A regional approach

Depending on how far away I am from home when someone asks where I’m from, I generally just say “Southwest Georgia.” More often than not, folks usually don’t ask because they always know where I’m from based on my apparently strong south Georgia accent. When I was younger, I hated hearing the sound of my voice. The older I’ve gotten the less I care about my dialect. Having a distinct speaking voice that is so directly associated with our region has grown to become somewhat of a comfort.

I’ve always considered myself regionally-minded, and if you’ve been around me enough you’ll know how much I encourage everyone – but especially leadership, to be “regionally aware”. Our communities are very connected and face similar challenges. As a young local economic developer, I have thoroughly appreciated my counterparts from across the region sharing their knowledge and resources. Many of them are much more seasoned than I am in the world of Economic Development and learning from those individuals has been golden.

The first economic development organization I joined when I became the Early County economic developer was Locate South Georgia, a 23-community collaborative regional marketing effort. Our group sets out to change the perception of the term “rural,” providing proof that a desired quality of life exists “off the beaten path.” Unlike many marketing initiatives, Locate South Georgia uses a regional approach.

Since companies choosing a place to do business rarely focus on a single city or county, the local economic developers demonstrate our region has the quality of life, skilled workforce, favorable tax environment, convenient access to major transportation hubs, affordable land, plentiful water, low cost of living and a pro-business environment for target industries.

Earlier this month, Locate South Georgia assisted the Georgia Chamber of Commerce in hosting the 36th Annual Georgia Quail Hunt in Albany. It was my third time representing Early County at this event. Through quail hunting, southern hospitality, great food and conversations, guests from all around the world got a sampling of our region. This is the group’s biggest event of the year, but we also host bus tours for statewide project managers and even go to Atlanta as a team to present our community successes to them.

Throughout the year, we meet up in cities throughout Southwest Georgia, and share local and state updates with each other. We even meet up as a unified region at larger economic development events.

Of course I may be biased – but when the Locate South Georgia crew shows up at meetings and events throughout the state – they bring a chunk of character and uniqueness like no other!

That’s part of the beauty and overall attractiveness of Southwest Georgia. Remember to reach out to others for advice and knowledge whenever possible… and always be regionally-aware.

Shared with permission from The Early County News