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Archive for the 'Extra, extra! (press)' Category
Savannah gets around. At this very moment in fact, our fair city is being pimped around the globe, courtesy of Sky Magazine (yea, a reach of 11 million). We’re a favorite feature location for the in-flight magazine and travel companion of Delta (and now Northwest) Airlines. In recent years, they’ve covered our history, fare, travel accommodations and business community at least five times. And in the current issue, Sky shares with savvy globetrotters and jetsetters tale of our cozy, creative business-friendly environment. That’s right, Savannah’s Creative Coast as light reading during taxi and take off.
An Industry of Ideas presents a handful of local businesses of varying specialties, at various stages of development, that all have two things in common: they love doing business in Savannah and a large portion of their product is ideas. Some of our well-known compadres make the list, including Hannah Byrne at Smack Dab Studios (a graphic design and website development firm that started in Atlanta in 2004 and relocated operations to Savannah, much to our delight), Chad Warner and the gang at BlueLime (a high-tech architectural rendering and architectural animation company that emerged from SCAD connections), and Howard Paul and Bob Benedetto of Benedetto Guitars (the world’s premier and award-winning jazz guitar maker that overlooked Atlanta and Nashville to move it’s hub to Savannah). The featurette focuses on what brought our creative friends to the Creative Coast and what keeps them here.
And not a moment too soon. I, for one, have been biting my fingernails again - an old habit rekindled by the gnawing need to know who is among the top 3 in each category for the prize of the year, the Creative Coast Alliance Innovation Award, sponsored by Lott + Barber. If you are as impatient as I am, you’ll be pleased to know that our five esteemed judges have made their decisions.
It was no simple task, but our independent panel of local and regional judges toiled and labored for hours on end, tirelessly deliberating over nearly 100 Savannah innovators across six categories including Community, Emerging Business, Existing Business, Government, Education and Sustainability. Locked in a room like jurists in the O.J. trial, they fed, sleepless, on half-eaten donuts and stale coffee, muddling through piles of applications from top notch candidates in a brave attempt to narrow the competitive field.
Here are the quickdraws still standing when the dust cleared:
For some, this may be old news. With all this great blog fodder to work with I have fallen a few steps behind in reporting the big news: Savannah is a great place to do business.
According to Inc. Magazine’s Best Cities 2008, Savannah ranks as the number three mid-sized city in America to do business and number fifteen city all-around. The ranking has been around since 2004 and reflects economic trends and employment data in 335 regions nationwide. In 2006, Savannah appeared on the list as the 49th best small city (top 50, baby) and 74th overall. The following year, Savannah made the leap from “small” city to “mid-sized.” (The qualification for mid-sized being 150,000 to 450,000 area jobs.) At just over the 150,000 mark, we jumped to the number 10 mid-sized city, 42nd overall in 2007.
Recognize a 46-place and 59-place jump, respectively, in two years time? So, what gives? What have we done so right to see ourselves kicking butt and taking names?
To start, we’re creating jobs. Here’s how the results are amassed:
What was the past has now become the future.
No, no Michael J. Fox time-machine DeLorean DMC-12 here. BUT, our great friends over at the Georgia Historical Society (GHS) have given their old website a facelift. Times ten.
In an effort to beef up and streamline public access to their historical resource treasure trove, GHS got together with the gang at Smack Dab Studios to overhaul their (yes, “historic”) website.
Overall, we dig the whole juxtaposition-of-past-and-future thing. It’s part of what makes Savannah cool. (Plus, it reminds me of one of my favorite old-school TCCa-flavored collateral fortune cookie fortunes: “I see a historic future in your present.”)
So, the result of this transformation? Georgia history being brought to life (ala Frankenstein but much more attractive).
Yea, we know the folks at Smack Dab, and they’re good, creative peeps. So it’s no wonder that the website looks so good and is chocked full of new cool features that make it both user-friendly on the front end and easy to maintain and update on the back end. We’re talking an upgrade from FrontPage 98 (collective MOAN) to a Ruby on Rails‘ custom CMS (Content Management System).
This month announced a major nationwide first: Massachusetts nominated a statewide Creative Economy Director. That’s right - it’s like TCCa on steroids. Massachusetts Gov. Patrick Devall nominated Jason Schupbach, 32 (wowza, a youngin!), to the position. A known patron of the arts, Schupbach appears dedicated to expanding the diverse creative sector (ranging from individual artists to cultural institutions to video game makers) through measures such as tax incentives and training programs. (We need to add him to our Christmas list.)
I think I speak for everyone here when I say: That’s a wicked good idea, govn’ah.
Schupbach echo’s what many of us in Savannah have said all along:
“A strong creative economy translates into a strong overall economy… These are innovators, the cutting edge,” Schupbach explained to the Boston Globe.
This is big news for the creative industry as Massachusetts poses the question: is this something that can be reproduced and proven useful economic policy in other states across the country, especially in a highly competitive era for jobs, companies, and skilled workers?
I should start off by saying that I’m not a “cyclist.” I don’t even have a bike (anymore.) And, for that matter, the last bike I had was a blue Schwinn that my best friend and I both got for Christmas in 1990.
So, I guess what I’m saying is that I’m no expert. Despite all that, I’m still fired up. I’m speaking of course about the Tour de Georgia. You know, the event that is North America’s premier professional cycling event (Tour de Georgia is ranked as a Hors Classe (2.HC) event by the UCI, which is cycling’s international governing body, making it North America’s highest rated professional cycling stage race along with the Tour of California) with over 600 miles of racing, 800,000 visiting spectators and a direct economic impact of over $148 million over the last five years? THAT Tour de Georgia?
Surely you know all about it? Yea, me neither.
What’s got me all worked up? Tourists. Yea, you heard me…Tourists. Lots of ‘em.
Yes, I am leaving the fulltime employment of TCCa to start my own consulting company (for those of you who haven’t heard the news, read this first).
But I’m not going anywhere.
Since “What? … Oh no! … Why? … Congratulations!” seems to be the first four things I here from everyone in the last few days (not always in that order :-), I thought I would help you get them out of the way so I can talk a little about where TCCi has been, where it is now and where it is going.
Settled down yet? Ok. First, as I have oft stated, my job has always been to work my way out of my job. Simply put, the idea, then and now, for “The Creative Coast” is big. REAL big. At a fundamental level, it is bigger than all of us, our region, our town, our community and absolutely bigger than a single organization and especially bigger than any one person. If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t have been involved, and if it isn’t, then we should think about finding a new idea.
Posted by Fitz Haile on November 14, 2007 at 04:13 PM
So yea, we woke up yesterday and were 50% bigger.
Effective yesterday morning at 10:30 AM (at the SEDA board meeting), The Creative Coast Initiative has merged with it’s little (big) sis…the Coastal Business Educational and Technology Alliance (cBETA).
The newly combined organizations will now be known as The Creative Coast Alliance. (Sounds kinda ominous and big-brothery. “The Alliance.”) The cBETA brand (and eventually the website) will cease to exist and will be brought under the new “Alliance” brand and current TCCi (now TCCa) website. Fun with non-profit mergers!
What gives, you ask? You’re supposed to be quick-moving, light and agile, ready to leap trendy historic office spaces in a single bound, you say? Gobbling up cBETA? Oh the humanity!
Chill people. It’s not a that big deal…well maybe, but it’s really cool.
A little about both of us from the press release:
In its 11-year existence, the Coastal Business, Education and Technology Alliance (cBETA) has focused on professional development and networking as well as the development of infrastructure to support Savannah’s knowledge-based community. In 2003, cBETA helped to create The Creative Coast Initiative, which has focused on attracting, nurturing and promoting knowledge-based business in Savannah. Merging the two entities affords more efficient use of resources and capabilities.
Posted by Fitz Haile on September 26, 2007 at 10:35 AM
It’s certainly not me.
But I did get back to my desk from lunch yesterday only to find this nice little juicy nugget from SMN’s Scott Larson (over at The City Unfiltered).
The semi-inflammatory headline notwithstanding, Scott asks a fair question: Are we backing City/County government consolidation?
The short answer, is no. Admittedly, a policy wonk, I am not. I’ll leave that up to Miller.
However, after gaining a very cursory knowledge on Jacksonville’s “success” with their government consolidation, what I was saying was: “This sounds kinda cool. Why don’t we have one?” As in, literally, why don’t we? Why should or shouldn’t we?
Do I think some parts of our political system could benefit from consolidation? Of course. Am I condoning efficiency? Yep. Do I think it’s worth talking about? Sure. Was I impressed with Jacksonville’s presentation? You betcha.
Am I lobbying for City/County consolidation on behalf of The Creative Coast Initiative? Umm…no. I think that’s a bit of a stretch.
From Scott’s post:
Posted by Fitz Haile on September 4, 2007 at 02:57 PM
A little shout out to our very own Brynn Grant for being honored as one of Savannah’s Top Ten Working Women. The award is given by AWWIN (A Working Woman In Need) - a great organization headed up by Sarahlyn Argrow. AWWIN is designed to assist the single working woman displaced due to various reasons such as divorce, illness, domestic violence, temporary loss of employment, etc.
AWWIN incorporated the “Savannah’s Top Ten Working Women of the Year Award†to honor and showcase women leaders in our community while motivating the women they assist. Previous honorees include Celia Dunn, Helen Downing, Marjorie Young…a pretty impressive bunch.
| Then: w/ the godfather of soul (Hot Pants!) |
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Now: w/ the grandson of UGA IV |
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If anyone deserves this, it’s Brynn. For those of you who don’t know Brynn, she rocks. She’s the Director of Marketing at SEDA and has helped turn their marketing department into one of the best in the Econ Dev business.
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