State of Small Business
A Roundtable Opportunity
It has been less than a year since Governor Kemp announced a new position to support and empower Georgia’s small business community. Through a recommendation from Governor Kemp’s Georgians First Commission, the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) established a Director of Small Business Outreach to build on the Department’s current portfolio of services and provide greater direct engagement with this community.
What constitutes as a small business in Georgia? Companies need to be independently owned and operated and have fewer than 300 employees; or bring in less than $30 million in yearly gross receipts. With more than 1.6 million Georgians employed by these small businesses in manufacturing, retail, arts, hospitality, film production, and more – we can confidently say that small businesses are the backbone of our state’s economy.
Director of Small Business Outreach Allen Fox has hit the ground running, crisscrossing the state to talk about the services of support available to small businesses through the Georgia Department of Economic Development. In fact, 80% of the Department’s work is with small businesses through our Global Commerce, International Trade, Tourism, Center of Innovation, Entertainment, Georgia Council for the Arts, and International Relations teams.
In November 2021, Fox launched the “State of Small Business” program with the first in a series of regional roundtables, bringing together team members from GDEcD with small business stakeholders. The community event was held in Macon and was an opportunity for state and local organizations to hear directly from small business owners about their efforts, needs, and concerns. The inaugural event had a big impact on the community; read more about the “State of Small Business” launch here.
In addition to Macon, so far, the “State of Small Business” has been presented to partners in Augusta, Butts County, Columbus, the Georgia Black Chamber, Rome, and more. Fox will continue to put a spotlight on the small business resources available in Georgia by traveling across the state, bringing together businesses, academic institutions, chambers, and organizations that support our local small businesses.
Georgia’s small businesses are critical to Georgia’s economy, and we want to be sure that small businesses and entrepreneurs have all the resources they need to get started, grow, and innovate. Georgia communities or organizations who are interested in hosting the “State of Small Business” presentation should reach out to Allen via e-mail at [email protected].
We also hope you will join us in celebrating Georgia’s 2022 Small Business Rock Stars the week of May 2 – 7, 2022. This annual event shines a spotlight on outstanding, unique, and impactful small businesses in Georgia.
To learn more about how Georgia’s Small Business Outreach Program is supporting our small business community, visit https://www.georgia.org/stateofsmallbusiness.
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- Posted March 24, 2022
