Circa 2005, I vividly remember a meeting at the Sunrise Grille in Martinez with the first Columbia County Chamber President, Gordon Renshaw, and a few of his volunteers. Over scrambled eggs and home-fried potatoes, they talked with me about helping them sell memberships as a help to the community. Fast forward to the modern-day Chamber—there have been two full-time employees growing the membership! 20 years ago, the scrappy Columbia County Chamber was the stepchild in town to the well-established Augusta Metro Chamber. I even sensed some friction and a bit

The Georgia Chamber Foundation has published its annual report of where the state stands and what to anticipate in the future. Called the 2025 Economic Competitiveness Redbook, or Redbook for short, it breaks down every segment of Geogia, with demographics, business applications, international competitiveness, and transportation among the topics. “Our goal is to continue to provide valuable business intelligence and long-term forecasting for your business. Having access to high-quality data will enable strategic decision-making by Georgia business and elected leaders to sustain Georgia’s record-breaking economic success,” said Daniela Perry, Executive