Georgia Trend - April 2009

Atlanta and the metro region have weathered previous recessions with comparative ease, thanks to a diversified economy, but this one feels different. The current downturn has hit hard, and the city and surrounding counties are feeling the effects. “This time,”…

Jason Winters’ first task as the new (and probably youngest ever) Chattooga County Commissioner had nothing to do with economic development, the campaign platform that got him elected. That’s because the county’s animal control director resigned the minute Winters assumed…

Blessed with the Blue Ridge Mountains and one of the Southeast’s busiest transportation corridors, parts of northeast Georgia are weathering this economic downturn far better than anticipated. “We have had more activity than I expected for this time of year…

As expected, the nearly $1 billion Kia plant in West Point has gone a long way toward helping insulate west central Georgia from the national economic nastiness. The plant is not only set to open on schedule this fall, but…

Anyone paying attention to the economic news coming out of central Georgia is at risk for whiplash. For every up there was at least one down, for every high a low, every yin a yang. There is an overall purgatorial…

Augusta is continuing to grow as an anchor for the east central region. “Honestly, activity has remained steady – we continue to see not only manufacturing prospects taking a look but expansions of existing industries,” says Development Author-ity of Richmond…

When an Albany job fair opened for business last January, more than 1,500 people showed up to apply for 125 jobs at the Marine Corps Logistics Base, overwhelming interviewers who canceled hundreds of appointments. The massive turnout was a reflection…

Buoyed by two growing ports, fortunate decisions at the Pentagon, a sprinkling of colleges and universities and two interstates, the economy of southeast Georgia is surviving a national and global recession, with parts of the region almost assured of emerging…