Features

• UPS: Number of Packages Returned Expected to Peak Before Christmas, Reflecting E-Commerce Shift

  December 19, 2018

  National Returns Day is expected to occur prior to Christmas, reflecting just how deeply e-commerce is reshaping the retail universe, according to UPS. Consumers who got a jump on online shopping in the days before Black Friday are expected to begin returning more than 1 million packages each day in December, jumpstarting the holiday returns season earlier than ever.

• Is Christmas too Commercial? Well, That’s the Reason it Became Popular.

  December 18, 2018

  It’s that time of the year again when some people will argue about the meaning of Christmas, others will be guilted into gift-giving and some will claim commercialization has ruined the holiday altogether. But then there’s Dr. Ruth McClelland-Nugent, a pop culture scholar, who says the root of these external and internal conflicts actually lies in the creation of our modern celebration of Christmas.

• Georgia Power Continues to Make Progress on Ash Pond Closures

  December 14, 2018

  Georgia Power announced the latest progress on its plan to safely close all 29 ash ponds at 11 active and retired coal-fired power plant sites across the state. The company is in the process of completely excavating 19 ash ponds located adjacent to lakes or rivers with the remaining 10 being closed in place using advanced engineering methods and closure technologies.

• Georgia Ports Authority on Track for 4.3M TEUs

  December 11, 2018

  The Georgia Ports Authority is on track to reach 4.36 million twenty-foot equivalent container units handled in 2018, its highest volumes ever in a calendar year. The performance would mean an increase of 8 percent (312,385 TEUs) compared to CY2017.

• Juanita Powell Baranco Shares Why She is A Founding Member of goBeyondProfit

  December 11, 2018

  Juanita Powell Baranco talks about why she believes every business leader should join in this commitment to strengthen our communities. ”The minute I heard about it, the minute I understood the goals and aspirations of this organization, I signed on immediately. It did not take long because I absolutely believe that every aspect of our economy, every aspect of our society – education, health, you need that business input. You need the thought processes of business. Your voice is absolutely needed.”

• Technical College System of Georgia Announces Four New College and Career Academies

  December 07, 2018

  The board of the Technical College System of Georgia approved grants totaling $12 million to establish new College and Career Academies in Ben Hill County, Jackson County, Jones County and Sumter County.

• UGA Forecast: Georgia Economy Still Riding Expansion Wave into 2019

  December 07, 2018

  Georgia’s economic growth will outpace the nation’s for the sixth straight year, according to the latest forecast from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business.

• Eric Tanenblatt: The George Bush I knew

  December 06, 2018

  George Herbert Walker Bush, whose careful custodianship of the unraveling of the old Soviet Union shaped a safer world for hundreds of millions, was mourned by a grateful nation Wednesday in a state funeral that brought together Republicans and Democrats in an increasingly rare demonstration of civility.

• #GivingTuesday 2018 Was Another Record Day of Generosity for Georgia

  December 05, 2018

  This November, we asked Georgia to #showyourlove for nonprofits, and our state came together in a record outpouring of generosity and community spirit. Today, we are thrilled to report that our second GAgives on #GivingTuesday campaign netted a grand total of $7.8 million in donations to our state's nonprofits – an increase of 15% from 2017 – including gifts of nearly $3.4 million through GAgives.org, and another $4.4 million across two dozen other donation platforms.

• Report: Georgia’s Colleges and Universities Generate $16.8B Economic Impact

  December 04, 2018

  In 2017, the University System of Georgia had a $16.8 billion economic impact on the state of Georgia.. The report also found that the USG created 163,754 jobs last year, and 2.2 of those jobs were created for every one USG job in an institution’s home town.

• First Lady Sandra Deal Completes 1,000th School Visit

  December 03, 2018

  First Lady Sandra Deal was joined by Bright from the Start: Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning Commissioner Amy M. Jacobs to visit The Academy Child Development Center in Oakwood, marking Mrs. Deal’s 1,000th school visit since Gov. Nathan Deal took office in 2011.

• Wayfair to Create 1,000 Jobs in Chatham County

  November 30, 2018

  Gov. Nathan Deal announced that Wayfair Inc., one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home, will create 1,000 jobs and open a new 1,164,800-square-foot facility in Savannah. New jobs will include supervisory, administrative and warehouse positions. Wayfair and its landlord plan to invest approximately $45 million in the project over the next five years.

• Consumers are ready to Spend This Holiday, but not Necessarily at the Stores

  November 29, 2018

  Holiday shoppers are more than prepared to buy in force this year. The only question is who will capture their dollars. Three out of four consumers (76 percent) plan to spend as much or more than they did last year, but, according to A.T. Kearney's 2018 Holiday Shopping Survey.

• Korean Battery Manufacturer to Create More Than 2,000 Jobs in Georgia

  November 28, 2018

  Gov. Nathan Deal announced that SK innovation, a developer and manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for hybrid electric vehicles, is estimated to create more than 2,000 jobs and invest $1.67 billion in a new manufacturing plant in Jackson County in the long term.

• Parker’s Promotes COO Jeff Bush to President of Award-Winning Foodservice and Convenience Store Company

  November 27, 2018

  Parker’s, a nationally-acclaimed food service and convenience store company headquartered in Savannah, Ga., recently promoted Jeff Bush to President, effective January 1, 2019. Bush will assume the position from longtime President and CEO Greg Parker, who will continue to serve as the Chairman and CEO of the Parker Companies.

• United Way of the Coastal Empire Surpasses Campaign Goal, Raises $8,285,608

  November 26, 2018

  With contributions from a multitude of businesses and individuals, United Way of the Coastal Empire’s 2018 fundraising campaign reached a total of $8,285,608 or 102% over the goal, allowing the organization to improve the lives of children, families, seniors, and person with disabilities for the upcoming year.

• Senators Isakson, Perdue, Carter Secure Critical Funding to Advance Savannah Harbor Expansion Project

  November 26, 2018

  U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and David Perdue (R-GA), and U.S. Representative Buddy Carter (R-GA-01), have secured additional federal funding to keep the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP) on track in 2019.

• Georgia Southern’s Q2 Economic Monitor Reports Economy up, Employment Growth Slows

  November 26, 2018

  Georgia Southern University’s latest Economic Monitor, which analyzes Q2 2018 data and identifies trends affecting the regional economy, reports that Savannah's three-county metro economy shows tourism growth leading the way, while retail sales, port activity and overall employment also contributed to area growth.

• AT&T Names Venessa Harrison President-Georgia

  November 16, 2018

  Venessa Harrison has been named new state president for AT&T in Georgia. With over three decades of experience with AT&T and its predecessor companies, Harrison comes to Georgia after serving as AT&T-North Carolina’s state president since 2013. She succeeds Bill Leahy, who recently announced his retirement after a nearly-four decade career with AT&T.

• Port of Savannah Achieves All-time Record in October

  November 14, 2018

  The Port of Savannah moved more container cargo in October than any other month in its history, with 413,800 twenty-foot equivalent container units crossing its docks. Containerized trade at the Port of Savannah has increased by 8 percent for the fiscal year to date (July-Oct. 2018), totaling 1.53 million TEUs - up 113,000 compared to the same period last year.

• Amazon Selects New York City and Northern Virginia for New Headquarters

  November 14, 2018

  Amazon announced that it has selected New York City and Arlington, Virginia, as the locations for the company’s new headquarters. Amazon will invest $5 billion and create more than 50,000 jobs across the two new headquarters locations, with more than 25,000 employees each in New York City and Arlington.

• Corporate Travel Pros Rank Delta No. 1 in Business Travel News Airline Survey for 8th Straight Year

  November 13, 2018

  For a record eighth consecutive year, the corporate travel community has ranked Delta No. 1 among U.S. airlines in the annual Business Travel News Airline Survey.

• Sen. Isakson: Significant Victories for Veterans

  November 12, 2018

  U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, delivered remarks on the Senate floor on October 11th highlighting the Senate’s significant bipartisan victories on behalf of our nation’s veterans and to honor our veterans ahead of Veterans Day.

• Small Business Optimism Reaches Post-Recession High Amid Continued Growth and Strong Economic Conditions

  November 12, 2018

  Continued growth and a strong economy have small business optimism reaching post-recession highs, particularly among male business owners, according to Capital One's latest Small Business Growth Index, a biannual survey of 500 small business owners gauging sentiment related to the economy, business conditions and plans for growth.

• Georgia Foreign-Trade Zone Recognized as Top Zone in U.S. for Second Consecutive Year

  November 11, 2018

  Georgia Foreign-Trade Zone announced that it was awarded the “Top Free Zones Award” by Site Selection magazine for the second consecutive year. GFTZ, which is consistently increasing its client base, was chosen for this recognition following a confidential global survey of more than 1,000 supply chain executives and site selection consultants.

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