- OneGeorgia Authority

Transcription

OGA1004 Five Year Report 1-07.qxd
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Bridging the
Economic
Divide
Volume I
2000–2006
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As a native of rural Georgia, I’m committed to preparing our entire state
to successfully compete in the global marketplace.
To meet that challenge, OneGeorgia offers financial partnerships with
rural communities to create strong economies in all business sectors, allowing
new and existing industries, both large and small, to flourish.
OneGeorgia is bridging Georgia’s economic divide by ensuring balanced
growth across the state, helping to guarantee that all Georgians have
access to economic opportunities in their own communities.
”
—Governor Sonny Perdue
Chairman, OneGeorgia Authority
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History
As Georgia policymakers and elected officials prepared for the first
legislative session of the new millennium, U. S. Census data highlighting the
state’s growth during the last decade of the 20th century confirmed Georgia’s
continuing economic divide. Many areas of Georgia had ridden a wave of
unprecedented growth, wealth and prosperity in the 1990s. Georgia’s
population had grown by nearly two million people, an increase of nearly 26
percent, to just over 8.1 million. The report listed Georgia as one of the leading
population gainers in the country for the 1990–2000 decade and projected that
Georgia’s population would top ten million by 2010.
Further analysis confirmed that many of Georgia’s rural areas saw further
declines in population, jobs and personal wealth. More than 76 percent of
Georgia’s population growth of nearly two million people over the last decade
had occurred in urban areas. Georgia’s rural areas simply had not kept pace
with jobs, economic prosperity or population growth during the most
prosperous decade in Georgia’s history. Upcoming changes in the Farm Bill
added concerns among those involved in Georgia’s number one economic
driver — agriculture. The cumulative effect caused state policymakers and
legislators to consider possible new strategies to bridge the economic divide and
promote long term balanced growth for all areas of Georgia.
A key factor in the discussions for new strategies centered on the knowledge
that Georgia, along with a number of other states, had recently participated in
the Master Tobacco Settlement, a 25-year settlement with Georgia’s share
estimated at close to $5 billion. A policy decision was made by the state’s top
elected officials to dedicate one-third of the 25-year Master Tobacco Settlement
to assist Georgia’s most economically challenged rural areas. Legislation creating
the OneGeorgia Authority was passed and signed into law by Governor Roy
Barnes during the 2000 legislative session. The state conducted a series of town
hall meetings in middle and south Georgia during the summer of 2000 to
present their plans along with the structure for the EDGE and Equity programs,
eligibility criteria and evaluation procedures. The program was designed to
rigorously evaluate the worthiness of applications and to track a project’s
progress and impact so that projected results became reality. Advocates for the
authority saw it as an opportunity to address key economic development
projects in rural Georgia.
The OneGeorgia Authority, projected to open in the fall of 2000, would
have a central location in Dublin, with the goal of changing the state’s rural
economic development landscape by assisting Georgia’s poorest and least
developed rural areas in reaching economic parity with other parts of the state.
The Authority, anticipated to receive $1.6 billion over the course of the
settlement, would be an ambitious and innovative program, providing
substantial funding to the state’s neediest areas.
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Milestones 2000–2006
2000
•
•
•
•
•
•
Senate Bill 398, creating OneGeorgia Authority signed into law by Governor Roy Barnes.
OneGeorgia begins operations on October 1 in Dublin.
First OneGeorgia Authority Board meeting held on October 6 at the Capitol.
OneGeorgia Board authorizes transfer of $13 million to the Tobacco Board.
Governor Barnes and Board adopt regulations for EDGE and Equity Funds.
First EDGE application received (to support Farmland Beef in Moultrie).
2001
• First EDGE award issued on January 10 to JDA of Brooks, Colquitt, Grady, Mitchell and
Thomas Counties to support beef processing plant in Moultrie.
• First Round of Equity awards announced in March — 18 awards totaling $6.4 million.
• OneGeorgia Board authorizes transfer of $10 million to fund the Flint River Drought Protection
Program to compensate farmers for crop loss when irrigation must be halted to maintain adequate
reserves in the Flint River Basin.
• First recipients’ workshop held at Middle Georgia RDC in Macon on August 8.
• A total of 41 awards totaling $18.1 million are made during the first full year.
2002
• Lt. Governor Mark Taylor calls for creation of a program to provide emergency services to Georgia’s
poorest areas, pointing out that Georgia ranks second in the nation (behind Missouri) with 31
counties and over 250,000 Georgians without the benefit of emergency services.
• Governor Barnes and Board adopt regulations for the Regional E 9-1-1 Fund, targeted to 31 rural
counties presently without E 9-1-1 service, at the August meeting held in Moultrie.
• OneGeorgia Authority and Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) partner to educate
rural communities on the availability of grants to implement E 9-1-1 systems.
2003
• Governor Sonny Perdue chairs his first Authority Board meeting in Thomson.
• Governor Perdue announces that $13 million in OneGeorgia funds plus additional federal funds
will be made available to Georgia tobacco farmers. To date, a total of $39 million has been provided
from OneGeorgia to the Georgia Tobacco Board for distribution directly to tobacco farmers to
compensate for shifts in market demand and to offset farmer losses.
• OneGeorgia receives first application for funding under the Regional E 9-1-1 Fund from the TriCounty E 9-1-1 Authority of Atkinson, Clinch and Lanier Counties.
• David Bennett, Acting Executive Director of Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission,
requests funding to implement the metering program as outlined under HB 579. The program
provides critical water-use information on an estimated 21,000 meters. The Board approves an
initial budget of $10 million to support the Ag Metering Program.
• Governor Perdue and the OneGeorgia Board tour CallTech in Albany, a call center with over 500
employees supporting BellSouth customers in nine states. The community received a $1 million
EDGE grant to assist with the purchase of sophisticated switches and computer hardware to help
locate the company in Albany.
• A first year budget of $500,000 is approved to support BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure)
studies in rural areas of Georgia in an effort to increase the competitiveness of possible locations
targeted for closure by the Federal government.
• A $700,000 grant from the Regional E 9-1-1 Fund is awarded to the Middle Flint Regional E 9-1-1
Authority serving seven counties (Dooly, Macon, Marion, Schley, Sumter, Taylor and Webster).
The Center, located in Ellaville and covering twenty-eight jurisdictions is expected to be the largest
E 9-1-1 service area in Georgia.
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2004
• Governor Perdue issues an Executive Order in February requesting that the OneGeorgia Authority
seek innovative ways to spur and support entrepreneurial enterprises in Georgia’s rural communities.
• Governor Perdue announces a Centers of Innovation program to extend Georgia’s research capabilities
and capital to every corner of rural Georgia. The program will bring private industry and entrepreneurs
together with world-renown university researchers, leading to higher productivity and new products.
• The Centers of Innovation program receives a first year budget of just under $1.8 million from
OneGeorgia Authority Board as an investment to support innovation in rural Georgia.
• At regular Board meeting held in Moultrie, Board proposes to allow Equity applications to be filed
at any time rather than three competitive rounds on an annual basis.
• Board revises eligibility criteria for OneGeorgia programs. A new eligibility map is presented. Counties
directly eligible for funding must have a population of 50,000 or less and a poverty rate of 10% or
greater and be located outside a metropolitan area. Conditionally eligible counties must border a directly
eligible county.
2005
• Governor Perdue and Board approve regulations at the Board meeting held in Fitzgerald for the
Strategic Industries Loan Fund (SILF) with a budget of $10 million as an important new financing
tool. SILF is targeted to emerging technologies and companies near commercialization who have gap
financing needs. OneGeorgia seeks to be a financial partner in growing certain identified strategic
industries in rural areas that will provide higher quality jobs in rural Georgia.
• Governor Perdue and Board approve regulations at the Cordele meeting for the Entrepreneur Small
Business Loan Guarantee Program (ESB), the Authority’s first public-private partnership targeted to
growing entrepreneurs and small businesses in Georgia’s rural areas.
• OneGeorgia Board continues support for the Centers of Innovation program with a second year
budget of $2.4 million. First year accomplishments include start-up and staffing of five centers
supporting the growth of an existing industry cluster including agriculture, aerospace, information
technologies, life sciences and maritime logistics. A sixth center is scheduled to open in Gainesville
focused on manufacturing.
• Governor Perdue announces funding for the Entrepreneur Friendly program to encourage local
communities in rural areas to identify and support entrepreneurs and small business owners as well
as develop their “hometown competitiveness.” The program includes funding from OneGeorgia for
Entrepreneur Friendly Implementation Grants (EFIF).
• First ESB Loan Guarantee Award issued to Community National Bank in Ashburn on behalf of
Sunshine Academy, a daycare provider located in Cordele.
2006
• Governor Perdue’s state-of-the-state address calls for the OneGeorgia Authority to establish a $5
million grant program to support broadband access in Georgia’s rural areas.
• The Board approves regulations for BRIDGE, Broadband Rural Initiative to Develop Georgia’s
Economy, along with a $5 million initial budget, at the March meeting held in Louisville.
• Centers of Innovation officials announce that a research grant of $100,000 has been awarded to
support C2Biofuels research into the commercialization of cellulosic ethanol. Production of
cellulosic ethanol would have a tremendous positive impact on rural Georgia due to significant pine
resources across the state.
• Valdosta/Lowndes County recognized as the first recipient of a $10,000 grant from the Entrepreneur
Friendly Implementation Fund (EFIF). The grant will be combined with private and local
investment to continue to fund the SEEDS Center (Sowing Entrepreneurial Economic
Development Success) across a regional area including five rural counties to identify and educate
communities about the benefits of “homegrown” business development.
• National Beef in Moultrie announces sixth expansion with new investment of $3.4 million and
projected employment of 550 by June. National Beef and the JDA of Brooks, Colquitt, Grady,
Mitchell and Thomas Counties were recipients of the first EDGE award in 2001 to stimulate private
investment and job creation in rural Georgia.
• Governor Perdue launches AIRGeorgia, Airport Initiative in Rural Georgia, a program targeted to
infrastructure improvements at Level I and II airports aimed at putting a 5,000 feet or longer
runway, capable of accommodating 85% of the corporate fleet within a 30 minute drive of most
Georgians. These airport improvements are seen as critical to upgrading and improving rural
Georgia’s aviation “gateways.” The program, with a $15 million budget, recognizes that air
transportation is the increasingly preferred choice for business and industry decision makers.
• The City of Arlington along with Baker, Calhoun, Early, Miller and Mitchell Counties are
recognized as the first recipient of an $88,600 technology grant from the BRIDGE Fund. The funds
will be used to assist the five county regional area in conducting technology assessments and
preliminary system design to support agricultural applications, including remote pivot irrigation.
• Governor Perdue announces first AIRGeorgia grant of $898,200 at the Georgia Airport Conference
in Savannah. The grant will extend the runway at the140-acre Franklin-Hart County Airport,
serving both counties as well as the Lake Hartwell regional area.
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2006 Eligibility Map
Applicants
Applicants are cities, counties, government authorities and multi-county or multi-jurisdictional development authorities.
Eligible
To determine eligibility,
demographic factors are
calculated annually using
the most recent population,
poverty and income
estimates.
OneGeorgia recognizes those counties as directly eligible for OneGeorgia assistance that meet the definition of “a county
with a population of 50,000 or less and with a poverty rate of 10% or greater that is located outside the boundaries of a
metropolitan area.”
Conditionally Eligible
Counties with a population of less than 500,000 that share a border with a directly eligible rural county are designated as
conditionally eligible. Conditionally eligible counties are recognized as having the opportunity to be important collaborative
partners to adjacent rural counties by maximizing regional strengths and minimizing weaknesses. These collaborative efforts
can support mutually beneficial goals for the region and are meant to support a large, regional economic development
project when it is most economically feasible for a directly eligible rural county to partner in a regional application with a
conditionally eligible county to achieve sustainable and quantifiable positive economic and public benefit.
Not Eligible
Counties with a population greater than 500,000 are not eligible for OneGeorgia funds, but continue to be eligible for
other state and federal community and economic development programs. Such programs include Regional Economic
Business Assistance (REBA), Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Local Development Funds (LDF), TEA21 grants, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and many more.
Data source: Population — Annual Estimates of Population for Counties in Georgia: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2004,
Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau. Release date: April 14, 2005
Poverty — U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 decennial census.
Map prepared by Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 2005
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Programs
The EDGE (Economic Development, Growth and Expansion) Fund is a threshold based
program providing “deal-closer” funds when one rural Georgia community competes
for business location and/or expansion with another state or country.
The Equity Fund provides financial assistance to eligible rural communities to help
build capacity and the necessary infrastructure for economic development. This “onesize-doesn’t-fit-all” fund is OneGeorgia’s most flexible financing tool.
The E 9-1-1 Fund is available to identified rural counties to assist with providing basic
or enhanced E 9-1-1 emergency telephone services.
The Strategic Industries Loan Fund is to provide loan assistance for the purchase of fixed
assets to eligible applicants that are being considered as a relocation or expansion site for
an emerging or development-stage company in a strategic industry targeted by Georgia.
The ESB (Entrepreneur and Small Business Development Loan Guarantee) Fund provides
loan guarantees for small business development in Georgia’s at-risk areas by partnering
with accredited Georgia financial institutions.
The BRIDGE (Broadband Rural Initiative to Develop Georgia’s Economy) Fund provides
grants for publicly owned infrastructure based on the number of rural counties receiving
new or enhanced high speed broadband services.
The AIRGeorgia (Airport Initiative in Rural Georgia) Fund provides grants and loans to
integrate airport infrastructure improvements into OneGeorgia’s overall plan for rural
economic development.
Programs Supported by OneGeorgia Authority in
Partnership with Other State Agencies
• Centers of Innovation
• Agriculture Water Meter Program
• Entrepreneur Friendly Program
• Leadership Programs
• Rural Development Council
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EDGE
EDGE Grant:
Project Cost:
Private Invest:
Jobs Projected:
Jobs Created:
8
$1.5M
$19.0M
$16.5M
163
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Joint Development Authority of
Brooks, Colquitt, Grady, Mitchell
and Thomas Counties
National Beef
In the year 2000, Georgia’s Second Congressional District was the ninth poorest
Congressional District in the United States. The economy was devastated by multi-year
droughts, low crop prices, job losses in the textile industry, as well as downsizings and
the closings of food processing plants. But with the support of the first grant awarded
by the newly established OneGeorgia Authority, a $1,500,000 EDGE grant, the
regional JDA was able to acquire and rehabilitate the closed Smithfield Foods Pork
Processing facility in Moultrie, Colquitt County. The plant was
rehabilitated in 2001 for use by National Beef, a Fortune 200 company
that has brought jobs and economic growth to a part of Georgia facing an
economic drought.
The closing of two food processing facilities owned by Smithfield
Foods had caused a major blow to the region’s economy. In 1996,
Smithfield Foods closed the Premium Pork Processing Facility located in
Moultrie causing a loss of 600 jobs. Facing the loss of an additional 485
jobs from the closing of Smithfield’s Sunnyland Facility in Thomasville,
the Joint Development Authority of Brooks, Colquitt, Grady, Mitchell
and Thomas Counties was formed in 1999 to bring jobs back to the area.
The plan the JDA proposed was to purchase the two vacant facilities,
renovate and lease the modernized plants to businesses in the food
processing industry. It was important for the newly formed JDA to move quickly to
ensure that the facilities did not lose any certification or licensing. If the facilities lost
their food grade certification or their licensing for the wastewater treatment plants, the
chances of recruiting food processing prospects would have been greatly diminished.
National Beef processes beef sold in Wal-Mart stores throughout the southeastern
United States. The only rancher-owned, fully-integrated beef processor in the U.S.,
National Beef opened a 98,000 SF “case-ready” cutting operation in the former
Premium Pork Processing facility in Moultrie in 2001, initially employing 120 people.
The facility has expanded five times since then and has added additional cooler/storage
space, bringing the total size of the plant to 120,000 SF. National Beef ’s latest
expansion in 2006, a $4.5 million capital investment, added 110 jobs, bringing the
company's total workforce in Moultrie to 575 employees. The Moultrie facility
processes more than 1.2
million pounds of beef
The National Beef project set an example of full regional
each week, servicing six
Wal-Mart distribution
cooperation that our Joint Development Authority was proud to
centers and more than 500
propose. The creation of several hundred jobs would not have been
Wal-Mart Supercenters in
possible without OneGeorgia. It is the finest rural development
six southeastern states —
tool I have seen in my 25 years of economic development.
Alabama, Florida, Georgia,
—Don Sims, former Chairman
Mississippi, North
Brooks, Colquitt, Grady, Mitchell and Thomas County JDA
Carolina and South
Carolina. National Beef
has experienced a 100 percent increase in market share over the last 12 years.
“Our Moultrie facility is a classic success story between business, the state and the
local community,” said Terry Wilkerson, National Beef ’s Executive Vice President for
Strategic Business Development. “Three key factors to our success in Moultrie are the
pro-business environment that the state, county and city have created to attract and
keep businesses; a great work force filled with hard-working and dedicated local
employees, without whom we would not be able to produce the quality of the product
our customers expect; and a dynamic and innovative customer in Wal-Mart. National
Beef appreciates the support we have received from the state of Georgia and the Joint
Development Authority, and we look forward to our continued success in Moultrie.”
The funds from the OneGeorgia Authority EDGE grant created jobs and
economic growth in a region crippled by downsizing and closing industry. By investing
$1,500,000, OneGeorgia helped bring the $19,000,000 project to Moultrie. It has
been the regional leadership and the workforce at National Beef who are responsible for
the sustainability and continued growth of the facility in Moultrie.
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EDGE
Carrollton Payroll
Development Authority
A i r Tr a n A i r w a y s
EDGE Grant:
Project Cost:
Private Invest:
Jobs Projected:
Jobs Created:
10
$189,000
$1.9M
$1.4M
154
200
In May of 2004, the Carrollton Payroll Development Authority was
awarded an EDGE grant of $189,000 to purchase a CISCO 6513 switch,
leasing the switch to AirTran Airways for use at the 7,200 SF in-bound
reservation center located in the Glen Eagles Professional Park. Carrollton was
in the running with Virginia, Florida and Illinois for the call center.
Investing private and other public funds of over $1.7 million, the
Carrollton facility has created 200 new full time and part time jobs with better
than average benefits — almost 50 more than originally committed.
The discount airline chose the west Georgia City in part because of
relatively low operational costs, incentives offered by the city and state and also
the opportunity to draw from a significant population of college students and
other potential part-time workers. The flexible schedules offered by AirTran
Airways are perfect for many working adults as well as university students.
AirTran Airways partnered with the University of West Georgia to employ
students at the facility. Many students who would otherwise leave during the
weekends and breaks stay and contribute to the vitality and economic prosperity
of Carrollton.
Company spokesman, Tad Hutcheson, said that AirTran also looked
overseas. “We looked very hard at India, specifically,” he said. “We believe, based
on our analysis, that we can do it more efficiently than they can by partnering
with a college, and we believe we can deliver better customer service.”
The airline hubs at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the
world’s busiest airport by passenger volume, where it is the second largest carrier.
AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, is the world’s largest
operator of the Boeing 717 and has America’s youngest all-Boeing fleet.
“
OneGeorgia has been a very
important partner in the
Carrollton Payroll
Development Authority’s
efforts to encourage
economic growth in our
community. Their financial
support has resulted in
significant job creation
and capital investment.
We greatly appreciate their
role in developing a better
Carroll County.
”
—Jim Gill, Chairman
Carrollton PDA
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Thomaston-Upson County
Industrial Development Authority
S t a n d a r d Te x t i l e C o m p a n y , I n c .
June 14, 2001: 100-year old Thomaston Mills announced that 1,400
workers would lose their jobs. It was another blow in a series of mill layoffs
and closures. The losses were devastating. The number of textile workers in the
area, which once exceeded 8,000, fell below 500. Some 2.6 million SF of
factory space stood empty, much of it in cavernous, century-old buildings.
Entire families were left without income, health insurance or training for jobs
other than mill work.
Through the combined efforts of Thomaston-Upson County community
leaders, state agencies, Flint River Technical College’s Certified Manufacturing
Specialist program and the townspeople themselves, they quickly responded to
the challenges. Thomaston-Upson County retained a site-selection firm to
conduct an economic assessment and make recommendations for marketing
the empty buildings.
In December 2001, the OneGeorgia Authority awarded a $300,000
EDGE grant to the Thomaston-Upson Industrial Development Authority to
assist in the acquisition of the vacant 524,000 SF Thomaston Mills Peerless
plant for lease to Standard Textile Company, a manufacturer of sheeting cloth
used in the health care industry. Recognized as the global leader in the
manufacture of healthcare, hospitality and institutional textiles, Standard
Textile originally committed to invest $3 million and create 185 jobs.
Five years later, they have increased their investment to over $6.4 million and
created over 275 jobs in Upson County.
EDGE Grant:
Project Cost:
Private Invest:
Jobs Projected:
Jobs Created:
$300,000
$8.4M
$6.4M
185
275
“
With the closure of
Thomaston Mills in 2001,
this community faced an
economic challenge that
touched every facet of the
population. OneGeorgia’s
EDGE program enabled our
recruitment of companies
like Standard Textile, and
jobs and investments were
created at a crucial time in
our local economy. That
support and commitment
reinforced our confidence
and assured us that we were
on the road to recovery.
”
—Steve Daniel,
Interim Director
Thomaston-Upson Industrial
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EDGE
EDGE Grant:
Project Cost:
Private Invest:
Jobs Projected:
Jobs Created:
12
$650,000
$36.0M
$33.0M
100+
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JDA Franklin, Hart and
Stephens Counties
TI Automotive
In 1997, Franklin, Hart and Stephens counties came together to form a tri-county
Joint Development Authority (JDA) in order to bring jobs to the area. Georgia Tech
completed a feasibility study in 1998, and in 2001 the JDA acquired land for Gateway
Regional Industrial Park, a 150-acre prime site along I-85/GA Hwy 77, to target hightech companies aimed at diversifying regional economy. The OneGeorgia Authority
awarded a $500,000 Equity grant for infrastructure development of the industrial park.
“In 2001, we were fortunate to receive a $500,000
Equity Fund Grant from the OneGeorgia Authority for
infrastructure in our Gateway Industrial Park on I-85. We
had basically exhausted our available financial resources
when we purchased the land so this allowed us to begin
development of the park shortly after the purchase.
Otherwise, it may have been several years before we would
have had utilities on site,” says Jack Edmunds, chairman of
the Joint Development Authority of Franklin, Hart and
Stephens Counties.
“This was a big attraction when we began working on
the TI Automotive Project that eventually became our
anchor industry in the park. During negotiations, we were in
competition with a neighboring state. What really made this
project happen was an EDGE grant from OneGeorgia that
allowed us to grade the site for this high-tech industry.”
In 2004 TI Automotive announced that it planned to
locate as the park’s anchor tenant. In addition to the $650,000 EDGE grant used for site
preparation, local funding for the project totaled over $2.3 million.
TI Automotive is the only global supplier of fully integrated fuel storage and delivery
systems for cars and trucks and the leading supplier of fluid carrying systems for braking
and powertrain applications to automakers worldwide. Based in Warren Michigan, the
company employs over 20,000 people at more than 130 facilities in 28 countries on six
continents with sales in 2004 totaling over $2.5 billion.
The OneGeorgia grants helped the area attract the automotive powerhouse which
has invested more than $33
million dollars in the area.
Training for many of the
Heretofore, the TI Automotive plant in Rastatt, Germany,
facility’s high-tech operators
had been the technology leader among the company’s
was provided by Georgia’s
Quick Start program
operations. Now that position is held by a 145,000 SF
through North Georgia
plant at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Technical College. TI
Automotive now leases the
—Howard Duxbury,
Gateway Park site from the
TI President of Global Fuel Systems
JDA of Franklin, Hart and
Stephens Counties. The
state-of-the-art factory manufactures blow-molded plastic fuel tanks and filler pipes for
vehicles built by BMW, Daimler Chrysler and Hyundai, which is a first for a North
American auto supplier.
In 2005 TI Automotive opened its $33 million dollar state-of-the-art manufacturing
facility in Hartwell, Georgia. The plant’s opening created 73 hi-tech manufacturing jobs
with above average pay, with anticipation of up to another 100 early in 2007. The new
145,000 square foot plant has current contracts to produce more than 480,000
automotive fuel tank systems and, according to Manouchehr Kambakhsh, TI Automotive
vice president of Global Advanced Engineering, the new facility will have the capacity to
produce a million fuel tanks annually.
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EDGE
Adel Industrial
Sa n d e r s o n Fa r m s
EDGE Grant:
Project Cost:
Private Invest:
Jobs Projected:
Jobs Created:
$1.0M
$22.0M
$19.0M
160
160
In the fall of 2004, the Adel Industrial Development Authority received
$1,000,000 in EDGE funds to purchase 125 acres of land for a feed mill and
hatchery to be leased to Sanderson Farms, Inc., (Production Division).
Opened in 1947 as a feed and seed store in Laurel, Mississippi, Sanderson
Farms, Inc., has grown into the nation’s fourth largest poultry company with
sales exceeding $1 billion and weekly processing capacity of over 7 million
chickens. The company distributes its chicken products to grocery store and
restaurant chains throughout the country. The company is vertically integrated
with six hatcheries, six feed mills and seven processing plants located in
Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia and Texas.
The Adel operation includes a hatchery and a feed mill. The hatchery
houses 50 hatchers and incubators capable of processing, incubating and
hatching approximately 1.5 million eggs and 1.3 million chicks per week. Every
10 days, a 90-car train brings corn and soybean meal to supply the feed mill,
which is capable of producing 7,000 tons of finished poultry feed per week.
The company’s Adel facility created 160 jobs, with an estimated annual payroll
of $5 million. In addition, the company established contractual relationships
with 68 poultry growers located in 8 counties throughout South Georgia, who
invested approximately $100 million to build 448 chicken houses.
The company invested over $19 million of the $22 million total cost for
the project.
“
OneGeorgia was the key
element that made the
Sanderson Farm project
successful. Without
OneGeorgia’s assistance in
acquiring the land, we
would not have been able
to locate Sanderson in
Cook County. OneGeorgia
is truly the best ingredient
that is helping our
community grow by
supporting our economic
development efforts. Rural
Georgia is thriving thanks
to this wonderful resource.
”
—Kerry S. Waldron,
Economic Developer
Cook County Economic
Development Commission
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Moultrie-Colquitt County
Sanderson Farms
The Moultrie-Colquitt County Development Authority received
$2,275,000 in EDGE funds to give rural Georgia the competitive edge in
locating Sanderson Farms’ first poultry processing plant to Georgia. Specifically,
the funds were used to assist in the acquisition of over 1,000 acres of land to
support a land-application spray field required to treat wastewater from the
poultry processing facility built by Sanderson Farms, Inc., (Processing Division).
Sanderson Farms, Inc., started 55 years ago, goes back two generations.
A father and his two sons created this company on the foundation of hard
work and family values. Sanderson Farms, Inc., investment in the Moultrie
processing facility project exceeded $90 million.
With an annual payroll of more than $51 million, the Moultrie plant
employs 1,500 from a wide regional area. The 210,000 SF processing plant is
capable of processing approximately 1.25 million chickens per week that are
trayed and packed for retail grocery stores located throughout the country.
“Colquitt County and all of South Georgia have benefited immensely with
the creation of the OneGeorgia Authority,” said Darrell Moore, president of the
Moultrie-Colquitt County Development Authority. “The deal closing assistance
from the EDGE Fund was imperative for Sanderson Farms to address their
waste water needs and locate in Georgia. The State’s investment has already
resulted in a substantial private investment and creation of jobs that will
continue to grow in the future.”
EDGE Grant:
Project Cost:
Private Invest:
Jobs Projected:
Jobs Created:
$2.27M
$96.0M
$90.0M
1,400
1,500
“
Sanderson Farms is pleased
to be in South Georgia,
and the new project would
not have been possible
without the extraordinary
cooperation of city, county
and state officials. The
public/private partnership
represented by the
OneGeorgia Authority
is a model other states
would do well to follow.
The cooperation and
encouragement we received
was extraordinary.
”
—Joe Sanderson,
Chief Executive Officer and
Chairman of the Board
Sanderson Farms, Inc.
15
EDGE
EDGE Grant:
Project Cost:
Private Invest:
Jobs Projected:
Jobs Created:
16
$3.0M
$124M
$116M
440
313 (to date)
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Page 17
Tallapoosa Development Authority
H o n d a M o t o r C o m p a n y, I n c .
In August 2005, the Tallapoosa Development Authority in Haralson
County was awarded a $3,000,000 EDGE grant for land acquisition costs in
support of Honda Precision Parts of Georgia, LLC
(HPPG), a subsidiary of Honda Motor Company.
The 495 acre site, with easy access to I-20, is located
along the last exit in Georgia.
Honda Motor Company was started in 1944 and
is based in Tokyo, Japan. Honda is one of the largest
automobile and consumer durable manufacturers in
the world and is the second largest automobile
manufacturer in Japan in terms of annual sales,
trailing only Toyota. Honda’s car models include the
Accord, CR-V, Civic, Element, Passport; its luxury
auto brand, the Acura; and its gasoline-electric
hybrid, the Insight. It is also the world’s largest
motorcycle producer which includes everything from
scooters to superbikes. Honda also has a power
products division that produces commercial and
residential use machinery. Power products include
lawn mowers, snow blowers, portable generators and
outboard motors.
The newly built transmission manufacturing
plant began assembly of automatic transmissions for
Honda Pilot SUVs and Odyssey minivans on May 1,
2006, and supports operations at Honda
Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC. Georgia’s 250,000
SF Tallapoosa plant produces state-of-the-art
transmissions utilizing the latest technologies in
aluminum high pressure die casting, modular
machining and precision assembly. At full production
the plant is scheduled to produce 300,000
transmissions per year.
Currently employing
313 with an additional
The transmission is the key part of a vehicle that takes the
74 jobs to be filled in
power of the engine and uses it to drive the power of the
January 2007, the
Georgia facility is
vehicle. In a similar way, we hope HPPG can take the power
Honda’s 13th major
of Tallapoosa and use it to drive the future dreams of
plant in North America
both the state of Georgia and Honda.
Honda’s total
investment is expected
—Nobu Sanui, HPPG President
to reach $150 million
when the Georgia
facility is fully expanded to a 350,000 SF plant that will employ 440 associates
by 2009. The increased investment will add aluminum die-casting and
machining and other in-house production capabilities.
Tallapoosa City Manager, Philip Eidson, said, “With the support and
award of EDGE funds of $3,000,000 from OneGeorgia for the purchase of
459 acres, the City of Tallapoosa was able to close the deal with Honda.”
“
”
17
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Page 18
EDGE
Toombs County
A m e r i c a n S t a n d a r d / Tr a n e
EDGE Grant:
Project Cost:
Private Invest:
Jobs Projected:
Jobs Created:
$340,000
$3.8M
$3.1M
67
278
In January of 2003, the OneGeorgia Authority awarded a $340,000 EDGE
grant to the Toombs County Development Authority to support the expansion
of Trane, an American Standard Company and a leading manufacturer of air
conditioning and heating equipment. The Company, with 529 employees in
2003, expected to add 67 new jobs as a result of the expansion.
The Vidalia manufacturer, operating out of an existing building in Toombs
County Corporate Center, had been manufacturing air handlers for air
conditioning systems since 1990. To accommodate an expansion to manufacture
electric heat assist units to be installed in air handlers for the air conditioning
systems and the introduction of their newly developed line of in-unit electronic
air filters, Trane purchased an adjacent 60,000 SF speculative building on 13.3
acres. The OneGeorgia grant was used to fund road improvements as well as
communications infrastructure between the two buildings.
In 2006, the Trane Company, indicating their primary goal to be the most
responsive, cost efficient quality producer in the industry, doubled production
capacity by adding a 150,000 square foot warehouse to the original building
with private funds. Trane has exceeded all expectations by expanding their
facilities to over 400,000 SF and creating 278 new jobs, bringing the workforce
total to 807 and the private investment to over $3.1 million.
“
OneGeorgia has helped the
Toombs County Region with
a number of loans and
grants over the last five years,
and, as a result, over eight
hundred jobs were created
in the manufacturing sector.
OneGeorgia has definitely
created a positive economic
difference in our region.
”
—Bill Mitchell,
Executive Director
Toombs County
18
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Page 19
Camden County
Joint Development Authority
Express Scripts, Inc.
St. Marys, a town of about 8,000 on the Georgia-Florida coast, lost 900
jobs and at least $600,000 a year in property and franchise taxes when DurangoGeorgia Paper Company closed in 2002. The mill’s closing had an immediate
devastating impact on local families as well as economic ripple effects through
the timber economy of Southeast Georgia.
To attract new business to the area, the Camden County Joint Development
Authority purchased a closed Wal-Mart building, and in June 2004, received a
$994,000 EDGE grant from the OneGeorgia Authority to assist with leasehold
improvements. The publicly-owned building was rehabilitated and leased to
Express Scripts, Inc., who would create 650 local jobs at an annual payroll of
$11.7 million and invest over $12.6 million in the St. Marys’ facility.
The regional computerized customer service call center, Express Scripts,
Inc., based in Maryland Heights, Missouri, is a publicly-traded Fortune 500
company that provides pharmacy-benefit management services with more than
50 million members in the US and Canada. Begun in 1986, Express Scripts is
the country’s largest pharmacy-benefit management company with more than
8,400 employees nationwide.
Express Scripts, Inc., Camden County’s fully staffed 24-hour call center,
currently employs 650 call advocates who field an average of 45,000 calls a day
including 12 on-site pharmacists who assist in answering questions about
benefit plans.
“Having a company like Express Scripts choose Camden County for a new
location in the Southeast was a dream-come-true for our community,” says Bob
Noble, Executive Director of the Camden County Joint Development
Authority. “We recently had our largest private employer (paper mill) to close
with over 900+ employees losing their jobs. Thanks to Governor Sonny Perdue,
Nancy Cobb and the Board of the OneGeorgia Authority, we continue to be a
viable and growing area in the southeastern United States.”
EDGE Grant:
Project Cost:
Private Invest:
Jobs Projected:
Jobs Created:
$994,000
$14.2M
$12.6M
650
650
“
The 90,000 square foot
St. Marys’ facility is
state-of-the-art, boasting
flat screen computers,
a community area
for employees — even a
cyber café.
”
—Roger Cheek,
Senior Director
Express Scripts
19
Equity
Equity Grant:
Project Cost:
20
$500,000
$1.29M
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Page 21
City of Thomson
Thomson-McDuffie Regional Airport
The Thomson-McDuffie Regional Airport was poised to become a major
economic generator for the surrounding region. Updating the airport was important for
improving tourism as well as attracting new business to the region. These
improvements would open up the airport as a viable option for commercial jets;
however, the facilities fell short in one important area. The terminal was sparse and
cramped. The existing terminal was a small space attached to the maintenance hanger
that consisted of the fixed base operator’s offices, a small waiting room, two small
restrooms and some storage. At that time, the terminal was not even served by a public
water or sanitary sewer system.
It was important for the new terminal to give visitors
the impression of a progressive modern facility. The
terminal’s appearance would reflect not only on the
airfield, but on the community as a whole. Constructing a
modern terminal was essential to the airport being viewed
as a state of the art facility, but with a large number of
airport infrastructure improvements already being
undertaken, the funds of the City of Thomson and
McDuffie County were stretched thin. Airfield
improvements constructed in 2001, funded with local and
state funds included the expansion of the runway to
5,200 ft. x 100 ft. and the reconstruction/relocation of the
parallel taxiway to provide adequate separation for the
installation of the federally funded Instrument Landing
System (ILS) operations to provide all weather operations
at the airport.
In 2001 OneGeorgia Authority awarded a $500,000 Equity grant to facilitate
construction of a state of the art terminal building for the Level III airport (one of only
41 in the state). Opened in March 2003, the Thomson-McDuffie Regional Airport
Terminal features a spacious meeting room, sleeping and shower facilities for flight
crews, as well as the latest in weather and flight planning and a welcome center that
provides information on the region to travelers. The $1 million, 6,000 SF facility was
funded by $500,000 from OneGeorgia, a $100,000 private donation and the city and
county splitting the $400,000 remaining local share. A new fire station and EMS facility
is also located on the field, and 90% of the hangars and tie-downs are currently rented.
Because of the
intensive improvements,
the Thomson-McDuffie
Thomson-McDuffie leaders wanted a quality product for
Regional Airport has
now and for the future with this terminal. With tremendous
become the choice of
visitors to Thomson and
help from OneGeorgia and generous local and private dollars,
the surrounding cities.
this new terminal is a dramatic symbol of the ‘can do’
Major events in the area
attitude of Thomson-McDuffie and this entire region.
that generate traffic at the
facility include the
—Robert E. Knox, Jr., Mayor
Masters, the Belle Meade
City of Thomson
Hunt and the Blind Willie
McTell Blues festival.
Since improving the terminal, Thomson McDuffie Regional Airport decided to make
one more investment to boost local tourism. The airport decided to purchase a red
carpet to welcome the flood of golfers and celebrities who fly in each year for the
Masters Tournament.
“The new terminal at the Thomson-McDuffie Regional Airport is a first-class
addition to this regional airport,” said Ed Ratigan, Manager, GDOT-Aviation
Programs. “The facility reflects a positive and progressive image for the community and
when visitors arrive, they know Georgia airports mean business.”
“
”
21
2/13/07
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Page 22
Equity
Americus-Sumter
Payroll Development Authority
Americus Bean Company
Equity Loan:
Private Invest:
Retained Jobs:
Created Jobs:
$353,659
$973,219
28
44
In January 2005, the OneGeorgia Authority awarded an Equity loan of
$353,659 to the Americus-Sumter Payroll Development Authority to assist
Americus Bean Company (ABC) with a packaging system and commercial
cooling equipment to expand its operations.
Incorporated in 2001, Americus Bean Company is a locally-owned valueadded produce processing company that supplies washed, cut and packaged
pod-type produce including green beans, yellow squash, zucchini squash and
okra to wholesale food distributors and marketers serving the retail supermarket
industry. They have developed an exclusive patent-pending process that extends
the shelf life of green beans and are continuing research and development to
apply this process to other vegetables as well. ABC is currently packaging
produce under national trademarked brand labels.
The owners of ABC include a team of 11 successful produce growers
whose families have made a living from agriculture for generations in Macon,
Lee, Sumter and Schley Counties. “Our expansion created 44 new jobs and
protected 28 existing ones with total public and private investments of nearly
$1 million,” said Phil Hart, Americus Bean Vice President. “Our produce
growers under contract with Americus Bean have expanded acreage 25% to fill
orders resulting from our increased production capacity.” The additional jobs
create exponential economic impact to the area plus the residual impact of job
stability provided to the employees of the farms that grow produce under
contract for Americus Bean Company.
“
OneGeorgia investments in
Sumter County have had
significant impact on our
regional economic base.
The funds have greatly
impacted retention of
businesses such as Americus
Bean, supported our farmers
and helped us to recruit
technology-based industries
such as Zavata, Inc.,
formerly STI Knowledge.
”
—Paul Hall, Chairman
Americus-Sumter Payroll
22
2/13/07
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Page 23
Turner County
Crime and Punishment Museum
As with other rural towns along Interstate 75 in South Georgia, Ashburn’s
downtown declined while new fast food restaurants, car dealerships and motels
were built along the interstate exits. Losing 300 jobs to plant closures, along
with setbacks in the vitally important agricultural sector due to long term
drought conditions and low commodity prices, Ashburn’s and Turner County’s
average weekly wage tumbled to $338 compared to the State’s $622.
Collaborating with six neighboring counties (Tift, Ben Hill, Irwin, Berrien,
Colquitt and Brooks), the Turner County Development Authority secured
funding to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy to promote tourism in
the seven-county region. Turner County’s Comprehensive Plan included the
master restoration and rehabilitation of the Romanesque style Old Turner
County Jail, built in 1906 and placed on the National Register in 1982.
In April 2002, the OneGeorgia Authority awarded a $70,250 Equity Grant
to the Turner County Development Authority to complete the restoration of
the historic jail to be used as a tourism attraction, creating the Crime &
Punishment Museum and Last Meal Café.
More than 10,000 visitors worldwide have toured real jail cells, seen
fascinating exhibits, sat in “Old Sparky”, the electric chair replica, and many have
lunched at the Last Meal Café. In the three years since the museum opened, three
new gift shops and two sandwich shops have also started downtown businesses,
and Ashburn’s hotel motel tax collections have increased by 35%. The total
project cost over the 10-year period of restoration exceeds $1 million.
Equity Grant:
Project Cost:
$70,250
+/-$1.0M
“
The Crime and
Punishment Museum
draws visitors off of I-75 to
our museum and thus into
downtown Ashburn. After
visiting the museum,
visitors buy gas, stop and
eat, stay overnight in our
hotels and shop downtown.
It has been a tremendous
boost to our small,
downtown economy.
We are grateful
OneGeorgia let us think
outside the box and funded
a different type of economic
development project.
”
—Shelley Zorn, President
Turner County
23
Equity
Equity Grant:
Equity Loan:
Project Cost:
Private Invest:
24
$466,000
$34,000
$1.9M
$20M+
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Page 24
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Page 25
Downtown Development Authority
of the City of Darien
S k i p p e r s’ F i s h C a m p R e s t a u r a n t
Darien is Georgia’s second oldest planned city. The fisherman’s paradise was
established in 1736 by a Scottish expedition commissioned by England’s King George
II. However, despite Darien’s history as a bustling fishing town, in later years the city
and the surrounding region had become economically depressed.
The Downtown Development Authority wanted to
rejuvenate the waterfront area along the Darien River in
hopes of increasing tourists and other visitors to
downtown Darien. The majority of the town’s tourism
revenue came from the area around the interstate. The
community had worked hard to preserve the historic
integrity of its downtown and felt that this was an
underutilized resource.
For years the DDA of the City of Darien worked on a
plan to revitalize the Colonial city’s coastal area. They had
already built a lovely park and riverfront area featuring the
tabby ruins of Fort Darien. When the adjacent property,
Skippers’ Seafood market, became available it was time to
act to make that property part of the public area.
The DDA applied to the OneGeorgia Authority with
a plan to boost Darien’s downtown economy. The DDA
planned to purchase the old seafood plant and lease the .98
acres to a group of restaurant developers from coastal Georgia, who would refurbish it as
a restaurant and modify and improve the dock area. The developers would also purchase
6.66 acres of riverfront property to build a 42-unit condominium complex and a new
public boat slip. The Skippers’ project offered a unique chance to create jobs, improve
the downtown area, preserve public access to the waterfront and increase tourism with
one project.
In December 2001,
the OneGeorgia Authority
Skippers’ has certainly had a significant economic impact on
awarded the Downtown
our community, and it has spurred additional development in
Development Authority of
the City of Darien a
Darien. Another unexpected benefit is that the restaurant has
$466,000 grant and a
become a new gathering place for locals who are excited by the
$34,000 loan to help bring
the project to fruition.
economic energy being generated and are gaining a renewed
Skippers’ Fish Camp
sense of pride in our hometown. The thriving waterfront
restaurant has been a great
development has also become a destination for travelers
success. Originally, this
project was projected to
who spend tourism dollars in our area.
bring $8 million dollars in
—Fred Stregles, Executive Director
private investment to
McIntosh County Development Authority
Darien. To date,
approximately $20 million
dollars in private
investment has been made. In addition, Skippers’ Fish Camp has brought 15 new jobs to
the city of Darien, and an undetermined number of indirect jobs have been created
through these additional private investments. “Skippers’ Fish Camp has been a real asset for
Darien, and the community is excited to have a destination restaurant in our community,”
said Brett Cook, Darien City Manager. According to Cook, “Tourism is huge to Darien,
and Skippers’ has helped Darien attract more people into Downtown Darien.”
Skippers’ Fish Camp, along with the 42-unit condo complex completed in early
2006, has provided Darien with a vibrant downtown atmosphere once again. The project
has helped revitalize downtown Darien. Downtown tourism has increased dramatically
since Skippers’ Fish Camp opened its doors packing in happy diners eager to enjoy some
of Georgia’s fresh coastal seafood in a beautiful setting along the Darien River.
“
”
25
2/13/07
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Page 26
Equity
Grady County
Joint Development Authority
Heritage Industrial Complex
Equity Loan:
Project Cost:
$200,000
$1.32M
In 1889, the W.B. Roddenberry Company was established and grew to
become the premier food processor of pickles, syrup and peanut products in
South Georgia. Established in an ever-growing industrial complex on 85 acres
and employing over 500 people, the family-owned company was sold in 1985.
Within seven years, the new owners shifted production to other facilities
and closed the Grady County plant. The plant, containing approximately
350,000 SF of usable industrial space is located within one mile of downtown
Cairo. With unanimous agreement that the facility was an excellent economic
development resource for the area, the Grady County Joint Development
Authority began negotiating with the owners to purchase the plant. The plant
was purchased in April, 2005, and due to layout of the complex, it was
determined that a multi-use facility would be the best utilization of the space.
With this concept in mind and the historical nature of this property, the facility
was renamed the Heritage Industrial Complex. The new business strategy
includes potentially subdividing the existing facility to accommodate multiple
industries or uses to reduce start-up and lead times for industrial prospects.
In September 2005, the JDA received a $200,000 OneGeorgia Equity loan
for building acquisition.
So far, the community has located a furniture distribution facility in
130,000 SF and a trucking company in 20,000 SF of the complex, together
creating 10 new jobs. Renovations are underway, and the next section of the
building will house between 50,000 to 100,000 SF.
“
OneGeorgia’s assistance
is a much needed tool to
help with projects in
small communities that
have very limited resources
like ours. Working together
on this project and
others has helped move
Grady County forward.
”
—Rick McCaskill,
Executive Director
Grady County Joint
26
2/13/07
12:06 PM
Page 27
Development Authority of the
City of Manchester
G&S Metals, Inc.
A once thriving community, Meriwether County boasted the
Callaway/Milliken cotton textile mill, opened in 1900, that had employed over
a thousand workers. With the closure of the mill, the county, along with a
declining agricultural economy and insufficient infrastructure development,
had an unemployment rate over 8%.
In 2002, the OneGeorgia Authority awarded the Development Authority a
$411,000 Equity loan to assist in the construction of a new 53,000 SF
speculative building in the Manchester Industrial Park in hopes of diversifying
the community’s industry base and creating additional jobs for the area.
In December of 2006 the Development Authority of the City of
Manchester announced that G&S Metals, Inc., of Wabash, Indiana, a producer
of high quality, “Recycled Primary”, aluminum sows and ingot for the casting
industry, would locate in the spec building located in the Industrial Park with a
private investment of $7.5 million and projected employment by year two of
75. To support this new industry, the Authority acquired additional property
which G&S Metals plans to use to house 100 trucks that will carry products
through the recycling process from start to finish. A $280,000 EDGE grant
will be used for site preparation for the two lots which will house the trucks.
G&S Metals will begin lease payments to the Development Authority to repay
the $411,000 Equity loan back to OneGeorgia. The company plans to expand
the spec building from 50,000 to 70,000 square feet.
Jennifer Elliot-Meares, Executive Director of the Manchester Development
Authority says, “This small town, once so dependant on a single mill and
devastated when it closed, now has a diverse manufacturing base that supports
a growing local economy.”
Equity Loan: $411,000
Project Cost: $8.0M
Jobs Projected: 75
“
We are here to invest in
the long-term success of both
our company and this
community. We anticipate
starting production in the
first quarter of 2007 and
provide 55 new jobs with
an initial investment in
excess of $5,000,000.
By 2009, we expect to add
an additional 20 jobs and
an additional $2,000,000
of new investment.
”
—Bob Bex,
Director of Development
G&S Metal Consultants, Inc.
27
2/13/07
1:27 PM
Page 28
Equity
Miller County
Colquitt Movie Sound Stage
Equity Loan:
Project Cost:
28
$499,999
$936,175
Colquitt, a southwest Georgia town of just 2,000 has become nationally
known for its “Swamp Gravy” stage production. In January 2005, to build on
the community’s success as a tourism and cultural arts destination hosting more
than 17,000 tourists annually, the Miller County Development Authority
applied for and received a OneGeorgia Authority loan of $499,999 to construct
a 22,000 square foot facility in the Miller County Industrial Park for lease to a
private film/video/television production company for use as a sound stage.
Ralph Wilcox, a 30-year veteran in the television and film industry,
determined that the facility would create opportunities for film and video
production in a low-overhead environment while also expanding quality of life
and cultural arts educational opportunities. Henny Penny Video/Television
Production Company, a 501 (c-3) non-profit organization, trains young
people in the disciplines of the film and television industry. Twenty-two
students from Miller County High School have trained in the program while
enrolled in a dual enrollment program between Bainbridge College and Miller
County High School.
Miller County unveiled the $1 million sound stage during the 2006 Labor
Day weekend by bringing the first JOKARA- MICHEAUX Family Film/Video
Festival that attracted more than 500 nation-wide attendees. Over the three day
weekend, the family Film Festival helped to publicize the area by bringing
movie directors, producers and writers from Los Angeles, New York and around
the country. In addition to movie screenings, a bus tour of Southwest Georgia
cities was conducted for movie producers, writers and others. Other festival
events featured film screenings, a celebrity-attended formal dinner and a myriad
of workshops and events for screenwriters, filmmakers, film production
technicians, actors, producers and directors.
“
The funds we received from
the OneGeorgia Authority
made the Sound Stage
project happen. The positive
benefits to our community
because of this project cannot
even be measured yet.
The Sound Stage has already
been a catalyst for several
other big developments.
Colquitt and Miller County
will continue to benefit
because of OneGeorgia’s
initial investment.
”
—Howard Small,
Chairman
Miller County
2/13/07
1:27 PM
Page 29
Jeff Davis County
Board of Commissioners
C u l i n a r y A r t s Tr a i n i n g C e n t e r
Jeff Davis County’s effort at blending the agrarian history and culture of
the Old South with progressive education and entrepreneurship is feeding
economic development in Hazlehurst and the surrounding communities. Jeff
Davis County is a small county with an agrarian past and a developmental
history intricately tied to its fields. As in most rural communities in Georgia,
there stood a turn of the twentieth-century Georgian colonial residence in need
of repair. Poverty rates in the region hovered at 19.4% with a per capita income
at only $14,565 and a high school drop out rate averaging 35%.
In 2003, the community leaders turned to the OneGeorgia Authority to
request a $500,000 grant for assistance in the renovation of the historic home,
known as “The Big House,” for use as a workforce development center
specializing in the Culinary Arts.
Altamaha Technical College, administrator of the Culinary Arts Training
Center program, in concert with Jeff Davis County High School’s dual
enrollment program, offers day and night certifications.
The Culinary Arts Training Center is in its infancy, but in March 2006 the
first class graduated, receiving Technical Certificates of Credit in Culinary
Arts — Line Cook Specialization. Expanding the course offering with
Altamaha Technical College and Jeff Davis County High School’s dual
enrollment program, the Culinary Arts Training Center has graduated 19
students and is currently offering five technical certifications to 40-60 students
in a year-long program. Ethica Home Healthcare and the Georgia State Park
system have committed internships to graduates.
Jeff Davis County leaders have combined an historically significant piece of
the past with extraordinary educational opportunities for its citizens. All the
pieces are there…an excellent facility, community support and a student body
with the desire to achieve great things…even if they are as simply southern as
cornbread and turnip greens.
Equity Grant:
Project Cost:
$500,000
$819,561
“
The educational and
economic opportunities the
Culinary School will
provide to this area are
invaluable. With
OneGeorgia’s help we have
a singular facility that will
attract students from all
over the southeast and
create entrepreneurs and
jobs to enable a workforce
who can choose where they
want to live, work and
raise their families.
”
—Hank Hobbs,
Associate Vice President
Instruction/
Hazlehurst Operations
Altamaha Technical College
29
Equity
Equity Loan:
Project Cost:
Full-time Jobs:
Seasonal Jobs:
30
$500,000
$13.6M
50
20
2/13/07
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Page 30
2/13/07
1:27 PM
Page 31
Development Authority of
Seminole County & Donalsonville
Am eri c a n Pe a n u t Growe r s Gro u p, L LC
Beginning in 2001 a group of 85 peanut producers from 13 southwest Georgia
counties began discussions concerning low crop prices, proposed farm bill changes and
the potential opportunities that might be created with the new legislation. The group
formed the American Peanut Growers Group, LLC (APG) to develop a peanut shelling
plant to enhance value-added agriculture in the region and put more of the agricultural
dollar back in the farmer’s pocket. APG purchased a 45-acre site in the Seminole County
Industrial Park, already served with water and sewer utilities and
constructed a state-of-the-art shelling facility.
The OneGeorgia Authority awarded a $500,000 loan to the
Development Authority of Seminole County and Donalsonville in May
2003. The funds from the loan were used to finance equipment for the
new peanut shelling facility and leased to American Peanut Growers
Group. According to Terry Shamblin, President and CEO of American
Peanut, the number of peanut shelling entities had dwindled from
roughly 45 to 10 in the last two decades. “A series of mergers and
acquisitions led to the closure of at least 29 small and mid-sized shelling
plants across the peanut growing areas of the southeastern United
States,” said Shamblin. “New technology was available in peanut
cleaning, drying and handling and shelling equipment, and we needed
to capitalize on it — which we could do with the OneGeorgia loan.”
American Peanut’s $13,675,233 facility included the first new
peanut shelling facility built in the southeastern U.S. in over 12 years.
The new facility has created 50 permanent full time jobs with additional jobs during
harvest season; the equivalent of 20 more full time jobs. The plant operates ten months
each year and processes 50,000 to 73,000 tons of peanuts annually.
According to an Economic Impact Analysis conducted by the University of Georgia,
the area’s increased economic activity due to the shelling facility’s construction and
operation would provide 709 additional indirect jobs in the area, outside of those directly
created in the shelling plant.
Peanuts from Southwest Georgia are considered to be of the highest quality
because of the region’s sandy soil and irrigation capabilities. American Peanut sells
peanuts to over 40
companies, including
We became Seminole County’s highest payer of property
Hershey Foods, Smuckers
(Jif ), Unilever (Skippy),
taxes during our first full year of operation. Our area
Conagra (Peter Pan),
desperately needed jobs created, and our peanut
Masterfoods (M&M) and
Kraft (Planters). They
farmers needed better access to the peanut market.
have also exported
—Terry Shamblin, President and CEO
peanuts into Europe,
American Peanut
Canada and Russia.
“If Southwest Georgia
cannot capitalize on peanut production, we might as well close up shop now,” said
Shamblin. “We are the Number 1 producing state in the U.S., and our area is known for
the best flavor, best overall quality and most consistent supply in the world. The
extremely high quality peanuts delivered by our group, our new plant design and our
organizational plan has proven to be a perfect fit.”
“The Equity loan we received from OneGeorgia was a major component in making
the APG project a success,” said Brenda Broome, Secretary/Treasurer of the Development
Authority of Seminole County and Donalsonville. “Since completion, the facility has had
a substantial economic impact in Seminole County and Southwest Georgia; not only in
job creation, but in increasing our tax base. Grown from within, this project is an
excellent example of what communities can accomplish by working together.”
American Peanut Growers Group, LLC, is spread over 13 contiguous counties in
Southwest Georgia and one county in Northwest Florida. For further information, please
visit their website: www.appg.com.
31
“
”
E 9-1-1
The purpose of the
Regional E 9-1-1 Fund is to
provide a program of
financial assistance that
includes grants and other
forms of assistance to
finance activities that will
assist applicants in
providing enhanced 9-1-1
emergency telephone
services on a regional basis
in counties that are not
currently served by 9-1-1,
thereby promoting the
health, welfare, safety, and
economic security of the
citizens of the state
Regional Impact
• 81,000 residents
• 7 counties
• 21 cities
• 67 agencies
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Middle Flint E 9-1-1 Authority
D o o l e y, M a c o n , Ta y l o r, S c h l e y,
We b s t e r, M a r i o n & S u m t e r C o u n t i e s
In 2001, the Middle Flint Regional Development Center began efforts to organize
seven counties to develop a regional 9-1-1 Center, but lacked the financial resources
necessary to fund the project. In August 2003, the OneGeorgia Authority awarded a
$700,000 grant to the Middle Flint E 9-1-1 Authority to build, furnish and equip the
Middle Flint E 9-1-1 Center in Ellaville. Start-up costs totaled over $1,956,700. Prior
to the authority's creation, there was no 9-1-1 service in the region, except in Americus.
Authority Chairman Bill Bowen, says, “All the counties had been
looking at the need for emergency service, and when this came
off the drawing board I believe they were ready for action.”
The Middle Flint E 9-1-1 cooperative emergency response
system covers the largest service area in Georgia, dispatching calls
to 67 participating emergency agencies in 21 cities and seven
counties. The E 9-1-1 Center is operated by the Middle Flint
E 9-1-1 Authority with representatives from each county in the
region. The authority, which has a 2006 operating budget of
$1.4 million, is headquartered in Schley County on five acres
donated by the city of Ellaville. A portion of operating revenue is
generated by Middle Flint counties who collect a $1.50 monthly
9-1-1 fee from telephone customers. Additional operational
expenses are jointly contributed by participating counties on a
population-based scale. “The OneGeorgia Authority grant was vital in funding the
unprecedented regional E 9-1-1 project,” Middle Flint Regional E 9-1-1 Authority Vice
Chairman, Doug Redmond, said. “Without the OneGeorgia Authority award, the
center most likely would have never been built.”
Over 81,000 residents in seven rural counties are served by the center. In the first
year of operation, the Middle Flint E 9-1-1 Center handled almost 65,000 calls for
sheriff, police, fire and emergency medical services in Dooly, Macon, Taylor, Schley,
Webster, Marion and Sumter counties. Professionally trained operators answered over
130,000 calls, including 28,000 requests for 9-1-1 emergency services. Technology
investments include a Global Positioning System which is utilized to efficiently route
calls and dispatch services. Phase 2 Wireless, where callers from a cell phone can have
their location identified, is
currently receiving calls
So far 21 counties have taken advantage of the OneGeorgia
and will attain full coverage
by the end of 2006. The
E 9-1-1 grant program by developing six Regional 9-1-1 Centers.
center also has state of the
Without the grant funds and the regional concept, these |
art equipment with the
ability to assist in tracking
counties would not have been able to afford E 9-1-1.
using GPS coordinates.
—Elaine W. Sexton, 9-1-1 Program Administrator
According to Elaine
Office of Homeland Security – GEMA
Sexton, GEMA’s 9-1-1
Program Administrator,
“At the time OneGeorgia started its E 9-1-1 program, 31 counties in Georgia had no
9-1-1 system. Now there are only five counties in Georgia with no E 9-1-1 system.”
The Association County Commissioners of Georgia presented the Georgia County
Excellence Award, Special Commendation to Middle Flint E 9-1-1 Authority to
recognize innovative county achievements. In partnership with Georgia Trend magazine,
the award — presented for the first time in 2006 — acknowledges programs designed
to make county government more effective and efficient, improve services for county
residents and enhance quality of life in Georgia communities. ACCG Deputy Director
Ross King called the Middle Flint E 9-1-1 project “a shining example of rural regional
success. We are holding it up as a model for other regions across the state, especially as
it relates to organization, staffing and financing.”
“The success of this project is going to provide the opportunity for us to look at,
particularly in rural Georgia, the shared service concept in other areas — such as water
and fire services — where we can provide better services more economically,” said
Middle Flint Regional E 9-1-1 Authority Chairman Bill Bowen.
33
“
”
ESB
“Research shows the need for
access to capital for rural start
ups and expansions and to
integrate entrepreneur and
small business needs into other
state financing programs...
Be it further ordered that the
OneGeorgia Authority seek
innovative ways to spur and
support entrepreneurial
enterprises in Georgia’s Rural
Communities.”
— Governor Sonny Perdue
February 5, 2004
With Entrepreneur and
Small Business
Development Loans,
eligible entrepreneurs and
small business owners living
in rural areas may reap the
benefits of their hard work
and hometown loyalty. The
OneGeorgia Authority and
accredited Georgia financial
institutions will provide
entrepreneurs and small
business owners with access
to loans ranging from
$35,000 up to $250,000 at
competitive interest rates.
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Floyd’s Fiberglass, Inc.
Flag Bank
In March 2006, the OneGeorgia Authority awarded Flag Bank in Montezuma a
$50,000 Entrepreneur and Small Business Development (ESB) Loan Guarantee to
benefit Floyd’s Fiberglass, Inc.
Hoyle Floyd, who is a former Engineering Supervisor for Caravelle Marine in
Americus, created the company with his wife in March 2005. Since its inception, the
company has been housed in the Business Expansion Center (BEC) at South Georgia
Technical College’s John M. Pope Center. The
BEC is designed to incubate small businesses
and help them grow by providing guidance,
workspace and various other resources. Floyd’s
Fiberglass, Inc., was the first business to take
advantage of the services offered at the BEC.
As an Engineer at Caravelle, Floyd
learned prototype and design operation and
managed the production site. Since beginning
his own company, he has produced specialty
fiberglass components and several special
projects, including creating 47 seven-foot-tall
turtles for a Junior Service League fundraiser
in Albany.
Floyd discovered the BEC through an
Entrepreneurship course he took at South
Georgia Tech. “Hoyle and his company are a
real success story,” said Wally Summers, VP of
Economic Development. “At South Georgia
Tech, we have been behind him from the
beginning. Now he is close to standing on his own, and I am proud to say that we have
been involved in his business accomplishments.”
While in the BEC, Floyd met with the University of Georgia Small Business
Development Center Business Consultant, Gaynor Cheokas. She assisted him with
developing a viable business plan. After completing his business plan, Floyd then met
with Jimmy Davis, Executive Director of the Development Authority of Macon
County. Davis provided assistance in reviewing Floyd’s business plan and site for
production in
Montezuma. Davis
contacted Danny Minick,
Without the assistance of the OneGeorgia Entrepreneur
president of FLAG Bank
and Small Business Loan Guarantee the project would not
of Montezuma and
arranged for an interview
have been possible, even though it was a good project
for Floyd to apply for a
and Floyd had put a lot of effort into it.
loan to cover start-up
—Jimmy Davis, Executive Director
costs and to finance the
Development
Authority
of
Macon
County and Chamber of Commerce
purchase of an existing
boat company, Lancer
Marine. Davis then
contacted Keith Moffett, regional project manager with the Georgia Department of
Economic Development. Moffett assisted Floyd with compiling the data the bank
needed to apply for the Entrepreneur and Small Business Loan Guarantee from the
OneGeorgia Authority.
Davis commented, “Without the assistance of the OneGeorgia Entrepreneur and
Small Business Loan Guarantee the project would not have been possible, even though
it was a good project, and Floyd had put a lot of effort into it.”
Floyd’s efforts and the efforts of those involved with the success of this business
venture have paid off. Floyd has been able to finalize the purchase of his business, lease
a site in Montezuma and begin production of rolledge fiberglass fishing boats ranging
in size from 12–17 feet. The first boat was produced and shipped to a dealer in
Donalsonville, Georgia, on September 6, 2006.
“
”
35
ESB
Rural Entrepreneurs are a
large part of the seedbed for
small-business owners and
business establishments and
are strong economic drivers;
they contribute to rural
Georgia’s economy through
the creation of high-skilled
jobs. OneGeorgia’s unique
public-private partnership
allows any accredited
financial institution in
Georgia access to these
shared-risk loan funds,
provided the ESB-funded
project is geographically
located in one of Georgia’s
112 designated rural counties.
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Middle Georgia Biofuels, Inc.
Bank of Dudley
The Bank of Dudley in Dublin, Georgia, was awarded a $100,000 ESB Loan
Fund Guarantee in November 2005 in support of Middle Georgia Biofuels, Inc., a
start-up venture located in Laurens County engaged in the research and production of
alternative fuels.
The Laurens County Biofuels plant is owned by Robbie Sheppard, Dan Young
and Fred Young and located in a metal building at their Shamrock Turf Farms. Dan
Young, who has a degree in chemistry, said he became interested in alternative fuels
when the price of gas started going up. Biodiesel, he
said, was by far the easiest to produce. The original
plan started out by using poultry fat as a feedstock,
but the company has converted to using soybean oil
purchased from the two crush plants in Georgia,
Cargill and ADM. The organizers worked for several
years to bring the project to fruition, and then in
September 2005, construction began. Research into
better production methods and alternative uses of
biodiesel is a focus of the project. The group hopes
to provide biodiesel to bus fleets, the local school
system and other vehicles and equipment in the area.
The company markets the product itself.
Middle Georgia Biofuels has the capacity to
make 2.5 million gallons of diesel fuel per year using
soybean oil. With farmers, construction companies
and other big fuel users lined up as customers, the
plant’s current operating capacity is already sold out,
and plans for expansion are in process. The plant
produces 100 percent biodiesel, but a minimum of one-percent petroleum diesel is
mixed in before it is sold to the customer. Various blend ratios are available, and local
fuel jobbers are looking into making biodiesel available to their wholesale and retail
customers. Biodiesel may be mixed with petroleum to any blend preferred simply by
combining the two, and Middle Georgia Biofuels is constantly modifying and
experimenting with the process to make it better to consistently produce ASTM
certified fuel.
All diesel vehicles on
the turf farm, including
tractors and big trucks
with no modifications, are
using the plant’s product.
For experimental purposes
the blends have ranged
from 5 percent to 100
percent, and there have
been no problems with
any blend.
Local, state and
national leaders have
given support to this
project by visiting the
plant and offering words
of encouragement to help promote alternative fuels at all levels.
Public pumps with alternative fuels including biodiesel are appearing more and more
around Georgia. The goal is to see every gallon of diesel sold in the state include a blend
of biodiesel. The air quality data strongly supports biodiesel as a factor in fewer harmful
emissions and better environmental impact benefiting everyone.
“OneGeorgia’s assistance made it possible to work with a customer in a new field
of technology,” said Clift Crews, Senior Vice President of the Bank of Dudley.
“
The OneGeorgia loan guarantee allowed us to start
in a new and exciting industry which we feel will
be good for us locally, as a state and as a nation.
We are grateful to have the opportunity of a
strong relationship with OneGeorgia and the
Bank of Dudley.
”
—Fred Young
Middle Georgia Biofuels
37
BRIDGE
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DDA of Arlington and Baker, Calhoun, Early,
Miller and Mitchell Counties
Regional Technology Assessment and Preliminary System Design
“We see the integration of
broadband internet access as
vital an infrastructure for our
rural economy as rails and
roads have served in the past.
Universal access to the
internet empowers all our
citizens with the ability to
succeed on an equal footing
with our urban neighbors.
With the help of OneGeorgia,
we envision developing a
conduit whereby all our rural
citizens are equipped with the
tools to succeed.”
—Lee Conner
Downtown Development
Authority of the City of Arlington
38
The first BRIDGE award for $88,600 was presented in July 2006 to the Downtown Development Authority of the
City of Arlington with co-applicants Baker, Calhoun, Early, Miller and Mitchell Counties to assist with a five-county
regional technology assessment. This assessment was divided into two parts: 1) is broadband economically vital, and 2) is it
technically viable to deploy broadband service in the five county region?
As part of the assessment, Georgia Tech staff, through the TECHSMART program, conducted community-wide focus
group meetings in each of the five counties to assist the local leadership and stakeholders in identifying the region’s
technology assets/needs as well as opportunities. In addition, telephone interviews were conducted with 159 community
stakeholders. As a result of the meetings and other stakeholder input, Georgia Tech has outlined key action steps in a
written technology plan. These key action steps include: formalize a broadband steering committee, develop specific
strategies to foster the adoption of technology, educate the public on the value of information technology, develop a web
portal to promote regional broadband projects with link to all five counties and develop policies to move toward digital
content. Georgia Tech’s report included a number of other important observations and comments including:
• With 1,316 farms in the five counties, major efforts should be made to develop a technical support plan to train and
educate farmers on how to use information technology;
• With the impact of tourism travel in the five counties exceeding $61 million in 2005, primarily at hunting preserves
and plantations which attract CEOs and high-end clients, efforts should be made to engage and provide support for
broadband deployment among those stakeholders;
• The local government should lead by example by using and offering advanced telecom services and digital content
that will promote greater deployment of broadband networks and help to aggregate demand for broadband services;
• E-learning provides an opportunity to encourage local residents to learn at their own convenience and at a price more
affordable than traditional education; and
• E-business workshops could help local businesses understand how to conduct business processes via the internet to
exchange information, collaborate with business partners and sell products and services to make a profit.
The current technology benchmark will serve as the basis for the development of an integrated plan, the Digital
Development Plan or “roadmap” for future technology development and utilization within the region.
In addition, grant funds were awarded to assist with a study by Camvera Networks, Inc., which included site study,
engineering and preliminary system design for development of a wireless broadband access system to support a number of
agricultural applications, including remote pivot irrigation, as well as to serve community residents and businesses.
The results indicate that the region indeed has a vital necessity for deployment of broadband service; that not moving
forward with deployment will hinder economic development in the region. It was also technically established that
broadband service can be deployed throughout the region in an economically sustainable method. The applicants are now
working on their BRIDGE grant application for Phase II to fund implementation of broadband service in the region.
w w w. o n e g e o r g i a . o r g / b r i d g e - w e b
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Franklin-Har t Airpor t
The first AIRGeorgia award of $898,200 was presented to the Franklin-Hart County Airport Authority in November
2006. The grant proceeds will be used to extend the runway from 3,500 ft to 5,000 ft at the 140 acre Franklin-Hart
Airport in Canon, Georgia. Project activities include easement acquisition, site preparation, paving, constructing a blast
pad, extending the runway safety area, constructing a taxiway turnaround, extending runway lights and installing taxiway
lighting and signage.
With the current 3,500 foot runway too short for corporate jets and larger aircraft to land, Franklin and Hart Counties
experienced significant disadvantages in pro-actively marketing their communities to tourists and business and industry
prospects. Prospective industries often landed in Anderson, South Carolina, and traveled by car to Franklin and Hart
Counties. Several of the area’s largest employers pointed out the inconvenience of their corporate jets forced to land more than
40 miles away in another state. Franklin and Hart Counties, located along 56,000 acre Lake Hartwell and joint participants in
the 150-acre Gateway Business Park located along Interstate 85, recognized that despite their amenities and positive business
environment, the availability of a 5,000 foot runway in Franklin and Hart Counties was vital to improving industrial
marketability in this corner of the state, particularly as the region competes heavily with North and South Carolina.
As business markets expand nationally and internationally in scale, aviation infrastructure will become even more vital
to economic development in Georgia’s rural areas. The inability to land larger aircraft at the Franklin-Hart Airport
significantly hindered industrial recruitment efforts and conveyed less than a positive first impression to corporate CEOs
and other visitors.
In addition to extending the runway and other infrastructure improvements, the airport plans to purchase and install a
12,000 gallon jet fuel system which will increase fuel sales and tax revenue. The airport is also expected to nurture
developing regional tourism efforts aimed at promoting Lake Hartwell and the beauty of the region nestled in the foothills
of Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. The total cost of the project is projected to be $1,541,595.
In July 2006, Governor Perdue and members of the OneGeorgia Authority Board approved the regulations for
AIRGeorgia along with an initial $15 million budget. Governor Perdue, having requested the OneGeorgia Authority to
structure a new financing program aimed at completing critical infrastructure improvements necessary to upgrade and improve
many of rural Georgia’s aviation “Gateways,” declared the need to have accessible rural airports for business recruitment, because
“if we can land on the ground locally, we have a better opportunity of clearing the first round of consideration.”
The goal of AIRGeorgia (Airport Initiative in Rural Georgia), a program of the OneGeorgia Authority in partnership
with the Georgia Department of Transportation-Aviation Programs, is to eventually extend rural airport runways to at least
5,000 feet, thereby placing every Georgian, business and industry within a 30-minute drive of an airport capable of serving
85% of the corporate aircraft flying today. AIRGeorgia, targeted to the 49 Level I and Level II airports located in rural
Georgia, will accelerate a number of projects on the drawing board including runway extensions, installation of
navigational aids, weather reporting stations and other projects deemed necessary to increase accessibility of our rural
airports and communities.
AIRGeorgia
Franklin-Hart Airport Authority
“The OneGeorgia grant to
the Franklin-Hart Airport
Authority allows us to greatly
enhance our ability to land
larger corporate aircraft,
promote our area as a business
and tourist destination,
increase safety margins for all
aircraft using the airport and
aid the overall economic
development of our entire two
county area. OneGeorgia
funds mean growth and
prosperity for our airport,
counties, and region.”
—Harris Little
Chairman
Franklin-Hart
Airport Authority
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SILF
SILF
Strategic Industries Loan Fund
$10 Million Budget
• Threshold based program
• Significant benefit to
rural area
• Emerging or development
stage company
• Successful experience in
Georgia incubator
• Gap financing
The Strategic Industries Loan Fund (SILF) provides low-interest loans for the purchase of fixed assets to eligible
applicants that are being considered as a relocation or expansion site for a emerging or development-stage company in a
strategic industry targeted by Georgia. The Loan Fund is intended to be used only when needed to fill a financing gap that
is unmet by the private sector (including venture capital, angel or institutional investors, traditional commercial financing,
developer financing, etc.) and when the health, welfare and economic security of the citizens of the state are promoted
through the recruitment, development and retention of emerging and development-stage companies in strategic industries
that are creating higher quality jobs.
Identified strategic industry sectors in Georgia include, but are not limited to: aerospace, agribusiness, energy and
environmental, healthcare, eldercare, life sciences, logistics and transportation. In addition, supporting industry clusters
may include, but are not limited to advanced telecommunications, business and financial services, homeland security,
multimedia and software development. Individual companies within a strategic industry will typically demonstrate one or
more of the following criteria: a) high potential for commercialization; b) the creation of “quality jobs” that demonstrate
full benefits (including health insurance and retirement) and pay above average wages for the subject county; c) successful
experience in a Georgia incubator or Center of Innovation or d) existence of a unique partnership with one of the State’s
research universities and state colleges.
Eligible applicants and recipients of funds awarded under this program shall include, but not be limited to, generalpurpose local governments (municipalities and counties), local government authorities and joint or multi-county
development authorities.
Fund Availability
Funds will be made available to eligible applicants for projects when a strategic industry cannot locate or expand
without special financial assistance because the private or venture markets do not offer sufficient financing to meet the
company’s needs.
Loans are not limited in amount. A recommended loan amount should be included in a letter of support from a state
agency or organization whose statutory powers and duties include community and economic development or the
enhancement of Georgia’s strategic industry sectors. Final approval of loan amounts is at the discretion of the Authority.
Fueled by the state’s investment in the Georgia Centers of Innovation, Georgia has continued its’ focus on strategic
industries and high-tech jobs for Georgians. The Strategic Industries Loan Fund is expected to emerge as an important
financing tool to assist communities in locating new companies and near commercialization stage companies to our rural areas.
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GSWCC
Georgia Soil and Water Conservation Commission
A g r i c u l t u r e Wa t e r M e t e r i n g P r o g r a m
OneGeorgia currently is the sole source of funding for the implementation of HB579. This bill requires that all
permitted agricultural water withdrawal pumping sites be measured. It designates the Georgia Soil & Water Conservation
Commission (GSWCC) as the agency to coordinate the metering efforts. For pumping sites with permits issued before
July 1, 2003, the GSWCC is responsible for the purchase, installation and maintenance of the meters and the reading and
reporting of data from the permitted agricultural withdrawals. Contingent upon funding, all water withdrawals are to be
metered by July 1, 2009.
The illustration below depicts the areas where meters have been installed. The GSWCC Strategic Metering Plan uses
sub-basins as the focus areas for metering efforts. Pumping sites in these areas are inventoried and contact lists are updated.
Meters are ordered and manufactured for a specific installation site. Meter installations are bid out to DOAS qualified
contractors to obtain the best value for the state. One percent of the meters installed each year are equipped with telemetry
devices which allow the meters to be read every 12 hours via satellite. Meters are manually read on an annual basis between
October and December to determine water use for the crop season.
This project does not end with the
completion of meter installations. The real
success of this project is the use of the
knowledge that the collected data provides
for policy makers and land owners. Many
hours of one-on-one consultation and "town
hall meetings" with the general farming
public have been conducted. This education
process has not only been completed by the
GSWCC, but by many other sister agencies
as well. Irrigators are eager to better
understand how this state sponsored
management tool can help them become
more efficient with water use. By promoting
conservation of agricultural water,
OneGeorgia has helped the entire state better
understand how important water is for
economic growth and sustainability.
gaswcc.georgia.gov
41
COI
2006 in Review
• Centers of Innovation
Research Grant projects
currently awarded include
research on vacuum
technology to harvest
cotton, wireless
technology to control
water resources for
irrigation and
development of a
commercially viable
means to produce ethanol
from pine trees.
• 580 clients received
assistance from the centers;
of those, 191 became
long-term clients, receiving
comprehensive services.
• COI delivered 32
innovation solutions to
clients, helping them
solve complex issues.
Additionally, 66 of the
clients delivered
innovative processes or
products to the
marketplace.
• 241 jobs in Georgia, with
a payroll of 8.8 million,
were saved or created as a
result of the COI
program during FY ’06.
• Through collaborative
efforts, COI clients
received $4.7 million
dollars in loans, grants
and new contracts.
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Centers of Innovation
Suppor t Network for
Innovators and Entrepreneurs
The Georgia Centers of Innovation program is designed to enhance long-term
economic opportunities for Georgians, nourish the state’s homegrown industries and
encourage new companies to invest and build in the state. Funded by the OneGeorgia
Authority, the Centers focus on specific industries including aerospace, agriculture, life
sciences, logistics and manufacturing. The Centers of Innovation Program works
directly with existing businesses and entrepreneurs to foster growth within each sector.
More than a think tank, each center provides tangible services such as access to
university level research and development, industry specific incubator space, training,
business management services and matching research grants for qualified companies.
A core component of the Centers of Innovation program is the Entrepreneur
Outreach Specialists (EOS). The specialists provide help to start up companies and
small businesses in rural Georgia that are either developing technology or applying
technology in innovative ways. Each specialist has a technology background, personal
experience in starting businesses and specific industry knowledge — allowing them to
provide real-world business advice and serve as a comprehensive resource to clients. The
EOS also brings the technology resources of Georgia’s University System and other state
partners to rural small business owners across the state.
To illustrate the impact of this collaborative network, following are a few ways the
Centers of Innovation Program is fostering innovation and increasing competitiveness:
• The Agriculture Innovation Center located in Tifton became the connection point
between the agriculture industries’ need for water and energy conservation, and a
mixture of private businesses, county governments and federal and state research
groups. This network produced a public/private model for producing real
technology solutions to maximize precision agriculture tools; the program further
ensures rural areas of Georgia can affordably foster the development of precision
agriculture technology via wireless broadband.
• The Aerospace Innovation Center provided the platform for Georgia to enter into,
for the first time, a cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the
Warner Robins Air Logistics Center. This milestone agreement lays the foundation
for a myriad of opportunities to advance Georgia’s Aerospace industry.
• Entrepreneur Outreach Specialist (EOS) Patrick Wilbanks is working with a startup company in Emanuel county, LJR Forest products. Patrick assisted in
determining plant location; key to success due to the quantity of pine forests and
sawmills and ease of interstate access. He also conducted market research along
with Matt Oxley, another team member and identified reuse markets for the
sawdust and wood shavings waste. According to LJR, “Patrick’s vast knowledge of
the industry, his engineering background, and access to information helped save us
time and money.” As a result, LJR has created 28 jobs in just one year.
• U.S. Energy Sciences in Vidalia manufactures energy efficient commercial lighting
products, but ironically, the production was inefficient — resulting in an unprofitable
company. Entrepreneur Outreach Specialist Matt Oxley worked closely with this
company reorganizing the plant, its manufacturing lines and providing other key areas
of assistance including access to free services of Georgia Tech. The result: in the past 10
months the company has more than doubled production and sales, translating to a
5% increase in bottom line gross profit. Now that company is profitable, they are able
to invest in technology and training. Matt connected the company with computer
specialists at Georgia Tech for proprietary software applications and arranged for
additional training in Lean Manufacturing concepts. According to U.S. Energy
Sciences, “the results have been amazing and the entire process has been remarkable.”
• Entrepreneurs in Toccoa are working with Entrepreneur Outreach Specialist Rob
Ginn. This company, a producer of non-pyrotechnic explosive devices for military
training purposes, was experiencing the challenges of managing a rapidly growing
niche market. The EOS forged a collaborative effort between Regional Economic
development professionals, Georgia Tech and the Center of Innovation for
Manufacturing to provide critical help in obtaining required ISO 9000 certification
and improved manufacturing of their product. These entrepreneurs credit Rob
with enabling them to access valuable and timely resources they did not have time
or money to search on their own.
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Automated Irrigation Controls
While technology, computers and advanced scientific research may not be the first mental image in people’s minds
upon hearing the word “farmer,” it should be. Today’s agri-business professionals are not only utilizing fascinating
technology — in many cases, they are on the forefront of creating it. Automated Irrigation Controls (AIC) in Worth
County is a small high-tech company that saw a need to conserve precious water resources and developed a wireless webbased digital control system to remote monitor and control center pivot water irrigation. AIC, requiring further research to
complete development, became one of the first clients of the Agriculture Innovation Center. Through this relationship,
Automated Irrigation Controls applied for and received a Centers of Innovation (COI) Research Grant award of $70,000
funded by the OneGeorgia Authority. The grant, matched by industry funds, opened the door for AIC to work with the
Agriculture Innovation’s Research partner, the Tifton Campus UGA College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.
The grant also provided the means for AIC to benefit from field tested research that explored various agricultural
applications for their wireless monitoring and control systems. Additionally the data from this research directly assisted AIC
in developing a commercially viable product that delivers documented cost savings.
As a result of the successful outcomes from research with the University of Georgia Tifton Campus, along with
services and contacts provided by the Agriculture Innovation Center and Outreach Specialist, Automated Irrigation
Controls landed a contract with a company to automate their peanut warehouses in Georgia and Florida.
From helping a small
business stop a
downward spiral due to
misinterpretation of
environmental regulations
to connecting a rural farmer
with UGA’s Nutraceutical
Laboratory for research, the
Centers of Innovation and
the Entrepreneur Outreach
Specialists are continually
connecting people with
needs to people with
solutions. In doing so,
The Georgia Centers of
Innovation Program plays a
vital role in stimulating job
creation and job retention
throughout the state.
43
GDEcD
Georgia’s “Entrepreneur
Friendly” Initiative assists
the state’s counties in
cultivating business
environments that develop
and encourage entrepreneurs
and small businesses.
44
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Entrepreneur Friendly Communities
Entrepreneur and
Small Business Initiative
The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Small Business and Innovation
Division provides a community-based program, Entrepreneur Friendly (EF), that helps
create an entrepreneur environment, building entrepreneur and small business strategy into
the community’s overall economic development strategies.
For many aspiring business owners, success depends upon their ability to access the
resources, skills and capital they need to transform their dreams into sustainable businesses.
Increasingly, entrepreneurship is a strategy that can offer new hope as rural communities
confront the shrinking of their former economic engines: agriculture, resource extraction
and manufacturing. Communities with healthy small businesses are more resilient to
fluctuations in the economy and often offer residents a better quality of life.
The Entrepreneur Friendly Implementation Fund (EFIF) is a partnership between the
Georgia Department of Economic Development and the OneGeorgia Authority offering
grants to Georgia’s Entrepreneur Friendly communities located in the 112 eligible and 35
conditionally eligible counties within the OneGeorgia framework.
This grant program has a cap of $25,000 and must be matched 50% in dollars or
in-kind value by the community. The project must be an initiative that shows the
community’s commitment to continue to build and maintain sustainable ESB programs in
their efforts to create an entrepreneur environment.
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Of the 26 Entrepreneur Friendly communities designated, seven have received Implementation Fund grants to-date:
Brantley County Development Authority – July 2006, $2500
Youth Entrepreneur Camp for 7th–8th graders for the purpose of engaging youth with entrepreneurial thinking and action.
Fannin County – July 2006, $10,000
Youth Entrepreneurship Pilot program for 20 high school juniors of all educational levels to participate in a series of hands-on
education sessions geared toward entrepreneurship and opportunity.
Perry Area Chamber of Commerce – October 2006, $10,000
Entrepreneur Resource Center outfitted with resources needed for an individual to start the process of opening his own
business; in partnership with Perry Area CVB and chamber members to provide support services in the areas of marketing,
technology, human resources, legal advice and accounting.
Colquitt/Miller County – August 2006, $10,000
Enhance and grow Colquitt/Miller County existing arts focus by conducting an entrepreneur and small business market
study and strategic plan to determine what type of business would be successful that will enhance the growth of the
“artrepreneurial” environment and strengthen the arts initiatives that already exist.
Thomaston-Upson County Chamber and Development Authority – May 2006, $10,000
To create and develop EMBARC, a fully staffed resource center to be located in Upson County that will serve Upson,
Talbot and Taylor counties. Partnering with Flint River Technical College, EMBARC will provide ESB resources and
services that will address any EF initiatives or other items deemed critical by the E-Spirit Committee.
Toombs/Montgomery/Tattnall Counties – September 2006, $10,000
Small Business Marketing Certification program serving three counties to provide new and existing small businesses an
extensive classroom training opportunity to learn and practice effective marketing skills.
Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce – March 2006, $10,000
To assist with funding for the Regional Demonstration Site for Entrepreneur and Small Business Development to be
housed in the SEEDS (Sowing Entrepreneur and Economic Development Success) Center to provide business
development assistance, without charge, to any planned or existing business in Lowndes, Brooks, Cook, Berrien, Lanier
and Echols counties, regardless of chamber membership.
Entrepreneurial Friendly Implementation Fund
Fannin County — $10,000
After the closing of Levi-Strauss in 2002 and the loss of over 400 jobs, the leadership realized the need to change its
economic development focus. Georgia Tech conducted an economic feasibility study and multiple meetings were held to
gather public opinions about where Fannin needed to be in another 20 years. Focusing primarily on small business
growth through tourism, second home and retirement home markets and the service infrastructure to support them —
restaurants, stores, health care facilities and other accommodations — was Fannin’s best bet for future economic vitality,
the studies showed.
This realization steered Fannin County toward the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Entrepreneur
Friendly program to help lay the foundation and garner support for small business and entrepreneurial growth.
By establishing themselves as the ideal setting for homegrown and transplanted
entrepreneurs, the community has seen an economic turnaround, and the
majority of that growth is small business.
Understanding the importance of developing homegrown leaders and
business owners, the community applied for and received a $10,000
Entrepreneur Friendly Implementation Grant (EFIF). The grant provides
funding to support Vision Quest, an extracurricular leadership and business skills
development program aimed at fostering youth entrepreneurship. A joint
program of the Fannin County Development Authority and the Fannin County
Chamber of Commerce, the program’s objective is to develop youth who will be
the future business and community leaders of Fannin County.
The hands-on experience features a ropes and team building event, classes
on public speaking skills, work ethics and business development. Students have
the opportunity to learn from accomplished leaders of local business and
motivational speakers.
The flagship class of Vision Quest was comprised of Fannin County High
School juniors, who completed an eight part program culminating in a business
plan competition.
Three of the participants are now working to start a school based business:
“discount cards” with one of the faculty. Another team will be taking their “business plan” to an FBLA Competition, and
yet another participant will be using what he has learned to enter a “Skills USA” competition.
45
GRDC
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Page 46
GRDC
Georgia Rural Development Council
The Georgia Rural Development Council (GRDC) advocates for rural Georgia,
champions new development opportunities and partners with public and private initiatives to
strengthen rural communities. The GRDC is Governor Perdue’s primary advisory board for
rural issues and as such, receives financial support from the OneGeorgia Authority.
The GRDC serves as a clearinghouse for policies and initiatives affecting community and
economic development in rural Georgia. The Georgia Rural Development Council is made up
of five committees: health care, workforce/education, community/economic development,
infrastructure and leadership.
The Council, chaired by Governor Perdue, is governed by a 28 member board
representing state and local leadership in business, agriculture, education, government and
numerous other areas of public service.
Governor Sonny Perdue, Chair
State of Georgia
Senator Jack Hill
Georgia Senate
Roy Campbell, Vice Chair
Councilman, City of Thomasville
Mayor Susan Holmes
City of Monticello
Commissioner Mike Beatty
Georgia Department of Community Affairs
Mabel Jenkins
Hanging Rocks Plantation, Millen
Gary Black
Executive Director
Georgia Agribusiness Council
James H. Langdale
Vice President and General Manager
Langdale Forest Products, Valdosta
Phyllis Bowen
Executive Director
The Sapelo Foundation, Brunswick
Mayor Jeff Lukken
City of LaGrange
Clarence Brown
Sole Commissioner
Bartow County Commission
William Brown
William L. Brown Farms, LLC
Brian Burdette
Glasstech Services, Greensboro
Bill Chapin
Owner
See Rock City, Inc., Lookout Mountain
Dennis Chastain
Vice President, Economic Development
Georgia Electric Membership Corporation
Bill Clark
Chairman
Catoosa County Board of Commissioners
Nancy Cobb
Executive Director, OneGeorgia Authority
Phil Foil
Deputy Commissioner
Department of Community Affairs
Dr. Fred Harrison
Winterville
46
Sybil Lynn
Sybil’s Restaurant, Jesup
O.B. McCorkle
President
Warren County Chamber of Commerce
Carolyn Ragan
Education, Hawkinsville
Representative Austin Scott
Georgia House of Representatives
Donnie Smith
Agriculture Liaison to the Governor
Commissioner Ken Stewart
Georgia Department of
Economic Development
Jerry Usry
Infrastructure-Chair
Usry Consulting, Inc., Albany
Scott Wilson
CFO, Pinnacle Bank, Elberton
Stone Workman
State Director
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Athens
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Page 47
Map of Economic Impact
308 Awards totaling $154.4 million
Long Term Job Creation/Retention: 29,871 jobs
Impacting 111 economically-depressed counties
October 2000 – October 2006
Map prepared by Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 2006
The OneGeorgia Authority Board meets periodically throughout
the year to conduct business and present awardees an opportunity
to meet the governor and have pictures taken receiving the “big
check.” OneGeorgia schedules board meetings in rural communities
throughout the state to afford the 250-plus attendees the
opportunity to network with each other.
47
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Page 48
Investing in Rural Georgia...
One Project at a Time
Dollar Value of Investments
Long Term Job Creation/Retention
308 Awards
$12.6 Private Match
$16.3 Total Project Match
Total Jobs: 29,871
24,351 jobs have been
created/retained to-date
(81.5% of projections)
Data source:
OneGeorgia Authority,
October 2000 through
October 2006
48
$154 million has been awarded from OneGeorgia’s direct
programs over the last six years to local governments in support
of some 308 projects in Georgia’s rural communities. As shown
on the graph above, these investments are leveraged against more
than $2.5 billion in total project costs. Put another way, for every
$1 that OneGeorgia has awarded to rural communities, it is
matched by an incredible $12.60 in new private investment and
$16.30 in total project cost. OneGeorgia has served as a catalyst,
pumping a whopping $2.5 billion into economically needy areas
since its start-up in late 2000 through these projects..
Communities receiving a grant or loan award are recognized at
one of OneGeorgia’s regularly scheduled meetings and receive a
“big check” as a symbol of the commitment the state is making in
their project as well as a congratulatory photo opportunity with
the Governor who serves as Chair of the Authority. Applications
go through a multi-level review process to insure that threshold
requirements are met, all of which are structured to insure that
the project and the state’s investment has the best opportunity for
success. Statistical highlights from the awards and investments
made to date include:
The EDGE program is credited with $84 million, or slightly
more than one-half of the $154 million, and represents one third
of the 308 awards. EDGE, sometimes called rural Georgia’s “dealcloser” fund, is a financing tool available to the Georgia
Department of Economic Development, the state’s marketing
arm, to bring new jobs and private investment to rural areas.
EDGE is used only where the calculated return on investment to
the community and state exceeds the cost and only where it has
the opportunity to minimize or erase cost differentials between
competing site locations outside Georgia, thus winning the
project for Georgia. To date, more than 100 of Georgia’s most
economically distressed counties have benefited from EDGE
through the creation and/or retention of some 20,000 jobs and
an additional $1.6 billion in new private investment.
The Equity Program, the most flexible financing tool in
OneGeorgia’s arsenal, has nearly the statistical reverse. Equity
accounts for about one-third of the $154 million, $63 million,
but nearly 60% of the awards to date, or 174 awards. Because a
large number of awards from the Equity program support
capacity-building financial investments in Georgia’s rural
communities that will help improve their business environments
and optimize their marketing efforts in order to attract and retain
targeted business sectors and companies, the number of awards is
a reflection of the significant capacity-building needs in Georgia’s
economically distressed communities. Even so, the Equity
program’s $63 million investment is leveraged against $670
million in total project costs and is credited with supporting the
retention and/or creation of just under 5,000 jobs at companies,
large and small, located in rural Georgia.
Balancing out the numbers are awards and investments
made from OneGeorgia’s other programs, including the Regional
E-911 fund, ESB (Entrepreneur Small Business) Loan Guarantee
Program, BRIDGE and AIRGeorgia.
OneGeorgia projects have protected or helped to create an
estimated 30,000 jobs in our rural areas. Perhaps more
important, 81.5% of those job commitments have been satisfied,
providing 24,351 rural Georgians with the ability to provide for
their families and to become positive contributors to our local,
regional and state economy.
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$246 Million Invested
in First Six Years
Total Investments
October 2000 – October 2006:
$246M
Over the last six years the OneGeorgia Authority has
plowed some $246 million into rural Georgia in a variety of
projects and programs, building a balanced portfolio of
investments, fertilizing ideas and innovative initiatives. Outside of
the 308 awards made directly to rural communities, OneGeorgia
has spent nearly $92 million on initiatives identified by the
governing board of OneGeorgia as those holding the greatest
promise of generating a long-term payoff both economically and
environmentally for rural Georgians.
In 2001, the governing board of OneGeorgia voted to
transfer $10 million to Georgia Environmental Facilities
Authority (GEFA) to finance 20 infrastructure projects in some
of rural Georgia’s most economically depressed areas.
From 2001 to 2003, a total of $39 million plus additional
federal funds was transferred to the Georgia Tobacco Board and
distributed directly to Georgia’s tobacco farmers to offset losses
from decreased production and market demands. In 2001 and
again 2002, the Environmental Protection Division (EPD) of the
Department of Natural Resources declared a severe drought in
southwest Georgia’s Lower Flint River Basin. The Governing
board, under the leadership of Governor Roy Barnes, established
a program with a budget of $10.2 million to compensate farmers
in the Flint River Basin who voluntarily stopped irrigating their
crops with surface water.
House Bill 579, signed into law by Governor Perdue, in
May 2003, directed the state’s Soil and Water Conservation
Commission to implement an Agricultural Water Use
Measurement Program. Program activities include the installation
of meters on approximately 21,000 permitted surface and ground
water agricultural irrigation systems located across the state. Over
the last four years, OneGeorgia has budgeted $15.4 million
toward this initiative, seen as critical to conserving one of rural
Georgia’s most valuable natural resources.
With the recognition that globalization was transforming
the rural economic development landscape, Governor Perdue
began developing a blueprint to spur entrepreneurial and small
business growth in Georgia’s rural areas. The Georgia Centers of
Innovation program, announced in late 2003 by Perdue and
financially supported by the OneGeorgia Authority, builds on the
state’s world-class assets and home-grown industries to provide
support for researchers and entrepreneurs in the areas of
aerospace, agriculture, biotech, information technology and
maritime logistics. The centers work together in a seamless
network connecting state leaders, academic research, business
experts and entrepreneurs to nurture innovative ideas and forge
new relationships to grow long-term economic opportunities,
create jobs and attract new companies all across rural Georgia.
The Entrepreneur Small Business Loan Guarantee Program,
rolled out in 2005, is a public-private partnership with Georgia’s
lending institutions, to provide financial resources to start-up
companies and small businesses seeking to expand. GDEcD’s
Entrepreneur Friendly “EF” Program and its’ companion, the EF
Implementation Grant, are tools to help communities develop
programs and resources critical for rural start-ups struggling to
become high-growth businesses. As rural Georgia fully embraces
the era of the entrepreneurial economy, these resources will play
an even more important role.
One of rural Georgia’s most important “retention projects”
involved supporting the state’s military institutions. When the
United States Department of Defense (DOD) announced
potential military base closures impacting 10 military installations
in rural areas of Georgia, the OneGeorgia board allocated $1
million to the Georgia Military Affairs Coordinating Council
(GMACC) to prepare our rural bases for the BRAC Commission
review, an investment that paid big dividends last year.
Other programs receiving financial support include the
Georgia Academy for Economic Development, Fanning Institute
for Leadership, Georgia’s 4-H programs, and the Georgia Rural
Development Council. These investments are seen as vital to the
development of leadership and human capital in Georgia’s smaller
communities and rural areas.
Data source:
OneGeorgia Authority,
October 2000 through
October 2006
49
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Page 50
2007 Governing Board
Governor Sonny Perdue
Chairman
www.gov.state.ga.us
Lt. Governor Casey Cagle
Vice-Chairman
www.ltgov.georgia.gov
Director Shelley Nickel
Secretary
www.opb.georgia.gov
Commissioner Mike Beatty
Department of Community Affairs
www.dca.state.ga.us
Commissioner Bart L. Graham
Department of Revenue
www.dor.georgia.gov
Commissioner Ken Stewart
Department of
Economic Development
www.georgia.org
Overview Committee
Representative Ed Rynders
Chairman
[email protected]
50
Senator Greg Goggans
[email protected]
Senator George Hooks
[email protected]
Representative Butch Parrish
[email protected]
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Page 51
From the Executive Director
Nancy Cobb
Executive Director
[email protected]
It is my hope that this report, Bridging the Economic Divide
2000–2006, is reflective of our task: to serve as a financial partner and
catalyst in helping our rural communities to maintain excellent qualityof-life advantages while also creating sustainable and diversified
economies. In highlighting selected projects, investments and
partnerships of the OneGeorgia Authority, our goal has been to capture
the vision, commitment and perseverance of those who live and work in
our rural areas. I think we can all agree that rural Georgia draws its
strength from the diversity of its people and the incredible wealth of
talents, skills and interests rooted in the local landscape.
While continuing to recognize the importance of EDGE and Equity
as core programs in the development of our rural communities,
OneGeorgia broadened its portfolio to reflect a more comprehensive
approach to rural economic development. The ESB Loan Guarantee
Fund and the Strategic Industries Loan Fund are financial resources that
have been identified as vital to nourishing entrepreneurs, start-ups and
small business owners. Our commitment to innovation has expanded to
include investments in the Centers of Innovation program, connecting
world-class researchers at our educational institutions with grass-roots
entrepreneurs. To put it simply, we know that good ideas come from
everyone and everywhere.
Our most recent program additions, BRIDGE and AIRGeorgia, are
designed to assist with critical technology and airport infrastructure
improvements necessary for our rural communities to compete in the
new economy of the 21st Century. In order for rural businesses to be
successful, they must be able to communicate from anywhere in rural
Georgia to the rest of the world. Likewise, if we are to showcase our
southern hospitality and outstanding quality-of-life assets to the world,
we must invest in our smaller airports so they can serve as “gateways” to
rural Georgia.
OneGeorgia’s success must be shared with our local, state and federal
partners in rural economic development who have shared their
knowledge and technical expertise. Our relationships with DCA and
GDEcD are unique and invaluable; thank you for your dedication and
support. Thank you to my incredible staff in Dublin for giving 110%
each and every day.
And finally, thank you to Governor Perdue and the OneGeorgia
Board for your unwavering commitment to rural Georgia. As we look
toward the future, I am confident that together we will meet the
challenges of a dynamic and ever-changing global economy.
OneGeorgia Authority Staff
Lynn Ashcraft
Finance Officer
[email protected]
Teresa Johnson
Administrative Assistant
[email protected]
Leslie Lentile
Public Relations
[email protected]
Tonya Mole
Project Manager
[email protected]
51
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Page 52
Bridging the Economic Divide
1 2 0 2 - B H i l l c re s t Pa r k w a y, D u b l i n , Ge o r g i a 3 1 0 2 1
( 4 7 8 ) 2 7 4 - 7 7 3 4 • Fa x ( 4 7 8 ) 2 7 4 - 7 7 2 7
w w w. o n e g e o r g i a . o r g

- OneGeorgia Authority

Transcription

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