The past quarter set the tone for a year of meaningful progress across our Georgia Energy Cities.

Communities are also seeing continued momentum in downtown retail, hospitality, and mixed-use developments, alongside thought leadership from the recent ECG Economic Development Summit that continues to shape what’s next for Georgia’s economic future.

Highlights include new Rural Zone designations, statewide recognition through GEDA and the Small Business Rock Star awards, over $27.4 million in grid resilience funding, trail grants for Albany, Moultrie, and Troup County, and major manufacturing investments in Screven and Colquitt-Miller counties.

Building What’s Next: Takeaways from the 2026 Economic Development Summit: Read all about our recently concluded ECG Economic Development Summit, highlighting key insights on workforce, site readiness, retail strategy, and community-driven growth across Georgia. Read more…

Industrial Development in 2026: 3 Things Driving Location Decisions: Across industries, companies in advanced manufacturing, logistics, and data infrastructure aren’t necessarily looking for the perfect location anymore. They’re looking for locations that reduce risk, preserve flexibility, and give them confidence in their ability to execute. For communities competing for investment in manufacturing, logistics, and data infrastructure, this shift matters. In 2026, that decision-making framework comes down to three things: Energy, Predictability, and Optionality. Read more…

Courage and Hard Decisions in Retail and Commercial Development: Successful retail-commercial development is built on courageous leadership and honest conversations. Progress happens when communities evaluate opportunities with clarity, data, and a long-term view of impact. The communities that move forward aren’t always the ones with the most resources. Often, they have leaders willing to step into the “arena,” ask tough questions, have honest conversations, and prioritize long-term decisions. Read more…

Downtowns Don’t Market Themselves, The Work Behind Great Main Streets: Downtowns don’t need to be trendy; they need to be themselves. Residents don’t always want the newest concept. They want places to gather; Restaurants, Coffee shops, Spaces to sit, talk, and belong. Marketing your downtown isn’t always about chasing the next big thing. It’s about amplifying what already exists, making it easier to experience, and giving people a reason to come back again and again. Read more…

Preciball USA Invests $17 Million in Screven County: The new facility, located at the GRAD-certified Screven County Industrial Park, will create 65 skilled manufacturing jobs to produce precision industrial components for bearings, pumps, valves, and other critical applications. Read more…

Zaxby’s in LaFayette is currently under construction: A new Zaxby’s opened in late 2025 along North Main Street in LaFayette, and a 51,000-square-foot Hobby Lobby opened in Cordele in March as part of the redevelopment of Flint Marketplace.

Grupo Vialume Creates 150 New Manufacturing Jobs in Colquitt-Miller County: Grupo Vialume, a global manufacturer of transportation visibility solutions, is investing $4.4 million to establish its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Southwest Georgia. Read more…

Hotel plans & developments: Cities of Bainbridge, Newnan, Acworth, and more…
Across our ECG communities, we continue to see strong momentum in both retail and hospitality development. In Bainbridge, a new 100+ room Element by Westin hotel, developed by Thomasville-based Red Hills Hospitality, is set to open this spring, marking a major milestone in the Downtown Development Authority’s broader revitalization efforts and building on recent investments like the expansion of Chason Park and enhanced trail connections to the Flint River.

Red Hills Hospitality is also advancing additional projects across the state, including a Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Newnan as part of a mixed-use development, and a SpringHill Suites by Marriott in downtown Acworth, where groundbreaking is anticipated in late spring 2026.

Additional hotel development efforts are actively underway in Thomaston, Sandersville, Moultrie, and Monroe.

Rural Zone Designations: Barnesville, Elberton, Grantville, and Summerville are designated as Georgia’s newest Rural Zones. The Rural Zone designation is a collaboration between Georgia’s Department of Community Affairs and the Department of Economic Development that establishes a host of incentives to benefit commerce in each city through December 31, 2030. Read more…

Rock Star Awards: Maule Air, Inc., Moultrie wins GDECD & GEDA’s Small Business ROCK STARS award as part of the state’s celebration of Georgia Small Business Week 2025. The Small Business ROCK STAR awards were created to salute the innovations, outreach, and impact of the state’s small businesses. Read more…

GEDA Awards: Georgia FLEX wins Community Innovation Award. This award recognizes excellence in overcoming significant community development challenges to position a community for improved economic development success. It celebrates innovative approaches in areas such as workforce development, housing development, product development, or overall community building. Read more…

GEDA Awards: Cartersville-Bartow County Department of Economic Development Executive Director Melinda Lemmon receives the Rip Wiley Award for Professional Excellence, honoring a GEDA member with 10+ years in economic development for professionalism, honor, integrity, leadership, hard work, and contributions. Read more…

GEFA Grant Awardees: Cities of Albany, Elberton, LaFayette, Monroe, and Sylvania awarded GEFA Grid Resilience Grants. The grant and local match funding, totaling $27.4 million, will improve electric grid infrastructure in Georgia, particularly as it relates to the ability to withstand and recover from potential disruptions. Read more…

DNR Grant Awardees: ECG cities of Albany, Moultrie, & Troup County receive funding for Recreational Trails. DNR has awarded more than $3.1 million in RTP grant funding to expand and improve trails across Georgia. These projects include trail upgrades in Albany, awarded $160K for its Riverfront Trail Phase 1, $200K for Moultrie’s new 3.8-mile Eastside Trail, and $200K for Troup County’s Pyne Road Park Trails, all aimed at improving connectivity, accessibility, tourism, and community wellness. Read more…

For our past newsletters, explore more here.