The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce has selected an alternative site for its annual Legislative Breakfast. Damage to the Savannah Rapids Pavilion in the wake of Hurricane Helene meant individuals and organizations, including the Chamber, had to find alternate locations for their events.
The annual event is set for Nov. 14.
“We’re going to be at the DoubleTree Augusta,” Russell Lahodny, President and CEO of the Chamber told ABD. “Everybody’s looking for space, and so DoubleTree Augusta was one of our options that wasn’t already booked, so we chose to go there, and we’re excited to be there. It’s been a while since we’ve been there, but it’s a great space.”
The keynote speaker for the breakfast will be Dr. Sonny Perdue, Chancellor of the University System of Georgia.
“Our government affairs committee wanted to make sure that we brought somebody in and would have some intimate knowledge of this area,” Lahodny explained. “The chancellor’s name came up, so the committee kind of worked behind the scenes to help secure that. I certainly wanted to thank that committee for their help. We probably wouldn’t have gotten him without their support.”
Perdue will talk about the importance of continuing to improve the University System of Georgia’s standing as a public, higher education system.
Perdue will also stress the importance of preparing students for graduation with skills to match industry demands in Georgia.
Lahodny said Perdue’s insights can be particularly valuable regarding the future of education in Georgia, both at the University System campuses and the state’s technical colleges.
“We’ve got two great establishments in our region with Augusta University and Augusta Technical College, and both of them are, in my opinion, are thriving and doing great, amazing things in our community,” he said. “Perdue can put a spotlight on all the things that they’re doing, and through the University System of Georgia, too. We’ve got those great assets, and to have him come and shed some light on that, and the future of the system, I think it’ll be great information for our community.”
A tree fell through the pavilion, triggering the fire suppression system, and flooding the building. Cassidy Harris, the county’s Public Relations Manager, said cleanup is continuing, but there is no update on the timeline. The county had been planning to renovate the pavilion and has $8 million set aside for that project. Officials are not yet sure if that is enough to make the repairs.
With repairs on the pavilion anticipated to take as much as two years, Lahodny said they are looking at options to hold other Chamber events.
“I think we continue to just look at what’s the best option for each event,” he said. “The Exhibition Center has certainly stepped up and offered their space when possible. Our big thing is, obviously, we’re the Columbia County Chamber. We want to do our best to stay in Columbia County. But we’ve got plenty of options we’ve been able to find, we’ve been able to relocate everything.”
DoubleTree Augusta is located at 2651 Perimeter Parkway. The doors will open at 7 a.m. on Nov. 14. The program will start at 8 a.m.
Members and non-members can attend, but registration is required. For more information and to register, visit www.columbiacountychamber.com/legislative-breakfast.
