Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 2B
July 13, 2016
m
Reporter
Forsyth’s Anthony a ‘Young Gamechanger’
BY RICHARD DUMAS
forsyth@mymcr. net
A Forsyth businessman
recently wrapped up a six-
month stint as a member of
an influential state leadership
team.
Persons Bank
Division President
Keith Anthony was
one of 45 Young
Gamechangers who
have worked since
the start of the year
to provide solutions
to challenges facing
Douglasville/Douglas
County.
The group, which is
comprised of persons
between the ages of
24-40, are emerging
state leaders from
communities across
Georgia. The group completed
its duties on June 10 when
it presented its ideas before
a contingent of Douglasville
political and economic leaders.
There were four primary
questions for which the
Gamechangers were asked to
provide answers, which includ
ed questions about enhanc
ing education, the downtown
area and arts and culture in
Douglas County. Anthony
chiefly focused on the ques
tion of: As a suburban county
in a major metropolitan area,
how should Douglas County
leverage its
history, assets,
human capi
tal and rural
roots alongside
the Atlanta
region’s growth
and opportu
nity? What role
should Douglas
County play in
Metro Atlanta’s
eco-system?
Anthony
said he first
became aware
of the pro
gram through
an e-mail from then-Mon-
roe County Development
Authority director Tiffany
Andrews. Anthony said he
decided to apply and was
selected. Anthony said the
class convened for the first
time in January. He didn’t
know any of his classmates
prior to joining the program,
but he said the class has cre
ated some excellent network
ing opportunities.
Each class focuses exclu
sively on a single location,
and Anthony said he had
little familiarity with Douglas
County prior to being a mem
ber of the class. However,
he said the class has shown
him that many Georgia
communities struggle with
the same issues and topics.
For instance, Anthony said
Douglas County, like Monroe
County, struggles with figur
ing out how to grow in a very
intentional way.
Kris Vaughn, the wife of
Monroe County attorney Ben
Vaughn, serves as the Young
Gamechanger program’s chair
woman as part of her job as
Executive Director of Georgia
Forward, which sponsors the
program. Vaughn said the
first Young Gamechanger
class met in 2012, and Vaughn
became the program director
for the second class in 2013.
She then became Georgia
Forward’s Executive Director
in August 2015.
Anthony said of Vaughn:
“Kris Vaughn is a big asset to
the Gamechangers program.
We’re lucky to have her as a
local connection.”
Vaughn said the first 2016
Gamechanger class targeted
Douglasville because an alum
of the Young Gamechanger
program works for Google, and
Douglasville is the planned
site of a $350 million Google
Data Center expansion.
Vaughn said there are cur
rently only seven Google Data
Center locations in the U.S.
Vaughn said applications
around the state for program
participants are submitted
annually each spring, and
there are two classes each
year. The next class will
begin work in August and will
focus on the Augusta area.
She said one-third of the par
ticipants are chosen from the
community being evaluated,
another one-third are from
the Metro Atlanta-area while
the final third, which included
Anthony, are from the rest
of the state. Participants are
chosen by a selection commit
tee of alumni from previous
Gamechanger classes, and
persons from a variety of occu
pations are selected. Vaughn
said Anthony, who was pro
moted to Persons Bank divi
sion president in 2015 and has
15 years of banking experi
ence, was a strong applicant
with his financial background.
“Keith has been a great asset
to the class,” Vaughn said.
“He’s been a great anchor in
providing funding sources.”
Vaughn said now that recom
mendations, which include a
final written report, have been
made to Douglasville leaders,
it’s up them to implement the
recommendations. She said
a previous class evaluated
Dublin and suggested creating
a riverwalk, which she said is
in the working stages of devel
opment right now.
Vaughn said persons
interested in participating
in Young Gamechangers
or learning more about the
program can visit georgiafor-
ward.org/young-gamchangers
or go to Georgia Forward’s
Facebook, Twitter or
Instagram pages.
“Georgia Forward is about
creating a talent pipeline in
Georgia,” Vaughn said. “I’m
really proud of the program.”
Anthony
money benefits Forsyth-Monroe
Tourist
BY TRACY
ALLGOOD
Tourism has been good
for the City of
Forsyth and
Monroe County.
Tourism cre
ates jobs, both
through direct
employment
and indirectly
in sectors such
as retail and
transporta
tion. When
these people spend their
wages on goods and ser
vices, it leads to what is
known as the “multiplier
effect,” creating
more jobs. The
tourism indus
try also provides
opportunities
for small busi
nesses, which
is especially
important in
rural communi
ties, and gener
ates extra tax
revenues, such as hotel
taxes, which are used
for schools, housing and
hospitals.
The City of Forsyth
collected hotel-motel
taxes from 14 hotels last
year. 20 percent of the
hotel-motel tax goes to
the City’s general fund,
40 percent to Forsyth
Main Street, and the
remaining 40 percent
to Forsyth’s Convention
and Visitors Bureau.
According the Georgia
Department of Economic
Development, in 2014
the City of Forsyth
- Monroe County’s
tourism industry:
Supported 281 jobs.
Generated $30 million
in direct travel spend
ing. Created $1.1 million
in state tax revenues.
Generated $820,000 in
local tax revenues
Each Monroe County
household received
$178 in tax relief per
household, as a result of
the taxes generated by
direct travel spending.
The improvements to
infrastructure and the
creation of new leisure
amenities resulting from
tourism, also benefit
the local community.
Tourism encourages the
preservation of tradi
tional customs, handi
crafts and festivals that
might otherwise have
been lost, creates civic
pride, and greater cul
tural understanding.
Tourism - particularly
County
nature and ecotourism
-- helps promote conser
vation of wildlife and
natural resources such
as wildlife management
areas and state parks.
It also helps generate
funding for maintaining
these through entrance
charges and guide fees.
Tracy Allgood is the
assistant for Forsyth
Main Street.
Tracy Allgood
Bowman updates council on CVB activities
BY DIANE GLIDEWELL
news@mymcr.net
Ken Bowman, chair of
Forsyth’s Convention &
Visitors Bureau board of direc
tors, gave city council a quar
terly report of CVB’s activities
on July 5. Funding for the CVB
from the hotel/motel sales tax
has come in as anticipated:
$52,403 from January through
April. The CVB gets the money
from the state a couple of
months after it is collected.
From January through June,
the CVB has had over 1,200
inquiries resulting from ads in
Southern Living and Georgia
Travel Guide. The most
requested information was
about dining and nightlife, fol
lowed by hireling, boating and
the Civil War.
Over half of the inquiries
came from people in Georgia,
with the majority of others
from North Carolina, Alabama
and Florida. The Forsyth CVB
has also placed ads in USA
Hunt & Fish, Birdwatcher’s
Digest (Sept./Oct) and Atlanta
Magazine’s Meeting Planner’s
issue (August).
The CVB has erected north
and southbound billboards
visible from 1-75 advertising
“It’s a sweet life.../Forsyth;”
southbound is near exit 201
(Jackson, Barnesville.) CVB
has printed 8,000 “Forsyth
welcomes you!” brochures to be
distributed through the KOA
Campground.
CVB held its second quarterly
meeting for the hotel industry
in May. Mayor Eric Wilson
spoke to the 13 attending who
represented 11 properties. The
major concern expressed was
the appearance of Forsyth’s
1-75 exits and the lighting that
is not working on the exits.
Wilson said he will seek the
help of Sen. John Kennedy and
Rep. Robert Dickey in working
with the Georgia Department
of Transportation on gateway
beautification and ramp light
ing issues.
The Tourism Product
Development Team from
the Georgia Department of
Economic Development visited
Forsyth, checked out at least
10 sites and talked with multi
ple people. Team members are
preparing a report of sugges
tions to promote tourism that
should be available in August.
Bowman said there will be a
public meeting at city hall to
present and discuss the report.
He thanked all of the individu
als who met with the team and
hosted its members on tours
and meals.
Bowman said the CVB web
site should be operational in
August. He said CVB worked
with the city and Forsyth-
Monroe County Chamber of
Commerce to approve a logo
to be used by all three groups
with the agreed-upon blue and
yellow community colors.
CVB director Gilda Stanberry
met with Georgia Department
of Economic Development’s
European staff about attract
ing visitors from the United
Kingdom, Germany, Austria
and Switzerland as they toured
from Atlanta to Savannah.
They told her European trav
elers would be interested in
Confederate cemeteries, ante
bellum homes and film loca
tions and that Forsyth is a
good stop for travelers going
to and from Savannah and
Florida.
“It’s been very busy,” said
Bowman. “We hit the ground
running in August [when the
CVB board was formed]. We’re
just tickled with what’s hap
pening.”
Hear local musicians at The Anvil Room
A musician performs at The Anvil Room’s Open Mic Night.
Whether you’ve been pickin’
and grinnin’ for years, or you’ve
just recently started your musi
cal journey, The Anvil Room
offers an opportunity to share
your gift with others. Open
Mic Night Wednesday resumes
July 20th and runs from 6-10
p.m. This event is open to all
skill levels and all musical
styles. It’s a family-friendly
environment, and all ages are
welcome.
Host Jason Taylor Hobbs is
a veteran of open mic nights,
overseeing several around
the area. An accomplished
musician, he understands
what performers need in
order to do their best, and he
makes sure each performer
is set up and comfortable on
stage. Hobbs brings profes
sional sound equipment to
every show, including stan
dard instrument hookups and
two microphones; and the mic
stands even include cuphold-
ers.
The Anvil Room has its very
own piano ready for pianists
to take part. Anvil Room own
ers David and Bonnie Barker
began this
event as a way
to help local
musicians gain
experience and
exposure.
“We know
there are a lot
of musicians
in the area
who are look
ing for a place
to perform; so
we thought
this would be
a great way for
them to show
case their tal
ent—whether
it’s someone
who is looking
to gain some
experience per
forming for oth
ers, or someone
who has been doing this for a
long time and wants to try out
new songs for an audience,”
said Bonnie. “We hope that
more and more people will hear
about it and come take part.”
Since open mic night began
in March, several ‘regulars’
show up to perform most every
week. “I’ve only been playing
and singing for a couple of
years now, and this has been
extremely valuable in help
ing me feel more comfortable
onstage,” said Ginger Brown,
who performs most weeks.
“The relaxed format, the cama
raderie among
the musicians,
and the positive
feedback from the
audience make
this something I
enjoy and really
look forward to.”
Located on
Kimball Street
right behind
Jonah’s on
Johnston, The
Anvil Room is one
of the area’s most
unique music
venues. The stage
is located in the
beach-themed
Sandy Cove area,
which features a
sand floor where
you can kick off
your shoes, kick
back, and enjoy
the music. The menu offers
a great selection of burgers,
hot dogs and other pub-style
items. Make plans to be there
on Wednesdays starting July
20 to perform or just enjoy
hearing local musicians enter
tain while you dine.
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