What do Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson, Augusta Metro Chamber President and CEO Angie Cox, Greater Augusta Black Chamber President and Cofounder Ronic West, and Downtown Development Authority Director Margaret Woodard have in common?
Each has helped carve a path for economic development in the CSRA, and their efforts are highlighted in the August edition of Georgia Trend magazine.
Some of the articles focused on the region’s response to the devastation from Hurricane Helene, lost lives, and the millions of dollars in cleanup. Mayor Johnson and Augusta Metro Chamber’s Angie Cox applauded the efforts of CSRA communities to come together to help their neighbors.
Mayor Johnson pointed to the bright spots ahead, including the construction of a new 250 million dollar arena, the facelift of the downtown corridor, and renovations for The Patch at the Augusta Municipal Golf Course designed by Tiger Woods.
President of the Augusta Economic Development Authority, Cal Wray, also weighed in on huge investments and expected employment from companies including Aurubis and GF Castings.
Wray said, “As of the fourth quarter of 2024, U.S. manufacturers made more than $2 billion in purchases from the Augusta metro area.”
Ronic West, in her leadership role with the Greater Augusta Black Chamber of Commerce, was also involved in providing help post-Helene and helping Augusta black businesses become successful now and in the future.
“The GABCC has hosted training sessions for more than 1200 businesses and provided more than half a million dollars in financial assistance for small business growth,” said West.
Another piece of the development puzzle is Accelerate Augusta. The center is designed to be an incubator to provide guidance and resources to entrepreneurs and small business owners.
Tom Clark, Executive Director of the Alliance for Fort Gordon, and Augusta University President, Russell Keen, are also featured for contributions to cybersecurity and medical advances.
To read the full article from Georgia Trend, click here.
