2 - The Savannah Tribune • Wednesday, August 27, 2008
SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS
Executives Present Visions
at the Hungry Club
Speakers Robert E. James (left) and Joseph R. Hudson (center)
network with Tom Campbell.
Carver State Bank
President Robert E. James
and the President of Hudson
Strategic Group of Atlanta,
GA, Joseph R. Hudson
received rave reviews follow
ing their presentations during
the Hungry Club Forum of
Savannah (HCFS) on
Saturday August 2, 2008. The
Fomm’s 2008 Fall Series
theme is: “We Can Raise Our
Community's Economic
Status in Savannah-Chatham
County.”
James and Hudson are
longtime acquaintances who
came together at the regularly
scheduled HCFS monthly
breakfast which was held in
the Multipurpose Annex of
the May Street YMCA. The
Co-sponsors of the August
forum were Pinnacle
Communications Corporation
and Professional Presence.
Keynote speaker James
addressed three major points.
First, he did what he said he
has enjoyed doing for the past
37 years. He told the group
about Carver State Bank.
Carver is the oldest,
locally-owned bank in
Savannah, and one of the old
est African-American-owned
commercial banks in
America. According
to James, “almost all of
Carver's loans are made to
people and institutions in
Savannah, and all of the
bank's executive decisions are
made by the bank's manage
ment team right here in
Savannah.” The veteran
banker, who is the African-
American with the longest
tenure of service as President
of a bank in America, invited
the audience at the Forum to
open accounts at the bank and
become members of the
Carver family. “Remember,
you need to establish your
relationship before you need
the relationship,” he contin
ued.
James discussed the eco
nomic environment that we
are in today. “These are cer
tainly some trying economic
times. I know that the down
turn is led by the housing mar
ket, but I want to assure you
that our economic situation is
far greater than a problem in
any one sector,” he said.
James emphasized the impact
that the global economy is
having on America.
In his conclusion, James
told the Hungry Club Forum
that we are facing a crisis with
many of our young people,
especially young, African-
American men. “We need to
try to stop the drug use and
crime, and help many of our
young people get on the right
path,” he said.
“So I came here to tell
some of our most talented
community leaders that you
must rededicate yourselves to
providing leadership and help
ing these young men,” he con
cluded.
Joe Hudson's company,
the Hudson Strategic Group,
Inc. of Atlanta, has been col
laborating with a number of
businesses and organizations
in the local community over
See Hungry Club, page 10
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FIATS - JEWELRY
912-303-9116
8311 Ferguson Avenue, Unit C
tn Sandfly
Committee to Re-Elect Gloria Wilson Edwards
Savannah Chatham County School Board, Eighth District
Dear Constituents:
I bring you grealiags from the ctghtfi district of the Chatham Courtly School
Boarci as I embark upon IhtJ It-etofilion campaign trait (qr the November
election
I have been hanores to serve as me reprasenlative for the eighth district
enfl hove apjsyw) working iirefessf/ lo help iiupiovc Uie whoots in Chatham
County for our children Upon ra-Sbctjan i would liku to continue touxpom!
and rfovelbp new and innovative ideas to mipjorncnr tor toe benefit of our
Ktudenls Vto are all a part of eil.jitel.nr. Ftttdnnls and equipping 1nf?m w;lh
the rijjtiL toolis to ui.J r-eve uuomjsS eiu I Hey are teaming in Savannah'*
school*
As o member of the School Fsoond. some of my major oceompiishmenis are
- Helped to pees-the EPLOST referendum
■ Approved to burfd several new schools m the eighth district and open a new Woodvrlle-Tompjuns
Tech me iii and Career institute and Early College Program m me eighth district
* 20G7 - Elected vice Pr-Mdem Pro Tempore of the Savannah Chatham County School Board
Arttlilionally I .also snrvft nr have srtfv.prf in cr-e fmlr.-wing cap.adlier.
* youth FuLuros Advisory Council Boa rtf or Directum
r FOA Board of Directors
■ Grows High School Business Career TeclinolOyius Arhnscty Board
* Vitos! Sovaonnh Neighborhood AssOOialEbn
. Advisory Board - Summnr Bonanza
> Hungry Ckib of Savannah
■ Member. National School Board Associalmn
* Member, Georgia Sohod Board Associsuen
, Miimher. Cqiine i Uriirin Hoard of Eflijrte1«qrc ■ A Componenr of Iha Nalian.nl Affiliate Program
* Certificate of Merit - Georg a Department eJ Education
- Executive Laarfership Program for Education el me University of Virginia
- 2006 - selected to tiavet to London. England by Promethean, Inc.
I nave highlighted my many dulses and accompf'Slimcnts which demonslrotei my woik time and
Cc-mm.linen! In buf Cdfftmurtily I krtGw you am conVPilleri to educating bur Oh.ldmfi a* Ml Having said
that. 1 am requesting your financial assistants for my TO-stoction effort! No y u s too small, tot your
sitpprprt lwU help us acfiteve ttur goat Whatever ynur decision, ptense feel fnee to call on me lo answer
any quustporiii you tuny trove about my education beliefs or my stance on the issues that uftect ou'
Students
Picas* mat* check* payable to Gloria Wilson Edvores 1710 Chester 1 Street Savannah. GA 31J15.
Thank you very much tor your considcrairtn
Women Making Great Strides in
Leadership and Business
in Savannah and Nationally
L-r: Sarahlyn Argrow, CEO and founder of AWWIN, Inc.
and Celia Dunn, president of Celia Dunn Sotheby’s
International Realty.
Celia Dunn Sotheby's
International Realty spon
sors AWWIN, Inc. banquet to
give more women opportuni
ty for independence and
advancement
(SAVANNAH, GA)
Women are really coming
into their own as leaders in
Savannah. Major organiza
tions in town have women in
leadership positions, ranging
from the Chair-Elect of
Savannah Area Chamber of
Commerce Board of
Directors to the incoming
chair of Buy Local Savannah
to the chair of the chamber’s
Small Business Council.
Women have been
making impressive strides in
business as well according to
national and state figures.
The Center for
Women's Business Research
analyzes data provided by
the U.S. Bureau of the
Census. It issues projected
numbers based on economic
census data about women in
business, including busi
nesses that have majority
ownership by women (51
percent or more of the busi
ness is owned by women).
Businesses with a
majority ownership by
women accounted for 29.7
percent of all businesses in
the U.S. as of 2006, generat
ing $1.1 trillion in annual
sales and employing 7.2 mil
lion people nationwide.
Between 1997 and 2006, the
percent growth in those
firms was nearly twice that
of all U.S. firms (42.3 per
cent vs. 23.3 percent).
Georgia ranked second
in the growth in the number
of privately-held, majority
women-owned firms
between 1997 and 2006. The
state ranked ninth in the
number of privately-held,
majority women-owned
firms in 2006, eleventh in
employment and eighth in
sales.
The figures are even
more impressive when you
consider it,s been less than
100 years since women were
given the right to vote —
national women’s suffrage
was granted in 1920 with the
passage of the 19th
Amendment to the
Constitution.
“We’ve come a long
way,” said “I think it’s amaz
ing.” Organizations like
Rotary, offering always-cru-
cial networking opportuni
ties, have gone from being
all-male to having female
officers.
“I can remember being
the token woman, and now
every organization has a
broad representation of
women, not only in member
ship but in leadership posi
tions as well,” Dunn said. “I
think women are being given
many opportunities they
were not allowed in earlier
times, in my lifetime. So
much of the thinking about
women has changed over the
last 50 years.”
Despite gains in the
work world, there weren’t
many women corporate lead
ers in Savannah, Dunn said,
but now several high-pow
ered positions are held by
women, including two local
leaders of major banks— Kay
Ford with SunTrust and
Jenny Gentry with
Wachovia.
“All of a sudden it
seems these opportunities
came about for women to use
their talent and skills and
intelligence and ability to
work with people,” Dunn
said.
“What is interesting is
that women often approach a
challenge from a different
perspective than a man,”
Dunn said. “It’s always
interesting to see those ideas
brought forward.”
Diana Morrison is
Chair-Elect of Savannah
Area Chamber of Commerce
Board of Directors.
Madeleine Warren is the
Chair of the Small Business
Council for the Savannah
Area Chamber of Commerce
and is the president of Buy
Local Savannah. Helen
Downing is chairman of the
board of SunTrust Bank in
Savannah.
Paula Kreissler, the
incoming president of Buy
Local Savannah, says the
mayor and many leaders in
Savannah realize the impor
tance of diversity and collab-
See Women, page 15
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