October 2019 Features

• Small Business Wage Growth Gains Momentum, Job Growth Holds Steady in October

  October 31, 2019

  The tight labor market positively impacted wage growth in October, according to the latest Paychex | IHS Markit Small Business Employment Watch. Hourly earnings are on the rise, reaching 3.00 percent ($0.80) growth in October.

• Athens CVB Holds Annual Meeting & Presents Hospitality Awards

  October 25, 2019

  The Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) held its annual meeting Thursday, October 24, at The Classic Center to highlight the release of new tourism economic impact figures for Athens-Clarke County and present the annual Athens Hospitality Awards.

• Deloitte: Retailers Can Expect Jolly Holiday Shopping Season

  October 24, 2019

  For the 34th year, Deloitte commissioned a national survey of 4,410 consumers to better understand spending for the upcoming holiday season. Conducted online, Sept. 6-13, by an independent research company, the survey provides key insights into consumer behavior and what retailers can expect from shoppers as they tackle their holiday shopping.

• Zell Miller Foundation Announces Leadership Institute Class Of 2020

  October 23, 2019

  The Zell Miller Foundation has announced the members of the Zell Miller Leadership Institute Class of 2020. The Leadership Institute is a year-long leadership development program designed to explore the life, legacy, and core values Zell Miller believed were essential to becoming a more effective leader.

• Lawmakers Hear Testimony on Casinos and Gambling

  October 21, 2019

  For the past two days, members of the House Special Committee on Economic Growth have listened to a long trail of speakers that included casino executives, sports betting operators and other key stakeholders — some speaking in favor of legalizing gambling in Georgia and others against the idea. The committee is charged with looking at the economic benefits of allowing gambling in the state.

• Facing Some Economic Uncertainty, US Executives Focus on Building Resiliency

  October 21, 2019

  US executives are taking action to futureproof their organizations amid economic, geopolitical and regulatory uncertainty. Supported by stable pipelines and deal-closing intentions, 83% of US executives say they expect the domestic M&A market to improve, though only 46% plan to actively pursue M&A in the next year, according to the EY 21st Capital Confidence Barometer (CCB).

• Georgia Sets Jobs Record in September

  October 18, 2019

  State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler said that Georgia set a record again in September for total employed residents. The record came as Georgia continued to show improvement in other key measures like initial unemployment claims, labor force and the unemployment rate, according to preliminary numbers.

• UGA's College of Education to be Named in Honor of Mary Frances Early

  October 17, 2019

  The University of Georgia’s College of Education will be named, effective February 2020, to honor one of the state’s pioneering educators – Mary Frances Early, UGA’s first African American graduate and longtime leader of music education in Atlanta’s public school system.

• Georgia Lottery Celebrates Record First Quarter Transfer; $291.6M Raised for HOPE and Pre-K

  October 17, 2019

  The Georgia Lottery Corp. announced record profits for education for the first quarter of fiscal year 2020. Profits transferred to the State Treasury’s Lottery for Education Account will amount to $291.61 million, surpassing last year’s record first quarter transfer by $6.32 million.

• Georgia’s Rural Center Aims To Improve Health Outcomes For Rural Georgians

  October 16, 2019

  Well before sunrise on a crisp spring morning in rural Indiana, a small hospital receives an alert that an ambulance is in route, carrying a pregnant woman whose pre-term baby will need to be delivered by and receive critical neonatal care from a skeleton night-shift crew. In a county with no practicing pediatrician, obstetrician or neonatal specialist, the outlook for mother and child does not seem promising.

• New Research Finds Public Investment in Trails, Walking and Biking Infrastructure Delivers Potential Economic Benefits of $138.5B Annually

  October 16, 2019

  Rails-to-Trails Conservancy released findings from "Active Transportation Transforms America," the nation's most comprehensive analysis of the quantifiable impact of trails, walking and biking on the places we live.

• Athens Area Chamber of Commerce Hosting Business Expo

  October 14, 2019

  The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce will host over 80 vendors for a new Business Expo on Oct. 29 at The Classic Center from 3 to 7 p.m.

• Georgia Manufacturing Alliance Summit Agenda Speaks Volumes about Manufacturing Success in State

  October 14, 2019

  Georgia Manufacturing Alliance Founder and CEO, Jason Moss, punctuated the success of the state’s manufacturing segment at its fifth annual Summit with an agenda that recognized employer successes, hosted top tier keynoters and panelists, and spoke volumes about the organization itself.

• SBA Small Business Lending Reflects Strong Economic Trends

  October 11, 2019

  The U.S. Small Business Administration announced FY19 lending numbers showing that it guaranteed over $28 billion to entrepreneurs that otherwise would not have access to capital to start, grow, or expand their small businesses.

• Tim Lee and America’s Two Percent

  October 10, 2019

  America, home of the free – and the brave – remains so principally because of the sacrifice of the country’s two percent. A 2014 Pew Research Center report noted there were 90,107 government units in the U.S. — everything from county governments – more than 3,000 – to independent school district governments. While some serve in appointed positions, there are hundreds of thousands of Americans serving in elected office, mostly at the local level.

• Gas South Named Inaugural Recipient of goBeyondProfit Champion Award

  October 09, 2019

  Today Gas South was named the inaugural winner of the goBeyondProfit Champion Award. This honor is given to companies who exhibit exemplary efforts to benefit their community and company by cultivating company culture, deploying company resources and focusing on community empowerment.

• Georgia Chamber Hosted A Successful Rural Prosperity Summit

  October 04, 2019

  The Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosted a successful third annual Rural Prosperity Summit on Tuesday and Wednesday in Tifton. This year’s event hosted nearly 500 business leaders, community advocates and state elected officials, along with notable speakers who discussed vital topics centered around Georgia’s rural communities.

• North Athens Downtown Development Project Memorandum of Understanding Approved

  October 03, 2019

  At the Athens-Clarke County Mayor and Commission Regular Session voting meeting on Tuesday, October 1, the Commission voted unanimously to enter into a memorandum of understanding between the Athens Housing Authority and the Athens-Clarke County Unified Governmentto support the North Athens Downtown Development Project.

• “Health Connect South 2019” Conference Provides Hundreds of Partnership Opportunities for Health Care Leaders

  October 03, 2019

  A record number of over 900 top-tier health care leaders in the Southeast interacted with a cadre of 68 keynoters, other speakers and panelists who presented multiple partnership opportunities at the “Health Connect South 2019” (HCS) conference. The sixth annual event was held recently at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.

• More GOP Names Surface for U.S. Senate Appointment

  October 03, 2019

  Over 500 Republican names have been submitted to Gov. Brian Kemp for consideration to be appointed to the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Johnny Isakson on Dec. 31.

• Georgia Power Named a Top U.S. Utility for Economic Development

  October 01, 2019

  For the 21st consecutive year, Georgia Power has been named a "Top U.S. Utility for Economic Development" by Site Selection magazine. Only 20 utilities were chosen for this honor out of more than 3,300 across the country.

• U.S. Metro Areas Continue To Drive Nation's Economic Growth, Post Fifth Consecutive Year Of Increase

  October 01, 2019

  The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) released its 18th annual report and forecast on U.S. Metro Economies, showing that cities and metro regions continue to be the engines of U.S. economic growth. In 2018, these areas were home to 85.9% of the nation's population and 91.1% of real gross domestic product (GDP). The influence and contribution of metro economies to U.S. economic growth increased for the fifth consecutive year.