Columbus leaders unveil 5-step plan to reduce poverty, spur economic growth

Alva James-Johnson
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer


A group of prominent Columbus leaders — representing various sectors of the community — unveiled a plan Friday to spur economic growth and increase prosperity in the region.

The initiative, called Columbus 2025, was presented during a news conference at the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce. The plan focuses on five action areas: targeted economic growth; talented and educated people; enterprising culture; vibrant and connected places; and cohesive image and identity. Committees have been set up to implement each segment of the plan, and the results will be evaluated based on a series of baseline, best-practice metrics.

Those unveiling the initiative Friday were Billy Blanchard, partner and board member of Jordan-Blanchard Capital; Audrey Tillman, executive vice president and general counsel at Aflac; Jackie Lowe, a retired Georgia Power executive; and Jimmy Yancey, retired chairman of Synovus.

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Columbus: Seeing the Big Picture

K.K. Snyder
Georgia Trend

Just because things are going great doesn’t mean they can’t get better. With every sector of the community dialed in to the recently adopted Regional Prosperity Initiative, ‘up’ is the only direction Columbus and Muscogee County leaders will consider.

For more than a decade, there has existed a need to define the identity of this city that morphed from a mill town floated on a textile economy to a center for financial data services and advanced manufacturing.

“Columbus has been a city in transformation for a while, some deliberate, some by nature of outside forces,” says Brian Anderson, president and CEO of the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

Led by the chamber and strategic planning group Market Street Services, local public, private and nonprofit leaders crafted what they’ve deemed “a holistic community and economic development strategy,” which boils down to three guiding principles: a reduction of poverty, increasing prosperity for all, and improving the overall quality of life in the region.

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Magazine’s ‘Big Picture’ view of Columbus

Ledger-Enquirer

Not for the first time, and we’re confident that it’s not for the last, others around the state and region have taken notice of this city’s transformation.

In the June issue of Georgia Trend magazine, an article by K.K. Snyder titled “Columbus: Seeing the Big Picture” takes a pretty detailed look at what has happened here since the old patterns and realities of the city, virtually unchanged for decades, began crumbling and being rebuilt.

[. . .] The article attributes much of the city’s current progress to efforts that fall under the umbrella of the Regional Prosperity Initiative, whose strategy, Snyder writes, “boils down to three guiding principles: a reduction of poverty, increasing prosperity for all, and improving the overall quality of life in the region.”

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

Ledger-Enquirer







Not for the first time, and we’re confident that it’s not for the last, others around the state and region have taken notice of this city’s transformation.

In the June issue of Georgia Trend magazine, an article by K.K. Snyder titled “Columbus: Seeing the Big Picture” takes a pretty detailed look at what has happened here since the old patterns and realities of the city, virtually unchanged for decades, began crumbling and being rebuilt.

[. . .] The article attributes much of the city’s current progress to efforts that fall under the umbrella of the Regional Prosperity Initiative, whose strategy, Snyder writes, “boils down to three guiding principles: a reduction of poverty, increasing prosperity for all, and improving the overall quality of life in the region.”







To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

Ledger-Enquirer







Not for the first time, and we’re confident that it’s not for the last, others around the state and region have taken notice of this city’s transformation.

In the June issue of Georgia Trend magazine, an article by K.K. Snyder titled “Columbus: Seeing the Big Picture” takes a pretty detailed look at what has happened here since the old patterns and realities of the city, virtually unchanged for decades, began crumbling and being rebuilt.

[. . .] The article attributes much of the city’s current progress to efforts that fall under the umbrella of the Regional Prosperity Initiative, whose strategy, Snyder writes, “boils down to three guiding principles: a reduction of poverty, increasing prosperity for all, and improving the overall quality of life in the region.”







To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.
Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/opinion/article81656157.html#storylink=cpyRead more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/opinion/article81656157.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/opinion/article81656157.html#storylink=cpy

Columbus Net Zero Job Growth Addressed with Regional Prosperity Initiative

MercerWRBL

You’ve probably heard in recent weeks about Columbus having net zero job growth in the past thirty years. Mayor Teresa Tomlinson mentioned this issue in her state of the city address. So what is the city doing about it?

A good work force **is** the focus. In 2015 they entered in a relationship with Columbus State to create a new cyber security program to ensure a highly qualified workforce. When you talk about a thriving Columbus business – TSYS is always a part of the conversation. And like TSYS- city leaders want to focus on the people coming to Columbus. Bill Murphy with the Columbus Chamber says, “While there is a lot of good things going on – we saw opportunities to realign and refocus our energies so we’re firing on all cylinders.”

It’s called the Regional Prosperity Initiative. Chamber and community leaders will work together to find ways to counter the zero net job growth.


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Chamber event focuses on State of Economic Development, Regional Prosperity Initiative

By Tony Adams
Ledger-Enquirer

Alex Pearlstein kicked off his address Thursday to Columbus community and business leaders with the basic premise that nothing is guaranteed or truly predictable, playing off an old Yogi Berra quip about not knowing what tomorrow holds.

“Really, it speaks to the reality that we don’t really know what the future’s going to hold for the national economy, for our local economies. I think the Great Recession sort of put to rest the thought that we can predict what’s going to happen in the future,” said Pearlstein, vice president and principal with Atlanta-based Market Street Services.


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2014 Economic Development Luncheon recognizes local companies

By Tesia Reed
WTVM.com

COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) - An economic plan bringing money and new jobs to the city of Columbus was a hot topic for local business leaders and city officials at the Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Luncheon.

The group celebrated the city's economic development successes and revealed a plan to set the stage up for the future.

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