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the counts Department of Human and
Economic Development. Looking to relocate
to downtown Athens? Talk to the Downtown
Development Authority. If you are a larger
business looking to relocate, you can turn
to bonds issued through the ACC Industrial
Development Authority and the Economic
Development Authority. Or, you can contact
the Economic Development Foundation (a
nonprofit supported by various public entities)
or the recently formed Metro Athens Growth
Federation (an organization of community
leaders). Then there are smaller neighborhood-
centric organizations that focus on microloans
and grants for businesses, construction and
general economic improvements to specific
areas within Athens; these indude the East
Athens Development Corporation and the
Hancock Community Development Corporation.
And then, there are the resources offered
through the University of Georgia. Looking
to craft a business plan? Talk to the Small
Business Development Center. Looking for
studies in specific areas? The Selig Center
for Economic Growth or the Center for
Agribusiness and Economic Development can
help set you on the right
path. And, if you still haven't
found what you're looking
for, the Office of Economic
Development will help com
panies, governments and
nonprofits work out the right
plan. Even Georgia Tech has offices in Athens
to help economic growth—one helps busi
nesses looking to work with federal agencies,
and another helps businesses evaluate their
efficiency, whether it's using less energy or
managing a manufacturer's production.
Marketing is one of the spedfic jobs the
Economic Development Foundation does, said
Dr. Virginia Patel, who chairs its board. The
EOF reaches out on a state and national level
to market Athens and attract larger businesses
willing to relocate, she said, adding that there
are 11 projects in the works for Athens.
One of those is the recently announced
Caterpillar manufacturing plant relocating
to a large tract of land on the Clarke-Oconee
county line, bringing 1,400 jobs on its own,
and many more with its suppliers. "This is
fantastic, because the two counties have
worked together," Patel told Flagpole. "Mac
Brown, who is the acting vice president and
CEO for the EDF, has worked very hard on this
Economic
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Finding resources to help grow your busi
ness in Athens is a bit like trying to untangle
spaghetti. There are about a dozen founda
tions, boards, authorities and organizations
in Clarke County that are ready and willing to
help a business, no matter its size—whether
it wants to hire another employee or bring its
entire operation to Northeast Georgia. But the
problem is, without one central voice guid
ing businesses to help find the right resource,
it's as if you're eating that bowl of spaghetti
without a fork. And that can get pretty messy.
That topic came up at last week's meet
ing of Mayor Nancy Denson's Economic
Development Task Force, which has been
charged with developing a strategic economic
development plan for Athens-Clarke County. ■
Through monthly meetings and a series of
public forums, the group, made up of members
of the local business com
munity; has until October to
put together a strategic plan
for approval by the Mayor and
Commission. The task, force's
first public forum is 7-9 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 22 at the
Classic Center Fire HaU. Anyone with ideas
about how Athens' economy should look in the
next 20 years—and on how to get there—is
welcome to attend and add their input
There are plenty of impediments to eco
nomic growth in ACC (infrastructure and
education challenges or the perception of the
county as "anti-business," for example). But
while there also are engines for economic
growth, because they lack a centralized con
tact point it can be very difficult to navigate
the sea of services available.
"Right now, if a business wants to come to
Athens, who do you call?" asked local attorney
Mike Morris, a member of the task force. "If
I'm coming to Athens to start a business, what
do I do?... I think right now, people com
ing to Athens don't know who's speaking for
Athens."
If you're looking for capital to hire
more employees or expand your building,
there are grants you can apply for through
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‘If a business wants
to come to Athens,
who do you call?”
project as well as [Oconee County Economic
Development Director] Rusty Haygood." The
project which came onto the EDF's radar in
December had everyone at the EDF, as well as
the mayor and county commissioners, sworn
to secrecy. "That was something the company
was so firm about" said Patel, "and if a leak
happened, that could have killed it"
This is one example of how the EDF
works specifically with the state Economic
Development Office to attract large employers
to the area, said Patel. "In Georgia, there is
a state level of economic development" she
told the task force. "So, a lot of these large
organizations contact the state."
Patel said she Thinks the EDF's process is
working—but she did acknowledge there is
overlap between various economic develop
ment groups. "All of these interplay with each
other," she said. "It would be nice for these to
be all together in one location." ’
Many of the ideas for economic develop
ment—and impediments to it in Athens-
discussed by the task force echoed a 2011
report by Janus Economics, funded by Georgia
Power for the EDF. The report noted there
was no shared vision or long-term plan for
economic development in the county, and
suggested coming up with a strategic plan for
economic development—something the task
force is now working on.
On the task force, members discussed the
relationships ACC, as well as private entities,
have with UGA, and also how services might
be combined by an "ombudsman" to advocate
for businesses within the government. Just
having someone to help with permitting or
deciphering local ordinances would be a valu
able asset, they said.
And while each entity serving businesses
does have a specific role, a well-defined part
nership between them all would help, added
Janice Mathis, founder of the Metro Athens
Growth Federation. The organization's goal is
to "bring good jobs to Athens and the sur
rounding region," according to its website.
"It's a very specialized kind of partner
ship," Mathis said. "Everyone who works on
economic development knows what their role
is."
Kristen Morales
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FEBRUARY 22,2012 • FlAGPOLE.COM
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