Empowering Entrepreneurs in Georgia
In the vibrant and diverse economic landscape of Georgia, small businesses serve as the backbone of local communities…
Author: K.K. Snyder
Visionary Cities in Georgia
What does it take to be honored as a visionary city? The Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) says visionary cities are ones that create positive change through effective civic engagement and collaboration. These cities have hardworking, innovative leaders who strive to…
Like Money in the Bank
Across Georgia, some 200 community banks work every day to serve their depositors with tasks as simple as opening a savings account for a child and as complex as financing a multimillion-dollar project. Not only do customers benefit but so…
Douglasville | Douglas County: Lights, Camera, Action!
Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Medline and dozens of other big names already call Douglas…
Bainbridge | Decatur County: Working in Synergy
Community leaders in Bainbridge and Decatur County are quick to rattle off news of all the incoming industry and the successes of expanding existing industries. The price tag on projects there continues to rise, with a record $1.2 billion project…
Liberal Arts at Their Finest
The University System of Georgia boasts large schools known for research, engineering and business. Then there are those smaller gems, the liberal arts schools that focus on producing successful, well-rounded students. The state’s only public liberal arts school, Georgia College…
Hartsfield-Jackson Soars to New Heights
Across the country, the aviation industry is experiencing resurgent demand for air travel, resulting in more investment in airport infrastructure across North America than ever before. Larger security checkpoints, more reliable and faster baggage systems, better roadways and multimodal connections…
Albany | Dougherty County: Renewed Appeal
With expanding industries and forward-looking leadership, Albany and Dougherty County are banking on a brighter future for “the Good Life City.” Dougherty County is welcoming its first Tier 1 automotive manufacturer and first foreign industry – Spanish company GRUDEM, which…
From Georgia to the World
Georgia’s top agricultural export commodities, including forest products, poultry, pecans, peanuts and cotton, together with the Port of Savannah’s proximity to major producers, direct access via road and rail, broad global network and responsiveness to customer needs, made it the…
Successful Gamble
You can’t win if you don’t buy a ticket. That’s a common phrase when it comes to lotteries around the globe. But here in the Peach State, where the Georgia Lottery is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month, the real…
Effingham County: Disciplined Growth
With multiple massive economic development announcements over the past year, Effingham County is in overdrive preparing for the influx…
Southwest Georgia: Energizing Rural Communities
Some might say that rural areas are lacking crucial amenities necessary for attracting new business and industry. But economic developers flaunt what they have: available land and other natural resources, a trainable workforce and unmatched outdoor recreational opportunities, among other…
Macon-Bibb County: Building on Success
Two hundred years is time enough to create a lot of stories, and Macon and Bibb County are ready to tell them. Celebrating a bicentennial in 2023, Macon-Bibb leaders are working together more than ever to promote the area’s strengths…
South Fulton County: Defining the Future
Understandably, South Fulton County continues to define what it wants to be when it grows up and out. Ideally located near Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport with ample room for development, it is a target for new business and industry that…
Dalton | Whitfield County: Championing Diversity
With world-class medical facilities, competition-level recreation venues, a top performing state college and a growing number of industries, Whitfield County is embracing change and diversification. County Administrator Robert Sivick is a relative newcomer to Whitfield County and says diversifying the…
Harris County: Driven to Success
Don’t let the size of Harris County fool you. Recent growth in residential construction and the continued arrival of industries supplying the KIA plant just over the county line have aligned to signal a brighter future than was on the…
2022 100 Most Influential Georgians: Steering the Ship
While this year’s Georgian of the Year Griff Lynch may come closest to literally steering ships, the job of keeping the state afloat does not fall to him alone. There are thousands of people who help ensure the state remains…
Southwest Georgia: Open for Business
Economic development leaders across Southwest Georgia are all singing the same tune this year as they welcome continued growth in various forms, from population increases to new and expanding industries. With total investments in the hundreds of millions and new…
North Fulton County: Distinct Identities
With momentum not even a pandemic could halt, the four North Fulton County communities of Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton and Roswell continue to polish their appeal to residents, visitors and potential employers, offering small town living with big city amenities.…
Albany | Dougherty County: Open for Business
Determined to throw off the pall that blanketed Dougherty County for more than a year, community leaders, educators and business heads are busily polishing the economic silver and updating the quality-of-life menu in hopes of attracting new residents, more visitors,…
Moultrie | Colquitt County: Celebrating Continued Growth
As in most communities, the slower months of 2020 gave Colquitt County leaders the opportunity to reflect on where they’ve been and strategize about where they want to go. Continued growth, even in these challenging times, is encouraging in the…
Valdosta | Lowndes County: Business as Usual
As Georgians ease into this new year anticipating brighter days ahead, leaders in Lowndes County are focusing on business recruitment, downtown improvements, and a myriad of much-needed infrastructure and road projects. Unless they’re leading large cities, most mayors balance full-time…
Our State: Americus | Sumter County – Looking Ahead
Like the rest of the world, Sumter County was relieved to put 2020 behind it, though the fourth quarter did bring some announcements to cheer about. And while many of the issues from last year remain, Sumter leaders are looking…
Southwest Georgia: Constant Activity
You can’t keep a good region down. While the nation’s economy continues to be impacted by the pandemic, economic developers across Southwest Georgia are singing the same tune: activity is constant. Whether it’s an expansion bringing jobs to a community,…
Georgia’s Legacy Leaders
This month Georgia Trend celebrates 35 years as the statewide magazine dedicated to business, politics and economic development. To mark this milestone, we wanted to recognize people from around the state who have contributed for many years to making Georgia…
Adel | Cook County: Community in Motion
When it comes to location, Cook County has it in spades, with all the advantages of straddling the bustling Interstate 75 as it nears the Florida state line. And the longer Lisa Collins, executive director of the Cook County Economic…
Albany | Dougherty County: A Steady Course
As Phoebe Putney Health System President and CEO Scott Steiner marked his first year on the job in early 2020, Dougherty County faced a crisis no one could have foreseen when he took the position. The county of approximately 88,000…
Thomasville|Thomas County: A Rising Tide
Following a record year of $190 million in new investment and nearly 800 new manufacturing jobs, economic development prospects in Thomas County waned this spring, understandably. But county leaders are optimistic things are on the upswing as some of the…
Columbus | Muscogee County: Writing a New Chapter
As in most municipalities, Columbus leaders have drafted stacks of strategic plans over the years, but this time they were determined to write a new chapter. The result is Columbus 2025, a multi-layered plan for community collaboration to make the…
2020 Economic Yearbook: Southwest Georgia
From pecans to boilers to handguns, Southwest Georgia remains a viable participant in global trade, sending food items and manufactured products to markets across the world. On the flip side, international companies, including those from Brazil, Italy and Japan, among…
2020 Economic Yearbook
Georgia Goes GLOBAL. As the home of a powerful transportation and logistics network that includes the busiest airport in the world, booming deepwater ports and an interstate system to connect them to each other and the rest of the country,…
100 Most Influential Georgians: Visionary Forces
“There are no secrets to success,” said former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. “It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.” His description could apply to the individuals included in Georgia Trend’s 22nd annual listing…
Southwest Georgia: Patience Pays Off
While all new and expanding industry announcements, as well as a continued boom in retail, restaurants and hotels, are met with applause, Southwest Georgia is celebrating some extra-big wins. From metal stamping and handguns to glassmaking and blockchain technology, hundreds…
Albany | Dougherty County: Forging Ahead
It’s beginning to sound like a looping newscast, but many parts of Albany and Dougherty County remain in recovery following yet another natural disaster. The area took a direct hit in October from Hurricane Michael, less than two years after…
2019 Economic Yearbook
These days, workforce development is one of the most important business issues around the state. Local leaders all point to the challenges of ensuring a well-trained workforce, both today and in the future. The 2019 Economic Yearbook takes a look…
EY – Northeast
From healthcare to manufacturing to logistics, businesses across the Northeast Georgia region are creating a skilled workforce by building partnerships between industry and education as well as eliminating geographical barriers to training. Tim Evans, vice president for economic development at…
Valdosta | Lowndes County: Well-rounded Region
Maintaining strong relationships with existing industry and taking calculated proactive steps to attract new business is the formula for success in Lowndes County, which straddles I-75 just north of the Florida line. Expansions and newcomers are both on the list…
Americus| Sumter County: Shaping the Future
Workforce, leadership and economic development
Albany|Dougherty County: Developing a Destination
Downtown rebirth, community trails and storm recovery
West Central: Regional Rewards
From an inland port and public transportation system to bike paths and bridges, much of West Central Georgia reports recently completed and ongoing projects to improve and increase infrastructure in the region. Columbus and Muscogee County are part of the…
LaGrange | Troup County : An Open Invitation
Local attractions, global business and healthcare
Moultrie|Colquitt County: On a Solid Path
Medical education, healthcare and downtown improvements
Albany| Dougherty County: Aiming for the Good Life
Redefining goals, workforce training and downtown development.
Free DAILY eNews
Sign up to get our free news roundup, Georgia Trend Daily, in your inbox
Free Digital Edition
Sign up to receive the free monthly digital edition of Georgia Trend in your inbox
Browse The Digital Edition
Connect With Us
