Every other week or so we’ll turn this space over to a guest blogger so you can get thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map. This week’s guest blogger is Tom Kohler, Executive Director of Chatham-Savannah Citizen Advocacy.   Read on for Tom’s goodwill ambassador idea….

I have been helping two SCAD professors with a graduate course they are teaching. One teaches Urban Design; the other teaches Anthropology.

Fifteen graduate students are learning about the “Relationship Landscape” of Savannah as a way to understand more about the physical landscape of the city. Several long time Savannahians agreed to be interviewed as part of the class experience. Boo Hornstein met with students at Massey School on Gordon and Abercorn. Arnold and Lorlee Tenenbaum hosted students in their home, as did John and Ginger Duncan. Richard Shinholster hosted students in his store on MLK and Jane Fishman met with students in her garden on Boundary Street. Each interview opened a new way to see Savannah from the perspective of someone who has been active and involved in the making of Savannah.

Hey world.

We are excited to announce the FASTPITCH Competition 2011.

We have been working on this project in conjunction with our good friends at Georgia Southern University and our partners at ATDC.

The FastPitch competition will have three competitive categories.

If you are a student, academic or a local entrepreneur with an innovative idea then FastPitch is for you.

The program is designed to identify promising local entrepreneurs and gain community resources to help start new ventures and grow existing ones in order to impact the local economy.  The concept allows for entrepreneurs to make a three-minute presentation of their innovative venture and be assessed as to the viability of the venture by local community leaders and academic professionals.  The most promising venture ideas are further encouraged, supported, and funded, thus stimulating local economic development.

We will will be announcing sponsors, prizes, and details as they unfold.

Check out this site for some more details.

You can apply right here.

I promise you, this event is not to be missed.

This is a great opportunity for any business person or aspiring business person.

If you are innovative and entrepreneurial, you need to APPLY today!

There’s a new public awareness campaign coming to a library near you. And let me just say we LOVE it. As some of the biggest nerds on the block, we can’t get enough of the new use of an old four-letter word: ‘Geek’ as a verb.

The community-based awareness campaign known as ‘Geek the Library’ is being launched exclusively in Savannah (you’ve prolly seen the billboards around town) and Des Moines, Iowa and is designed to highlight the vital role of public libraries for individuals and communities, and raise awareness about the critical funding issues they face. To do so, they’re promoting a play on words to find out what you ‘geek.’

“This campaign is designed to provoke conversation about the vital role that public libraries and librarians play in today’s challenging environment,” said Cathy De Rosa, global vice president of marketing for OCLC, a nonprofit library cooperative heading campaign development and implementation. “We hope it will spark important community discussions about how public libraries can remain strong throughout greater Savannah, and ultimately across the country.”

I’m with you, I can’t believe it’s been nine months already. But time flies and here we are, mere months away from the 2009 Innovation Awards, presented by Lott + Barber. Go ahead and clear your calendar for October 22, when the festivities will take place. (Just not sure where yet – but we’ve got some smart ideas.)

An annual affair, the Innovation Awards honors the best and brightest innovators in and around Savannah’s Creative Coast, bringing together both established local leaders and up-and-coming key players in the fields of technology, design and development – including the non-profit, education and government sectors.

“We can’t wait to see how this year’s Innovation Awards turns out. We’re still talking about last year’s extravaganza – the record crowds, the epic showing of Savannah’s creative businesses, and of course the TCCa Typhoon of 2008. Here’s hoping this year is at least half the party,” Forrest Lott, principal of Lott + Barber said.