Albany Georgia is the kind of place you have to go to on purpose. It’s about 45 minutes to an hour off I-75, whether you’re traveling from Cordele or Tifton. It’s landlocked in the heart of Southwest Georgia. And it’s one of the places that helped me fully understand and appreciate, as an “Atlantan”, the outlook of those who live in rural Georgia.

About a decade ago I was asked to join a trip through South Georgia with those who had worked on constructing and passing the revised gas tax formula with a bill that added almost one billion dollars per year to Georgia’s road repaving and bridge rebuilding budget. That bill also added the first dedicated state funding to transit systems.  

The era was just past the peak of the Tea Party movement, and some leaders were a bit nervous how the bill was being received at the local level. This particular leg of presentations that were part sales, part listening tour, took us from Columbus one late afternoon, to Albany for dinner, and on to Valdosta for a breakfast presentation the following morning.  

The Albany stop was different from the public town hall type events in the other two cities. We arrived a bit late to what I recall was a nice steakhouse and were welcomed and escorted to a room in the back. A handful of community leaders had been assembled by the local chamber to have dinner with us and chat.

I recall the setup being a “U” shaped assemblage of tables where the local chamber folks were mostly on one side.  Our group filled in most of the other side.  The Chamber President sat toward the middle.  I was the closest of our group to her.

Everyone was hungry by the time we arrived. Food was served promptly and everyone began eating. Our guys were making small talk among themselves, as were the hosts on the other side of the table. The Chamber President and I exchanged a few awkward looks as whatever collaboration we were supposed to be having wasn’t yet happening.

I, lacking shyness and always willing to risk inappropriateness, spoke up a bit over the voice level everyone else was using and said to her, “Well, I’m sure y’all are weary of people saying we’re from Atlanta and we’re here to help, but what’s on everyone’s mind?”

The others quit talking. Everyone looked at the Chamber President for her response.

She didn’t flinch. In a very direct and sincere voice she said “No. We’re genuinely happy someone is here to ask.”

What followed was a long two-way conversation that lasted for more than two hours.  We arrived off schedule and departed for Valdosta even more so. I and we learned a lot in that time. I still remember quite a bit of it.

The transportation dream goal was to extend the rail line from Cordele, which was Georgia’s first “inland port”, to get direct and higher speed freight rail access to Georgia’s growing ports. That would go a long way to helping them attract businesses. Unlike Metro Atlanta and most of North and Coastal Georgia, the Southwest corner of the state was losing population and jobs.

We drilled down further. I got granular. I asked specifically what kind of employers they were hoping to attract. The realistic short term goal was a meatpacker, or some other type of food processor. 

I’d been covering Economic Development announcements for years. They weren’t looking for a Kia factory like West Point had landed.  Metro Atlanta had been landing regional tech headquarters and bio-science jobs with six figure average salaries. Albany wanted, dare I say needed, employers to help them process regionally grown food.

Governor Brian Kemp shifted the focus of Economic Development to Rural Georgia. The success of the efforts have transformed both the rural economy and as we’re seeing with the current elections, the issues and expectations of much of the state.

Albany was not left behind. Outdoor Network added a new facility to build outboard boat motors. Proctor & Gamble shifted production of some major brands to their facilities in the area. Several logistics companies have also expanded in the area. 

Economic development success is measured differently in different parts of the state.  In Albany and much of deep rural Georgia, every job matters.

Governor Kemp also noticed that commitment to land every job and employ every Georgian by that Chamber President, even if it might not raise eyebrows to most Metro Atlantans. Her name is Barbara Rivera Homes, and Governor Kemp appointed her as Labor Commissioner after the death of Commissioner Bruce Thompson. 

She’s now running for election, on the ballot for the first time. I didn’t meet her as a politician, but as someone who very much understood what people “from Atlanta” could do to help (or hurt) the prospects of those who live and work in remote parts of the state.

Now she is in one of those pivotal positions. She works in Atlanta. I have no doubt that when she is in rural Georgia, people know instantly that she is there to help.