Georgia’s agricultural sector lost billions of dollars, and the southern Appalachian Mountains were hit particularly hard, with parts of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia suffering historic levels of flooding, landslides, and property damage. Hundreds of people died.

Now, nearly a year later, many mountain and rural roads are still washed out, creating ongoing logistical complications. Brush and other debris still litter the hillsides. Many places of business remain shuttered—if those buildings still stand at all. The total cost of Hurricane Helene comes in at a whopping $78.7 billion, according to the NOAA. Add to that the $34.3 billion caused by Category 5 Hurricane Milton, which hit Florida with a 10-foot storm surge, torrential rain, and at least 19 tornadoes just a month after Helene shook the region.

Now, the NOAA is predicting an “above-normal” hurricane season for 2025 with between 13 and 19 total named storms. Three to five of these are likely to be major hurricanes of category 3 or above. The national agency reports a 70 percent confidence in this forecast and warns that, as was the case last year, flooding could reach inland areas.

The Atlantic hurricane season lasts from June 1^st to November 30^th, the time of year when conditions are ideal for these super storms to form. This requires four elements: warm ocean water, a great deal of moisture in the air, low vertical wind shear, and a pre-existing weather disturbance, such as a cluster of thunderstorms, Angela Colbert, Ph.D., explains on NASA’s website. “Just like making a perfect cookie, a hurricane needs all the ingredients for it to grow,” she writes. “Change any ingredient too much and the cookie will be too flat, too dry, too crumbly. The same is true for hurricanes: if any of the four main ingredients changes too much, the storm cannot form or will weaken.”

Large-scale weather patterns determine where a hurricane will travel after it develops. These factors can include the complex El Niño and La Niña weather patterns in the Pacific Ocean, which strongly impact the hurricane season. “With so many moving parts, forecasting a hurricane is hard,” Dr. Colbert points out. Records of past hurricanes, advanced global climate models, and a scientific understanding of how hurricanes develop, travel, and strengthen all help scientists undertake the complex task of predicting upcoming hurricane seasons.

In November 2024, Science Advances published a study by the NOAA and other researchers that projects an “increase in the frequency of extremely active Atlantic hurricane seasons.” The study also predicts an increase in inactive hurricane seasons as well as fewer normal seasons. In other words, the researchers expect a large variability in future hurricane activity.

This exaggerated swing between the intensity of hurricane seasons ramps up the challenges that forecasters already face in predicting upcoming storms, and this phenomenon will put more pressure on emergency decision-makers as seasons vacillate between extremely dangerous and relatively peaceful. Businesses located in hurricane-prone areas should not be lulled into complacency by a quiet previous season. Instead, they should always be aware of the possibility of a tough one on the horizon.

Preparation is particularly crucial this year, when an overactive hurricane season has already been predicted. This means that many businesses are already known to be at risk of being impacted—potentially even ones that are not located on the coast, based on last year’s widespread destruction.

The most obvious potential impact is property damage. From high winds to storm surges and spawned tornados, hurricanes can wreak widespread havoc. But financial losses can go beyond physical repairs to include lost revenue due to closure. And, even if a business manages to reopen soon after a storm, it may still face challenges from supply chain disruption. Accuweather points out that road closures and power outages make it more difficult to receive inventory or ship products to customers, creating additional revenue loss and potentially damaging a company’s hard-earned reputation.

To help mitigate these potential losses, the Small Business Administration recommends a series of measures to take in advance. For starters, be sure to safeguard critical information. Store copies of paper documents—including insurance policies—in a location that will be safe from potential storm damage. Back up digital data and take the backup with you during an evacuation if the server is within the impact zone.

Inspect and repair any weaknesses in your business’s building before high winds, storm surges, and torrential rain strike. Have contractors lined up to call after a hurricane in case sudden repairs are needed.

A written crisis management plan lets employees know what to expect ahead of time. Regular emergency drills should be carried out with all employees, and contact information for employees, vendors, and customers should be accessible in the event of a power outage or evacuation. Identify employees who may be needed during a disaster and be sure they understand their responsibilities. Keep a stash of cash available in case it is needed to pay employees and contractors in the immediate aftermath. Consider purchasing a backup generator and know the best evacuation routes.

You will also need to review your insurance policies to know what they cover before a hurricane hits, since not all policies cover hurricane-related damage. In fact, there is no such thing as a single hurricane insurance policy; instead, property owners must cobble together multiple add-ons to be safe. The key is to make sure your business is protected against rain and wind, the two primary sources of damage from a hurricane. Most standard property insurance policies do not cover flooding, including from a storm surge, so any business located in a flood-prone area needs to be covered by a specific flood insurance policy. Policies do tend to cover wind damage—but only for buildings located far from high-risk areas. These policies may not cover wind damage in hurricane-prone coastal areas, so business owners in these places will likely need a separate windstorm policy.

If you need additional support, businesses at risk of hurricane damage can hire a logistics company to create an emergency plan and put it into place. These companies may also offer emergency services during an imminent risk, including securing the customer’s building, clearing debris, providing emergency food and clean water, and giving other essential help.

It is an unfortunate reality that hurricanes pose a major threat that business owners need to take seriously, particularly in light of this year’s projections for an active hurricane season. Fortunately, with careful planning and preparation, some of the risk can be mitigated—but only if measures are taken before the storm arrives.

The post Riding Out the Storm<p class="company">Preparing for Hurricane Season</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Wausau’s strategic location is another major plus. “We’re the gateway to the North,” Mayor Doug Diny says. “We’re the crossroads of commerce.” Highway 29 and Highway 51 intersect in the heart of the city, providing quick and easy access to other parts of the state. “It’s a perfect place, centrally located.”

The natural resources of the Wausau region create rich opportunities for business, a win for both the economy and locals looking to enjoy life. “The whole area is going all in on outdoor recreation. Local organizations are developing hundreds of miles of gravel biking routes throughout our rural areas. There will be new mountain biking trails on Rib Mountain State Park that will complement the other area trails, winter downhill and cross-country skiing, hiking, and much more—all about 20 minutes from downtown Wausau.”

Lake Wausau is another attraction that draws tourists and locals alike, and the community is working hard to maintain the popular resource. “We have a hundred-plus-year-old dam that needs to be repaired, and the paper mill is spending extra to not have to draw the lake down,” Mayor Diny explains. “We understand the amount of impact that has, not only on the people living around the lake, but what it draws in recreationally.”

Local leaders recognize the need to make Wausau a place that appeals to potential employees as well. “One of the things that we’ve realized is that, as the competition for workforce continues to grow, we need to be a place where people want to live and want to work,” says Fifrick. “People have more mobility than ever now to choose where they work, so having a place that people want to live first of all, and then finding a job, is a lot easier than trying to do it the other way around. People have the mobility to choose where they want to work, so let’s give them a place where they want to live, and then they find the jobs here.”

This effort to improve the community includes a number of exciting redevelopment projects, one of which is the Wausau Center Mall. “The pandemic and everything associated with that was one of the final death blows to our regional mall site,” Fifrick says. “The mall was closed up at that point and redevelopment plans went into place.” The Wausau Opportunity Zone, a public-private partnership, is behind the project. The demolition is complete and the team is currently working on phase one with Middleton, Wisconsin-based developer, T. Wall Enterprises.

The finished project will include 153 residential units, underground parking, and first-floor retail. “We’ve been going through a lot of planning,” says Fifrick. “With such a large site, there is a lot to consider: how we reroute roads, utilities, and what kind of development we look for there. It’s a great project, hopefully a catalyst to the redevelopment of that mall area.”

The city’s riverfront is also getting a makeover. “The Wisconsin River in Wausau, like most of the Midwestern towns with a large river, has been a working river for many years,” Fifrick explains. “It was the center, where you would see a lot of industry over time. So we’ve been really trying to redevelop it for placemaking purposes to provide a better experience for citizens. We’ve been actively working with some of our businesses, our manufacturers, to move them out to our business campus, which allows for redevelopment along that riverfront area.”

The entire northeast side of the river has either been secured for redevelopment or is already undergoing remediation. There is a nearly completed trail, and soon there will be new housing. “We are working with a developer right now to add some additional residential units,” Fifrick says. “We’re looking at a project for 144 units that will be right next to where we have another apartment complex.”

This existing complex, Riverlife Apartments, was featured in a 2016 Business in Focus article that profiled the first stages of the Wisconsin River redevelopment. “That was our first successful project down there,” Fifrick says. “And just to the north of that, we built a park area with a food service area.” The city partnered with the state to create the park. “We’ve got a really cool playground area that draws in a lot of kids; the outdoor equipment out there is pretty fabulous,” he says.

Located between the park and the apartment complex, WOW Family Entertainment Center offers laser tag, arcade games, and a full-service restaurant and bar. “It really complements the park quite well.”

City leaders have worked diligently to see the river redevelopment through to its current point. “It’s really a process, to make something like that happen,” Fifrick shares. “With a working river like that, you have a lot of environmental cleanup to go through over the years. That’s been an ongoing battle, but we’re making progress, which is a good thing.”

Expanding the residential market is another goal for the city. “This is a big focus,” says Fifrick. “We have two different projects we’re working on right now that fall into the workforce or affordable housing category, both thanks to low-income housing tax credits.” Several market-rate housing projects are in the works as well, including a single-family residential subdivision in progress on the west side of town.

“We haven’t had a neighborhood-type development in quite some time because we are somewhat landlocked, so we’re limited in where we can place these,” Mayor Diny says. “We have to be creative with zoning, and we have to build up in the downtown area.”

The city recognizes demographic changes that are driving the need for more housing. “15 years ago, you had three and a half members per household,” Mayor Diny says. “Now we’re down to around 2.7 on average. So you don’t necessarily have a boom in population, but you have a need for housing because people are living fewer per house these days. So I think that indicates we need to concentrate on the density, the smaller apartment style, and maybe some smaller homes that would be more affordable for that smaller family.”

“If you go back to 2022, our regional planning commission put together a study that identified the housing needs in our area,” Fifrick tells us. “At that point, they projected we needed 525 new units in the area by 2025.” Things are moving along nicely, with nearly 500 units underway. “We’re making really good progress,” he says. “It’s just a matter of continuing to work toward that.”

Looking ahead, city leaders plan to draw more industry to the area. “We need to focus on attracting businesses here,” says Mayor Diny. “If we can get the jobs—and the high-paying jobs, the technology jobs—that will drive the rest of the economy.”

“We’re working on that right now with our business campus,” adds Fifrick. “We’re really looking at the inventory we have and what we can fit on some of those parcels where we have land available for development. We’re the only city in Marathon County that has a WEDC-certified site; WEDC is our state agency for economic development.”

The campus can accommodate smaller manufacturing companies that require just a few acres as well as larger businesses, particularly those that align with city goals. “We’re really trying to lure those high-tech jobs that people are going to be needed for in the long term,” Fifrick says. “We’re really focusing in and making sure the companies we’re bringing are long lasting.”

This forward-looking mindset is helping Wausau reinvent itself—from the mall and riverfront redevelopments to expanding housing and strong business recruitment strategies. The result is a city poised to attract new companies with the talent and families who will make Wausau a great place to live, work, and play.

The post Redeveloping for the Future<p class="company">City of Wausau, Wisconsin</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

“St. Croix County is very family friendly,” says Melissa Meschke, Executive Director at St. Croix Economic Development Corporation. “We’re close to big city amenities but still have small-town living.”

The historic downtowns of Hudson, New Richmond, and River Falls feature locally owned shops, farm-to-table restaurants, breweries, and distilleries, making them a destination for foodies and tourists as well as locals. St. Croix National Scenic Riverway and Willow River State Park are also popular destinations for both residents and tourists. “We have tons of outdoor recreation,” says Meschke. “We have a huge number of trails. It really is a great place to raise a family. I, myself, have two little kids, so I can say that firsthand.”

Local school districts are “consistently ranked among the best in the state, offering a variety of academic and extracurricular programs that attract families to the area,” Meschke shares, and the county’s post-secondary education network is also noteworthy. The University of Wisconsin – River Falls, Northwood Technical College, and Chippewa Valley Technical College are all located within St. Croix County. “They’re great partners in the community,” she says. “They’re constantly working with local employers and businesses and other organizations to educate and build workforce pipelines while also providing a lot of opportunities for lifelong learning.”

Ease of transportation is another critical advantage. The entire county is within an hour of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport and sits along major roadways. “We have tons of arteries with our local highway systems, including I-94 that runs right through the middle of St. Croix County and a lot of our communities along the way,” says Meschke. “I-94 comes all the way from Chicago and goes all the way to the Twin Cities, which gives a high level of important visibility when it comes to St. Croix County.”

The county has a sizable airport within its borders. The New Richmond Regional Airport serves more than 175,000 people in Western Wisconsin and Eastern Minnesota. With a 5,500-foot-long runway—the second longest of the business airports in the Twin Cities area—the airport can handle almost any business aircraft. 272 aircraft are based there, the most in Wisconsin at any one airport. It also has the most hangars, at 121.

St. Croix Crossing has given the county an even greater logistical advantage. Opened in 2017, the four-lane bridge spans the St. Croix River to connect Minnesota and Wisconsin. “This was a game changer for the economy here in St. Croix County,” Meschke says. “It was a key connection to make our communities more accessible for residents and businesses.”

The county has grown by 7,346 people over the last five years and is projected to grow by an additional 5,465 people by 2030. “I think a big part of what makes us consistently one of the fastest growing counties in the state is that location close to Minnesota. We do get a lot of people who move here that used to live on the Minnesota side, whether it be for tax reasons or housing cost reasons, who want to come across the border and live here, which is great.”

Currently, St. Croix County has 35 municipalities, and 21 of those have at least 2,000 residents each. While these communities are a popular destination for people coming from Minnesota, they also attract newcomers from around the country. “We’ve got a lot of really great small to medium-size communities here in the county that are great attractors for people from all over,” Meschke says. “One of the things I personally love about living here is that it really is kind of a melting pot of people. If you’re not originally from here, I think the communities are very welcoming and there’s a lot of opportunity here in St. Croix County that I just personally love as a mom of two. We are very happy we relocated here in 2021.”

Local and state leadership are committed to being pro-business, creating an ideal environment for businesses looking to start up, relocate, or expand. “The county works really hard to be pro-business, pro-landowner rights with an approach that is focused on ‘finding a way to get to yes,’” Meschke says. “They’ve minimized the tax levy. We continue to have low sales and use tax (5.5 percent), a nearly 2 percent lower corporate income tax compared to Minnesota. and rank within the top five for the ‘Best states for opportunity.’”

This pro-business attitude is reflected in local business growth. From 2014 to 2024, the number of establishments in the county grew from 3,312 to 3,658. “Our pre-pandemic high was 3,755,” Meschke says. “So we’re coming back up on that 2019 number quite rapidly, looking at the trends. And then we grew from 30,550 jobs to 33,890 jobs in that same 10-year period; our pre-pandemic high in 2019 was 34,942. We’re starting a lot of small businesses, which is great.”

The St. Croix Valley Business Innovation Center helps local startups find a strong foothold. The City of River Falls, Chippewa Valley Technical College, River Falls Economic Development Corp, and University of Wisconsin – River Falls have together created this incubation program to provide mentorship and office, food-ready, manufacturing, and coworking space. “To have that type of active community support and multiple organizations supporting the business incubator is really unique nationally,” Meschke says. “More importantly, the Innovation Center connects all the resources and the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the St. Croix Valley. The Small Business Development Center is housed there as well as the St. Croix EDC. This comprehensive approach helps us build important camaraderie, friendships, and teamwork among the businesses that are located there,” she says.

“It’s the only incubator in the Western Wisconsin area,” she continues. “It’s been wonderful to watch their growth and success. Incubators can be really challenging to keep open and keep funded, and [the partners have] done a great job to keep it running very well.”

The positive impact is clear. Over the past seven years, 26 businesses have graduated from the program, 95 percent relocated in the region, and 87 percent are still in business, Meschke says. Compare this to the national average of business startups that remain open, which is 50 percent. “Our members have created 136 jobs, retained 184 jobs, and infused $34.1 million of capital into the economy. Today, 19 businesses operate at the Innovation Center, occupying 80 percent of the space and employing nearly 90 people.” Currently, there are 2,000 square feet of industrial space, 7,000 square feet of build-to-suit second-floor space, private offices, suites, and co-working and designated workstation spaces available. Dr. Sheri Marnell, the Executive Director, loves giving tours of the facility. Reach out if you want to learn more at https://www.stcroixinnovation.org/.

New Richmond Regional Airport is about to offer additional services to local businesses as well. “The airport is undergoing a comprehensive airport master plan with expected completion in the fall of 2025,” Meschke tells us. “The plan calls for a new hangar area that will accommodate 19 private and 10 corporate and business hangars in 2026, a security fence and gate project in 2026, a major taxiway reconstruction in 2027, north hangar area pavement reconstruction in 2028, and a significant runway improvement project in 2032.”

The development doesn’t stop there. “The City of River Falls invested about $20 million to develop Mann Valley Corporate Park. They put in all the curbs and gutters, all the utilities, and have shovel-ready land available. Many companies have expressed interest in this new business park, and construction will begin soon.”

Mann Valley Corporate Park offers more than 200 acres that are ideal for office, light industrial, and manufacturing use, just minutes from I-94. At a whopping 155 acres, the park’s flagship lot is one of the largest tracts of available industrial land in the entire Twin Cities metro area.

Looking ahead, county leaders are focusing on housing as well as business. “We are just about to complete a comprehensive housing study in St. Croix County,” Meschke shares. “It will give us a lot of data about the housing that has been built—there has been a lot—but also opportunities for what we are missing, really thinking about housing for all. This will help us work more effectively and strategically with developers to make sure that we are bringing to the market housing for everyone as we look at continuing this massive growth.”

With so much to offer, growth is on the horizon in St. Croix County. This area is ready to welcome newcomers and continues to maintain a high quality of life for those who already call this incredible place home.

The post The Wisconsin Community that Keeps on Growing<p class="company">St. Croix Economic Development Corporation</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Prior to the founding of Dethmers Manufacturing Company (Demco), Robert Dethmers and his father owned and operated Dethmers Implement, a farm equipment dealership. Dethmers Manufacturing company was launched on this site. Still in business nearly three quarters of a century after its founding, today Demco manufactures the highest quality agriculture equipment, semi-trailers, RV towing products, and trailer components.

The company’s focus has evolved over the decades, but the family tradition continues, with Koerselman’s son, JC, currently serving as Managing Director. How has the company managed to succeed into the fourth generation, when so many other businesses fail to make that leap? One secret is that successors must earn their place. It has never been a given that the next generation would reap the benefits of the previous generation’s labor.

Robert Koerselman made sure that the fourth generation of the family explored other options first, gaining real-life experience and strengthening their work ethic. “You’re going to go out and grow your roots elsewhere and learn business,” he told them. “If the fourth generation wants to be involved, they would be given an opportunity to get involved, but only after they’ve been able to provide growth opportunity in a different industry, with a different job first.”

Then, after a new generation commits, they are treated like anyone else. “No guarantees that an opportunity to work at Demco means that you’re going to own shares,” Koerselman says. “And [being] an owner doesn’t give you any special privileges.”

Throughout Demco’s long history, the company culture has remained a critical component, uniting multiple generations. “We’re very focused on faith,” says Koerselman. “We’re a faith-based company.” This faith is reflected in the team’s ongoing commitment to the community. “We are very community minded, and so there have been a lot of projects that we get involved in, whether it’s economic development, our high schools, or trade schools.”

With community ties stretching back to the 1930s, the team is eager to maintain those connections in the future. “We’re committed to passing this on to the fourth generation, keeping it in these communities that we’re involved in, and continuing to support the communities in many different ways,” Koerselman says.

This community spirit isn’t just outward facing. “There are communities inside the building where we build teams,” says Mark Nilles, Vice President of Operations. “Every one of them knows the ownership. They know who they are; they’re involved. And that’s just a good feeling when you bring people into the company. I have my son working here. So does [Director of Sales] Benji [Vande Griend], and you wouldn’t do that if you weren’t comfortable. So that environment that we’re talking about—that community environment, that family environment—is throughout the company internally and externally.”

Demco’s diverse portfolio across a wide range of industries is another secret to success. The team pursued this diversity in order to survive a difficult time that affected the agricultural industry nationwide. “It really came out of the 1980s farm crisis, and it was at that point that we got into these various industries besides just agriculture,” Vande Griend explains.

“The diversity helps us in sales,” adds Nilles. “If one product line or market is down but another is up, that helps us keep going.”

Another advantage is that employees have an opportunity to work across a wide variety of operations. “Internally, we’ve really focused on cross-training people,” says Nilles. “So it’s helped us in that we don’t have one person stuck at one machine doing one thing all the time. We could have them building grain carts and building couplers. Our workforce is very diverse; they don’t get stuck in one area. They get to branch out, find what they love, and work in multiple areas. We have a wide variety of aspects with different challenges to keep them motivated. So it’s very good for our workforce as well.”

The company’s products break down into four broad categories: one is RV towing, which includes tow dollies, tow bars, fifth wheel hitches, tow bar baseplates, braking systems for towed vehicles, and frame bracket kits.

Another sales category covers trailer components. This includes everything from trailer couplers, trailer brake actuators, and jacks to trailer tongues, spare tire mounts, and safety cables. A lot of these products are sold directly to trailer manufacturers.

True to its roots, the company still provides a wide range of agricultural equipment made for any size of farming operation, available in a variety of sizes and models. “That’s a number of products—anything from sprayers to tractor-mounted tanks, grain carts, gravity flow wagons, header transport trailers for hauling combine heads, tip-ups and tank extensions that go on the combine to hold more grain—all products focused on the farmers—grain farmers mainly,” says Vande Griend.

The team’s expertise in agricultural grain trailers has expanded to cover the broader semi-trailer category, and these trailers have successfully moved Demco into new industries. For example, the side dump trailer has a variety of uses, “anything from hauling product out of mines to hauling gravel, sand, dirt—lots of types of products,” says Vande Griend. “Then we also have a steel drop deck trailer which, again, has various usages in various industries, from farming to construction.” Demco’s gondola trailer, another diverse product, hauls scrap, “so that puts us into the scrap industry, hauling scrap out of scrapyards.”

Demco also operates a rental side of the business, which provides trailers and dollies for well-known companies such as Penske.

The team is committed to providing the highest quality product and service to every market they serve. “It goes along with our mission statement of doing our best to provide the best,” says Koerselman. “Whether it’s designing product, building product, doing customer service, working trade shows, or being an employer, we are doing our best… We’re not suggesting that there’s perfection within Demco, but there is a high expectation to do our best and define what that best is. And so we work very hard at doing that.”

“The mindset of the company, the mindset of the ownership, is continuous improvement,” Nilles agrees. “Our best always gets better if we never stop focusing on improving, challenging ourselves every day on all processes.”

A strong focus on customer service is a critical component of this commitment. “We try to set ourselves apart, along with high-quality products, by having personable customer service,” says Nilles. “So, as an example of that, when our customers call into Demco, they get a person. They do not get a machine—they get our receptionist, and she will ask a couple of questions to make sure that we’re going to get them to the right team member that can help that customer out.”

The company is eyeing expansion as it looks to the future. “We have a strong desire to continue to grow market share,” Koerselman says. Management is always asking, ‘are we offering the right products? Are there holes in our offering within this given industry? What do we need to do to fill that gap?’”

To ensure the company can fill those gaps, “We’re investing in more engineering resources, trying to get our project timeframes shorter so that, when we do get involved in an engineering project, that time to market is shorter,” Koerselman says. “And we get very intentional with that, knowing that if we can be there quicker than our competition, then we’re ahead of our competition. And we’ve got a lot of good competitors in all of our industries.”

With such strong competition, this team will have to stay at the top of their game. But, after 61 years in business, they are more than prepared for the challenge. “Our focus is to try to be an industry leader within all of our industries,” Koerselman says. “If we can accomplish that, there’s tremendous growth for us.”

The post A Fourth-Generation Family Success Story<p class="company">Demco</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

In fact, Georgia is the number one state for business, according to Area Development magazine—and has been for the last 11 years. What is the secret behind Georgia’s success? The adage, ‘location, location, location,’ for starters. 80 percent of the nation’s population live within a two-day truck drive or a two-hour flight of Georgia, and the state’s world-class infrastructure is ideal for moving goods.

The deepwater Port of Savannah is the third busiest and fastest-growing container gateway in the nation, and boasts the biggest single container terminal in all of North America, according to georgia.org. The Port also maintains a greater refrigerated container capacity than any other port terminal on the East Coast or the Gulf Coast. As a result, 40 percent of the United States’ containerized poultry exports pass through the Port of Savannah.

The deepwater Port of Brunswick, meanwhile, is the U.S.’s number one terminal for new automobile imports. Its Colonels Island Terminal is the nation’s second busiest port for total Roll-on/Roll-off cargo. Already home to three berths able to accommodate more than 900,000 vehicles each year, the Georgia Port Authority has committed $150 million to building a fourth berth at the terminal, as well as 85 additional acres for auto processing and 360,000 square feet of new warehouse space.

Once goods exit the ports, they are easily whisked away via I-95, I-16, or two Class 1 railroads. Appalachian Regional Port connects the port of Savannah to companies in northwest Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky through a direct, 388-mile CSX rail service route. Currently under construction, Northeast Georgia Inland Port will create a direct link to the Port of Savannah via the Norfolk Southern railroad in the near future, making it even more efficient to move goods.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), the busiest passenger airport in the world, offers direct access to domestic and international markets, with nonstop flights to 150 cities in the United States and direct flights to 70 cities in 50 different countries. On average, the airport sees a whopping 2,700 arrivals each day and over 100 million passengers departing each year. More than 725,000 metric tons of cargo are moved through ATL’s 1.5 million square feet of cargo warehouse space every year, and eight other commercial airports and over 100 public-use airports provide even more options for efficient air travel to and from the state.

Georgia’s networks go beyond transportation to include the fastest information networks in the world. In fact, Georgia was the first state in the union to precisely map the availability of broadband services, accurately identifying which areas required accessibility. Now, 85 percent of Georgia households have access to broadband internet, thanks to the public-private collaboration Georgia Broadband Deployment Initiative. In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked the state #5 for internet access. Two of the biggest fiber optic trunk lines in the U.S. intersect in Atlanta, in addition to two major research lines.

The state has worked hard to cultivate a pro-business environment, another key factor in its success. At just 5.19 percent, corporate tax rates are low while fiscal responsibility is high. State law requires a balanced budget, and Georgia boasts one of the lowest debt-per-capita levels in the U.S. For the last 21 years, the state has maintained the highest bond ratings from each of the Big Three credit rating agencies: Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch.

As the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding, and businesses have demonstrated that proof by flocking to the state in recent years. 440 Fortune 500 companies operate within Georgia, and 18 are headquartered there. Major industries including aerospace, agribusiness, automotive, defense, electric vehicle manufacturing, energy, film & entertainment, food processing, life sciences, logistics & supply chain, manufacturing, technology, and tourism are all thriving within the state.

Agribusiness is the state’s leading industry, with an economic impact of over $74 billion annually. Georgia is number one in the nation for peanuts, broilers, and hatching eggs. There are 9.9 million acres of operating farmlands and 399,200 jobs in food, fiber production, and related industries throughout the state.

With such an active agricultural sector to draw from, food processing has become another big industry within the state. Georgia is home to 1,586 food processing facilities and nearly half of the leading 100 U.S. food processing companies operate there. The state has 178 million cubic feet of cold storage space, and four of the five top global public refrigerated warehousing companies boast locations within the state.

The automotive industry also has a big presence in Georgia. The state first became an automotive manufacturing center back in 1909, when the first car was assembled there, and over the last century, leading automotive companies have continued to enjoy an ongoing presence in the state. Now, Georgia is also welcoming electric vehicle manufacturers in addition to existing automotive companies. Major players within this thriving automative ecosystem include original equipment manufacturers Kia, Hyundai Motor Group, Metaplant America, and Rivian, as well as battery manufacturers including LG Energy Solution and SK Battery America.

Georgia continues to evolve with the times, attracting new, leading-edge industries. Aerospace is the state’s second largest manufacturing industry, with over 800 aerospace companies creating an economic impact of $57.5 billion. The state’s number one export is aerospace products—$12.6 billion last year alone, and its aerospace connection goes all the way back to the 1960s, when Camden County was one of the finalists for NASA’s launch site. While it didn’t make the final cut, NASA did go on to test rockets there and the state developed a leading satellite communications technologies industry.

Today, Georgia’s aerospace industry boasts a wide range of players, from research & development, original equipment manufacturers, and hypersonics to unmanned arial vehicles, transportation services, and cybersecurity operations. Over 40 aerospace-related facilities have moved to Georgia or expanded their operations there over the last decade, creating 2,500 new jobs, and more than 200,000 people in Georgia work within aerospace-related industries, including a large number of engineers educated locally. Georgia Tech is one of the nation’s top producers of aerospace engineers, providing a steady pipeline of new talent for the industry.

The Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) industry is one rising player to watch within the state’s aerospace ecosystem. Participants within the sector are involved in a full gamut of activities, from research and design to manufacturing and operations.

Major aerospace companies located in Georgia include Anduril Industries, Archer Aviation, Arconic, Delta Air Lines, Gulfstream Aerospace, Hermeus, Lockheed Martin, Meggitt, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon, StandardAero, Triumph, Thrush, and Universal Alloy Group.

Defense is another leading industry in the state. A strong military presence within Georgia combined with a thriving manufacturing industry across numerous sectors makes it an ideal location for defense companies, with cybersecurity just one of the many thriving defense industries in the state. Georgia boasts a “Cyber Corridor” made up of 27,260 employees and 75 information security companies generating an estimated $2.6 billion each year. The new, $100 million Georgia Cyber Center is the biggest single investment in a state-owned cybersecurity facility. The National Security Agency/Central Security Service (NSA/CSS), which is located in Georgia, has opened the Georgia Cryptologic Center and the U.S. Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence is moving to the state—along with almost 4,000 new jobs.

Georgia caught Hollywood’s attention in 1972, when the classic thriller Deliverance was filmed there. The following year, Jimmy Carter, who was governor at the time, established the Georgia Film Office, and today, the state boasts a thriving entertainment industry, raking in $4 billion annually. You may have noticed the Georgia peach logo at the end of movies or television shows, announcing the production’s connection to the state.

From entertainment and aerospace to cybersecurity and agriculture, Georgia is home to a booming and diverse mix of industries. The Peach State has evolved with the times, welcoming the most leading-edge industries while successfully maintaining its traditional sectors. With so much to offer, Georgia will be a place to watch in the future as more and more companies and individuals relocate there to enjoy the state’s many advantages.

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“Peach County continues to build on its strengths as a strategically located and business-friendly community,” says Jill Bowen, Project Manager for The Development Authority of Peach County. “Recent updates emphasize the continued development of our workforce, particularly with the ongoing success of the Peach Regional Workforce Development Center located in the South Peach Industrial Park.”

A key asset for the community, the Workforce Development Center provides vital educational programs including CDL driver training through Central Georgia Technical College. Peach County High School’s Career Center and its dual-enrollment program are also located there, and students have access to a variety of courses, from warehousing and welding to logistics and early childhood education.

County leaders are eager to keep up this support for the next generation of employees. There is a “continued focus on improving and expanding our workforce training programs to ensure that local businesses have the workforce they need,” says Bowen.

Businesses continue to view Peach County as an ideal location for setting up shop. “We’re also seeing sustained interest from businesses looking to take advantage of our prime location, excellent infrastructure, and supportive local government,” Bowen says. “The Development Authority of Peach County remains very active in recruiting and supporting new and existing businesses.”

And the county is planning ahead, with current and upcoming projects that will continue to strengthen the local business environment. “A significant focus remains on expanding our industrial base,” Bowen tells us. “We are actively working to attract new manufacturing and distribution businesses to the region and have seen significant growth at the Robins International Industrial Park.”

In November 2024, KIHOMAC broke ground on a new, 130,000-square-foot aerospace manufacturing facility within the park. The newly built Pratt Industries building located inside the park is now fully operational and employing over 120 workers. And there is an expansion underway of the greenhouse grower Local Bounti.

“We are also working on continued infrastructure improvements to support this growth, including being the recipient of a $2 million grant from the state to help construct a new road that will connect the interior of RIIP to Highway 247,” Bowen adds.

The commitment to growth does not stop there. Local leaders are focused on enhancing the community’s quality of life with a variety of projects, including improvements to parks, recreational facilities, and downtown areas, “making them more attractive to residents and visitors,” Bowen says.

Indeed, Peach County leadership has embraced a growth-centered mindset. “Our ‘open to grow’ attitude reflects a proactive and collaborative approach to economic development,” she says. “It means we are committed to providing a welcoming and supportive environment for businesses, investing in infrastructure and workforce development, [and] working closely with our partners at the state and local levels.” The entire community is fully behind the concept. “This attitude is deeply ingrained in our community, which values progress and opportunity,” Bowen says. “It represents a community that is forward-thinking and ready to embrace the future.”

Certainly, businesses will find myriad benefits to setting up shop in the area. “Peach County offers several key advantages,” Bowen says. The first is its strategic location. “We are conveniently located on I-75, providing easy access to major markets and transportation hubs, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the Port of Savannah.”

In addition, there is a solid workforce already in place, ready to fill new jobs. “We have a skilled and growing workforce, with access to excellent training programs,” Bowen says. Equally important, the community is a business-friendly environment. “Our local government is committed to supporting businesses and providing a streamlined permitting process,” she says.

An affordable price tag is another critical advantage. “Peach County offers a lower cost of living than many other areas, making it attractive to both businesses and employees,” Bowen says. The area is also affordable for land development—and land is currently available, meaning Peach County is poised to become a substantial manufacturing center in the near future.

On June 16, 2022, Governor Brian P. Kemp announced the purchase of an economic development site in the community, over 1,100 acres in size. “The Middle Georgia Mega Site represents a significant economic development initiative for Peach County and the broader region,” says Bowen. “The acquisition of this site was a collaborative effort between the State of Georgia and the Development Authority of Peach County, and the site was selected because of its strategic location and potential for large-scale development.” It boasts close proximity to the major north-south transportation corridor I-75, the Deep Port of Savannah, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and has access to rail service via Norfolk Southern.

Local leaders have made the development process easy for incoming businesses. “The site has undergone extensive due diligence, which streamlines the development process,” Bowen explains. “This includes assessments of environmental factors, topography, and utility availability. The flat topography of the site minimizes development costs and time, and the availability of utilities, and the work done to prepare the site, makes it very attractive to large-scale manufacturing companies.”

Peach County is eager to welcome a large OEM to the Middle Georgia Mega Site. “The arrival of a large Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) at the Middle Georgia Mega Site would have a transformative impact on Peach County and the surrounding region,” Bowen says, including substantial job creation. “It would generate a significant number of high-quality jobs, providing substantial economic opportunities for local residents.”

Economic growth would be another positive impact. “It would stimulate economic growth by attracting supporting industries, businesses, and services to the area,” Bowen says. And the increased tax revenue could be used to improve essential services including education and infrastructure.

As a result, the community would enjoy new opportunities. “It would enhance the overall quality of life in the community by providing new amenities, recreational opportunities, and cultural experiences,” Bowen says. In fact, the entire region would see a boost. “A large OEM would place Middle Georgia on the map as a premier location for advanced manufacturing and industrial development,” Bowen says. “It would also create a ripple effect of economic growth for surrounding counties. It would show that Peach County is a prime location for large-scale industry.”

The area is not just a great place to do business, it is also a great place to live. “Peach County offers a high quality of life with a strong sense of community,” Bowen says. “We have excellent schools, affordable housing, a variety of recreational opportunities, and a friendly and welcoming atmosphere in a rural setting with easy access to larger metropolitan areas.”

With so many assets close at hand, the future definitely looks bright and local leaders are well prepared for it. “Our vision for the future of Peach County is to continue to grow as a thriving and prosperous community,” Bowen says. Goals include the creation of more jobs and economic opportunities, enhancing the county’s educational and workforce development programs, improving county infrastructure, and preserving the community’s rural character and quality of life. “We plan to continue to be proactive in our economic development efforts, and to work closely with our partners to achieve our goals.”

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The community was tested last fall when Hurricane Helene hit, leaving a wake of devastation throughout the region. “Our community has never experienced this type of hurricane,” Smart tells us. “It was a very strong category 1 when it hit us, and as far inland as we are, we’ve never experienced that kind of wind or damage.” To make matters worse, this was the third hurricane to impact the community over the past two years, “which is kind of unbelievable,” considering the county’s south-central location within Georgia. “We’re so far inland that this was not something we ever thought we would experience.”

The local pecan industry was hit particularly hard, and businesses and homes were also damaged. “We had over 100 homes that were total losses and then about another 600 homes that received damages of some sort,” says Smart. “It was widespread throughout our community and the surrounding counties. It didn’t just impact us; it impacted our entire region.”

This widespread impact meant that Berrien County residents had to take care of themselves. “It wasn’t something that had happened [only] in our county and we could run one county over and get help—there was no help. The majority of the county was without power for two weeks, and we had portions of the county that were without power for almost a month.”

Residents rose to the challenge. “The response to this disaster was unbelievable,” Smart says. As a volunteer coordinator for disaster relief, she witnessed firsthand how people lined up to offer assistance. “We had all ages of people showing up just saying, ‘Hey, what can I do? How can I help?’ And then our church community, the way they stepped forward in such a massive way to feed people, was unbelievable.”

When Smart reached out to these local churches about food donations, they told her, “We’re already doing it. We’re already cooking meals. We’re feeding the volunteers. We’re feeding people that [are] in rural communities.” This was crucial because in these rural areas, “when you’re without power, that means you’re without water also because, for a lot of people, it works off of their wells. So people had no way to cook or to feed their families. Grocery stores weren’t open. The fact that these churches were coming forward and preparing and serving meals, it was tremendous. It was very, very humbling to watch the response that was happening in our community.”

And the support didn’t stop there. “We had big industry stepping forward and giving money saying, ‘How can we go buy food? Can we bring food to these churches for them to cook?’ It was every single aspect of the community that stepped forward and said, ‘I want to help in some way.’ It was completely unbelievable to watch.”

The community has such a big heart, in fact, that its members wanted to help those who had an even greater need. “Even in the midst of what was going on here and the fact that we were dealing with things here, [people recognized that] North Carolina got hit even harder than we did,” says Smart. “And what I started seeing in our community was [a desire to] go beyond our walls. People just started fundraising and doing drives to get food to take to North Carolina. People that were still without power were saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got this.’ And we had a local farming family that started doing weekly trips to North Carolina and they’re still doing them. They did one last week where they’re loading a semi-trailer up full of supplies and taking it to North Carolina. So, it’s not just a heart for our community. We have people here that really care about people, and they want to help people.”

Community support has also extended to small businesses. “Our small businesses got hit really hard with this,” she says. “I created a 501(c)(3) so we would have a way for people to donate. And it was tremendous! We received donations from all over the country; people I’ve never heard of made donations to us.” The team invited any business in the county to apply for grants from the fund. The Berrien County Foundation distributed over $20,000 in total, with grant recipients receiving $1,200 apiece.

This might seem like a relatively small amount of cash, “but for somebody that didn’t have two weeks of income and on top of that had damages, this was huge,” Smart says. For example, one recipient was unable to pay the workers repairing her building—until that grant came in, right when she needed it the most, making it possible to complete those much-needed repairs and get back to doing business.

To be sure, Berrien County has a long history of supporting business. Buck Pegg, owner and founder of industry-leading Chaparral Boats, recognized this and relocated his business to take advantage of all the community has to offer. “When I made the decision to move Chaparral Boats to Nashville, Georgia from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, I have never looked back,” he says. “It was the best business decision I have ever made. Nashville welcomed my company and offered the best team of dedicated and hard workers I had ever known. We have grown from a manufacturing facility that began here with 32,000 square feet to facilities in excess of 1.4 million square feet. We are the largest single site boat builder in the world and have dominant national market share. We have over 600 employees and 262 boat dealerships representing Chaparral and Robalo around the world. I am proud to say we employ multi-generational families and we strive every day to give back to our employees and community by offering our support for school functions, charities, and in the form of scholarships awarded to the sons and daughters of our employees to date in excess of 1.4 million,” says Pegg.

“They have been a huge, huge asset to our community,” Smart adds. “They’re by far our largest industry, and then they bring so many more with them, support industries for them.”

Berrien County is also home to a robust healthcare sector, and its South Georgia Medical Center (SGMC) facility is in the midst of a major upgrade. “That has just been huge for us because in most places you’re seeing rural hospitals go away,” Smart says. “And here, we are doing a $15,000,000 expansion which has created a state-of-the-art ER right here in Berrien County.”

“Our hospital’s expansion and the addition of a new Emergency Department reflect a strong commitment to the health and well-being of Berrien County and its neighboring communities,” says SGMC Health Administrator Kevin Moore. “This new, two-story facility will provide 24/7 emergency services in a modern, cutting-edge environment, featuring state-of-the-art rooms and advanced imaging and diagnostic technology to deliver faster and more accurate results. We are excited for the continued growth at SGMC Health Berrien and look forward to better serving our region with enhanced care and resources.”

Looking ahead, this community is committed to maintaining a strong workforce by supporting young people. Berrien Ready, a weeklong program to help prepare students for the workforce, gives high school seniors hands-on learning opportunities, forklift certification, and OSHA 10 certification. The program also helps with soft skills. “We create a résumé for them; we do interview skills with them,” says Smart, with many students finding jobs right away. “We’ve had really good success with it.”

The closeknit community is known for its popular public events and, after bouncing back from Hurricane Helene, is already welcoming visitors again. The county just held the Berrien County Roundup Rodeo for the sixteenth year in a row. “It is a fundraiser for the Chamber and the proceeds from it go to help small businesses,” Smart explains. “We bring in anywhere from 2,500 to 3,000 people for the weekend. In a community our size, that’s huge.” The county’s harvest festival is another big annual event that brings in thousands of visitors each year.

After proving its ability to overcome major challenges, the community is well prepared for whatever comes next. “We have a very bright outlook in Berrien County,” Smart says. “We are seeing growth and we’re having expansions of local industry. We’re looking at new industry and business moving into our community. We’re excited about our future here.”

The post A Small Community with a Big Heart<p class="company">Berrien County, Georgia</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

The American aboveground storage tank industry was immediately impacted. “Once that happened, all of the storage facilities across the United States were under scrutiny,” Alderson says. “Rules started to come into place as far as how someone could store something properly, how they could operate those types of storage facilities. And on the heels of that, there was a rule that came out that a specific type of tank had to have an extra layer of protection, which was a secondary seal on their floating roofs.”

HMT stepped up to accommodate those urgent, emerging needs. “Our company started to solve that problem for customers,” Alderson says. “They came out with a product that customers could install to be able to meet that regulation. And our company has built its foundation on solving problems for customers and helping them meet those compliance needs and put themselves in positions to be able to stay within the standard and not experience fines and fees.”

The company has grown steadily ever since, covering even more customer needs. “It started with this suite of products to be able to help customers meet this regulation, then we started helping customers with repairing their tanks themselves if they were experiencing corrosion or something that would potentially allow for anything to leak out of the tanks,” Alderson explains. HMT then moved into the inspection space “because there weren’t enough providers to be able to help our customers evaluate the tanks themselves.” New tank construction came next. “As customers were starting to get a foothold, and they were looking to expand their facilities, we started building tanks for customers and buying different companies to be able to support this along the way.”

Environmental protection continues to be a driving goal for the company to this day. “We are one of the few [companies] that have someone specifically in charge of focusing on sustainable practices and coming up with different ways for us to be able to support our customers to be able to achieve their ESG or sustainability goals,” says Alderson. “Things like making sure that we’re looking at the best ways for us to be able to track greenhouse gases in the future. Understanding what the potential scope 1 and scope 2 emissions might be that we would need to be reporting within the next five years. We’re looking at different ways to be able to look at the different materials, the different types of vehicles that we have on the road to reduce the impact that our company has specifically on the environment.”

The company also focuses on quality, delivering premium products to “make sure that they’re going to last for as long as they can, reduce the number of times that a customer might have to unexpectedly take a tank out of service, and minimize the potential for small leaks to take place while it’s actually in service,” Alderson explains. “Lots of effort is put into those different areas of being proactive and solution-based.”

HMT is still known for the proprietary emission reduction devices that first gave the company its foothold in the marketplace. “We’ve got a suite of products,” Alderson says. Available in different materials at different price points, these emission reduction devices “have gone through rigorous testing and a proven history that we’ve got some of the best products in the business to be able to keep your tank in service for as long as possible.”

Of course, safety is always a priority at HMT, and the company’s robust safety division works hard to prevent incidents, rather than just reacting to them. “We gather a lot of data and are constantly receiving information from the field. We can be proactive, and we can start seeing trends in near misses or in first aid, then we put ourselves in a position to be able to get on top of some of the more potentially catastrophic failures or safety issues that we might experience. So I’m really excited with the fact that we’re a more proactive program, and we’ve got a more mature safety department than you’re going to see across the majority of the industry.”

This safety division is especially focused on workers who are out on the jobsite. “The biggest safety risks are always going to be out in the field,” says Alderson. “It’s making sure that those workers not only get to the job safely, but leave the job safely with a little bit more money in their pocket to be able to support their families. That’s why we do what we do,” she says.

“We do a tremendous amount of training to make sure that our people are prepared for things,” she continues. “We’re seeing more and more people that are going out to these different sites and, especially the younger generation, they like to know what they’re going to experience before they’re even on site. And so we’ve been doing a lot more work and a lot of R&D with virtual reality to help give these guys an understanding of what they’re going to experience whenever they get out to the job site. What are the ways that they need to position themselves to make sure that they’re going to stay out of harm’s way? Even just the most basic actions; we back into parking spots to ensure that if someone needs a car to be moved quickly, that we position it in a way that is very simple for someone to be able to do that without putting others in harm.”

Now, after nearly half a century in business, HMT is eager to keep moving forward. “We’re always looking at the different ways that we can expand our markets and, most importantly, solve additional problems for customers,” Alderson says. “Whether it’s a gap in the market or a gap in our suite of products that we offer, or a gap in a service that a customer needs to reduce the friction to be able to do their jobs, we’re always looking for things to be able to [add] onto our business to be able to do that.”

This strategy has led to very intentional recent growth. “Within the last couple of years, we made a couple of acquisitions,” Alderson says, enabling the company to expand its offerings to a fuller suite of solutions. “We’ve gotten into the water market from an engineering and inspection standpoint for water tanks and water towers. We’re looking at different ways for customers to be able to use drones and to understand better OGI, optical gas imaging devices, to be able to evaluate how effectively something is [functioning]. We’re getting more involved in regulations every day to make sure that we stay on the front end of compliance for our customers.”

This approach means that the company will continue to be a trusted resource “to help customers stay in compliance.” In the future, the team will be keeping up with “what’s happening in the industry, what’s happening with our customers, and helping with them. And then, ultimately, just making sure that we’ve got good processes and a good culture in place to not only facilitate a good working relationship with our customers externally, but to make sure that we’re also looking at our internal customers—which are our employees—to ensure that this is a business that they’re proud to work for.”

With 47 years of industry-leading history, this team certainly has a lot to be proud of as it continues to grow, protect the environment, and exceed customer expectations.

The post Solving Problems, Sustainably<p class="company">HMT</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Residents have access to all that the greater metro area has to offer, while enjoying nature in their own backyards. “Quality of life right now for employees is so important—being able to access recreational opportunities and to get outside and enjoy the outdoors, but also to live in a community where not everything feels hurried,” Suydam says. “We still have the great advantage of knowing our neighbors; we talk to our neighbors. You go to the grocery store, and you run into people you know. And I think that for businesses, that’s important in that you are building relationships outside of just your initial clients. You’re continuing to see the people you’re doing business with [and] you’re growing those relationships because it is a small-town feel.”

This small-town camaraderie can be seen in the spirit of cooperation that permeates the county. “In our community, we really are collaborative,” Suydam says. “We work really closely with many different partners.” The Chamber’s relationships include those within the business world as well as with the United Way, the district attorney, the school system, and government agencies. “We get the right people at the right table to make big things happen,” says Suydam.

This collaboration extends throughout Pennsylvania and beyond. “We’re always able to help connect to resources that a business might need at a state or federal level,” she says. “We’re always [ready] to explore those opportunities and what that might look like.”

The Youth Opportunities Uncovered (YOU) leadership program is a prime example of a collaborative initiative making a positive impact throughout the county. In partnership with the school system, the Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce program identifies students who have “amazing leadership qualities, but they’re not going to be the first one to raise their hand or speak up,” says Suydam. “And what I love about this program is it gives teachers the opportunity to say, ‘this student is showing some real positive qualities as a leader, and I know that they will thrive if given additional opportunity, but that student is never going to self-select.’”

The five-session program teaches leadership and goal setting and offers mentoring opportunities and hands-on learning, including a tour of the Procter & Gamble facilities, Wyoming County’s largest employer.

YOU encourages students to utilize the opportunities gained from the program to support the community in the future. “It really is about showing them the opportunity here in Wyoming County,” Suydam says. “Sometimes kids think they have to leave rural communities to be successful. Many of the adults they talk to in the program are very successful people who live and work right here in Wyoming County. So part of the program’s mission is really making sure they understand you don’t have to leave.”

The Wyoming County Heart & Soul community study is another successful collaborative effort. “That is a community action plan initiated through storytelling,” Suydam tells us. “We went out and surveyed over a thousand people in our county and talked to them about what their aspirations are, what they love about living here, and what their hopes are for our county.”

The findings revealed that, “regardless of where you were in the county or who you were talking to,” the area’s natural resources were highly valued. Local leaders have been quick to respond. “We continue to nurture and find opportunities to build our nature assets here in Wyoming County,” Suydam says. “We want our community to stay rural. We care about our agricultural roots and that we have a lot of green space and open areas.”

To be sure, this paradise offers a wealth of recreational opportunities. Fishing, kayaking, and canoeing on the Susquehanna River are popular pastimes. Hiking trails are abundant throughout the county. And there is a new state park to enjoy, thanks to the commitment of locals to preserve the land.

“Wyoming County did not have a state park, but a small group of community leaders started really taking care of a preserved area and knew that, long-term, they couldn’t always do it and that it really needed state funding,” Suydam says. “So, they advocated and eventually got that land designated as a state park.” Nestled along the banks of the Susquehanna River, Vosburg Neck State Park is an ideal spot for hiking, picnicking, boating, and wildlife watching. Wyoming County’s Miller Mountain, which boasts stunning views and opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, birdwatching, fishing, and hunting, was recently designated as part of Pinchot State Forest.

In another collaborative effort, the community has brought a much-needed healthcare facility to Wyoming County. “We’re constantly advocating for each other,” Suydam says, “and I think that was shown in our community coming together to fund and build the Wyoming County Healthcare Center.”

When the local hospital closed its doors after decades of being “a staple in the community,” locals were left without access to much-needed healthcare. “Our nearest hospital is 45 minutes away from our county seat,” Suydam explains. “45 minutes may not sound like much if you’re going for a routine test, but if you are in a car accident and in critical condition and need to travel by ambulance to the nearest hospital and that’s 45 minutes away, that’s a long ride. The Wyoming County Healthcare Center was born out of that crisis,” she says.

“The building was purchased by a private businessman in our area who worked with his family foundation and founded the center, and it has grown to what we like to call a medical mall.” Now, locals have access to a variety of services, from occupational healthcare to dialysis. “And all of these different organizations are independent organizations; they hadn’t normally collaborated. So, what this businessman was able to do is to say, ‘hey, we have this building, we’ve covered your long-term risk of needing to replace the roof and remodel, update the building. We need you to come in and provide your services.’ He’s been able to rent out the building to many different service providers as opposed to one hospital system taking on all of that burden.”

Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce’s above-and-beyond efforts recently earned it Pennsylvania’s Small Chamber of the Year award. Not content to rest on their laurels, the team is already planning the next project to keep the community strong. “We are working on a really exciting workforce development initiative,” Suydam shares. “It takes individuals who are unemployed or underemployed and helps them to identify their barriers in the workplace and then upskills them by working with an educational partner… There’s a gap in skill level sometimes, in rural communities. We can help identifying what those barriers have been for them and helping them to connect with a workforce agency that will assist with those barriers.”

This support includes training in life skills “outside of the job, things like financial planning,” she adds. The program specifically focuses on high-demand careers that are currently hiring in Wyoming County.

As the Chamber works to support the community and lay the groundwork for the future, the team is committed to preserving what makes Wyoming County a great place to live and work. “We care about our small-town feel for our communities,” Suydam says. With local leaders dedicated to preserving that close-knit and collaborative local culture, Wyoming County’s old hometown spirit, while welcoming new opportunities, is here to stay.

The post A Collaborative Community<p class="company">Wyoming County, Pennsylvania </p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

The county enjoys a strategic location along the east coast’s I-95 corridor, which cuts directly through the community. “We’re nestled right between New York and Washington, DC,” says County Executive Robert Cassilly. “We’re an hour and a half from DC and another hour and a half from Philadelphia, a little bit more to New York. We’re just about 30 minutes from the port of Baltimore and the BWI Airport.”

Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is the county’s number one employer. Spread over 72,000 acres, the remarkably diverse megabase is a center for research, development, and testing for the U.S. Army. “We were a farming community up until about 1911, when the Defense Department chose us for Aberdeen Proving Ground and Edgewood Arsenal,” Cassilly says. “So, we’ve had 100-plus years of mixing the local farming community with a really international community.”

As a leading center for science and technology, the base draws industry experts from all over the world. “That has enriched our community in so many ways,” says Cassilly.

And these scientists and engineers are primarily civilians. “They’re only about five percent active military,” says Economic Development Director Karen Holt.

Many of these industry experts choose to remain in the area, contributing to the local economy. “They like it here, so they’re going to stick around,” Cassilly says. “We’ve got a lot of great high-tech engineering; it’s not all necessarily defense.” Indeed, local workers are developing everything from airport security scanners to a better blood transfusion system. “You name it, there are just so many areas that these engineers are involved in,” he says. “And of course, each one of them spawns more jobs because they all have people working with them. So APG has benefited us tremendously and it’s made us a unique community with the capabilities that we have to support employers. I think a lot of employers appreciate that you’re getting a really good workforce when you come to Harford County.”

This tech-focused community supports a strong education sector. “We have a wonderful public school system throughout the entire county,” Cassilly says, “and we have a wonderful community college that is focused on workforce development but also supporting our businesses and their educational needs.”

In addition, Towson University, part of the University System of Maryland, has a campus in Harford County. “Our school system produces a great workforce,” Cassilly summarizes. “Families turn out kids who are responsible, hard workers, well-disciplined, and then our schools match that up with a strong education in the STEM areas. We’re gifted on the economic development front just walking in the door.”

Residents also enjoy a high quality of life in Harford County, where recreational opportunities abound. “We’ve got a number of great state parks and large preserves,” Cassilly tells us, and the community has made a concerted effort to keep land undeveloped for public use. “We preserved 65,000 acres of farmland, so we’ve got some beautiful open spaces out there for people to enjoy.”

Trails run throughout the community—some converted from old railroad tracks and others that follow the county’s scenic waterfront. Designated a National Historic Trail, the Washington–Rochambeau Revolutionary Route runs through the county, marking where George Washington and Jean-Baptiste de Rochambeau marched their armies.

The Chesapeake Bay borders Harford County, so residents have ample opportunity to fish, boat, crab, and enjoy gorgeous views. The Susquehanna River, Gunpowder River, and Bush River all flow through the county and into the Chesapeake, providing even more options for water recreation. Deer Creek, a smaller body of water that runs through the center of the county, is ideal for kayaking, canoeing, tubing, fishing, and swimming.

Havre de Grace is arguably the county’s best-known waterfront attraction. Set where the Susquehanna River runs into the Chesapeake Bay, this quaint, historic town is a tourist’s delight, offering everything from locally owned shopping and dining to bird watching, fishing, boating, watersports, and quaint strolls down the scenic boardwalk. Popular sites to visit include the Concord Point Lighthouse, the Decoy Museum, and a number of historical sites showcasing the town’s role in the War of 1812, local African American culture, and the community’s maritime history.

The county is also known for its sports history, which has led to a substantial amount of sports tourism. “We have a strong foundation in athletics,” Cassilly says. Baseball legend Cal Ripken Jr. is from the city of Aberdeen and World Champion figure skater Kimmie Meissner started skating in Bel Air, another municipality in Harford County. And the county’s park system includes fields utilized for soccer and lacrosse tournaments, drawing a large number of visitors each year.

Agricultural tourism is also booming in Harford County. “We’ve really blossomed in our agricultural tourism, where a number of our farms serve as breweries or wineries, wedding venues, and the like,” Cassilly says. Performing arts enthusiasts will also find a wealth of entertainment, including a local symphony orchestra and live theater.

Perhaps most importantly, Harford County residents are eager to welcome newcomers. “[We have] a very friendly population,” says Cassilly. And this population is eager to get involved at the local level. “Our volunteer base is just second to none—from volunteer firefighters to church volunteers, parks and rec volunteers, PTA volunteers. I think that’s probably our biggest selling point.”

Looking ahead, County leaders are eager to continue to support the local tech industry. The Harford County-owned CONVERGE Innovation Center has recently received funding for upgrades including a biomanufacturing incubator. “We are part of a regional designation as a tech hub in the Greater Baltimore region,” says Holt. “We see real opportunity to leverage these assets in our backyard and make the CONVERGE center an area where we can commercialize and look at tech transfer for these technologies.”

Located near Aberdeen Proving Ground, the center connects the government and private sector. “CONVERGE is where they converge—the high-tech government and those private sectors,” Cassilly explains. “They can come together and work together… We can bring speakers in, we can have classes, folks on post can come off post to either teach or attend a course or a lecture, and the folks off post can do the same thing. So, it’s a great location for all these people to work toward success, and it’s right off I-95. You’re probably 30 seconds away; once you pull off the interstate, you’re in the parking lot.”

Bringing industry together certainly makes sense for a community committed to supporting local businesses and workers. “We’re really focused on trying to provide support to the employers who want to be here and also the employees who want to remain here, so that they can align the skills that the employer needs with the folks in the job market,” Cassilly says. “We are working very hard on that.”

This mission will include an effort to spread the word about all that Harford County has to offer, so that it keeps attracting the best and brightest. “We really need to continue to get our story out,” Cassilly says. “Because it’s a great story.”

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