The Passing of Giants
One of the many attributes of GEDA as an organization is its collective recognition and memory of those, who have been instrumental in the economic development of our great State of Georgia. Through awards, such as the Rip Wiley Award and the Governor Zell Miller Public Policy Leadership Award, we continue to honor those who contributed greatly to our shared success. Today, Georgia continues to be the best place for investment in the entire country. We didn’t achieve this recognition by accident. It came about through innovative and determined leadership at the community and state levels and a unique partnership among these leaders in both the public and private sectors. Sadly, this year we have experienced the passing of two of these leaders, who were “Giants” in the history of Georgia’s economic development.
This is not an obituary, this is a remembrance of two men, who deserve recognition for the vast contributions they made to further the economic well-being of thousands of Georgians, who will never know them. This is a tribute to these two highly competitive men. Jack Talley, in the private sector, as head of economic development for Georgia Power and the other, Milt Folds, as Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Industry and Trade (as it was known then), in the public sector, led their respective organizations and the State of Georgia to remarkable achievements.
Milt Folds served under Governor George Busbee and pioneered the pursuit of international development in our state and influenced the interest from abroad in investing, not only in Georgia, but the Southeast. Milt was on the leading edge of attracting the film industry to Georgia, as well as increasing our tourism and trade initiatives. He did it based on hard work and a competitive drive that he shared with the Governor. Governor Busbee’s maxim of being a “work horse, not a show horse” fit this partnership to a tee. They shared something else that gave them a unique advantage in many competitions for investment. They both sincerely cared about and took a personal interest in, the investors themselves. They made it a point to not only know the company, but the people involved, including their families. They connected with the potential investor in a very personal way, which gave considerable comfort to those making decisions for their companies. It was a partnership built for the times, and Georgia will continue to benefit from their efforts. We are a much better place because Governor Busbee and Milt Folds, in the public sector, had the kind of personal and working relationship that few, if any, could duplicate.
Jack Talley, while vastly different from Milt Folds in personality, shared attributes that forged a strong public/private partnership. They both were competitive and hated to lose at anything! Jack had the most unique and engaging personality. He could literally “fill up a room”! He also shared something else with Milt Folds, that “personal touch.” Jack probably had friends he never knew. He was that kind of person. Jack and Milt both had tremendously imaginative minds. When you were engaged with Jack on an issue, it was like a lightening round of free-flowing ideas. Neither seemed content with the “way we’ve always done it.” Their creative minds and unique personalities were constantly devising different and more innovative ways to approach a project.
These two men deserve recognition and remembrance. They served Georgia well from different platforms and perspectives. They were vastly different in so many ways, yet when it came down to the difference between winning and losing, they shared a common desire for Georgia and her citizens to receive the benefits from Georgia’s economic development success.
I miss them both and thank God that He put them in my life, both personally and professionally. I am richer for having known and worked with them and will never forget them and their contributions to me personally, to GEDA and the State of Georgia. RIP, you two “Giants!”
Thank you to Ron Robinson, GEDA Honorary Life Member, former Deputy Commissioner, Georgia Department of Industry & Trade, a great leader in his own right, for this remembrance.