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South Georgia Insider

Welcome to the South Georgia Insider Podcast, hosted by Thressea H. Boyd, editor of South Georgia Business Magazine. Join us as we chat with business and civic leaders and community influencers about the exciting—and sometimes challenging things happening throughout South Georgia. Topics range from business and manufacturing to entrepreneurship and rural prosperity, economic development, agriculture, education, healthcare, tourism, and the arts.

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South Georgia Insider

A Regional Approach to Economic Growth

November 23, 2020 • Thressea H. Boyd, Host • Season 1 • Episode 3

In this episode, we sit down with Andrea Schruijer, executive director of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority and chair for Locate South Georgia.

Even with COVID-19, some tremendous economic development projects are happening across Georgia, including multiple industry announcements in South Georgia.

For the seventh consecutive year, Georgia has been recognized as the “Top State for Doing Business” by Area Development, an executive publication that weighed 13 different factors to make this determination.

Schruijer explains Locate South Georgia’s regional approach to economic development. Representing 20 counties, Locate South Georgia markets the region to site selectors and works to keep local, state, and federal legislators informed about the region's economic needs.

“What are some of the opportunities we have here in South Georgia, and also what are some of our obstacles for growth. Having a unified message from Locate South Georgia to those leaders in the legislators has been very helpful,” says Schruijer.

What You’ll Discover in this Episode

How educational partners play an essential role in industry recruitment
Workforce numbers pull from multiple counties
2019 was a banner year for industry announcements in South Georgia
2020 has proven to be another booming year for South Georgia’s industry growth
COVID-19 has placed a spotlight on the importance of the manufacturing industry, including some needed adjustments
More automation implemented in the future
Starting to see a strong economy coming back to South Georgia
Importance of speculative (spec) buildings in recruiting industry prospects
Economic growth comes from expansion projects, including 80 percent of Georgia’s job growth from existing industries

Locate South Georgia

Last year 79 percent of the Georgia Department Economic of Development projects were outside the metro-Atlanta area
COVID-19 created a more cohesive approach for regional marketing
Importance of tourism in the overall economic development efforts
Working together to tell a bigger and better story
Creating an inventory of tourism/leisure activities
Economic development is more than jobs and capital investment, it’s also about tourism “getting people to stay and spend their dollar”
Telling South Georgia’s story: “When we all work together, we have a bigger and better story that we can tell.”

In closing, Schruijer says, “Economic development has changed to what communities can do to encourage people and businesses to want to risk spending their capital in your community. It’s not just from a business perspective but also from an individual perspective. Creating an environment for people to want to spend their money in your area.”

Join us next time as we continue to highlight why South Georgia is a great place to live, work, and play.

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