The 2022 Economic Development Summit wrapped up on a high note.

“Think scalability! Think open-minded as you listen to our speakers in the next couple of days! There are things you can identify and find areas that you can apply in your communities.”

Wise words from our Sr VP & CXO, Daryl Ingram as he offered welcome remarks at the recently concluded Summit in Jekyll Island.

Contents

Highlights | Presentations

Day 1 Highlights

Presentations

Commissioner Pat Wilson, Commissioner Georgia Department of Economic Development leads the state agency responsible for creating jobs and investment opportunities in Georgia – the No. 1 State for Business for the last eight years – through business recruitment and expansion, small business growth, international trade and tourism, as well as the arts, film, music, and digital entertainment industries.. Economic Development Update

Joe Minicozzi is an urban planner imagining new ways to think about and visualize land use, urban design, and economics. Joe founded Urban3 to explain and visualize market dynamics created by tax and land use policies.  Utilizing Local Tax Data, Economics & Public Policy to make informed decisions about your Built Environment

Deana Holiday Ingraham, Mayor, City of East Point, GA. The 34th Mayor of East Point, Mayor Holiday Ingraham’s parents reared her to think out-of-the-box and lead change to improve the lives of others. She believes “service is the rent we pay for our room here on earth.” People-focused best describes Mayor Holiday Ingraham. As Mayor, she has championed many designations for East Point employees and citizens. East Point, GA: Economic & Community Development Best Practices

Day 2 Highlights

Presentations

Sue Parr, President/CEO Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, has held that position since November 2005. As President, Ms. Parr oversees the organizational operations and program implementation of the Chamber serving a member constituency of 1,200 businesses and organizations throughout the Greater Augusta Region including the bordering counties of Augusta-Richmond, Columbia, and Aiken in the states of Georgia and South Carolina. Workforce Solutions: Talent2Work

Amanda Glover is the Executive Director of the Downtown Development Authority of Bainbridge. Under Amanda’s tenure, the Bainbridge Main Street program has been recognized as a National Main Street community. She has assisted with numerous Historic Preservation Tax Credit projects, assisted project developers with the state’s low interest loan application process, and developed local downtown incentives for new and existing businesses. Making The Tools Work For Your City (some images have been removed to reduce file size.)

Annie Baxter, VP, Americas Consulting at CBRE and Amy Gerber, Executive Managing Director at Cushman and Wakefield, led the conversation on successful site selection and incentive negotiation engagements for industrial projects. Through The Lens of the Site Selector

John Hunt is the principal of MarketNSight which provides market analysis for 35 markets across the Southeast. John has over 30 years of experience in the housing industry, and his analysis has been used time and again to predict market developments. Housing Market Trends and How They Relate to You

Richard Blackwell VP of Development Southeast Region of the US Agracel, Inc. Richard’s focus is providing development solutions on the industrial real estate front for both clients and communities. His firm, Agracel, is a fully integrated industrial real estate development, investment, and management company that primarily focuses on secondary and tertiary markets. Industrial Trends & Recruiting Business to Rural Markets

Monica Callahan Planning & Development Director City of Madison. As a 24-year community planner, Monica advocates context-based and integrated planning policy. She is a native Georgian, and the past-president of the Georgia Downtown Association and Georgia Alliance for Preservation Commissions; a regular public speaker, trainer, and facilitator; and a partner in Piedmont Preservation. She believes community development is best leveraged with stable leadership and a coordinated corps of civic volunteers. Stakeholder Roles in a Successful Housing Strategy

Mark Jaronski Deputy Commissioner, Tourism Georgia Department of Economic Development. In this role, he oversees the state’s official destination marketing organization, which works to advance Georgia’s tourism industry, representing $69 billion in total economic impact and supporting more than 484,000 jobs in 2019. Through its home office in Atlanta, nine visitor information centers, and network of representatives across the globe, Explore Georgia inspires travel to and within the state. Tourism as Economic Development

Michelle Elliott, UGA Archway Partnership Director and Brittany Standifer, UGA Archway Professional Griffin + Spalding, guided the discussion about a new way for communities to partner with UGA as a resource and how they can tap into, to build prosperity in their community. The Archway Partnership has the Connected Resilient Communities program that is an economic development designation to distinguish forward-thinking, resilient communities in a 12-18 month engagement with incremental recognition that will develop and implement a tailored, responsive, resiliency plan to help tell the community’s story. Connected Resilient Communities: A New Way to Partner with UGA

Thank you to all our Summit Attendees, partners, and guests for another successful event. To all our sponsors our heartfelt thanks for your contributions that allow us to have such a high quality event each year. A big thanks to Mallory Neal Photography for the images covering the event.

For our past events, explore more here.