Life is Opening Up Again...
Well, we are now on Daylight Savings Time and enjoying a little more daylight as well as some warmer temperatures. Unfortunately, COVID-19 still dominates our media and landscape. The vaccines are available and some of you have already received your one or two doses. I certainly hope that the vaccine availability will start to open up our lives to be able to meet regularly and get back to some sense of normalcy in the very near future. Nevertheless, lots of activity is going on in communities throughout our great state.
GEDA is still conducting virtual meetings, at least through this month. Our featured speaker in April is Pat Wilson, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Without having regular, in-person events, we are not as up-to-speed as we would be normally. Pat will provide an update on the various activities of the department and the State of Georgia. Register today to hear Pat on the Zoom-call on Monday, April 19th. We will offer a networking component to the call, which will take up the first half of the call. You will only need to sign-on to one call. We should be able to accomplish all of this within roughly an hour’s time. Thank you to Melinda Lemmon, Executive Director of the Cartersville-Bartow County Department of Economic Development for sponsoring this month’s event. Thanks also to Cal Wray, President of the Augusta Economic Development Authority for sponsoring last month’s call with Gretchen Corbin of the Georgia Lottery Corporation.
Next month, however, we will host our first in-person meeting of 2021, the Spring Workshop at the Legacy Lodge at Lanier Islands. Trip Tollison, GEDA Spring Workshop Chair and Secretary-Treasurer and SEDA President & CEO, and his committee, is planning a GEDA Family Reunion as the theme of this year’s SW21. Be sure to register today, so that you don’t miss out on this great opportunity to be with your GEDA friends and colleagues. I trust that you will be able to join us for this educational, rewarding and fun. Every effort is being taken to ensure your safety at this event. The hotel, our volunteers and GEDA staff are taking precautions and social distancing will be maintained as much as possible. Masks will be required, except when actively eating and/or drinking.
Not everyone will want to or be able to attend the SW21 in person. Therefore, we are offering a virtual option to register. We would like for as many of you to be able to attend SW21, one way or another. Also, there will be a virtual component to our exhibitors, too. You will be able to gather information about our sponsors and exhibitors, see websites, videos and representatives from these companies. Some will also be accessible via a chat-function, both for those present, in-person, and you, who are attending virtually.
In addition to our monthly and Spring offerings, GEDA is providing webinars from our Existing Industry & Workforce Development and Professional Development Committees. Jason Dunn, Chair of the Professional Development Committee and Executive Director of the Fitzgerald-Ben Hill County Development Authority, hosted his first webinar on The Value of Investing in Your Career, which featured Tim Chason, President of The Chason Group. Jason has the second webinar scheduled for Thursday, May 27th. Serra Hall, Chair of the EI/WD Committee and Vice President of Project Development for the Newton County Industrial Development Authority, has four great webinars planned with the first one on Thursday, April 22nd, featuring Successful K-12 Workforce Development Strategies and moderated by Greg Wilson of the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
Thank you for your membership in GEDA! You are the reason that we are here. Let me know if we can do anything to enhance your experience in GEDA. I look forward to seeing you soon, either in-person or virtually.
Andrea Schruijer
GEDA 2021 Chair
Executive Director
Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority