Tift County is states newest designated Entrepreneur Friendly community
ATLANTA, October 11, 2007 – South Georgia's Tift County is one of the state's newest 'Entrepreneur Friendly' communities. The designation indicates the community has worked to develop an environment that is welcoming to small business and entrepreneurs. Eighty-nine percent of Tift County's 1,992 companies are small businesses with fewer than 20 employees.
'Small businesses and entrepreneurs create the kind of economic activity that is integral to ensuring prosperity and opportunity throughout Georgia,' said Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue. 'By encouraging and supporting these businesses, we are investing in a stronger future for our communities and the state as a whole.'
Tift County is the 62nd community in the state to be named Entrepreneur Friendly by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD). Previously certified South Georgia counties include Worth, Berrien, and Brooks. Nearby counties in the progress of designation include Irwin, Colquitt, and Lanier. Ben Hill County received its certification last month.
To earn the designation, Tift County completed the Entrepreneur Friendly program with the assistance of GDEcD's regional representative Rhonda Geiger. The county analyzed its entrepreneurial and small business environment and developed strategies to help foster the growth of this critical business segment. Tift County also underwent a full-day assessment by a review team composed of representatives from the Department of Community Affairs, Georgia Tech, South Georgia Regional Development Center, Agriculture Innovation Center, Department of Labor and the Adel-Cook County Chamber of Commerce.
Qualified entrepreneurs and small business owners in Tift County are now eligible for customized market data such as demographic and business information to help give them a competitive edge.
The county is also eligible for an Entrepreneur-Friendly Implementation Fund (EFIF) grant to help it implement specific, long-term programs that support their entrepreneurs and small businesses. The grant must be matched 50 percent in dollars or in-kind value by the community.
'We are very excited about achieving the designation of Entrepreneur Friendly County,' said Cal McMillan, Board Chairman of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce. 'We have gained beneficial knowledge from the interviews conducted with local entrepreneurs and look forward to building on this foundation. Our homegrown small businesses and entrepreneurs are the lifeblood of our community, and it is evident in the small business growth experienced over the last year primarily in the retail sector. We understand the vital role of the small business in our overall economic development growth, and we are committed to helping them survive and thrive in Tift County.'
'Small businesses are the backbone of Georgia communities. By helping entrepreneurs and small businesses grow, we help Georgia grow,' said Heidi Green, chairman of the Georgia Entrepreneur and Small Business Coordinating Network and GDEcD's deputy commissioner for Global Commerce. 'We applaud Tift County for incorporating small businesses into its strategic plan for growth.'
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. For more information, please visit our "Entrepreneur Friendly" Inititiatve page.