July 2019 Features

• Augusta Metro Chamber Presents Augusta Digital Inclusion Summit, August 1st

  July 31, 2019

  The Augusta Metro Chamber's Business Education Advisory Council (BEAC) presents Augusta Digital Inclusion Summit on Thursday, August 1st.

• U.S. Workers See Undeniable Value in STEM Education and Skills

  July 31, 2019

  Randstad US released the U.S. data from the global quarterly Randstad Workmonitor survey for Q2 2019. According to the survey, if U.S. employees could go back in time to age 18, 68 percent say they would focus on a field of study within science, technology, engineering or math (STEM). This sentiment is indicative of the perceived high value of a STEM education and career path over other educational tracks.

• Fort Gordon Cyber District/Alliance for Education Selected as 2018-2019 CyberPatriot Center of Excellence of the Year

  July 30, 2019

  Fort Gordon Cyber District / Alliance for Cyber Education was selected the 2018-2019 CyberPatriot Center of Excellence of the Year.

• Georgia Chooses Dominion Voting Systems to Install New Statewide Voting System

  July 30, 2019

  After a competitive selection process, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger selects Dominion Voting Systems to implement its new verified paper ballot system. Implementation of the new secure voting system will start immediately and be in place and fully operational for the March 24th, 2020 Presidential Preference Primary.

• Military a Dominant Force in Georgia’s Economy

  July 29, 2019

  Georgia is known for many things — peaches, peanuts, The Masters… but what about the military? Many people are unaware of the impact the military plays on Georgia and its economy. Georgia has the fifth largest military population in America with an economic impact of over $28 billion yearly. The top five are California, Virginia, Texas, North Carolina and Georgia.

• Georgia Power, PulteGroup Celebrate Opening of Atlanta's First Smart Neighborhood

  July 26, 2019

  Georgia Power and PulteGroup are celebrating the opening of Atlanta's first Smart Neighborhood. Leaders from Georgia Power, PulteGroup, the Georgia Public Service Commission, U.S. Department of Energy, City of Atlanta and the project's technology partners joined together to officially open the neighborhood today at PulteGroup's development in Atlanta's Upper West Side, one of the city's most vibrant and popular areas.

• Georgia Centers of Innovation's Steve Justice: A Tale of Two Georgia River Cities

  July 25, 2019

  Our team recently visited two cities on opposite borders of the state, yet bound by geography, history, and a desire to embrace innovation to move their communities forward. I am referring to Augusta and Columbus; historic Georgia communities located on our state’s eastern and western borders. Augusta and Columbus are building strong local innovation ecosystems to address growing their economies for the 21st century.

• Senoia, Summerville Ranked as Safest Cities in Georgia

  July 24, 2019

  Senoia, in Coweta County, has jumped into the top spot for the safest cities in Georgia, according to the latest survey performed by Safewise.com. Eleven new cities were added to Georgia’s safest list this year — meaning 78% of last year’s top cities made the cut again.

• Augusta Technical College Receives USDA Grant Funding for Automotive Technology and Medical Assisting Programs

  July 23, 2019

  Augusta Technical College has received $182,724 in grant funding from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Agency to purchase equipment for its Automotive Technology ($44,750) and Medical Assisting ($137,974) programs.

• goBeyondProfit Launches Precedent-setting Award for Corporate Generosity that Demonstrates Both Community and Company Impacts

  July 23, 2019

  goBeyondProfit initiative, a no-cost resource for business leaders interested in evolving their corporate generosity as a business strategy, has announced a first of its kind award for Georgia business leaders and their Georgia’s companies -- the goBeyondProfit Champion.

• Georgia Tourism Announces New List of “Georgia’s 100 Plates”

  July 19, 2019

  The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Tourism Division announced the release of the 2019-2020 Explore Georgia Official State Culinary Guide. The fifth annual digest-sized guide features the wildly popular nomination-based “Georgia’s 100 Plates” list; a feature on five noteworthy female chefs; a guide to the best places to sample peaches, barbecue, craft beer, international cuisine and Southern dishes; as well as an exceptional selection of the state’s best food and drink festivals.

• Senators Isakson, Perdue Introduce Bill to Help Fill Critical Vacancies at Georgia Military Depots

  July 19, 2019

  U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and David Perdue, R-Ga., introduced legislation on Monday to eliminate a current six-month waiting period before retired military service members may be hired as federal civilian employees.

• Augusta Metro Chamber President Serving as Chair of GACCE 2019-20 Board

  July 18, 2019

  Augusta Metro Chamber President Sue Parr is pleased to be serving as Chair of the Greater Association of Chamber of Commerce Executive (GACCE) 2019-20 Board of Directors. Sue has been an active member of the GACCE Board for several years.

• Hurricane Season Is Here: Insights into What Georgia Companies Do Best to Help Those in Need

  July 18, 2019

  Luckily Hurricane Barry’s flooding wasn’t as catastrophic as it might have been, but hurricane season and tropical disturbances are already keeping meteorologists busy as weather forecasters try to prepare us for potential impact, storm damage and flooding.

• Co-working Office Buildings on the Rise

  July 18, 2019

  Demand for co-working spaces is expected to show continued strong growth over the next few years, as more younger workers favor flexible office space over traditional office settings, according to BBG, a leading commercial real estate due diligence firm.

• Georgia Chamber to Host Rural Prosperity North Georgia Forum

  July 17, 2019

  The Georgia Chamber of Commerce will be hosting the first-ever Rural Prosperity North Georgia Forum on July 23rd at the University of North Georgia Convocation Center. Following the widely successful annual Rural Prosperity Summit in Tifton, the newly introduced North Georgia Forum focuses on the unique aspects of rural communities in North Georgia and seeks to bring solutions that cultivates prosperity for these portions of our state.

• Governor Kemp Appoints First State-wide Business Court Judge

  July 16, 2019

  Governor Brian P. Kemp appointed Walter W. Davis to serve as the first state-wide business court judge. The Georgia State-wide Business Court was approved by Georgia voters in the November 2018 election and codified with bipartisan support in the 2019 legislative session.

• Georgia Lottery Raises Historic $1.2B for Education

  July 15, 2019

  Governor Brian P. Kemp is proud to announce that the Georgia Lottery has transferred its fiscal year (FY) 2019 profits - a total of $1,207,369,000 - to the State Treasury’s Lottery for Education Account, marking the largest annual transfer in the Georgia Lottery’s 26-year history. Now, the total funds raised for education amounts to more than $21 billion.

• Masters Rental Tax Bills Stirring Opposition

  July 11, 2019

  Two bills that will be carried over to the 2020 General Assembly have various renters across the state up in arms, but resistance is especially strong at the home of the famed Masters golf tournament: Augusta.

• Peter Carter: Airline Joint Ventures are Putting Atlanta Front and Center on the Global Stage

  July 10, 2019

  For Georgians, it has never been easier to travel internationally. Take for example, Delta’s non-stop flight between Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Seoul, Korea. This flight was made possible by Delta’s joint venture partnership with Korean Air, which gives travelers convenient access and a seamless experience across the Pacific, with easy connections beyond Seoul to more than 80 additional destinations across Asia.

• Georgia Power Names Jason Cuevas Northeast Region Vice President

  July 09, 2019

  Georgia Power's Board of Directors has elected Jason Cuevas as vice president for the company's Northeast Region, effective immediately. In this role, he will lead external activities for 368,000 customers in a 39-county area, which includes Athens, Gainesville, Milledgeville, Augusta, and the state's largest jobs-producing construction project, Plant Vogtle Units 3 & 4.

• Young Gamechangers to Present Big Ideas to Monroe/Walton County on August 9th

  July 09, 2019

  Since the beginning of the year 45 of Georgia’s brightest young professionals have been working on a project in Monroe/Walton County. They met with community leaders, toured businesses and schools, visited neighborhoods and parks, researched history, and re-imagined the area’s connectivity in their quest to come up with big ideas and innovative solutions to some of the area’s most persistent challenges.

• Katrina Keefer Named CEO at AU Health

  July 02, 2019

  Katrina Keefer, a senior health care executive with one of the nation’s largest academic medical centers, has been named executive vice president for health affairs at Augusta University and chief executive officer for Augusta University Health System, effective July 15th.

• Georgia Chamber Completes A Successful Regional Small Business Series

  July 02, 2019

  The Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosted a six-stop statewide tour throughout the early summer months. The Regional Small Business Series, also known as New Georgia Economy, offered half-day workshops to provide unique insight on the emerging business trends and risks, and the impact to small businesses, innovation and entrepreneurship that the state faces.

• Members of Georgia Delegation Urge Timely, Effective Implementation of Disaster Relief Funds

  July 02, 2019

  U.S. Senators David Perdue (R-GA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) wrote this week to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to encourage the Trump administration to work with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to ensure that farmers affected by Hurricane Michael receive needed aid as soon as possible. They applauded Secretary Perdue for his support of disaster aid legislation signed into law on June 6, 2019.