March 2023 Features

• Development Authority of Bulloch County CEO to serve as Chairman of the Georgia Economic Developers Association

  March 31, 2023

  Development Authority of Bulloch County CEO Benjy Thompson will serve as the Chair of the Georgia Economic Developers Association.

• This Week Is A Time To Reflect On What Is Next

  March 31, 2023

  As someone whose annual calendar is heavily anchored in the activities of the Georgia General Assembly, the annual declaration of Sine Die for adjournment is a bit of relief. In fact, it’s quite freeing. It’s time to consider what is next.

• Additional State Budget Decrease of $66 Million Will Hurt University System of Georgia Institutions

  March 31, 2023

  The Fiscal Year 2024 budget passed Wednesday by the General Assembly includes an additional $66 million decrease in state funding, a cut that will impact teaching budgets, staff and students across the state.

• Savannah/Hilton Head International Passenger Counts Continue to Climb

  March 30, 2023

  Savannah/Hilton Head International reports 230,792 passengers used the Airport in the month of February, a 27.40% increase over the same month last year. Total passengers for 2023 are 465,710 an increase of 27.49% over the same period one year ago.

• Port of Savannah Adding 55 Hybrid Yard Cranes

  March 29, 2023

  The Georgia Ports Authority has agreed to spend $170 million on 55 hybrid-engine rubber-tired gantry cranes to outfit the Port of Savannah’s Ocean Terminal, as it is redeveloped into an all-container facility.

• Thomas & Hutton Honored for Hilton Head Luxury RV Park in National Engineering Competition

  March 29, 2023

  Thomas & Hutton of Savannah, has earned a National Recognition Award for exemplary engineering achievement in the American Council of Engineering Companies’ (ACEC) 56th annual Engineering Excellence Awards for the Hilton Head National RV Resort in Bluffton, S.C.

• eMerge Americas Invites VEL CEO, Mo Hamzian, as Main Stage Speaker

  March 28, 2023

  eMerge Americas Conference and Expo, a premier technology conference, invites VEL, the first of its kind tech-forward work cafe, as a featured exhibitor in the 2023 Startup Showcase held at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

• Upsizing in Georgia: More Likely Than You Think

  March 28, 2023

  There’s no denying that work from home has amplified homeowners’ dream for more space – but high costs and inflation are making it hard to realize. New data reveals that upsizing from a condo to a single-family home is very much possible – and even profitable – in 20 of the 200 largest cities in the U.S.

• Georgia Business Leaders & Seniors Call on Biden Administration to Protect Medicare Advantage

  March 27, 2023

  Georgia business leaders and seniors today denounced the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposal to cut $3 billion of Medicare Advantage funding in 2024. More than 30 million Americans — nearly half of those who are eligible for Medicare — have chosen Medicare Advantage for high-quality, affordable health care coverage, including one million people in Georgia.

• St. Joseph’s/Candler presents the 30th Annual McAuley Award to Alison White

  March 24, 2023

  Some may say Alison White has lofty goals. She wants every patient who comes into her operating room to have the best surgical experience possible. And she wants them all to have a quick ride home with little traffic.

• Georgia Legislature To Depart Leaving Three Major Questions

  March 24, 2023

  The Georgia General Assembly is in its final official hours for 2023, with legislators prepared to gavel out “Sine Die” on March 29th. While this will end their 40 official business days in Atlanta for the year, it’s important to understand the real schedule of the legislature.

• Spring Travel Surges: AAA Survey Shows 41% of Georgians Plan to Travel for Spring Break

  March 23, 2023

  Travel bookings for 2023 are off to a very strong start and that is reflected in a new survey from AAA. According to the Auto Club Group, 87% of Georgians plan to travel this year. That’s significantly higher than 56% in 2022.

• Georgia Maintains Low Unemployment Rate for the Seventh Consecutive Month

  March 23, 2023

  Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson announced today that Georgia's February unemployment rate was 3.1 percent, unchanged from a revised 3.1 percent in January. The unemployment rate has held at 3.1 percent for seven consecutive months and was five-tenths lower than the national unemployment rate of 3.6 percent.

• Final Field Set for Sixth Playing of the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club

  March 22, 2023

  Tournament officials announced today the final field for the sixth playing of the Club Car Championship at The Landings Golf & Athletic Club. The world-class field of 156 players is headlined by nine of the top-10 players on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List.

• Georgia Ranks 8th for Best State to Start a Small Business

  March 22, 2023

  Capital on Tap, a business credit card expert, has conducted a new research study to determine the best and worst US states for starting a small business. The study analyzed eight factors including new firm survival rates, corporate tax rates, and the number of entrepreneurs per state to determine the viability of starting a small business in each state.

• C. Scott Votaw Named Executive Director of the Georgia Film Academy

  March 21, 2023

  The University System of Georgia has named C. Scott Votaw as executive director of the Georgia Film Academy.

• First Lady Marty Kemp Announces New Appointments to GRACE Commission

  March 20, 2023

  First Lady Marty Kemp announced Governor Brian Kemp signed an executive order increasing the membership of the Georgians for Refuge, Action, Compassion, and Education (GRACE) Commission by two seats and appointing four new members to fill both the newly-created vacancies and two others.

• Savannah Sees Rise in January Unemployment Rate

  March 17, 2023

  Georgia Labor Commissioner Bruce Thompson said Thursday that Savannah recorded an unemployment rate of 3.1 percent in January, up five-tenths of a percent over the month.

• 36 Finalists Advance to Final Round of Flavor of Georgia Contest

  March 17, 2023

  Judges tasted their way through 124 products entered by 82 Georgia businesses in the first round of judging for the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ annual Flavor of Georgia food product contest on March 10, selecting 36 finalists who will compete in the final round of competition on March 28th.

• Georgia Students Learn About Careers in Construction, Design, & Energy at Construction Ready CareerExpo

  March 16, 2023

  Construction Ready held its annual CareerExpo March 9-10, 2023 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. More than 7,000 students from across Georgia attended the Expo, the state’s largest youth workforce development event for the construction industry.

• United Way of the Coastal Empire Honors Kay Ford as “Woman of the Year” & Raises Funds for Crucial Transportation Needs at Sold-Out Women Who Rule Event

  March 15, 2023

  United Way of the Coastal Empire’s Women Who Rule event, held at the Savannah Convention Center, raised critical support for transportation needs across four Coastal Empire counties. Presented by Step One Automotive Group, the event honored longtime banking executive, community leader, and United Way donor and volunteer Kay Ford as the 2023 United Way “Woman of the Year.”

• Port of Savannah Gains National Market Share, Records Second Busiest February Ever

  March 15, 2023

  In the latest information from logistics data provider PIERS, the Georgia Ports Authority now handles one out of every 8.8 loaded twenty-foot equivalent container units in the U.S., its highest national market share ever.

• TEDxSavannah Announces Speakers for 12th Annual Event at Georgia Southern University’s Armstrong Campus

  March 14, 2023

  The TEDxSavannah theme for 2023 is Connection. Speakers will address the theme from a wide range of perspectives that will resonate deeply with the greater Savannah community.

• 2023 Georgia Logistics Summit Delivers Port, Logistics Strategies, Insights in Savannah

  March 13, 2023

  The Georgia Center of Innovation, a strategic arm of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), hosted more than 800 attendees at the 2023 Georgia Logistics Summit, where experts offered insights on the intersection of the economy, technology, and growth of Georgia’s ports.

• Plant Riverside District to Host 2023 Shamrocks & Shenanigans Celebration

  March 10, 2023

  Plant Riverside District will host the 2023 Shamrocks and Shenanigans Celebration in honor of St. Patrick’s Day from Saturday, March 11th through Sunday, March 19th along Savannah’s riverfront with all events are open to the public.