Differences. (June 2023 CHAIR'S COLUMN)

First of all – what a great Spring Workshop!  Thanks so much to Stacy Watson and his committee for putting together a great event.  The content was on point; the venue was great; and the fellowship was wonderful.  I hope you were able to join us and enjoy this important GEDA event.

Second of all – Athens was a great success.  A few years ago, GEDA surveyed our membership about alternative host locations for Spring Workshops.  Athens was far and away the first alternative offered by the respondents, so we decided to give it a shot.  I’m very glad we did! The Classic Center served our needs very well.  I will admit that I’m a little biased about the event, so I hope everyone will provide feedback through surveys or emails to me or Grant – continuous improvement, you know!

I must admit that I was a little resistant to Athens as a location.  I’m a true blue Georgia Southern Eagle, and three days of being barked at by friends and strangers had me wary.  But, Athens and the UGA campus are beautiful, and the University means so much to so many of us.  I’m glad I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone to enjoy my time in Athens – I even had a nice walk on campus on Wednesday morning.

It’s good to force ourselves out of our comfort zones, not just from time to time but more often than we do. I’m not the best practitioner of this position – I mean, I’ve lived and worked in Statesboro since college! But I believe that it’s critical to look and experience things differently in order to make positive change.  For example, when the GEDA Board of Directors first discussed increasing GEDA’s role in legislative affairs, many of us resisted the idea. Instead, we forged ahead with becoming more involved – and I think we are glad that we have, as more and more legislation and policy decisions are affecting economic development in our State.  Please be on the lookout for more information about legislative activities as the year moves along.

I hope your summer is off to a great start, and I look forward to seeing you soon.