An examination of economic development and growth in metro Augusta today and for the future is the focus of an event planned in Columbia County.
Future Forward: A CSRA Development Summit, organized by the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, is set for Sept. 4 at the Columbia County Exhibition Center in Grovetown.
“I think it’s an opportunity for us to really look at the future of not only Columbia County, but our region, and how that’s going to impact our business community, and our community at large,” Russell Lahodny, President and CEO of the chamber, told ABD. “Obviously, we’ve been seeing growth, and we expect to continue to see growth. And so, what does that look like?”
Lahodny said the summit is a chance to bring together leaders from the community who are on the front lines of that growth.
There will be three panel discussions over the course of the half-day summit. Leading off will be Troy Jordan from Jordan Trotter, and Jordan Collier with Meybohm for a conversation on commercial development. The second panel shifts to population growth and how to plan for workforce and housing needs. It will be led by Matt Forshee with Georgia Power and Robbie Bennett, President and CEO of the SRS Community Reuse Organization (SRSCRO).
“SRSCRO is a regional organization, and they are focused on a lot of the issues, and they’re doing workforce studies to kind of really understand when we talk about some of our larger employers. What are their goals? What are their plans? Are they expanding? Because that has an impact on so many other things as well,” said Lahodny.
The final presentation will be “Economic Development Outlook Across the Region.” Panel members representing the Augusta region will be Cal Wray, President of the Augusta Economic Development Authority (AEDA), and Cheney Eldridge, Executive Director of the Development Authority of Columbia County (DACC). They will be joined by Will Williams, President and CEO of Western SC.
Future Forward is an outgrowth of the chamber’s annual “State of the Community” event. It steps out of a Columbia County-specific view to encompass the metro Augusta region, both in Georgia and South Carolina. Lahodny said it reflects the belief that a regional approach must be the focus for the future.
“Columbia County wins when Richmond County wins, and vice versa. Whether that be jobs, whether that be homes, whether that be new projects,” he explained. “Dollars don’t stop at the border, and workers don’t stop at the border. They may live in one county and work in the other. It’s important for us to really work together as a region to make sure that we are collaborating in a sense of attracting the right companies to this location, attracting the right people to come to the area.”
The doors at the exhibition center will open at 9:00 a.m. and the first panel runs from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. Following a break, the second panel will be from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. The summit will pause for lunch. The final panel will start at 12:00 p.m. and conclude at 1:00 p.m.
The deadline to register to attend is Aug. 28. More information and registration are at: www.columbiacountychamber.com/futureforwardsummit/
