September 2019 Features

• goBeyondProfit’s CEO Forum on Implementing Business Purpose will feature C-Suite Leaders of Georgia Power, Souper Jenny, H.J. Russell & Company, Cox Enterprises and Jackson Healthcare

  September 27, 2019

  On Wednesday, October 23, the statewide initiative goBeyondProfit will host a CEO Forum featuring five C-Suite leaders on Implementing Purpose in Your Daily Business. The free event is open to all via Facebook Live, and to members in person. The event will be held at Jackson Healthcare on Wednesday, October 23 from 3:30-5 pm.

• ATL to Hold Transit “District Downloads”

  September 26, 2019

  The Atlanta Region-Transit Link Authority (ATL), mandated by state law to provide coordinated transit planning and funding for metro Atlanta, will hold 10 evening community engagement sessions dubbed “District Downloads.” The goal: Inform taxpayers about the expensive transit projects submitted to the ATL’s database as a part of its “Call for Projects” for inclusion in the ATL’s Regional Transit Plan (ARTP).

• Athens Area Community Foundation Welcomes 2019-2020 Board

  September 25, 2019

  The Athens Area Community Foundation announced its new Board of Directors for the 2019-2020 year. The newly elected Board Members include: Mayor Kelly Girtz (ex-officio, no term); Clark Brown, Wealth Strategist at Vickery Financial; and Kirk Smith, President of The AdSmith. Rolling off of the board this year are Kathy Kirbo (ex-officio member), and Cynthia Lester (3rd term member).

• Athens Makes List of Best College Towns for Startups

  September 20, 2019

  Athens, Georgia comes in at #8 for top college towns for starting a business, a new study from TollFreeForwarding has revealed.

• Georgia Sets Jobs Records in August

  September 20, 2019

  State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said that Georgia broke records again in August – posting all-time highs in jobs and employment. Georgia had even more positive news in the August preliminary numbers. The state added to its labor force for the first time in six months and saw new unemployment claims fall.

• New Survey Data Indicates Increased Confidence And Investment In Innovation Among Fortune 1000

  September 20, 2019

  Fortune 1000 companies are showing increased confidence in their innovation strategies and investments according to Benchmarking Innovation Impact 2020, a new report from Innovation Leader, sponsored by KPMG LLP.

• GDOT Celebrates Success of Northwest Corridor Express Lanes

  September 19, 2019

  Opened a year ago this week, the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes were another piece of the puzzle for the Georgia Department of Transportation in the seemingly impossible fight against traffic congestion in Metro Atlanta. A year in, the project has been more successful than imagined.

• Georgia Chamber CEO Chris Clark: Rural Renaissance Op-Ed

  September 18, 2019

  I’m a child of rural Georgia. I was born and raised in Ben Hill and Irwin Counties with ample time spent in Brooks and Colquitt Counties. I stayed in rural environments through college at Georgia Southern and grad school at Georgia College. My first chamber job was on the banks of the Ocmulgee River in Hawkinsville.

• Senator David Perdue: Johnny Isakson Is One Of The Greatest Among Us

  September 18, 2019

  U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) spoke on the Senate floor to honor the legacy of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA), who plans to retire at the end of 2019.

• Jennifer Abshire: Maximize Your Philanthropic Dollars through Strategic Giving

  September 17, 2019

  Philanthropic giving is an increasingly important aspect of any business model. Consumers research and choose to do business with companies that support causes they believe in. Like any success you find in business, successful philanthropic giving requires strategic planning.

• Kabbage Launches the Only Interactive Index Analyzing Revenue Trends of U.S. Small Businesses

  September 17, 2019

  Kabbage, Inc., a data and technology company providing small businesses cash flow solutions, launched the Kabbage Small Business Revenue Index. Drawing from the 2 million live data connections Kabbage maintains across its customer base of over 200,000 small businesses, the Kabbage Small Business Revenue Index is the only interactive tool analyzing live revenue trends of U.S. small businesses.

• Georgia Ports Draw $5B Investment, 12K Jobs to Georgia

  September 13, 2019

  Port-related announcements of expansions and new business accounted for nearly $5 billion in investment and 12,000 jobs across the state of Georgia in Fiscal Year 2019, a year in which the Port of Savannah moved a record 4.5 million twenty-foot equivalent container units.

• Kia Motors Produces Three Millionth Vehicle in the U.S.

  September 13, 2019

  Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia, Inc. (KMMG) reached another milestone when the plant’s three millionth vehicle – a white 2020 Telluride SX Prestige – rolled off the assembly line in West Point, Georgia.

• 2018 Saw Record-Breaking Accomplishments of Georgia's Tourism Industry

  September 12, 2019

  Governor Brian P. Kemp recognized the performance and impact of the state’s tourism industry while attending the 2019 Georgia Governor’s Tourism Conference in LaGrange. Visitors in Georgia spent an estimated $31 billion in 2018 – a 4.8% increase over 2017 numbers.

• Georgia Power's State-of-the-art Automation Solutions Featured in North America's First Smart City Laboratory

  September 12, 2019

  Georgia Power and the City of Peachtree Corners are celebrating the opening of the Curiosity Lab, a 1.5-mile intelligent mobility and smart city laboratory. The new living laboratory will be the first of its kind in the country and provide lab users with access to Georgia Power's state-of-the-art automation solutions and subject matter experts on the company's latest smart energy technologies and solutions.

• Governor Kemp Announces Record Year for Global Commerce and Film

  September 12, 2019

  Governor Brian Kemp joined the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) to announce the record-breaking impact the Global Commerce and Film Divisions had in Georgia during fiscal year 2019 (FY19), which ran from July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019.

• Next Phase of University of Georgia’s Innovation District Advancing

  September 11, 2019

  The next phase of the University of Georgia’s Innovation District is advancing. The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents approved the renovation of the Spring Street Building, which will be transformed into a creative and dynamic space to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry engagement at UGA. The $4.4 million project is expected to be completed by January 2021 through the support of private donations.

• Georgia Named "Top State for Business" for 6th Straight Year

  September 11, 2019

  Governor Brian Kemp announced that Georgia has been named the “Top State for Business” by Area Development, a leading publication covering corporate site selection and relocation, for the sixth year in a row. The results are determined by the publication’s poll of site consultants.

• UPS To Hire About 100,000 For Holiday Season

  September 10, 2019

  UPS announced that it expects to hire about 100,000 seasonal employees to support the anticipated annual increase in package volume that will begin in November and continue through January 2020. That's enough people to populate a city the size of Albany, N.Y.

• UGA Dedicates Buildings Named for Ivester, Orkins

  September 09, 2019

  The University of Georgia dedicated the final two buildings of the Business Learning Community in a ceremony on the Coca-Cola Plaza Sept. 6.

• AG Chris Carr: Georgia's Working to End Substance Addiction, Overcome Stigma

  September 09, 2019

  September is National Recovery Month, and today, an estimated 180,000 Georgians are living with an opioid-use disorder. To put this staggering number into perspective, that means we have a population the size of Macon coping with the malicious effects caused by the opioid crisis.

• The Average Online Purchase Delivery Now Takes 2-3 Days, Thanks to Amazon. Small Businesses Are Finding Ways to Keep Up.

  September 09, 2019

  When an online shopper clicks "Purchase" on an Amazon order, they often don't think about the large reaction they set off with their order – and all the technology and manpower required to get an item from a warehouse to their doorstep within two days or less.

• Fall Signature Lectures to Bring Notable Figures to UGA

  September 06, 2019

  Nationally and internationally recognized leaders in fields ranging from the arts and humanities to politics and business will visit the University of Georgia this fall as part of the Signature Lecture Series.

• Georgia Banks Earn $1.2B during Second Quarter 2019

  September 06, 2019

  Georgia’s 166 state-based FDIC insured banks earned $1.2 billion in the second quarter of 2019, an increase of 9.1% from first quarter.

• U.S. Mint Honors Georgia’s Secret Garden

  September 06, 2019

  In 1734, just two years after General James Oglethorpe founded Georgia as a British Colony, he established the continent’s first public agricultural experimental garden in the new city of Savannah. The Trustees’ Garden, modeled after botanical gardens at some of England’s most prominent universities, was to experiment with growing a wide array of commercial produce such as silk, cotton, and wine, as well as medical botanicals.