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GEDA August Monthly Meeting
GEDA will meet at the Mill on Etowah in Canton/Cherokee County on Monday, August 9th for a lunch meeting. The Mill on Etowah is an adaptive re-use development in downtown Canton spearheaded by Penn Hodge and Grant Schmeelk, Partners/Developers of The Mill on Etowah. This project was awarded the Deal of the Year by the Georgia Economic Developers Association (GEDA) in the large community category in 2019. We will hear from Grant Schmeelk, Spencer Nix, Co-Founder & CEO, Reformation Brewery, which is headquartered here, and Misti Martin, CEcD, President of the Cherokee Office of Economic Development (COED).
Lunch starts in the Mill at 12:00 Noon, with registration and networking beginning at 11:00 AM. Misti Martin, President of the Cherokee Office of Economic Development, has worked with GEDA staff to provide an informative and fun day. There will be a tour offered of the Mill after lunch. There also will be a beer tasting experience on-site at the Reformation Brewery and a Tequila Tasting at Thrive. The Hampton Inn in Canton is close by and offers quality accommodations for those who would like to stay overnight. To learn more and register click here. Thank you to our sponsor, Misti Martin, and the Cherokee Office of Economic Development!
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August Chair's Letter
I hope that all of you were able to enjoy vacation time this summer and spend time with family and friends. It is that time of year again when school is starting back and football season is about to begin. We hope that you will continue to plan on participating in GEDA in-person meetings, as well as in our virtual options.
The GEDA professional development committee just wrapped up a webinar featuring Alfie Meeks. Alfie did a great job updating us on websites that we can use locally to help measure our local economy. Jason Dunn, Chair of the professional development committee, has scheduled another webinar for September 30th, featuring Chata Spikes, Director of Public Affairs with the Atlanta Police Department, who will speak on Media Relations.
Please make sure to join Serra Hall, Chair of the GEDA Existing Industry and Workforce Development Committee, which has partnered with UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government, for their third webinar on Thursday, August 26th from 1:00-2:00 pm. The webinar will be on Data and Strategies for Reaching Unemployed and Underemployed Individuals.
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 Kasey Smith joined GDEcD as a Project Manager in Global Commerce on the Automotive, Aerospace & Advanced Manufacturing (ADAM) team. Kasey formerly served as a Corporal at the Georgia State Patrol.
  Clint Sowell and Allie Gambrel joined GDEcD as Digital Projects and Content Specialists in the Marketing, Communications, and International Engagement division. |
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 Kevin Hanna is now the President and CEO of the Conyers Rockdale Economic Development Council.
 Cameron Barnhill has joined the Henry County Development Authority as a project manager.
 Chris Thomas, formerly Project Manager, Cartersville-Bartow County Department of Economic Development, is now the President & CEO of the Development Authority of Polk County.
 Matt Poyner, former Project Manager for the Middle Georgia Economic Alliance, is the new Executive Director for the Putnam Development Authority.
 Pat Topping, previously the Interim Director at the Putnam Development Authority, is now Interim Executive Director at the Development Authority of Wilkinson County.
 Serra Hall, formerly Vice President, is now Executive Director, Newton County Industrial Development Authority.
 Asher Dozier is now Vice President of Economic Development, Newton County Industrial Development Authority.
 Matthew Thomas, formerly Economic Development Manager for the City of Alpharetta, is now the Workforce Development Director at the Cartersville-Bartow County Chamber of Commerce |
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Treasury Expected to Announce $5 Billion in New Market Tax Credits in the next few weeks. New Georgia Community Reinvestment Fund needs your help identifying projects.
As many of you know, GEDA has been committed to try and bring more resources to low-income and rural areas of our state. One area that Georgia has lagged behind other states is in the number of New Market Tax Credit investments (NMTC’s) that have occurred in Georgia, especially outside of Metro Atlanta. NMTC’s often provide millions of dollars in equity as an enticement for transformative job creation or critical community projects to occur in qualified low-income areas.
Read more... |
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American Rescue Plan/EDA Grants Now Open
There are six programs that have been announced through the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) with funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Almost all of the programs would provide potential opportunities for Georgia communities to apply. Some would potentially require regional applications, which perhaps a JDA or similar group might consider. They are open and moving quickly. Below is additional information.
American Rescue Plan: EDA Programs Available - $3B - https://eda.gov/news/press-releases/2021/07/22/american-rescue-plan-programs.htm
Webinars coming up and link to details for each of the 6 programs now active: https://eda.gov/arpa/
Read more...
Georgia Council for the Arts: Vibrant Communities Grants
The Georgia Council for the Arts supports artists, arts organizations, and local government to cultivate the growth of vibrant, thriving Georgia communities through the arts. Currently, there are grants available: the Vibrant Communities Grants. Click here to access the website with guidelines, a link to the application, and in the coming weeks, a link to a recording of the workshop. Grants are available for up to $5,000 for arts events (performances, festivals, exhibits, residencies, workshops, etc.) that take place prior to June 1, 2022. The grant is open to any non-profit, government entities, public libraries, schools, and colleges. The deadline to submit an application is August 31.
Georgia Fiscal Recovery Fund Application Information
The application period for the State Fiscal Recovery Funds will be August 1-August 31, 2021. The applicant will be required to register in the Georgia Grants portal to submit an application. Here is the website with the ARPA application detail, and here is the website link to FAQ’s and Interim Final Rule. |
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| ** Names highlighted in orange below are GEDA members with hyperlinks to their email addresses.** |
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Gov. Kemp Announces Purple Innovation to More Than Double Company Workforce in McDonough, Creating 500 Jobs
July 7, 2021 – Governor Brian P. Kemp announced Purple Innovation, Inc. (“Purple”), a comfort technology company known for creating the Purple® Mattress, will expand its operations in McDonough, Georgia, and create an additional 500 jobs across production, fulfillment, customer care, and other areas of the business. This comes on the heels of the company’s commitment last year to create more than 360 jobs in Henry County. Once the expansion is complete, the company will employ more than 800 Georgians.
Congratulations to FJ “Josh” Fenn, Executive Director, Henry County Development Authority; Amanda Fields, Region 4 Senior Project Manager, Existing Industry and Regional Recruitment Team, and Ashley Varnum, Division Director, Global Commerce Division, Georgia Department of Economic Development; the Metro Atlanta Chamber; Georgia Quick Start; and Charles Stallworth, Business Recruitment Director, Georgia Power; the team that worked collaboratively on this expansion! Read more… |
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Massive Georgia plant to turn plastic into fuels, chemicals
July 12, 2021 - A San Francisco company says it will build the nation’s largest plastic waste processing plant outside of Macon, a facility that eventually could offer a solution to one of the country’s most visible and pressing environmental problems — plastic pollution.
Brightmark, which markets itself as a company that’s renewing the world by finding solutions to environmental challenges, plans to initially turn plastic waste into diesel fuel and chemicals. But it says the long-term goal is to create new plastic from old.
A shout out to the following team members: Stephen Adams, Executive Director, Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority, Hank Evans, Director, Automotive, Aerospace & Advanced Manufacturing Team, Global Commerce Division, Georgia Department of Economic Development; and Lauren Price Wiley, Project Manager, Georgia EMC; who worked together seamlessly on this project! Read more… |
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Online Fashion, Beauty Retailer ASOS Invests More Than $100 Million in Union City Operations
July 7, 2021 — The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) announced that ASOS, one of the world’s leading online fashion and beauty retailers, will invest more than $100 million in expanding its e-commerce fulfillment operations in Union City.
Commendations to Samir Abdullahi, Deputy Director of Economic Development, Select Fulton; Amanda Fields, Region 4 Senior Project Manager, Existing Industry and Regional Recruitment Team, Global Commerce Division, GDEcD; Gregg Simon, Metro Atlanta Chamber; and Brenda Robbins, Business Recruitment Director, Georgia Power; whose efforts resulted in this announcement! Read more… |
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Gov. Kemp Announces Amcor, Inc. Expanding InFlex Manufacturing Operations to Bacon County, Creating 100 Jobs
July 1, 2021 – Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that InFlex, a subsidiary of Georgia-based plastics manufacturing leader Amcor, Inc., will invest nearly $8 million in expanding its operations to Bacon County. The new advanced manufacturing facility will create 100 jobs in Alma, Georgia.
Way to go, Kevin Ellis, Executive Director, Bacon County Development Authority; Elizabeth McLean, Region 11 Project Manager, Existing Industry And Regional Recruitment Team, Global Commerce Division, Georgia Department of Economic Development; who assisted in this project expansion! The Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Center of Innovation for Manufacturing team also provided support for the company as it continues to expand in Georgia. Read more… |
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Gov. Kemp Announces Pregis to Open Advanced Manufacturing Facility in Henry County, Creating 150 Jobs
June 30, 2021 – Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that Pregis, a leading manufacturer of protective packaging, will expand its presence in Georgia and plans to invest more than $14 million to open an advanced manufacturing facility in Henry County. This will immediately create 80 additional jobs in the region and ramp-up to 150 opportunities as the operation scales over the next few years.
Kudos to the team members who worked on this project: FJ “Josh” Fenn, Executive Director, Henry County Development Authority; Taylor Walden, Project Manager, Global Commerce Division, Georgia Department of Economic Development; Georgia Quick Start, and Bradley Harris, Manager, Economic Development, Georgia EMC! Read more… |
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Georgia Film Records Blockbuster Year
July 21, 2021 – The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) announced that the film industry recorded a blockbuster year in Georgia. During the fiscal year 2021, the film and television industry set a new record with $4 billion in direct spending on productions in the state. The Georgia Film Office, a division of GDEcD, reported that these numbers are due to a variety of factors in addition to the state’s overall attractiveness to the film industry, including an earlier safe return to production, pent-up demand from the COVID-19 hiatus, and the associated expenses to mitigate risk. New safety protocols were also added to production costs and timelines. Read more… |
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Gov. Kemp Announces Statewide Initiative to Accelerate Georgia’s Electric Mobility Industry
July 20, 2021 – Governor Brian P. Kemp announced a statewide initiative to strengthen Georgia's position as a national leader in the electric mobility industry. Driven by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), the Electric Mobility and Innovation Alliance (EMIA) includes partners from the private and public sectors ranging from government, industry, electric utilities, education, nonprofits, and other stakeholders, focused on advancing Georgia’s role in developing the electric mobility industry and its supply chain. In conjunction with the initiative, GDEcD has launched new website assets at: georgia.org/mobility. Read more… |
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Georgia Council for the Arts Awards More Than $2 Million in Grant Funding to Support Arts Throughout Georgia
Grant investment will support art programs, operations, and education in 49 counties
July 7, 2021 – The Georgia Council for the Arts, a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), announced the recipients of its Bridge, Project, and Arts Education grants as part of its initial disbursement of grants for the fiscal year 2022. A total of 266 grants were awarded that will provide more than $2 million in funding towards arts initiatives throughout the state. Read more… |
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| Committee & Shared Interest Group (SIG) News |
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To sign up for a Committee or Shared Interest Group (SIG) click here.
Professional Development - Scholarship-Grants
Apply today for scholarship grants from GEDA in 2021. Scholarships can deepen your job understanding and enhance your career! They can be used for many things, including attending the 2021 Annual Conference, Georgia Tech’s Basic Economic Development Course, the University of Georgia’s Certified Economic Developer (GCED) courses, as well as ones sponsored by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) or the OU Economic Development Institute. They can also be used for the Penn Worden Grant and the International Missions Grant. For additional information on the Professional Development scholarships, look on the GEDA website, or contact Kevin Shea, President, GEDA at 404-962-4109.
Existing Industry/Workforce Committee - Innovating Georgia’s Workforce Pipeline Webinar Series
Register now for the third webinar in the series.
Data and Strategies for Reaching Unemployed and Underemployed Individuals Webinar
August 26, 2021
1:00 pm–2:00 pm
Free webinar
Following an unprecedented and challenging year, Georgia’s employers are looking for employees with a variety of skills and talent to fill vacancies. One potential strategy to meet the needs of employers is to utilize programs and strategies to recruit, train, and support unemployed or underemployed workers. This webinar will provide labor market data context, explore success models from across Georgia to reach unemployed/underemployed individuals and integrate them into the workforce, and share best practices.
Register Now!Professional Development CommitteeGEDA and the Professional Development Committee would like to thank Dr. Alfie Meeks for the July 29 th “Real Numbers that Really Help”. To date, it was our best-attended session with 20+ attendees. As we continue to build momentum, our next session will be held on September 30 th, 2020. We were fortunate to procure the services of Mrs. Chata Spikes who serves as the Director of Public Affairs for the Atlanta Police Department. She’ll be guiding us with tips on Media Relations. Click here to learn more and register.
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WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER - GREATER COLUMBUS GEORGIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Posted on: JUL 30
This position will be posted until August 31, 2021. Location: Columbus, Georgia Category: Chamber of Commerce Position Type: Full...
COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR - CITY OF WARNER ROBINS
Posted On: JUL 30
This position will be posted until September 1, 2021. Location: Warner Robins, Georgia Category: Local Government Position Type: Full...
DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT- CITY OF ALPHARETTA, GEORGIA
Posted On: JUL 12
This position will be posted until August 9, 2021. Located approximately 25 miles north of the City of Atlanta, Alpharetta occupies a land area of...
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