By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
SBA seeks nominations for 2008 honors
Placeholder Image
The U.S. Small Business Administration is seeking nominations for the 2008 Georgia Small Business Person of the Year and its Small Business Champion awards.
Since 1963, the president of the United States has designated a National Small Business Week. The highlight of Small Business Week activities is the presentation of awards at the state and national levels. In 2008, National Small Business Week will honor the estimated 25.8 million small businesses in America.
Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy and represent 50 percent of the non-farm Gross Domestic Product. They also create over 70 percent of new jobs in the nation. The national Small Business Week dates will be announced in early 2008.   
“We encourage organizations or individuals to take part in our statewide program by nominating an outstanding small business owner or small business champion for one of the awards,” said SBA Georgia District Director Terri Denison.  
In Georgia, the SBA district office selects the 2008 Georgia Small Business Person of the Year. That individual will attend the national celebration in Washington, DC to compete for the National Small Business Person of the Year award. At this celebration, a national winner is selected from all the winners from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Any person who owns and operates a small business may be nominated. Partners who jointly own and operate a small business may be nominated as a “team” so long as the number of partners does not exceed four.
Small Business Champions of the Year award categories are for those who promote small business, including volunteering time and services to small business interests and groups. Champions may or may not be small business owners. Award categories include:
• Minority Small Business Champion
• Veteran Small Business Champion
• Financial Services Champion
• Home-Based Business Champion
• Women in Business Champion
• Small Business Journalist of the Year
• Small Business Exporter of the Year
• Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Small Business of the Year
• SBA Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Nomination packages must be received at the Georgia District Office on or before Dec. 10. To find nomination guidelines for these and other awards go to the SBA Georgia Web site: www.sba.gov/ga Look under SPOTLIGHT.
Sign up for our e-newsletters
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.

Latest Obituaries