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Program promots small business
LEAP
Tony O’Reilly, president of the Small Business Assistance Center, discusses financial options with entrepreneurs during a business forum Tuesday at Savannah Technical College in Hinesville. - photo by Phgoto by Patty Leon
The Liberty County Chamber of Commerce recently sponsored a resource forum at Savannah Technical College to educate entrepreneurs’ methods of enhancing their existing businesses or starting new ones.
Kyle Hensel, business consultant with the Small Business Development Center, and Tony O’Reilly, president of the Small Business Assistance Corp., addressed a crowd of 20. They provided information on services and resources available for small business owners, and financial resources available for those looking to start a business or expand an existing one.
Most of the resources and counseling services provided by the center and corporation are free.
Some of the services provided are developing business plans, setting up financial records, securing micro-loans, identifying capital resources, creating marketing strategies and more. The SBDC also offers classes for a small fee that teach entrepreneurs how to manage, organize, seek capital, record keeping, and computer software for Web design or operations.
Currently, these classes are held in Statesboro and Savannah, but chamber Director Kenny Smiley is hoping to generate enough interest to bring classes to Liberty County.
The forum is just one step in the process for the chamber to achieve designation as an “Entrepreneur-Friendly Community from the Georgia State Department of Economic Development.
Another is the formation of the Liberty Entrepreneur Assistance Program.
Chamber officials hope the chamber will be the “One-stop shop” for someone wanting to start a business in Hinesville and Liberty County.
“Our chamber is very excited to take the lead on receiving our community’s Entrepreneur-Friendly designation. Once we have been designated, we will become eligible for grant money which we will use to develop educational seminars, classes and workshops,” Smiley said.
The chamber will soon begin a survey targeting entrepreneurs.  
“We are in the process of identifying entrepreneurs in our area and will email them surveys to complete for us,” he said. “Compiling this information is part of the designation process and will be used for statistical information as well as a resource for us to pull from when we need information on certain types of businesses in our area.”
He encouraged everyone who gets a survey to complete it and return it back to the chamber.
“We have a quota to meet and for those we do not receive back via email, we will try to conduct a face-to-face interview. We hope to have our Entrepreneur-Friendly Community designation no later than October.”
In addition to the SBDC and the SBAC, a representative from Savannah Tech also discussed ways that institution supports business and free enterprise.
Hensel announced a program would soon be available for military families who wish to become entrepreneurs. The pilot program on “Patriot Loans,” will be launched in Hinesville and Liberty County.
For more information on the SBDC or the SBAC, visit www.georgiasbdc.org and www.sbacsav.com
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GPA grows trade, market share
Intermodal volume up 20 percent
port photo
Rubber tired gantry cranes handle cargo at the Chatham Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at the Port of Savannah. The Georgia Ports Authority's Mason Mega Rail project will double rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year by 2020 - photo by Provided

The Georgia Ports Authority achieved 14 percent growth in March container volumes, moving 355,208 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers.

From July 2017 to March, TEU container trade grew by 9 percent, or 255,786 additional units for a total of 3.08 million, a new record for Savannah.

"Savannah's continued strength is a reflection of our customers' commitment, Georgia's leadership, and the many dedicated service providers, GPA employees and ILA members who come together every day to achieve great things," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "March marked our 17th consecutive month of business expansion thanks, in part, to a strong economy and growing market share."

Intermodal rail volumes jumped by 20 percent in March and 15.4 percent for the fiscal year to date, for a total of 318,454 containers handled over nine months – another record for the GPA.

"As the numbers show, our rail cargo is growing at a faster pace than our overall trade," GPA Chairman Jimmy Allgood said. "This is important because rail is playing a key role in our responsible growth strategy. We anticipate our rail infrastructure investments to take 250,000 trucks off the road each year by 2020."

The GPA recently broke ground on its Mason Mega Rail Terminal, on which the Port of Savannah will build 10,000-foot unit trains within its own footprint. From the expanded rail infrastructure at Garden City Terminal, Class I rail providers CSX and Norfolk Southern will provide direct rail service to major Southeast and Midwestern markets from Memphis to St. Louis, Chicago to Cincinnati.

An added benefit is that the Mason Mega Rail project will move all rail switching on terminal – improving vehicle traffic flow around the port.

In August, the GPA will open its Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County. Located in an industrial belt, including the production and export of carpet and flooring, automobiles and tires, the ARP will provide an alternative to all-truck transit to Northwest Georgia.

Each round-trip container moved via the Appalachian Regional Port will offset 710 truck miles on Georgia highways.

March was also a strong month for roll-on/roll-off auto and machinery units at the Port of Brunswick and Ocean Terminal in Savannah. Colonel's Island Terminal in Brunswick handled 66,144 cars, trucks and tractors, while Ocean Terminal added 4,050, for a total 70,194, a 17.2 percent increase.

"The global economy is thriving and our volumes are following suit," Lynch said. "As existing accounts grow their footprint in the expanding auto facility in Brunswick, Georgia's competitive logistical advantages are drawing additional business across all of our docks."

Lynch noted that for the fiscal year to date, Mayor's Point breakbulk terminal in Brunswick grew by 44 percent (34,515 tons) to reach 112,728 tons of forest products. At East River Terminal, bulk cargo expanded by 34 percent July-March (189,918 tons) for a total of 750,384 tons.

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