Guiding Early Forward

There can be lots of misconceptions about economic developers. I’ve attended a lot of community development training over the past several years provided by organizations such as Georgia Power, Georgia EMC, Electric Cities of Georgia, Locate South Georgia, Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Georgia Economic Developers Association and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and learned that local economic developers are NOT the heroes.

They are the guides and are not Luke Skywalker, Frodo or Harry Potter. They are more like Yoda, Gandalf or Dumbledore… and as we know from these fictional characters – they do not guide or become the hero alone.

Economic Developers don’t have all the answers; however, they do the research and connect the dots for the overall benefit of the community. The mission of economic development efforts “encompass strategies and actions aimed at improving a community’s economic well-being and quality of life by fostering job creation, investment, and overall prosperity.” The antonyms for the italicized words are counterintuitive to economic development efforts. For example, the opposite of “prosperity” are words like “poverty, underprivileged and low.”

There’s a popular social media page that many developers and community minded folks like to follow called, “Revitalize or Die.” The author of the page presents the most thought-provoking scenes and images that so many rural communities can find relatable. Each post seeks to “combat the effects of apathy by fostering a sense of pride” in communities.

Revitalization isn’t only about tourism and bringing new businesses to town. It’s really about the residents and existing businesses. The people who live there – whether they’ve been in the community for many generations or only a few months – are the catalysts for revitalization. Creating attractive spaces can build civic pride through enjoyment, sense of community and overall security. People and the care they have for their community is what attracts quality investments.

An effective guide must understand the “lay of the land” by exploring, researching and connecting with others to determine the best route for moving Early forward. It’s natural to get nostalgic and say things along the lines of the desire to “Turn Early County and Blakely back to the bustling days of the 60s and 70s…” Even if it were possible, our community doesn’t need to go backwards. It needs to go forward and be the best version of itself for the present and future Early Countians.

I’ve been told by many folks that things have been stagnant in Early County for years up until recently. Now more good news than bad news about its county seat can be found on social media and the local news outlets. The day Rodeo’s Grill and Cantina announced its Blakely location, I swear I couldn’t find one negative comment about Blakely on Facebook. A Mexican restaurant was always the primary business anyone in Early County asked to be brought back to Blakely. The former Laredo’s Grill closed its doors in 2020 and never reopened.

What an opportunity for any Mexican restaurant owner – but the community needed and deserved a higher standard and quality. I think most folks here can agree that the Gallegos Family and the rest of the staff at Rodeo’s operate the best Mexican restaurant in South Georgia. We are very blessed they found their way to Downtown Blakely.

Shared with permission from The Early County News