Next Meeting
The Columbia County Industry Council is tenatively scheduled to convene on Friday, May 11, 2012 at 7:30 am to educate members on the Transportation Investment Act, known as T-SPLOST. This meeting will be jointly attended by area civil engineers, contractors, architects, and industrial suppliers; it will be convened at the offices of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce in Evans. For more information, contact the Chamber at 706-364-0425.
Subjects of Recent Meetings
On February 15, 2012, the Council listened to a presentation from Laurie Cook of Junior Achievement (JA), a program designed to teach business principles to area youth. Members of the Council were asked to encourage their employees to become involved in JA as a volunteer.
On November 16, 2011, the Council met at the new Augusta Technical College campus in Grovetown to listen to a presentation by Julie Brown of the Georgia Foreign Trade Zone (#26) on the advantages of establishing a FTZ sub-zone at local industry locations. Given its proximity to major ports of entry into the U.S., firms in Columbia County can take advantage of this important incentive to lower operating costs.
On August 31, 2011, the Industry Council met at the offices of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce. Christian F. Lentz, AICP, Planning Director of the CSRA Regional Commission, spoke to the group about the approaching Transportation SPLOST vote set for July 2012. He discussed projects slated for our area,and the ramifications of voting outcomes.
About the Council
A program of the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce, the Industry Council seeks to bring various plant managers and support staff together to discuss common issues and concerns.
For the 2012 program year, chamber executive director Tammy Shepherd has announced that Greg Van Bladel with John Deere will serve as Chairman of the Industry Council, and that Mark Colombo with Quad/Graphics will serve as Vice-Chairman.
The Augusta Regional Industrial Council
Formed in 2011, the Augusta Regional Industrial Council invites participation from manufacturers and industries within Burke, Columbia, and Richmond Counties in the Augusta MSA.
For future meeting dates and topics, contact Robbie Bennett, Regional Coordinator for the council at: robbie@augustaeda.com.
Available Equipment
If you're a business located in Columbia County, then you're eligible to purchase used equipment and machinery from the Savannah River Site, available through the non-profit economic development agency known as the Savannah River Site Community Reuse Organization (SRS-CRO). These equipment lists change periodically, as additional items become available; please refer to the SRS-CRO website (www.srscro.org) for the latest listing.
If you expect to create additional jobs in Columbia County and can document this job creation activity, then the equipment can become available at nominal charge. See the SRS-CRO website for the appropriate form.
Should you have any questions, feel welcome to contact the SRS-CRO directly (attention: Anna Manatarri, Business Manager) at 803-593-9954, ext. 1409 or 1411.