Georgia Trend Daily – Feb. 17, 2025
Feb. 17, 2025 Georgia.gov
Gov. Kemp: Georgia Breaks Export Records, Rises in Total Trade
Staff reports that Gov. Kemp on Friday joined the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) in announcing that the State of Georgia surpassed $53.1 billion in exports, a year-over-year increase of 6.4% that outpaced the national average of 2.3%. The state also moved up a rank to sixth in the United States for dollar value of trade, serving as a global gateway to facilitate more than $198.7 billion in trade to 222 unique countries and territories.
Feb. 17, 2025 Georgia Trend – Exclusive!
Investing in People
Kat Kyle and Mark Gromek report that half of the people working in the United States are seeking new job opportunities, resulting in a trillion dollar cost to companies, according to a recent Gallup report. Yet more than 40 percent of that turnover could have been prevented by strategic intervention, according to those surveyed.
Feb. 17, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
COVID upended Atlanta’s office market. How is it doing 5 years later?
Zachary Hansen reports that the viral outbreak and ensuing shutdown in 2020 introduced much of Atlanta’s corporate world to remote work, eliminating time-consuming commutes and making virtual meetings commonplace. For large employment centers like Atlanta, it raised questions about whether offices would ever be the same.
Feb. 17, 2025 Capitol Beat News
Electric vehicle supplier cancels plan to build plant near Statesboro
Dave Williams reports that a Massachusetts-based electric vehicles supplier has abandoned plans to build a manufacturing facility in Bulloch County. Aspen Aerogels Inc., which makes thermal barriers that insulate the batteries on electric cars from fires, announced Thursday in an investor call that instead of building a second plant near Statesboro, it will increase production capacity at its East Providence, R.I., plant.
Feb. 17, 2025 Georgia Recorder
Trump administration slashes Georgia CDC workforce by 10% in sweeping cuts
Jill Nolin reports that the Trump administration’s sweeping jobs cuts have reached Georgia’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is expected to lose about one-tenth of its workforce, the Associated Press has reported. The administration’s broad plan to cut probationary employees will result in the loss of nearly 1,300 jobs at the CDC, according to the AP.
Feb. 17, 2025 GlobalAtlanta.com
Czech Plastics Producer Expands Peachtree City Site
Trevor Williams reports that a Czech producer of plastics used to make pipes and cable has expanded a factory, warehouse and headquarters in Peachtree City, adding 21,000 square feet and one new production line as its business grows in the United States.Silon AG’s owners, executives and board members joined employees, customers and contractors for a grand opening of a new building, tacked onto the back of the space it entered eight years ago when first landing in the U.S.
Feb. 17, 2025 Augusta Chronicle
‘It makes my heart happy’: Georgia man lands deal on ABC’s ‘Shark Tank.’ What happened?
Miguel Legoas reports that on Friday evening, ABC aired the latest episode of its long-running show “Shark Tank.” Among the businessmen featured was cattle rancher and auctioneer Smith Baggett of Pulaski (just outside Statesboro) who presented his company, FlaminGO Chargers.
Feb. 17, 2025 Valdosta Daily Times
Meeting to address questions about tree canopy in Valdosta
Staff reports that the City of Valdosta and the Green Infrastructure Center (GIC) will host a Tree Canopy Open House at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 26 at the City Hall Annex Multi-purpose Room, 300 N. Lee St. The community is encouraged to participate in the review of Valdosta’s current tree data and help develop plans to preserve and enhance the urban forest, the City of Valdosta said in a press release.
Feb. 17, 2025 Savannah Morning News
GA Promise Scholarship releases latest list of eligible schools
Joseph Schwartzburt reports, two months past a required publication date of Dec. 1, 2024, the final version of the Georgia Promise Scholarship Public School List populated on the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) website over the Presidents’ Day weekend. GOSA’s Promise Scholarship Public School List Calculation Guide also appears on the page.
Feb. 17, 2025 Rome News-Tribune
School Cell Phone Ban Moving Through Ga. Legislature
Isabelle Manders reports that while officials at Rome City and Floyd County schools eye cell phone bans with misgivings, the Georgia General Assembly is moving forward with a proposed statewide restriction. Marietta Schools Superintendent Grant Rivera spoke to the Senate Children and Families Committee last week about the success of his district’s test run.
Feb. 17, 2025 Athens Banner-Herald, Augusta Chronicle
Georgia’s local governments might get more time to sort out new homestead exemption plans
Joe Hotchkiss reports that community leaders might get more time to decide whether to enact a new homestead exemption that’s indexed to the current inflation rate. Cities, counties and school boards have until March 1 to render a decision about the exemption change, but legislation introduced in the Georgia House of Representatives is asking to extend that deadline to March 31, 2029.
Feb. 17, 2025 Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Brian Kemp on CDC layoffs: ‘Government can stand a little rightsizing’
Greg Bluestein, Tia Mitchell, Patricia Murphy and Adam Beam report that the Trump administration’s plans to slash about 10% of the workforce of the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention drew condemnation from Democrats and health experts while forcing Republicans onto the defensive. Pressed on the cuts of about 1,300 CDC employees during his weekend trip to the Munich Security Conference, Gov. Brian Kemp told Politico that the federal government can learn from Georgia’s example.
