James November-December 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 4
P U B L I S H E R ’ S M ES SAG E
OGLETHORPE’S VISION, OUR GOVERNANCE & OTHER REFLECTIONS
he new year marks the 292nd
anniversary of the founding of
Georgia by British Gen. James
Oglethorpe, the namesake of this magazine. My friend Michael Thurmond,
the outgoing DeKalb County CEO and
author of the book James Oglethorpe,
Father of Georgia (University of Georgia Press), writes that the first settlers
arrived inspired by the promise of
economic opportunity embodied in a
plan put forward by Founding Father
Oglethorpe and his colleagues.
“This bold visionary plan established Georgia as a unique economic
development experiment,” Thurmond
says. Fast forward to the 21st century
and Oglethorpe would be impressed
that this “economic development experiment” has been racking up numerous successes. Continuing to explore
and explain this “experiment”— involving the intersection of Georgia business, politics and culture— is one of
this magazine’s main goals.
In September Georgia was named
the No. 1 state for business for the 11th
consecutive year by the prestigious
Area Development magazine. Several
articles in this issue attest to Georgia’s impressive economic progress.
Columnist Matthew Smith reports on
how local chambers of commerce are
supporting community transformation.
He notes that Gov. Brian Kemp, in remarks at this year’s Workforce Summit,
saluted state assets like Georgia Quick
Start-- a successful customized worker
training program. Let’s not forget, too,
that the state’s hard-charging Department of Economic Development-- overseen by Commissioner Pat Wilson,
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who works closely with the governor— continues to compile a record for
supporting business expansions and
locations that result in impressive job
creation numbers.
The passage of 292 years has not
lessened the significance of Oglethorpe’s economic vision for a colony that
later became a state. As Thurmond
has written, Oglethorpe’s “words and
deeds should be an important source
of enlightenment and inspiration to
current and future generations of
Georgia leaders.”
our technical colleges, did you know
that when you pursue a career in any
one of 18 high-demand fields including
computer technology, health sciences
or early childhood education, you can
get started on a career and have all
your college tuition costs covered with
Georgia’s HOPE Career Grant?
Remember, too, that James often
highlights a Georgia city, county or region. This time, we asked local writer
Carrie Beth Wallace to inform readers
about the growth and economic progress happening in the state’s second
largest city of Columbus.
POLICY ISSUES— THEN & NOW
Oglethorpe outlawed slavery and,
for a while, even succeeded in banning
lawyers and rum from the colony. He
and his fellow colonial “trustees” also
wrestled with unemployment, poverty,
rising incarceration rates and stalled
economic mobility. Sound familiar? Just
ask state House of Representatives
Speaker Jon Burns. Governing Georgia
is obviously far more complicated since
those 18th century days. But ironically
the speaker, governor and lieutenant
governor (who presides over the state
Senate) are tackling some of the same
problems Oglethorpe encountered. So,
reading the speaker’s column on the
issues of the day is insightful.
Education affects economic
development. That’s why in every
magazine we publish articles or interviews on some specific college and
its president. In this issue we feature
Morris Brown College in Atlanta and
Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus, along with Athens
Technical College. When it comes to
NOVEM B E R/D EC E M B E R 2 0 2 4
LOOKING TOWARD 2025
While we are now celebrating the
20th anniversary of James, we expect
our 21st year will be another transformational one when it comes to our
magazine chronicling history-making
Georgia news. Just think, for example,
about the impact artificial intelligence
is already having on how we live and
the work we’ll do. Then there’s also
a big question to be answered: What
will be the political and business impact of November’s presidential, congressional and statewide elections?
In any event, as we anticipate
coverage and commentary regarding those two important stories and
various others, the James staff wishes
all our valued advertisers and readers
a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah
and a prosperous 2025.
PHIL KENT CEO & PUB L I S H E R
