviewed multiple proposals and approved the plan, pending final lease terms, at its strategic planning retreat on June 24.

The Co-Op Business Center is a redevelopment of the now-vacant Co-Op building at 712 North Laurel Street, led by the City of Springfield’s Downtown Development Authority and developer Carlson's Springfield Holdings LLC. The project is designed to bring a vibrant new office space to Springfield that will complement existing businesses and fit the City's redevelopment goals.

When complete, the Co-Op Business Center will house three store front businesses, three rental offices with private entrances, five additional private business offices, a shared conference room, a shared copy and mail room, and other shared work space. The availability of small private offices will complement several business startups.

“We are excited to be part of this project, which will support our mission to represent and serve the businesses and residents of Effingham County, and to promote entrepreneurship, said Ryan Thompson, Chairman of the chamber’s board of directors.”

We foresee the Business Center as a place where we can continue to host business workshops and vital community meetings and support the growth of small businesses throughout our county and region,” Thompson said.

The Effingham Chamber has been housed, along with the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority (IDA), at Georgia Highway 21 and West Third Street in Springfield since its construction in 2003. Owned by the IDA, the building is scheduled to be sold in August 2021. Until the Co-Op Business Center is ready, the chamber of commerce will serve its members from office space at 119 S. Laurel Street, Suite B1 in Springfield.

The Effingham County Chamber of Commerce is a member-driven organization focused on business advocacy and sustainable economic growth in our region. For more information, call (912) 754-3301, e-mail [email protected], or visit www.effinghamcounty.com.