Economic Development

NEWS - Economic Development

Called “BlockHeads,” Pilot Premieres Weds. Sept. 8

SBJ Staff Report

Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB) plans to launch a new original program focusing on the resurgence of neighborhoods. A Savannah neighborhood will be featured this fall. 

The show will premier on Weds. Sept. 8 at 7:00 p.m. and with a segment on Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward neighborhood, the pilot program of “BlockHeads: The Return of the Neighborhood.”  The program will run statewide.

The show will be previewed in Savannah this week at the Georgia Environmental Conference, with some of the development team in Savannah this week.  There is current discussion to feature a Savannah neighborhood at some point in the new future, according to a spokesperson for the show.

“The show’s name denotes the singular commitment of urban dwellers to their neighbors and the revitalization and sustainability of their neighborhoods. BlockHeads tells their moving stories and offers their insights on how to create and maintain a thriving community,” according to the show’s producers.

The pilot of BlockHeads will feature Old Fourth Ward pioneers such as Mtamaneka Youngblood, former director of the Old Fourth Ward Historic District Development Corporation, Charles Johnson, founder of the Spirit of Sweet Auburn, and Joan Garner, Fulton County Commissioner, talking about their experiences in addressing the neighborhood’s needs and overcoming its obstacles. Myrna Perez, owner of LOTTAFRUTTA Market, and glassblower Matt Janke, owner of Janke Studio, discuss the area’s economic and artistic rebirth.

The show is a collaboration between Eastwood Productions  and Centergy Studios, and will highlight the efforts of sustainability advocates and city dwellers to reclaim and restore the vitality of their urban landscape, unveiling the shopping, arts, dining and architectural heritage that their city neighborhoods contain.

“We want to show viewers the inspirational efforts of the individuals and organizations that are making our city neighborhoods inviting, nurturing and livable again,” said David Mook, president of Centergy Studios, who serves as the Executive Producer of the production. “Cities throughout Georgia and the nation are reversing the urban declines of the 1970s and 1980s block by block and neighborhood by neighborhood. We hope viewers will join us in celebrating the return of this essential element in the national social fabric.”

The pilot episode also will be rebroadcast at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11, and at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 12.

“BlockHeads is inspiring, thought-provoking and fun. In my many years of broadcasting seldom have I seen a production that takes a topic as complicated as the re-building of community and successfully distills it into personal stories that will make viewers care, and more importantly encourage them to get involved,” said Bob Olive, GPB’s assistant general manager. “We look forward to getting it on the air and sharing its message with Georgians across the state.”

Andrew Treglia, creator, producer, and director of BlockHeads, has been creating high-quality film, video, and high definition products for a decade.  Andrew is the founder and creative director of Eastwood Productions. 

David Mook, Centergy Group president, is a professional project manager with extensive experience in large, complex, and critical initiatives. He has guided broadcast and technical projects for CNN, Turner Entertainment, Invesco, and BellSouth among many others.

Also working on the project is B.J. Rentfrow, Centergy’s senior project manager, who brings a decade of experience in management, marketing, advertising and graphic design to the Centergy Group team, with clients such as Coca-Cola, Water Systems Council, and Clean Cities Atlanta.

NEWS - Economic Development

by Emily Mathis
SBJ Staff

Tony O’Reilly isn’t going to sugarcoat it - the economy’s bad.

“Its tough right now, unemployment, spending down, overall markets are down, also access to capital is difficult,” he said.

O’Reilly, a Savannahian by way of Southern California should know. As president and founder of the Savannah Business Assistance Corporation (SBAC) he works in the trenches of this sour economy. O’Reilly’s non-profit is often the last hope for cash-strapped hopeful entrepreneurs with a dream, and small business owners with an eye for expansion.

“We’re trying to make deals happen, we’re in tune in a sense, working with people struggling in a bad economy, every day,” O’Reilly said.

The SBAC matches their clients with one or more of their several loan programs that range from the SBA 7(a) General Purpose Loan, worth anywhere from $50,000 to $2,000,000, to the Small Steps to Success loan worth $2,500 for the first year. Most of the smaller loans, such as the Small Steps to Success are directly funded by the SBAC or City of Savannah. But for the big loans like the 7(a) General Purpose, the SBAC acts as the guarantor for the business owner taking a loan out from the bank, therefore making it significantly easier for the owner to actually get the loan. In the midst of nervous banks trying to figure out new regulations and thus tightening up on loans, the SBAC’s role in a deal between borrower and bank can be a crucial component.

Just ask Mike Ayers, co-founder of Structured Green, a furniture designer and manufacturer in Savannah, who says he knows a thing or two about bank tightening. Three years ago, when Structured Green was still run out of Ayers’ house, the company found itself with empty pockets and an order from the state of Georgia that needed to be filled.

“We needed cash fast, the banks were saying no, even with the contract from the state in our hands,” Ayers said.

Acting on advice from a representative at The Creative Coast, Ayers turned to the SBAC whose first loan helped them fulfill the order and marked the start of a fruitful relationship for Ayers. Since that first loan, Structured Green has never gone through the bank for a loan, but gotten one through the SBAC for the past three years. Last year’s loan bought a new sander for Structure Green, a purchase that significantly increased productivity for the company. Before the sander, Ayers said it would take three to four days just to sand down a table that now only takes 20 minutes.

Structured Green also used the loan to buy a machine that can put a customer’s design into the computer and create a model of it instantly, in-shop. Before, someone had to drive from their headquarters on 35th St. to a subcontractor company in Thunderbolt. Ayers said with the new machine, a customer that calls at 9 in morning will have something to look at by the afternoon. Before it might have taken a week to show the customer something, since they were dependent on an outside source.

“It would have been much more difficult without them, definitely would have taken us longer to grow…before we weren’t really able to really be looking at projects,” Ayers said.

Three years since their first SBAC loan, Ayers was happy to show off freshly made nightstands the company had made for a boutique hotel in Baltimore, Maryland, and spoke hopefully about a handful of potential projects for national realtors.

The idea behind Structured Green, to create furniture from old parts, such as a table made out an old conveyor belt, certainly wasn’t a risk-free business deal. But its rise to success exemplifies what O’Reilly sees is the faint trace of a silver lining in this poor economy.

“There is always opportunity in the right situation and in high unemployment times; people decide to try and start a business, make a living, its business out of necessity,” O’Reilly said.

At least according to O’Reilly’s numbers, a bad economy and double-digit unemployment hasn’t killed Savannahians’ spirit of entrepreneurship. The SBAC has had more loan applicants this year than last. As of May this year, the SBAC had funded 81 loans totaling $6,677,000, with a goal of funding 300 by the end of the year.

The overwhelming majority of those loans (63) came from the MLK special interest loan. The MLK loan is funded by the City of Savannah and covers businesses on MLK and Montgomery Streets. It is also an example of the SBAC’s microloans, which are all funded by the SBAC or the City of Savannah, and can lend up to $35,000 without ever involving a bank.

Last summer, an MLK specialty loan helped Melody and Juan Rodriguez, owners of the nine-year-old Rancho Alegre on Posey St. on the Southside, expand their Latin flavor to MLK. The owners had been hearing for a while that their Posey St. location was less than convenient for their downtown and island area patrons. So in the midst of a bad economy, they took the risk to expand and acting upon advice by their personal bankers, looked to the SBAC for advice.

“They certainly pushed us to take that risk and get us out there,” Melody Rodriguez said. “I wouldn’t have been able to start it without the loan; regular interest rates were not the best situation. This is a lot more convenient,” Rodriguez continued.

For another local recipient of the SBAC’s SBA 7(a) loan, the choice to go through the SBAC was an easy one.

“That’s what they’re there for isn’t it?” said Michael Meeks, co-owner of downtown café, Goose Feathers. In June, Goose Feathers received the Chamber of Commerce’s award for Best Hospitality Small Business. Meeks pointed to the low interest rates and convenience of the SBAC for reasons why they keep going back, exemplifying a point O’Reilly wants to drive home.

“The economic environment is sour, but the business development services is fairly rich - a lot out there a business person can take advantage of,” O’Reilly said.

As the success of the SBAC’s clients proves, economic hard times don’t necessarily mean the death of an entrepreneur's dreams.

NEWS - Economic Development

SBJ Staff

After more than a decade of planning, the westside of the Historic District will finally get its own full-scale grocery store. On Thursday, July 22, construction began on a 26,358 square-foot Food Lion at the corner of Gwinnett Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The grocery store is part of a larger development project known as Carver Commons, a 5.64-acre joint project by Food Lion, Carver State Bank and St. Phillip A.M.E. Church.

Carver Commons is set to open in the spring of 2011, with the Food Lion and a new Carver State Bank, owned by Robert James, to replace the current bank at 701 Martin Luther King Jr.Blvd., which will be demolished.

Carver State Bank has been a prominent fixture along the Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. corridor for 35 years, while a grocery story has been a long-time void along the corridor.

In 1998, the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority (SDRA) expanded its focus to the Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Montgomery St. corridors, and officially identified the need for a full-scale grocer to serve the neighborhood west of the Interstate 16 flyover. The neighborhood is mostly made up of residents of the 236-unit Kayton and 250-unit Frazier Public Housing facilities (both on West Gwinnett St.), as well as Savannah College of Art and Design students.

According to SDRA, 50 percent of these residents are renters, and 27 percent rely on public transportation. That means a large percentage of the residents, without a full-time grocer y nearby, have stayed fed mainly through the area’s vast array of convenience stores and fast food restaurants.

Robert James II, the son of Robert James, and who has been instrumental in the development of Carver Commons, said the area’s lack of access to a grocery store leaves residents in a sort of black hole in regards to their physical and economic health.

“It’s a pretty, typical urban food desert – an underserved, urban community with easy access to fast food. Its very difficult to do things that are most helpful for you on a low-income; you see a lot of heart disease and obesity, lack of access to healthy food choices, and you see that in that neighborhood,” James said.
“Also economically, you’re buying a gallon of milk at two or three times higher than usual price on a fixed or low-income; that’s a real economic hardship,” he continued.

The Food Lion may be economically beneficial in more ways than just cheaper groceries Lisa Sundrla, executive director of the SDRA, said. In the James’ agreement with Food Lion, the grocer must be a community grocery store meaning potential employment opportunities for residents. Additionally, all the subcontractors for the construction of the Food Lion will be local. Food Lion brings in its own construction team.

While Food Lion was first and foremost a need that had to be met, some including James and Sundrla are expecting the Food Lion to be a catalyst for growth along the MLK and Montgomery corridors.

“It was slow to happen, but I think we are on the brink of a really good thing,” Sundrla said, “People forget how long it took to revitalize Broughton Street,” she added.

When the SDRA was created by the City of Savannah in 1992, its main focus was on the revitalization effort on Broughton St. In 1986, the appraised value of Broughton St. was at $36 million. Twenty years later, with a Gap, Starbucks, and the historic Marshall House hotel, the value of commercial property is now estimated at $160 million.

Broughton St. is still a long ways away from say, Charleston’s King Street, in the opinion of many locals, and Sundrla says the SDRA hasn’t forgotten the street, pointing to ad campaigns and other marketing aimed at encouraging locals to shop downtown

Sundrla said it’s just that right now, plans from as far back as 1998 are finally falling into place for Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Montgomery streets.

“Plans are finally being realized, finally at implementation phase,” she said, adding that they had just gotten word that the next phase of the MLK Streetscape project will begin the first of October, for example. The phase will focus on cleaning up MLK Jr. Blvd. between Exchange St. and Victory Dr. at a cost of $3.6 million. But the MLK Streetscape is far from complete; the SDRA still needs $2 million to complete the entire 52-block plan.

“Don’t know where we are going to get it yet. You have a check?” she joked.

Fundraising isn’t the only thing standing in the way of the corridor’s revitalization. The I-16 flyover has long been fingered as the culprit behind the overall West Side’s stagnant economic growth. In 2008, a study conducted by the Georgia Department of Transportation concluded that removing the on and off ramps at Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. would have no negative impact on traffic, aiding this discussion.

Last July, the City of Savannah and Chatham County Commission gave the go-ahead on a one-year, $1 million study into possible removal projects for the Flyover and exit ramps. The public portion of the study began in February, with a three-day charette that more than 200 citizens participated in. More public meetings are anticipated to be held at the end of the summer.

NEWS - Economic Development

JULY 5 –Long and Twiggs Now Certified Work Ready; Chatham/Effingham/Bryan Still Not on the List

SBJ Staff Report

July 5, 2010 - Last week, 11 new Certified Work Ready Communities were announced, designating that a county has the skilled workforce needed to meet business demands and drive economic growth. Work Ready Communities also have the educational foundation to build a pipeline of workers for economic development. Only Bulloch, Camden - and now Long and Twiggs - counties have been certified in the Coastal Georgia area

“By certifying and improving the skills of their residents with the Work Ready assessment and gap training, these communities are setting the stage for attracting businesses to their communities and offering job seekers meaningful employment,” according to Governor Sonny Perdue. “Businesses recognizing the potential of Work Ready bolster Georgia’s ability to compete for new industries.”

The 10 new Certified Work Ready Communities of Excellence are Candler, Harris, Habersham, Jackson, Long, Paulding, Putnam, Talbot, Thomas and Walton counties. Additionally, Twiggs County has qualified as a Certified Work Ready Community. These counties represent the eighth group to complete their Work Ready Certificate goals and successfully meet at least the required minimum increase in their county’s public high school graduation rate.

The new counties certified last week have trained hundreds of workers who go through the program.  In the Chatham, Effingham and Bryan county area, the program is offered at Savannah Technical College.

The new Certified Work Ready Communities achieved the following:

- Candler County: 413 Work Ready Certificates earned (126 percent more than goal); increased public high school graduation rate from 59.6 to 78.9 percent

- Harris County: 471 Work Ready Certificates earned (74 percent more than goal); increased public high school graduation rate from 76.3 to 87 percent

- Habersham County: 1,225 Work Ready Certificates earned (115 percent more than goal); increased public high school graduation rate from 70.9 to 75.7 percent

- Jackson County: 1,363 Work Ready Certificates earned (118 percent more than goal); increased public high school graduation rate from 71.7 to 76.9 percent

- Long County: 141 Work Ready Certificates earned (26 percent more than goal); increased public high school graduation rate from 59.1 to 80.2 percent

- Paulding County: 1,951 Work Ready Certificates earned (91 percent more than goal); increased public high school graduation rate from 75.5 to 78.4 percent

- Putnam County: 549 Work Ready Certificates earned (98 percent more than goal); increased public high school graduation rate from 63.2 to 75 percent

- Talbot County: 159 Work Ready Certificates earned (64 percent more than goal); increased public high school graduation rate from 60 to 76.6 percent

- Thomas County: 1,044 Work Ready Certificates earned (30 percent more than goal); increased public high school graduation rate from 73.6 to 79.2 percent

- Twiggs County: 266 Work Ready Certificates earned (83 percent more than goal); increased public high school graduation rate from 56.2 to 69.6 percent

- Walton County: 1,689 Work Ready Certificates earned (103 percent more than goal); increased public high school graduation rate from 73.7 to 76.4 percent

To earn the Certified Work Ready Community designation, counties must demonstrate a commitment to improving public high school graduation rates through a measurable increase, and show a specified percentage of the available and current workforce have obtained Work Ready Certificates.

Each community creates a team of economic development, government and education partners to meet the certification criteria. Counties are given three years to reach the goals necessary to earn the designation.

Madison, Treutlen and Warren counties have reached their Work Ready Certification goals, and are now focusing on attaining their public high school graduation rate increase goals to become a Certified Work Ready Communities.

Once counties attain their Certified Work Ready Community goals, they are able to maintain their status by ensuring a small percent of their available workforce continue to earn Work Ready Certificates, engaging local businesses to recognize and use Work Ready, and continuing to increase their public high school graduation rate until they reach a threshold of 75 percent.

To continue their work, each county will receive a $10,000 grant. Their Work Ready Community teams will also receive a two-year membership to their local chamber of commerce and a budget for additional Work Ready outreach materials.

Georgia’s Work Ready initiative is based on a skills assessment and certification for job seekers and a job profiling system for businesses. By identifying both the needs of business and the available skills of Georgia’s workforce, the state can more effectively generate the right talent for the right jobs. The Certified Work Ready Community initiative builds on the assessments and job profiling system to create opportunities for greater economic development.

More information on the Work Ready initiative is available at www.gaworkready.org

NEWS - Economic Development

SBJ Staff Report

June 28, 2010 - The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) reported Friday that the preliminary unadjusted unemployment rate in metro Savannah rose to 8.3 percent in May, up one-tenth of a percentage point from a revised 8.2 percent in April.

Meanwhile, the number of unemployed workers in the metro area increased to 14,659, up 179 from 14,480 in April.

The state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate declined to 10.2 percent in May, down one-tenth of a percentage point from a revised 10.3 percent in April. However, the jobless rate remains seven-tenths of a percentage point higher than the 9.5 percent at this same time last year, and a number of part-time workers were hired during the period as Census workers.

This is the 32nd consecutive month Georgia has exceeded the national unemployment rate, which is now 9.7 percent. The jobless rate in metro Savannah in May 2009 was 7.8 percent.

Perhaps more indicative of  bad news for the local area, in May 1,635 laid-off workers in metro Savannah filed initial claims for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits, an increase of 48, or 3.0 percent, from 1,587 filed in May 2009.

Statewide, 57,919 laid-off workers filed initial claims, a decline of 17,517, or 23.2 percent, from 75,436 filed in May 2009. Most of the first-time claims were filed in wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, construction, and administrative and support services.

State Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond said, “We will not see a significant improvement in Georgia’s job market until small businesses begin hiring, which will lay a solid foundation for a sustainable economic recovery.” 

The state showed a modest increase in new jobs in May for the fourth consecutive month, but Census taker jobs must be factored in to any analysis. The number of jobs increased 24,700, or seven-tenths of a percentage point, from 3,818,700 in April to 3,843,400. However, the number of jobs remains less than in May 2009, when there were 3,911,400 payroll jobs, 1.7 percent, or 68,000 more than this year.

Metro Savannah’s job market showed a modest improvement for the third consecutive month. The number of payroll jobs in the metro area increased 1,400, or nine-tenths of one percentage point, from 151,200 in April to 152,600. 

Local area unemployment rates are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.dol.state.ga.us

NEWS - Economic Development

By Lou Phelps

June 28, 2010 – The team at the City of Savannah Tourism and Film Services will be busy from July 9-11 when the 48 Hour Film Project’s 2010 world tour hits town.

It is the world’s largest timed filmmaking competition, and they announced just two weeks ago that the 2010 tour will tear through Savannah from July 9 – 11, challenging Savannah filmmakers to complete the entire filmmaking process – from writing and casting to shooting and editing – in a mere 48 hours.

Savannah is one of a record 80 cities worldwide to be included in the 48 Hour Film Project’s expanded tour over the 2009 tour, which will include the first-ever local contests in such far-flung cities as Beijing, Lisbon, and Mumbai.

Savannah filmmakers will join a record 2,500 filmmaking teams worldwide—totaling 35,000 people—expected to take part in the competition, relying on inspiration, adrenaline, and gallons of coffee to complete short films of up to seven minutes in only two sleepless days.

Participating teams will be given a genre, a character, a prop, and a line of dialogue that they must work into their piece. They will be responsible for putting together a cast and crew, and getting equipment and anything else needed to make a film/video. Films submitted even one minute late will be disqualified.

Films will be screened for the public on July 14 and 15 at Victory Stadium Theaters in Savannah where the audience will select Savannah’s best film. The winners will then be in the running for top honors at Filmapalooza, the 48 Hour Film Project’s annual awards event honoring the year’s top films, which will take place at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show in 2010. Films will also compete to be among 14 films to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner in 2010.

This is the 48HF Project’s second year in Savannah.  Savannah was the first and only city to have all teams submit their films in before the deadline in 2009.

“While the tight deadline may seem like an obstacle, ultimately it places the emphasis on creativity and teamwork, and gooses participants into making their films rather than just talking about them,” said Tyler M Reid, Savannah producer for The 48 Hour Film Project.

 “More importantly, it breaks down barriers by allowing anyone in Savannah with a free weekend, a video camera, and boundless creative energy to experience the fun, exhilaration, and satisfaction of producing a fully-realized film.”

 Since its 2001 launch in Washington, D.C. by filmmakers Mark Ruppert and Liz Langston, the project has become a global cultural phenomenon, with a total of more than 130,000 participants producing nearly 9,000 short films. An archive of past films can be found at www.48.tv.

“The fact that we continue to expand to new cities every year confirms that the project has truly struck a nerve with filmmakers and audiences around the world,” said Langston, co-executive director of The 48 Hour Film Project. “We’re thrilled to be returning to some of our old stops, as well as introducing the tour to new cities in 2009.”

For more information in how to participate in Savannah’s competition or to attend Savannah’s screening, please visit: www.48hourfilm.com.

NEWS - Economic Development

June 28, 2010 – The Savannah Business Journal publishes local, state and federal contracts awarded to local businesses, or bid out by local, state and federal offices and installations.

Below are FEDERAL contracts awarded over the past two weeks, from June 16, 2010 to June 25, 2010:

MILITARY

- A $198,290 Federal Contract was awarded to Outcast Services in Beaufort, S.C. from the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Jackson, S.C., for 5-ton package heat pumps.

- James McMath of Ridgeland, S.C. won a $30,967.20 federal contract from the Defense Logistics Agency's Defense Supply Center, Columbus, Ohio, for ignition distributors.

- Design Fab Inc., Pembroke, Ga., won a $39,214.95 federal contract from the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Stewart, Ga., for MC 90 coffins.

- SourceOne Inc., Statesboro, Ga., won a $16,770 federal contract from the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Stewart, Ga., for gearbelts and lanyards.

- CMBC Inc., Stanton, Tenn., won a $6,000 federal contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Ga., for tower demolition.

- Associates Roofing & Construction Inc., Murrells Inlet, S.C., won a $1,344,000 federal contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Ga., for the construction of partial depth sheet pile wall, repair of damage to existing floating dock sections and installation of new floating dock sections. Place of performance will be at the Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point, N.C.

- EEE Consulting Inc.from Mechanicsville, Va., won a $194,087 federal contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Ga., for professional, administrative and management support services under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

- Associates Roofing Construction Inc., Murrells Inlet, S.C., won a $93,203.25 federal contract from the U.S. Coast Guard's Civil Engineering Unit, Miami, for the replacement of the main building roofing at the U.S. Coast Guard Station. Place of performance will be in Islamorada, Fla.

- Power Systems Inc., Gilbert, S.C., won a $48,736 federal contract from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile, Ala., for electric wire and power and distribution equipment under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

- Navarro Research & Engineering, Oak Ridge, Tenn., won a $1,701,585 federal contract from the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, Aiken, S.C., for the construction of thermal decontamination of tritiated concrete rubble and soil.

- L-3 Communications Telemetry-West Corp., San Diego, won a $85,311 federal contract modification from the U.S. Air Force Materiel Command, Robins Air Force Base, Ga., for the maintenance and repair of shop equipment.

- International Systems of America, Louisville, Ky., won a $28,323.06 federal contract from the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C., for Siemens fire alarm parts.

- Ameritel Corp. of South Florida Inc., Largo, Fla., won an $18,007.49 federal contract from the U.S. Army Contracting Command, Fort Stewart, Ga., for communication, detection and coherent radiation equipment.

- Multi Media Marketing Associates Inc., Pembroke Pines, Fla., won a $147,988.30 federal contract from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah, Ga., for photographic, mapping, printing and publication services under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

NEWS - Economic Development

SBJ Staff Report

June 21, 2010 – Governor Perdue and a delegation of Georgia’s economic development officials left Sunday to explore trade and tourism opportunities in Uruguay and Argentina.

In 2009, Georgia’s exports to Argentina totaled more than $156 million, ranking the state as the seventh-largest exporter to that country nationwide.

The Governor will participate in a full schedule of meetings and in-country visits beginning with the delegation’s arrival in Buenos Aires, Argentina on June 20, with the mission concluding June 23.

“This trade mission to Argentina and Uruguay will help us reconnect with important trading partners in South America,” said Governor Perdue. “These are relationships we first developed when building Atlanta’s bid to host the Western Hemisphere’s free trade headquarters. While that opportunity never materialized, our efforts have continued to shape Georgia’s reputation as a global business leader.”

The Governor will be joined by representatives of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. In addition to Buenos Aires, the delegation will participate in a slate of business meetings in Cordoba while in Argentina. Governor Perdue will meet with senior government officials, including the governors of Buenos Aires and Cordoba, chamber of commerce executives, heads of Georgia-based companies in the region and will give remarks to local business leaders during a luncheon hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce Argentina.

The delegation will also meet with Vilma Martinez, Ambassador of the United States to Argentina, along with representatives from the country’s travel and tourism industry to promote Georgia’s tourism strengths to the country’s leading tour operators. In the next five years, visitation from Argentina to the United States is expected to grow by 55 percent.

In Uruguay, the Governor will meet with prominent members of the country’s business community and political leadership, encouraging attendance for the 2010 Americas Competitiveness Forum (ACF) to be hosted in Atlanta in November. The ACF provides an opportunity for governments, the business community, and representatives from academia and non-governmental organizations to discuss strategies and tactics to improve competitiveness and economic prosperity in the Americas.

The Governor last visited Argentina in 2004 when the state and the city of Atlanta pursued its candidacy as the headquarters location for the Secretariat of the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas. The intent of this mission will be to extend the ties created since that time, and explore new opportunities for global commerce and tourism.

Georgia’s ties to Argentina and Uruguay are also evident through trade relationships that exist between the state and both countries. Georgia is the sixth-largest exporter to Uruguay among all U.S. states, and ranks tenth among states that import products the country.