James March-April 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 4
P U B L I S H E R ’ S M ES SAG E
OUR “MOST INFLUENT IAL LIST,” TY LE R H ARPE R ... AND MORE
very year James compiles as a
public service a record number
of prominent individuals in
their fields of endeavor in our “Most
Influential” edition. They are men and
women whose hard-won success and
sometimes failures influence the lives
of people statewide. You’ll see wellknown names as well as new ones in
brief bios and extensive chart listings.
Some names have also been dropped
since last year. Some retired, moved
away or passed away.
Our “most influential” list is obviously difficult to compile. We’ve no
doubt left out some important people
around our big state who wield significant overt or covert influence that we
haven’t heard about. However, we can
always count on our readers to point
out omissions and submit their names
for future consideration.
As for our “Georgian of the Year,”
it was a unanimous staff decision that
Georgia Department of Agriculture
Commissioner Tyler Harper be chosen.
My interview chronicles how this impressive overseer and manager of our
state’s No. 1 industry rose from working as a boy on his Irwin County family
farm to being elected to this important
statewide office. Every year James
also publishes a special salute to three
state “Exceptional Legislators of the
Year” for exceptional public service.
E
Check out who the one Democrat and
two Republicans are.
Every issue of James focuses
on aspects of Georgia’s impressive
business climate. That’s why we focus
on the growing economic impact of
metro Atlanta’s important self-funding
Community Improvement Districts
(CIDs). Continuing with the business
theme, check out the article by Randy
Davidson on the latest happenings
in Georgia’s important film industry,
Staff writer Baker Owens reports on
how the aviation industry keeps Georgia flying high. And Owens examines
the Georgia World Congress Center’s
impact on the economy and the live
events industry under the direction of
a new CEO.
And on the subject of CEOs, our
“CEO Spotlight” shines on Caylee
Noggle who oversees the influential
Georgia Hospital Association and its
contributions to improving healthcare.
Education is always a James topic.
Note that we highlight two institutions
experiencing impressive educational
growth and success— the expanding
Medical College of Georgia as well as
the Georgia Institute of Technology
and its amazing cutting-edge research.
Among other diverse articles, I
recommend reading a reflective piece
by our own Matt Towery on the late
former President Jimmy Carter and
some of his policies that the mainstream media rarely focused upon.
A Sippin’ Local Readers’ Poll
Our popular Sippin’ Local poll of
readers’ favorite Georgia breweries,
distilleries and wineries will be in
the May-June James. The poll opens
on March 10th, so visit our website
jamesmagazinega.com and click
on the VOTE HERE tab to cast your
ballot. The top 10 in each category will later be listed and the No. 1
ranked business in each category will
be highlighted in the Sippin’ Local
feature.
Do you get James Magazine Online emails?
If you don't receive our online daily
political and business news service
jamesmagazinega.com— especially
with the Legislature in session— then
you should. Its reporters, as well as
opinion contributors (especially those
addressing policy issues affecting all
Georgians), strive to provide information often underreported or ignored in
the mainstream media. If you subscribe
to James Magazine Online for a year
(only $17.50 a month or $200 a year) to
receive its daily emails, you'll get a free
James Magazine subscription.
PHIL KENT CEO & PUB L I S H E R
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JAMES
MARCH //A PR I L 2 02 5
