September 2014 Features

  • High Adventure in Georgia Offers Team Building & Reward Opportunities

    September 30, 2014

    High adventure tourism is on the rise. It’s a more than $260 billion a year industry for the Americas and Europe, and it has grown as much as 65 percent year over year since 2009, according to the 2013 Adventure Tourism Market Study.

  • Blue Bird Builds Big Yellow School Bus Business in Georgia, CEO Comments on Recent Acquisition

    September 29, 2014

    Every school day, parents in the U.S. trust about half a million school buses to safely transport 25 million children to and from school and related activities. Statistics show students are 50 times safer in a school bus than in a passenger car. The person responsible for manufacturing almost one-third of these vehicles is Phil Horlock, CEO of Blue Bird Corporation, headquartered in Fort Valley, Georgia.

  • Metro Columbus’ Unemployment Rate Declines to 8.9% in August

    September 25, 2014

    The Georgia Department of Labor announced today that Metro Columbus’ unemployment rate for August was 8.9 percent, down one-tenth of a percentage point from 9.0 percent in July. The rate in August of last year was 8.5 percent.

  • 2014 Results of the Biennial Georgia Manufacturing Survey Conducted by GaMEP

    September 24, 2014

    The 2014 results of the biennial Georgia Manufacturing Survey conducted by GaMEP was released today. Data was gathered from February through June from 504 Georgia manufacturers with 10 or more employees.

  • How Your Body Language Can Influence Sales

    September 23, 2014

    Small business owners get out of practice. They spend so much time in their offices and online that they sometimes forget how to act when they come face to face with a prospect or customer.

  • Columbus UGA SBDC Announces GrowSmart Course

    September 22, 2014

    The UGA SBDC goal is to help to strengthen and prepare the small business community for growth. In line with that goal, the UGA SBDC of Columbus is taking applications for the 2014 GrowSmart course, which begins on October 17, 2014, at the Cunningham Conference Center.

  • Columbus-Based Delta Data Software Announces a Strategic Growth Partnership with Accel-KKR

    September 19, 2014

    Delta Data Software, the industry leader in Mutual Fund Trading, Data Management, Revenue/Expense Management, Compliance, and Analytics, announced that it has closed a growth equity investment by Accel-KKR.

  • 15 Clever Things Happy Business Owners Do Differently

    September 18, 2014

    Owning a business can be stressful. And being happy in your business requires controlling those stress levels and creating a healthy work environment. Here are a few things happy small business owners do differently.

  • TSYS to Create 450 jobs in McDonough

    September 17, 2014

    Gov. Nathan Deal announced Tuesday that TSYS, the global payments company headquartered in Columbus, will create up to 450 jobs through a new contact center in Henry County.

  • Jobs & Economic Development Drive Michelle Nunn – In Her Own Words

    September 16, 2014

    Georgia CEO has been privileged to correspond with our state’s candidates for Governor and Senator. There is no question that this November’s election is pivotal for the entire nation. This year, Georgia voters will play an especially significant role in the future of the nation as well as the state. In our second of a planned series of interviews with the four candidates, we talk to Senate Candidate Michelle Nunn.

  • Chamber CEO Mike Gaymon Announces Retirement After 26 Years

    September 15, 2014

    After 26.5 years as the President and CEO of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, Mike Gaymon has announced his retirement, effective November 1st.

  • U.S. Postal Service Lowers Package Rates

    September 12, 2014

    The U.S. Postal Service is lowering package rates — dramatically in some cases — in an effort to capture e-commerce business.

  • U.S. Business Ownership Drops

    September 11, 2014

    The share of American families that owns a business dropped significantly between 2010 and 2013, falling to its lowest level since the Federal Reserve first began measuring it in 1989. Between 2010 and 2013 the fraction of U.S. families with business equity declined from 13.3 to 11.7 percent, the Federal Reserve reports.

  • From the Baseball Hall of Fame to the Duckprints Wall of Fame

    September 10, 2014

    Aflac, the leading provider of voluntary insurance in the United States, presented its 2014 Duckprints Award to local heroes Tom and Chris Glavine and Kristin Connor, Executive Director of CURE Childhood Cancer. The Duckprints Award is Aflac's way of honoring people who have left their footprint in the fight against childhood cancer. September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

  • Why Candidate Deal Should Remain Governor Deal – In His Own Words

    September 09, 2014

    Georgia CEO has been privileged to correspond with our state’s candidates for Governor and Senator. There is no question that this November’s election is pivotal for the entire nation. This year, Georgia voters will play an especially significant role in the future of the nation as well as the state. In the first of four planned interviews, we speak with Georgia's current Governor Nathan Deal.

  • 5 Essential Tips for Growing Your Business

    September 08, 2014

    To say that getting a business off the ground is hard work would be an understatement. Whether you’re still drafting your first business plan or recently opened your store, starting and running a business can be an exhilarating – and terrifying – experience.

  • Tim Mescon Announces Retirement from Columbus State University

    September 05, 2014

    Columbus State University President Timothy S. Mescon has announced his plans to retire from the University System of Georgia, effective Dec. 31, 2014. After retiring from Columbus State, Mescon will move to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, to become the inaugural Senior Vice President and Chief Officer for Europe, the Middle East and Africa for AACSB International—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

  • Congressman Bishop, Ex-Im Bank Vice Chair Felton Visit Swift Spinning

    September 05, 2014

    Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02) joined Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im) Vice President and Vice Chair Wanda Felton for a roundtable discussion and tour of Swift Spinning in Columbus, Georgia.

  • Vince Dooley Talks About Success, Passion and His Role with the Georgia Historical Society

    September 04, 2014

    Most mornings before you even wake up, Vince Dooley has already worked out. Retired football coach for the University of Georgia, vice chairman of the board of curators at the Georgia Historical Society, published author, noted speaker, and beloved grandfather, Vince (still lovingly referred to as “Coach”) knows something about success that many people grasp for all their lives.

  • Gene Perkins Celebrates Two Years as SunTrust Columbus Market President

    September 03, 2014

    After years as a career soldier’s son living in Fort Benning, Korea and Germany, SunTrust market president Gene Perkins and his family finally settled in Columbus in 1982. Perkins attended Mercer University before being commissioned as an officer in the Army Reserves. This position took him to Fort Benjamin in Indianapolis where Perkins started his banking career, but when a position opened up with SunTrust in Macon, he jumped at the chance to be closer to family and warmer weather.

  • GHA Reports Economic Impact of Georgia’s Hospitals

    September 02, 2014

    The Georgia Hospital Association released a report today regarding the economic impact of the state’s hospitals. Based on a study completed by the American Hospital Association and updated with the most current economic multipliers available from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, United States Department of Commerce, GHA’s report estimates that Georgia’s hospitals and health systems contribute $40 billion to the economy of the state.