A Better Way Grocers mission is to DRIVE food into communities for better health. As part of an effort to fix food insecurity for low-income communities in Albany and SWGA we use a bus as a, full-service grocery store-on-wheels making several stops to a number of communities, offering better food options to area residents. Without it, residents were forced to walk, drive long distances to buy fresh groceries or go without.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
June 25, 2020
Albany Area Chamber-led program convenes local leaders, federal officials
Albany – Business and community leaders met Tuesday with federal officials during the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce’s “Washington, D.C., Fly In,” an annual legislative event that connects local leaders with federal partners to put before them the issues that impact Albany and the Albany Area. The long-standing program that builds relationships and communicates priorities was hosted virtually due to restrictions stemming from the pandemic.
“The Albany Area Chamber’s public policy initiatives are more important than ever to ensure we’re connecting with our federal partners in real time about the issues that impact our community’s recovery and resiliency — from ongoing aid for our small businesses to incentivizing domestic manufacturing to investing in the expansion of broadband to support the Albany Area’s robust advancements in commerce, education, health care and national defense,” said Bárbara Rivera Holmes, president and CEO of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce. “Our community is strong and innovative, and we see opportunities ahead that will strengthen us further and position us more competitively. We will continue to work closely with our Congressional leadership to support the programs and initiatives that create more opportunities for our citizens.”
The local delegation had virtual meetings with U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop of Albany and Rep. Austin Scott of Tifton, along with Georgia’s Sen. David Perdue and Sen. Kelly Loeffler. During the call with Sen. Perdue, the Albany Area Chamber partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce to recognize the senator’s receipt of the U.S. Chamber’s Spirit of Enterprise Award, given in recognition of his support for pro-growth policies in the second session of the 115th Congress.
A key priority of the Albany Area Chamber is supporting the mission and capabilities of Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany and its major tenant, Headquarters Marine Corps Logistics Command. A virtual meeting with U.S. Marine Corps leadership at the Pentagon, which included Lt. Gen. Charles Chiarotti, deputy commandant of Marine Corps Installations and Logistics, allowed for discussion of key areas including utilization of 5G technology aboard the installation to support the modernization of the industrial base and enhance mission-readiness capabilities such as talent development, 3D printing and micro manufacturing, and advanced weapons systems maintenance, storage and sustainment.
“Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany is vital to the mission of the United States Marine Corps, and has been since the installation was established in 1954,” said Col. Dan Gillan, USMC (Ret), who chairs the Albany Area Chamber’s Military Affairs Committee and serves as CEO of the Albany Area YMCA. “The base and command are leading innovators within the Corps. Ongoing investments are needed to equip and sustain our facilities and our Marines — from investments in technology to investments in the work force. As a community and as a Military Affairs Committee, we have and will continue to stand behind our Marines in leading the support for these and other areas of priorities. Our Marines and Civilian Marines live in this community that we call home and we will do what is necessary to further connections and be a voice of support.
Fly In participants included business-sector leadership represented by LRA Constructors, AB&T and Georgia CEO; and leadership from the city of Albany; Albany Area Chamber; Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission; Albany State University; Albany Technical College; Dougherty County; the Dougherty County School System; Phoebe Putney Hospital System; the Chamber’s long-standing Military Affairs Committee; as well as representatives from Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany and Marine Corps Logistics Command.
“We thank our local partners for engaging in this meaningful work and presenting a united force to our leaders in Washington,” said Jake Reese, chairman of the Chamber’s Government Affairs Committee and vice president of Albany-based LRA Constructors. “We had intensely relevant discussions about where we’ve been and where we’re headed, and the partnerships required. It’s all very encouraging. Albany is well positioned.”
The Albany Area Chamber is represented in Washington, D.C., by Cornerstone Government Affairs.
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Media Contact:
Bárbara Rivera Holmes
229-434-8700
bholmes@albanyga.com
Plasma donor centers are considered an “essential business,” because the plasma donated at our centers are used to manufacture life-saving medicines. These donations are more crucial than ever to ensure continued supply of these life-saving medicines.
We are taking new precautions within plasma centers to ensure a safe donation and
limit the spread of COVID-19. Grifols centers are following all guidance from local, state, and federal authorities developed to control the spread of COVID-19. For instance, we are utilizing more of an appointment system to limit the number of donors in our centers. We are seating donors in every-other donation bed and reduced the number of seats available in the lobby. We have enhanced existing cleaning protocols. We are carefully monitor both donor and employee temperatures before they come into a center.
We are proud that Grifols, our parent company, is leading the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Grifols has begun identifying, screening and selecting volunteer donors who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate their plasma. Our local Albany, GA facility is one of these donation centers.
The plasma will be used to produce a hyperimmune globulin that could potentially treat the disease
All potential donors must be prescreened. Those interested should visit GRIFOLSPLASMA.COM/EN/ENDCVI9 to find out more about the locations and protocols in place prior to visiting a Grifols plasma center
Here are some requirements to donate plasma:
blood) and complete resolution of COVID-19 symptoms at least 28 days prior to donation;
negative molecular test for COVID-19;
Albany has demonstrated time and again that it can withstand a crisis, unite in its wake and emerge stronger in its aftermath. We are innovative, compassionate and resilient. We don’t need to reinvent who we are. We need to reimagine and redefine what we can be.
By Bárbara Rivera Holmes
President & CEO
Bárbara Rivera Holmes
President & CEO
Rumi, a 13th century Persian poet and theologian, thoughtfully wrote that a wound is the place where the light enters you. The concept is most often visualized within the context of personal healing and growth, but it also beautifully applies to our community. Now, through this difficult time, we must recover in a way that allows us to improve our economic competitiveness and resiliency, and create new pathways for our citizens.
In January, at the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce’s 110th annual meeting, I shared with more than 400 business and civic leaders the challenges and opportunities on which our organization would focus in order to advance economic sustainability and prosperity for our community and our region. In February, we launched the community’s first comprehensive work force strategy. The forward trends and issues within our focus areas — small business innovation and entrepreneurship; economic development; inclusivity and advocacy; talent and work force training — are now more important. Urgent, even. The environment has accelerated, and so must our response. Because COVID-19 didn’t just present a health crisis; it hit fast forward on a socioeconomic paradigm shift.
The disruptions in global supply chains, the changes in consumer behavior, the development of social distancing guidelines, the limitations on travel, the broad implementation of telework — these are challenges in what is becoming the old economy. The opportunities — onshoring production for domestic security, a preference for locally-sourced goods and foods, closer-to-home leisure travel, an increase in automation and demand for high-tech skills, flexibility to work from anywhere, a surge in gig jobs — exist within the emerging new economy.
Upskilling and diversifying the existing work force, and creating, retaining and recruiting talent, will create exponential growth opportunities. Spending more dollars locally than abroad and online will allow them to recirculate within our economy, which will mean stronger small businesses, offsets to tax hikes and improvements to critical infrastructure. Helping our existing industries grow and recruiting new ones will strengthen our economic anchors, expand the tax base and provide more jobs.
The Albany Area Chamber is working with community partners to frame the conversations around economic recovery and resiliency. Together, we responded decisively and innovatively in the face of the health crisis. Together, we are supporting businesses through reopening. Now, as we write the next chapter of Albany’s history, together we must move forward.
COVID-19 has wounded us. We can recover, and we will. We can also reimagine and redefine what we can be. We can regenerate as more inclusive and resilient and vibrant. We can let the light enter us.
Bárbara Rivera Holmes is president and CEO of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce.
As a Grow with Google Partner, The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce would like to invite you to tune in to a special livestream for small businesses: Manage Your Business Remotely in Times of Uncertainty.
Learning objective:
Discover tools, tips and resources to help you manage your business remotely during the COVID-19 crisis. Learn how to update critical business information online to keep customers informed, and how to host virtual meetings and events. We’ll also share the latest resources from Google and other partners to help support small businesses.
The Grow with Google team will be hosting this live, virtual event on May 6, 2020 at 9AM PT / 12PM ET.
Interested in learning about tools like Google My Business, Google Ads, Google Meet, and YouTube? RSVP to tune in today: g.co/grow/smallbizlivestream. In the “how did you hear
about this livestream event” you can let the Google team know that you heard from The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce! You can ask questions live during the event on Twitter by using #smallbizlivestream.
April 13, 2020
United Way of Southwest Georgia’s COVID-19 Community Relief Fund Receives Significant Donation from Wildfair Plantation
ALBANY, GA – Wildfair Plantation announced today a $125,000 donation to the United Way of Southwest Georgia’s COVID-19 Community Relief Fund to help people most affected by the current pandemic. The donation comes alongside contributions from corporations, foundations and individuals including the Turner Foundation, Betty & Davis Fitzgerald Foundation, Garnett Smith Foundation, Truist Foundation, and UPS.
“On behalf of the Wildfair family, our businesses and friends, we believe we have greater impact when we work together,” said Joseph Davenport III, owner of Wildfair Plantation, a local hunting preserve. “We stand strong with Albany and are pleased to support the community through the COVID-19 Community Relief Fund. We know the Fund’s leadership will ensure that the individuals and organizations that need it most will get support quickly to help weather this storm.”
The Southwest Georgia COVID-19 Relief Fund is being managed by the United Way of Southwest Georgia. Local organizations, including the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce are also offering their support and leadership.
“This gift by the Davenports and the Wildfair Plantation community is so much more than a charitable donation; it represents a commitment and desire to improve the human welfare of Albany and the Albany Area in a way that will have immediate, significant and lasting impacts,” said Bárbara Rivera Holmes, president and CEO of the Albany Area Chamber, the region’s leading business advocacy organization. “We are grateful for the relationship with the Davenports and to have facilitated their philanthropy, which we hope will serve as a catalyst for further support and investments for our citizens and our community.”
“COVID-19 is a new test of our collective strength and together we will rise,” says Shaunae Motley, president and CEO of United Way of Southwest Georgia. “We are grateful to Joseph and Susan Davenport and the Wildfair family for believing in our mission and choosing us as a vehicle to provide hope and respond to our community’s emergency needs. So many citizens will be helped through their generous gift.”
The Fund is working to quickly address the economic challenges of COVID-19 by rapidly deploying resources to community-based organizations in need of funds to meet the immediate needs of individuals affected by the crisis. The distrubution committe comprised of a cross-section of community leaders is reviewing applications from local nonprofits and organizations seeking funding and expects to distribute the first round of grants beginning April 14.
To contribute to the COVID-19 Response Fund, visit unitedwayswga.org/give or text FIGHT COVID to 313131. As funds are distributed, United Way will publish the receiving agencies, along with the help they can provide and contact information on their website.
About United Way of Southwest Georgia
For over 65 years, United Way of Southwest Georgia has been an innovative force in the community, successfully responding to emerging needs and transforming people’s lives. Today our work is focused on education, financial stability and health – the building blocks for a good life. We invest in quality programs, advocate for better policies, engage people in the community and generate resources. United Way of Southwest Georgia serves a geographic territory of thirteen counties including: Baker, Calhoun, Crisp, Dooly, Dougherty, Early, Lee, Mitchell, Randolph, Sumter, Terrell, Wilcox and Worth. To learn more, visit http://www.unitedwayswga.org.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Barbara Rivera Holmes
bholmes@albayga.com
229.434.0044
April 16, 2020
Albany, Ga. – The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce and Locate South Georgia have partnered to collect information through a series of surveys regarding the extent to which the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has affected local and regional business operations. The online survey opens today and closes April 29.
“The pandemic has impacted every aspect of life and commerce in Albany and Southwest Georgia. The surveys will provide deeper insights into the real-time impact and help continue to inform local, state and federal leaders so as to align policy to needs,” said Bárbara Rivera Holmes, president and CEO of the Albany Area Chamber. “By working regionally, we can create a stronger platform for near-term economic relief and long-term economic recovery.”
The partnership brings together chambers of commerce and other economic development organizations throughout Southwest Georgia.
“We created Locate South Georgia to better leverage the assets of the region. By partnering with the Albany Area Chamber on this impact survey, we can better serve our business communities and support the overall regional economy,” said Jason Dunn, executive director of the Fitzgerald and Ben Hill County Development Authority and chairman of Locate South Georgia, an economic development collaborative of communities throughout the region.
The survey, which can be accessed online at bit.ly/3cb8Rbs is to businesses in all industries, including agriculture. It has 20 questions and is expected to take no more than 10 minutes to complete.
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Since 1910, the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce has advocated for business success through leadership and economic development. Learn more at albanyga.com.
LSG markets South Georgia as a globally competitive location for business and industry. Learn more at locatesouthgeorgia.com.
J. Scott Kavanaugh, BSN, RN and Manager of Phoebe Care Command, was recently tasked with an assignment while pursuing his Master of Business Administration. The assignment was, “Choose a CEO or top official who is a strong leader in a public or private organization who has displayed exemplary leadership with current world circumstances” based on the five practices of exemplary leadership found in the book, Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner. For Kavanaugh, the choice was evident as he had a front-seat view to watch leadership play out in real-time at the top of his organization. The following is one insider’s view of the inspiring leadership of J. Scott Steiner, President, and CEO of Phoebe Putney Health System.
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”
–Ronald Reagan
An organization often cannot see the full effects of a decision until the time of crisis hits. In the early spring of 2019, as most of southwest Georgia went about their daily routines, Phoebe Putney Health System put two decisions in play that have proven crucial during the current coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic for our community: the launch of Phoebe Care Command Center and the installation of a new CEO.
As an employee of Phoebe Putney Health System, it’s easy for me to choose for this assignment Mr. J. Scott Steiner, our President and CEO – especially amidst the current pandemic we all know as COVID-19. Even before the pandemic, Mr. Steiner was displaying exemplary leadership with only a 1-year tenure with the health system. The mission of Phoebe is supported by his commitment and advocacy for the community we serve, and the individuals we employ. He is a transparent leader, communicating honestly and timely to provide information that aids in alleviating speculation or unrest. While there was preparation for this pandemic for our organization, there was no way to know precisely the impact on our hospital. Though it has impacted our community and health system significantly, Mr. Steiner has promoted and communicated calmness in the storm, as evidenced in national interviews that spotlight his leadership and efforts during this challenging crisis.
When I think about the type of leader that Mr. Steiner is, it is difficult to place him in only one category [as described in the book]. As a charismatic leader, he inspires all within the organization to operate at a higher level of performance as well as consider “out of the box” ideas to best serve our healthcare community. Along with that, Mr. Steiner is diligent in instilling confidence in those to whom he “pins a task.”.
As an authentic leader, he is consistently passionate about the goals and objectives of the health system and is quick to channel our focus in achieving them.
As a servant leader, Mr. Steiner can always be counted on to genuinely interact with all employees working in any capacity. I have witnessed him leading by example over many areas of our health system, and he is engaged in many community activities that the health system employees support.
As a transformational leader, he challenges everyone in his scope to look beyond themselves to see how we can support the best interest of others. By doing this, it further assists in achieving the company’s goals and objectives as well as community credibility. His leadership over the past year has transformed our organization by continuing to push us toward the calling upon which we were founded. As well, during the current pandemic crisis, his leadership has demanded a transformational mindset for the entire organization in a consistently fluid environment. Because of this style of leadership, we are easily able to adapt and be creative because we know we have his support to do so. Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to provide the level of support that we’ve demonstrated in our community during this pandemic crisis.
Mr. Steiner’s leadership encompasses all five leadership practices, but the one that seems relevant for the current critical situation is “encouraging the heart.” No matter the circumstance or challenge at hand, he is always the first to provide encouragement at the culmination of any meeting or conversation. For this reason, it is easy to follow his leadership as well as provide credible work inspired by his vision.
Dear Valued Customer,
It is our goal at WALB to provide you, our loyal customers, the opportunity to inform the public that you are open for business during the current COVID-19 crisis. Starting Friday, April 10, on WALB News 10 and through promotional spots, we will begin promoting how to access a link on our website at walb.com that will showcase all government deemed “essential” businesses that are currently open. The information will include phone number, business web address, street address, maps, logos, etc. We will continue promoting this resource until the crisis has passed.
If you are open for business and you would like the community to know, please register using the easy steps listed below:
1. Go to https://www.graytvlocal.com/market/albany-ga which will direct you to the “Connect Shop Buy” page
2. At the top right side of the page you will see: “Register Your Business” and click on the link
4. Provide your name, email address and a personal password to create an account
5. You will receive an email verifying your account. Click on the “Verify Account” button, which will take you to the New Business Information Page
6. Click on the green button “+ Add Business”
7. Fill in the requested information
8. When completed hit “submit”
This process is designed to be user friendly to make it easy to upload the information. Should you have any questions, please contact your account representative. The sooner this information is uploaded, the sooner the public will have this information at their fingertips. We appreciate your business and loyalty to WALB News 10, and we are here to help. Please know that we are in this together.