Area business leaders prioritize job creation needs

By Mary Carr Mayle
Savannah Morning News

Members of Gov. Nathan Deal's Georgia Competitiveness Initiative came to town to find out what the private business sector needs to do to help create more jobs in Savannah and the surrounding area.

They left the Armstrong Atlantic State University Conference Center Thursday with a clear indication of what the group sees as most critical to attracting and keeping good-paying jobs - education and workforce development.

Although it was only one of six focus areas presented by state economic development officials, it came up time and again in almost every small-group discussion.

"We can't attract new industry or expand existing businesses if we don't have trained workers to fill jobs," said attorney Jon Pannell, speaking for his break-out group.

"For that reason, workforce development has to be a priority."

Other groups agreed.

"We need a true working three-way partnership - with business, educational institutions and government to increase our knowledge-based workforce," wrote one group in listing its priorities. Another group suggested that schools stress career development along with academics, adding that curriculums need to focus on critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

In looking at what they think hinders growth in the private sector, participants listed access to capital, an uneducated workforce and state regulations and red tape.


Everything
on the table


The Savannah meeting was the third of 12 regional forums to be held around the state this summer. The forums are designed to assess the state's current strengths and weaknesses, gather information and ideas from local leaders and develop recommendations that will ultimately stimulate job creation and economic growth.

"Everything is on the table with these meetings - there are no ideas we won't listen to," said Chris Cummiskey, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, who co-hosted the meeting with Chris Clark, CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

Georgia is considered one of the leading states to do business with, Cummiskey said, citing a recent CNBC poll that put Georgia's business climate at No. 4 in the nation.

"We're leading, but other
states, especially in the Southeast, are trying to catch up with us," he said. "We want to keep that gap from closing. We want to take our efforts to the next level."


During the six-hour meeting, participants used hand-held electronic voting devices to prioritize the issues they felt most important in the six focus areas that were drawn from a statewide survey of business and economic development officials.

In addition to education and workforce development, focus areas were infrastructure, innovation, business climate, global commerce and government efficiency.

"These are the same six areas site selection consultants look at when helping new business locate or expand," Clark said. "They're also the areas growing businesses are targeting."

The second-most discussed area was infrastructure, widely considered a major state asset.

"We have the best port in the country, a world-class airport and an excellent rail system,' Cummiskey said. "But we're not without our challenges."

One of those is transportation, and most participants were interested in learning more about the regional Transportation Special Local Option Sales Tax - or T-SPLOST - expected to be on the ballot next year. The state chamber's Georgia Transportation Alliance has offered help in passing the initiative to local business communities "willing to put skin in the game," Clark said.

Deal will use the information gathered at the 12 meetings to develop a statewide strategy to bring jobs and industry to Georgia. A full report is expected in November.