May 2018 Features

  • Connecting Georgia’s Communities to Spur Economic Development: RuralWorks

    May 31, 2018

    The newest division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Rural Georgia Initiatives, has one primary focus in mind: to help rural Georgia communities become more competitive for economic development projects and identify new strategies for attracting jobs and investment.

  • Georgia Department of Transportation Heads into 2018 Summer Construction Season

    May 30, 2018

    With Memorial Day in the rear view mirror, the unofficial start of summer has begun. For Georgia Department of Transportation, summer road construction is gearing up across Georgia. The Department announced plans for an active 2018 summer construction season, with hundreds of construction and maintenance projects along interstates and state routes across Georgia.

  • Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce Presents Annual Business Awards at the 110th Annual Meeting & Gala

    May 29, 2018

    The Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce presented its Annual Business Awards at the 110th Annual Meeting & Gala on May 17th at the Chattahoochee Country Club in Gainesville. Some 450 Chamber members and guests attended.

  • Delta Offering More Trans-Atlantic Flying Than Ever

    May 29, 2018

    Memorial Day weekend marked the start of Delta's biggest ever summer on the trans-Atlantic. Some 11 routes – both new and old favorites – will begin over the next couple of days connecting the U.S. and nine countries in Europe.

  • U.S. CEOs' Confidence Soars As Hunt For Sustained Growth Continues

    May 29, 2018

    U.S. chief executives are highly confident in the growth prospects for their companies over the next three years and will focus on M&A and collaborative efforts such as accelerator or incubator programs for startup firms to achieve sustained growth, according to a study released today by KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax, and advisory firm.

  • Leadership Hall County 2018-2019 Class Announced

    May 24, 2018

    The Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce Leadership Hall County program was founded in 1983 and offers current and potential leaders the opportunity to learn the inter-related economic, government, socio-cultural and educational issues of the community. Participants develop knowledge of the community through a series of sessions covering arts, education, health and social services, city, county and state governments, judicial, and economic development.

  • Georgia Banks & Industry Groups Applaud Dodd-Frank Rollback

    May 24, 2018

    Georgia-based community banks, regional banks, and industry groups are applauding the significant rollback of Dodd-Frank Act regulations. As a member of the Senate Banking Committee, U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) helped craft the bipartisan rollback plan, which included three of his provisions. The rollback plan now heads to President Trump’s desk to become law.

  • Georgia DOT Restricts Construction-Related Closures Statewide During Memorial Day Holiday Weekend

    May 24, 2018

    To ease Memorial Day weekend traffic congestion, the Georgia Department of Transportation is suspending construction-related lane closures from Friday, May 25th through Tuesday, May 29th on Interstate Highways, and limiting lane closures on state routes that directly serve major tourist and recreation centers.

  • Zillow: Federal Tax Cut Will Inject Nearly $40B into the Housing Market

    May 21, 2018

    The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act enacted at the end of last year could result in tens of billions of dollars being reinvested into the housing market, according to the Zillow Housing Aspirations Report. This is despite the fact that legislation expressly limited a number of longstanding tax benefits for homeowners.

  • Kubota Companies Donate $1M to Lanier Technical College Foundation

    May 17, 2018

    Gov. Nathan Deal announced that Kubota Manufacturing of America Corporation and Kubota Industrial Equipment Corporation donated $1 million to the Lanier Technical College Foundation. Kubota’s donation will support the new Lanier Technical College Hall County Campus, which is scheduled to open in spring 2019.

  • Financial Technology Report Shows Georgia Leads as Global FinTech Hub

    May 17, 2018

    The Technology Association of Georgia, the state's leading association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of Georgia's technology industry, has unveiled its 2018 State of Georgia's FinTech Ecosystem Report.

  • GDOT Commissioner: Georgia Well-Positioned for Infrastructure Plan

    May 15, 2018

    This week is National Infrastructure Week. There will be events across the nation to bring awareness to the criticality of infrastructure conditions and the need for investment. The Georgia Department of Transportation is focused on improving both the state of good repair of our infrastructure and investing in mobility enhancements to our transportation network in order to facilitate growth and improve the quality of life for all Georgians.

  • ACG Atlanta Announces 40 Fastest-­Growing Companies in Georgia

    May 14, 2018

    The Atlanta Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth, a global professional organization with the mission of Driving Middle-­Market Growth, announced the 2018 Georgia Fast 40, recognizing the top 40 fastest-­growing middle-­market companies in Georgia.

  • Georgia’s 2017 Tourism Economic Impact Tops $63M, Breaks Records

    May 08, 2018

    Gov. Nathan Deal announced that the state’s tourism industry generated a record-breaking $63.1 billion in economic impact in 2017, for an increase of 3.8 percent over last year, according to the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics.

  • The Home Depot Co-founder: Profits are Not the Only Measure of Success

    May 07, 2018

    American businesses are giving and doing more than ever before, like the hundreds of companies that have pledged bonuses, raises, new or expanded benefits, or price reductions since December, when Congress retooled the federal tax code for the first time in 30 years. Those responses are tremendous—they could mean a family’s first vacation or provide hope of paying down medical expenses or debt—but understand that business need not rely on unexpected windfalls before realizing the benefits of giving back.

  • Governor Signs $26 Billion State Budget

    May 03, 2018

    Gov. Nathan Deal held budget signing ceremonies in Atlanta, Acworth, Blue Ridge, Statesboro and Tifton for next year’s $26 billion state budget. HB 684, the FY 2019 budget, continues Deal’s efforts to invest in Georgia’s citizens and its economy through education and transportation initiatives.

  • Georgia's Credit Unions Finish 2017 with Strong Loan Growth

    May 02, 2018

    Georgia credit unions finished 2017 with strong loan growth aided by near cyclical highs in U.S. consumer confidence. Lending at Georgia credit unions grew by 1.8 percent in the fourth quarter – eclipsing the third quarter’s 1.5 percent rate but landing short of the 3.2 percent rate in the fourth quarter of 2016, according to data collected by the Credit Union National Association.

  • Billy Payne’s Olympian Triumph

    May 01, 2018

    The story of Atlanta’s emergence as an international city began, as unlikely triumphs often do, with one man’s improbable dream. And yet, William Porter “Billy” Payne was not known as a dreamer. In fact, before 1987—when he resolved to bring the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games to Atlanta, in defiance of all odds—the then-middle-aged real estate lawyer wasn’t widely known at all.