Features

• Athens-Clarke County Designated as a Tier 2 Community

  March 13, 2015

  Each year, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs ranks all of Georgia’s 159 counties based on the following economic factors: unemployment rate for the most recent 36 month period, per capita income for the most recent 36 month period, and percentage of residents whose incomes are below the poverty level. Athens-Clarke County has traditionally been a Tier 1 community, but has been designated a Tier 2 community for 2015.

• Jim Blanchard on Changing the Leadership Culture

  March 12, 2015

  When former Chairman & CEO of Synovus Jim Blanchard retired, his agenda didn’t fill with days dedicated to front-porch sitting. He desired to perpetuate and expand the influence of what he calls “servant leadership.” He proposed the concept of a leadership forum to his successor, who, understanding the value, eagerly agreed to sponsor the program. That was 10 years ago. The 10th annual Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum will roll out later this year in August.

• Italian Founded SaaS Software Company Docebo Invests in Athens

  March 11, 2015

  Docebo has raised $3M in growth equity from Klass Capital to accelerate the growth of its SaaS enterprise E-Learning platform. This is Docebo’s second venture backed financing round, originally funded by a leading Italian Venture Capital firm Principia SGR.

• Athens Visitors Guide Wins Best Ideas Award

  March 10, 2015

  The Athens Convention and Visitors Bureau's Athens Visitors Guide has won a Best Ideas Award from the Georgia Association of CVBs. The Best Ideas competition recognizes creative excellence and effectiveness in marketing, advertising, and promotional campaigns.

• Digital Marketing Boot Camp in Athens Scheduled for March 25th

  March 09, 2015

  The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center, Athens Office, is sponsoring a one day “Digital Marketing Boot Camp” in Athens on Wednesday, March 25th.

• How to Get Your Management Team to Buy Into Marketing Strategy

  March 06, 2015

  Have you ever had your management team agree on something unanimously? If I were a betting man, I’d say probably not. That’s why facing a challenge like implementing a new marketing strategy can be so tiring. Not only do you have to develop the strategy – which will definitely take up a fair amount of time and resources – you also have to get your management team to support the plan.

• From The Floor Up – Georgia's Shaw Industries Invests In People

  March 05, 2015

  Vance Bell, CEO of Shaw Industries, headquartered in Dalton, maintains that there are few businesses for which people aren’t the company’s greatest asset. That is why Shaw’s mission —“Great People. Great Products. Great Service. Always.”—begins with people.

• Peterson Spring Celebrates Company's Centennial Anniversary

  March 04, 2015

  Peterson Spring, a division of Peterson American Corporation, has been in business in Athens, GA since 1963. On November 18, 2014, Peterson Spring was host to a celebration to commemorate the corporation’s 100 years of business.

• Profile of Wayne Hale of McCann Machining Company

  March 03, 2015

  Wayne Hale began his career at McCann Machining Company on July 23, 1971, soon after returning from his service in Vietnam as part of the 11th Calvary Regiment. Hale started out nearly forty-four years ago at McCann as a machine operator while attending night classes at Athens Tech using the G.I. Bill to earn his degree in Machine Tool Technology and eventually worked his way up to Senior Quality Engineer.

• 3 Important Reasons Great Entrepreneurs Must be Great Salespeople

  March 02, 2015

  If you were asked to close your eyes and think of the top five traits that a successful entrepreneur should have, what would be on that list? Think about it. Does salesmanship make it onto the list? It should.

• Georgia Chamber CEO Chris Clark on Transportation Funding: We Can’t Afford to Wait

  February 27, 2015

  There are few things more important to any community than transportation, and the same goes for any business. No matter what size or location our communities need safe, efficient connectivity for both residents and businesses. This is why improving Georgia’s transportation infrastructure has long been a focus of the Georgia Chamber and why it is our highest priority for the 2015 legislative session.

• Athens Regional Announces New Head of Health System

  February 25, 2015

  Dr. Charles Peck has been appointed CEO and President of Athens Regional Health System effective March 15, 2015. Dr. Peck has been serving as Interim CEO since September 2014. In December, the Board of Trustees appointed a CEO Steering Committee composed of physicians, nursing, administration, and board members, and engaged a national search firm to assist in the CEO selection process.

• UGA to Dedicate Washington, D.C., Facility Feb. 26th

  February 24, 2015

  The University of Georgia will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Delta Hall, its new permanent residential facility located in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 26th. Speakers for the event include Sen. Johnny Isakson; Tad Hutcheson, vice president of community affairs for Delta Air Lines; UGA President Jere W. Morehead; UGA Foundation Chair John P. Spalding; and Torie Ness, a political science major and Washington Semester Program participant.

• 25 Ways to Save Money on Business Travel

  February 23, 2015

  You probably don’t fly first class if you want to save money on business travel. And if you’re checking several websites before booking flights and hotel rooms you’re already doing better than many travelers. But are you doing flexible-date airfare searches before scheduling business trips? That strategy, can save you hundreds of dollars.

• What's New and Upcoming for 2015 in Athens?

  February 19, 2015

  Athens does not need much help proving itself a hot spot on any traveler's to-do list. Athens is vibrant city that is consistently moving forward through the addition and expansion of its infamous dining options, variety of unique businesses and zestful attractions that keep visitors yearning for more time in this lively city.

• Girl Scouts to Honor Dr. Carla Williams as 2015 Athens Woman of Distinction

  February 18, 2015

  Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia is proud to announce that Dr. Carla Williams has been selected as the 2015 Athens Woman of Distinction honoree. The luncheon event in her honor will be held Tuesday, May 12, 2015 at 11:30 a.m. at the Georgia Center. Tickets will be available for individual purchase for $75.

• McCann Aerospace Machining Celebrating 51 Years in Athens

  February 17, 2015

  This year, McCann Aerospace Machining will be celebrating 51 years in Athens, Georgia. McCann is a Tier II supplier of large, complex monolithic machined structural parts and assemblies for the global aerospace industry and supplies several of the highest value commercial aerospace and military platforms, including the Boeing 787, Gulfstream G650 and Lockheed Martin F-35. During the past five decades in Athens, McCann has earned the reputation as one of Georgia’s largest aerospace machining companies.

• 11 Ways to Engage Customers With Your Website

  February 16, 2015

  Offering valuable advice and information to prospects through your company blog is one of the best things you can do for your business. However, it can often be tough to get your clients or customers engaged with your work. To find out how other business owners gain leads with their content marketing and blogging programs, we asked the following question: “What are some ways to engage customers and get them actively reading my business blog?”

• Judges Choose 30 Finalists for UGA’s 2015 Flavor of Georgia Contest

  February 13, 2015

  Judges have selected 30 products to compete in the final round of the University of Georgia’s 2015 Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest March 9-10 at the Georgia Railroad Freight Depot in Atlanta.

• Georgia Leaders Weigh in on This Week's 27th Annual Georgia Quail Hunt

  February 12, 2015

  While business expansion and recruitment for Georgia is the overall goal of the 27th annual Georgia Quail Hunt this week, the wooing is taking place among the wiregrass and pines of Southwest Georgia plantations.The event welcomed 18 business and industry recruitment and expansion prospects from around the world to Southwest Georgia.

• Protecting Small Business Intellectual Property

  February 11, 2015

  Despite the argument made by some small business advocates that intellectual property (IP) “is the backbone of America’s innovative small businesses,” small companies are less likely than large ones to believe that legal forms of intellectual property (IP) protection are important to their operations, a National Science Foundation (NSF) survey of U.S. companies reveals.

• Governor Deal Pushes Georgia to Improve Education and Infrastructure in 2015

  February 10, 2015

  Georgia ranks number one in the nation in terms of its business climate. In an interview with Georgia CEO, Governor Nathan Deal shares how he believes attention to industry and infrastructure in 2015 will move Georgia forward and preserve its status as the best state to do business.

• University of Georgia Unveils 2015 Bulldog 100 Rankings; Kabbage Inc. Tops List

  February 09, 2015

  The University of Georgia Alumni Association recognized the 100 fastest-growing companies owned or operated by UGA alumni during the sixth annual Bulldog 100 Celebration Feb. 7th at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.

• 10 Board Trends for 2015

  February 06, 2015

  "As corporate boards kick off the year in a generally positive global economic climate, directors can think more strategically about growth," says Susan Stautberg, CEO of WomenCorporateDirectors. "2015 will deliver more opportunities for established industries and fast-growing sectors alike, and boards will need to ensure their companies are continuing to evolve."

• Four Athens Launches TechEd Afterschool Programs

  February 05, 2015

  In January, Four Athens launched the first of its afterschool tech education programs for area middle schools. In partnership with local education leaders and business owners, the first 8-week software development class began January 12th at Clarke Middle, introducing students to basic programming skills by building a simple game.

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