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Archive for the 'We are Famous!' Category
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:
Yea, you heard us. ESRI, THE leader in GIS technology (makes ArcGIS, ArcView, ArcInfo, etc) featured SEDA (and their multi-functional property search website) on its community showcase section (scroll down the page).
The Property Search website enables users to search for available industrial buildings, office space, and land sites based on multiple search criteria. Results are viewed on a GIS-enhanced dynamic map and can compare locations to community features and transportation access. There is even an option to save a search in a personal portfolio. (FYI, SEDA maintains relationships with area developers and landowners and manages a database of property from 5,000 square feet to 1,400 acres. )
 
The Property Search website is such a great use of ESRI’s technology that not only did they request to do a case study on it, but they asked to showcase the site at the International Users Conference last week. Not too shabby, huh? We’re beaming with pride and admiration for big econ dev brother. You did good!
(A special shout out to Amanda Blind, GIS Analyst and Research Guru at SEDA, for her mappy muscle on this endeavor. Thanks for all your hard work…you go girl!)
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:
Oh my. Look ma’, we’re famous.
You may have read about us in the Savannah Morning News today. Sorta hard not to…”Creative Coast” was in big bold print on the front page (above the fold!) The headline notwithstanding, the article was about an individual who’s been pestering us lately. While that’s all well and good, that’s not what really interests us…we’ve wasted enough time talking about him already. The more relevant issue is a concept that the article mentions and one of the reasons we were being attacked: Regionalism.
By “regionalism” we mean a regional approach to economic development. As Rick so appropriately put it:
For the record, we are proud of our efforts to promote Savannah and Chatham County as a location for business and have a solid track record,” he said. “While SEDA’s efforts are directed very specifically within Savannah and Chatham County, we recognize that our city and county benefit enormously as a regional hub for business, health care, hospitality, etc.
Posted by Brandi on July 23, 2007 at 09:43 AM
Our blawg (is that the Georgia spelling?) was in the news!
From executive director Chris Miller on down, they’re hardly a shy bunch. As important as the blog could be for spreading the organization’s message, it could also become an important forum for community members to engage in active dialogue about the issues most relevant to our community….It’s an exercise in democracy that could become an important forum to discuss Savannah’s future.
Thanks to Bill Dawers for the mention; we’re more than ready to bring on the discussions!
Corporate blogging is just that - not only a way for us to get the word out about our cool Initiative and attracting people to Savannah, but a way to have an open dialogue and highlight some issues in the area that are quirky, fun and cool! If you guys have any issues or topics you’d like to see discussed, just give us an email, or leave it in the comments!
Popularity: 12% [?]
So get this…the “Creative Coast” moniker rocked a mention in the New York Times! Together with Brandi’s hotshot interview on being gluten free earlier in the year, that ain’t too shabby.
Check out the quote from the full article:
Perhaps most notable is a budding art scene that includes the high — a major expansion of the Telfair Museum — and the low — a scene energized by students and instructors at the booming Savannah College of Art and Design. Civic boosters are even trying to reposition the region as the “Creative Coast.â€
How cool is that!?!?!
They also profiled one of our local fav’s…Back in the Day Bakery. Yum.
Popularity: 5% [?]
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