Features
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Tis the Season for Strategic Giving
December 15, 2014
With the holidays just around the corner many are focused on giving back, especially in Atlanta, the fourth most charitable large metro in the United States. Forty-three percent of wealthy donors said that they make more charitable contributions during the holiday season compared to the rest of the year, according to the recent Bank of America Study on High Net Worth Philanthropy.
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7 Ways to Make “Write a Business Plan Month” Work for You
December 12, 2014
December is National Write a Business Plan Month! Every business owner needs a plan — whether you’re in startup mode, seeking financing or preparing for another year at the helm of a growing business.
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HeritageBank to Merge with Mississippi-Based Renasant Corporation
December 11, 2014
Renasant Corporation and Heritage Financial Group, Inc. jointly announced today the signing of a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which Renasant Corporation will acquire, in an all-stock merger, Heritage Financial Group, Inc., a bank holding company headquartered in Albany, Georgia, and the parent of HeritageBank of the South, aGeorgia savings bank.
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How to Keep Your Business Running During Your Vacation
December 09, 2014
The holiday season is upon us, and with that comes vacation time for many entrepreneurs. If you’re on the fence about shutting down your business while you go over the river and through the woods because you’re worried you’ll miss out on sales or opportunities, keep reading.
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The Secret to Raising Capital is About People, Not Money
December 09, 2014
If you’re struggling to raise capital to fund your small business venture, it could be that you’re taking the wrong approach. It’s time to think people, not banks.
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Regions Bank Georgia President: Going Beyond the Brick and Mortar Branch
December 08, 2014
Now that the U.S. has traversed the recession and planted its feet on the banks of a new economic era, the banking industry is strengthening. Leaders within the banking industry are mobilizing to reinvigorate commercial enterprises that make the economy hum. Bill Linginfelter, Area President of Regions Bank for Georgia and South Carolina, says, “We try to take a lot of the financial management tasks off their plates so they can spend more time developing their business or making more products or innovating.”
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Georgia Chamber Task Force Focused on Growing Film, Digital Industries
December 05, 2014
The Georgia Chamber’s Creative and Digital Industries Initiative shared a number of recommendations for updates to the state’s existing entertainment tax credits with the Georgia House Study Committee on Georgia-Based Film and Post Production during its meeting Thursday at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
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Mediacom Business Launches Real Customer Story Series
December 03, 2014
We recently chatted with Kristi Salmon, Mediacom Business’ Marketing Director, to find out what the telecommunications service provider is planning for 2015, especially concerning the hot topic of Google Fiber.
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Who Do You Tip at the Holidays (and How Much)?
December 02, 2014
Tipping service providers during the holidays is a great way to show your appreciation for services throughout the year. Who do you tip at the holidays? And how much do you tip them? What is an appropriate gift or tip for that courier who always delivers your packages, or your hairdresser, or your landscaper?
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BCBS Georgia President Morgan Kendrick: Blue Cross Blue Shield Starts New Healthcare Discussion
December 01, 2014
As the Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to unfold, insurance providers and businesses, particularly small to medium sized businesses, continue to adjust. Making decisions that best serve both the bottom line and employees requires knowledge and flexibility. Morgan Kendrick, President, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia (BCBSGa), acknowledges that the ACA is a response to health care costs that had risen to an untenable level.
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Facebook at Work Could Rival LinkedIn, Google Drive
November 20, 2014
Unless you’re updating the company page, using Facebook at work is frowned upon generally. But a new report suggests that Facebook is planning to invade the workplace with the intent of getting actual work done, not frittering away your day. The purported Facebook at Work would seek to challenge competition in the social media and cloud collaboration markets.
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Why Are Fewer Small Business Owners Feeling Successful?
November 17, 2014
Fewer small business owners perceive themselves as successful now than did at the start of the economic recovery, a Wells Fargo-Gallup survey of a representative sample of 601 small business owners reveals. In 2009, 43 percent of small business owners reported feeling “extremely” or “very successful as a small-business owner.” By 2014 that fraction had eroded to 37 percent.
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15 Startup Mistakes You Should Avoid
November 14, 2014
Think back to when you started your most recent company. What were the biggest mistakes you made at the time? Or, if you’re in the process of starting a business today, what mistake are you most concerned about making? Expert Market has come up with this infographic listing 15 startup mistakes small business owners and entrepreneurs need to consider.
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Gulfstream Shines in Georgia, A Conversation with Their CEO Larry Flynn
November 12, 2014
Recently, Georgia CEO tried to catch Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation CEO, Larry Flynn, on the fly while he was busily preparing for the National Business Aviation Association Convention and Exhibit in Orlando, Florida. Mr. Flynn provides the very latest updates about the show and many other current initiatives at Gulfstream for our readers in the following interview.
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Georgia University Enrollment Up for First Time in Two Years
November 10, 2014
Fall 2014 enrollment in the University System of Georgia’s 31 colleges and universities totaled 312,936 students, an increase of 1.1 percent over fall 2013. This fall’s modest enrollment increase reverses a two-year trend in student enrollment in the University System of Georgia.
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Tom Hackett Named Interim President of Columbus State University
November 07, 2014
University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby has named Dr. Tom Hackett as interim president of Columbus State University.
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Zaxby’s CEO McLeroy Drums Up Decades of Growth
November 06, 2014
As a youngster, Zaxby’s CEO, Zach McLeroy, dreamed of playing the drums as a rock star, or playing basketball as an all-star, but never could he have imagined becoming a superstar in the chicken business. In the relatively short span of a little over two decades, McLeroy and his grade school buddy and co-founder, Tony Townley, have taken their original Zaxby’s location in Statesboro, Georgia and replicated it more than 640 times—far exceeding their original long-term objective of 10 stores.
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Harris County Chamber is All About the Bottom Line
November 04, 2014
Since becoming president of the Harris County Chamber of Commerce in October 2012, Jayson Johnston has worked to redefine the true value of chamber membership.
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SunTrust Pursues Homegrown Leadership in Georgia
October 29, 2014
Here at Georgia CEO, we’ve conducted a series of interviews with SunTrust presidents from Savannah, Columbus, Albany and Macon. One common theme between these leaders is they have strong ties to Georgia. They were either born or reared here, attended college or have family ties to the state. Jim Manley, regional president of the Macon/Columbus/Albany region, might be the most homegrown of the five.
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Hannah Solar Ensures Georgia’s Place in the Sun
October 27, 2014
Georgia is one of the fastest growing solar markets in the country and Hannah Solar, winner of the 2014 Champion of Change Award, is accommodating commercial-industrial and agricultural demand for solar energy. We talk to CEO of Georgia-Based Hannah Solar Pete Marte about the growth of the industry in the state.
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Economics of Emotions: The Vital Role They Play In Business
October 24, 2014
Let me illustrate a problem that many small businesses can relate to. When we were just starting out as a “little-tech-company-that-could,” we struggled to properly market ourselves right out of the gate. For example, we once had a customer tell us, “If your company designed a Coca-Cola can, it would be a white can with black list of ingredients.” Let me be the first to say – ouch. But why did that impression exist?
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Wells Fargo Supports Georgia Small Biz in Post-Recession Economy
October 23, 2014
Wells Fargo serves 2.9 million Georgians with deposits of $29.6 billion. The reach of Wells Fargo, however, extends far beyond the customers who use its 281 bank stores distributed across the state. The bank’s leaders and staff are committed to positively impacting the whole of Georgia’s economy through small business programs available both to customers and non-customers.
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GaMEP Positively Impacts Georgia’s Manufacturing Sector
October 21, 2014
U.S. manufacturing is experiencing a renaissance, and the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Program (GaMEP) is ensuring that Georgia’s manufacturing industry resurges with the nation’s.
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Delta Data Software Launches Partnership with Accel-KKR
October 16, 2014
After 29 years of serving Columbus and beyond, Delta Data has reached a new milestone: partnering with their first institutional investor. Executive VP Burton Keller shares that the strategic partnership was crucial “to take the company to the next level. We have gone the family and friends route up until now. Not only can [Accel-KKR] provide serious capital infusion, but they can also help advise us.”
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Case Study: Reimagining Our Downtown, How Greenville SC is Building One of the Best in America
October 15, 2014
In Savannah, a Critical Issues presentation by HunterMaclean featured the successful and now famous revitalization efforts in Downtown Greenville, South Carolina, and its mayor, Knox White. White, the featured presenter at the seminar held at Savannah Technical College, said, “We’ve worked very intentionally with planners to create a great city.” And a great city they did make.