Bill Stankiewicz

6 years ago · 5 min. reading time · ~10 ·

Blogging
>
Bill blog
>
GEORGIA BUSINESS GROWTH CONTINUES FOR 2017-2018, BILL STANKIEWICZ, COLD LOGISTICS SUPPLY CHAIN EXECUTIVE

GEORGIA BUSINESS GROWTH CONTINUES FOR 2017-2018, BILL STANKIEWICZ, COLD LOGISTICS SUPPLY CHAIN EXECUTIVE


66224119.jpg     Group picture from attendees from WiM, Women in Manufacturing Savannah Conference


Savannah’s growth prospects are among the best in the nation. The city’s unique ambiance and transportation infrastructure make it an attractive place to live and do business. Visitors are drawn to the thriving historic district and waterfront. Hotel development has been and will continue to be very strong. Retirees will remain an important force powering and diversifying the region’s economic development, but the area will also benefit from the fact that its population is increasing for all age groups. The Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport will continue to see robust growth in passenger traffic due to Savannah’s appeal as a destination and more competition from low-cost carriers.

Construction continues on hotelier Richard Kessler’s Plant Riverside District on the west end of River Street. The centerpiece is the site of a decommissioned power plant built in 1912. Representatives from The Kessler Collection say construction is progressing as expected on the $270 million, 670,000 square-foot development.  Once completed, the development will be anchored by a 419-room JW Marriott, which will be spread across five buildings. The buildings will feature ground-floor retail space, multiple dining options and entertainment and ballroom spaces. The Plant Riverside District is expected to take about two years to complete and will be the seventh Savannah-area development for Kessler, who also owns The Mansion on Forsyth Park and manages The Bohemian hotel on Bay Street.

According to the latest estimates from the Georgia Department of Labor, the Savannah metro area (Chatham, Effingham and Bryan counties) had 180,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in March, an increase of 6,700 jobs from March 2016. That’s a 3.9 percent annual jump in local payrolls, which is much faster than the rate of population increase.

Larger vessels and additional container services calling Georgia's ports coupled with a positive economic forecast ushered in an all-time record month for container volume. The Georgia Ports Authority handled 350,104 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in May, 11.68 % more TEUs compared to the same month a year ago, or 36,619 additional TEUs. “It’s evident shipping lines are deploying larger vessels and cargo exchanges through the Panama Canal to Georgia's ports," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "This is a strong indicator that an important market share shift to Georgia is possible through recently restructured shipping services." Garden City Terminal received 1,676 vessel calls between July 2016 and May 2017 of which 454 transited the expanded Panama Canal. This led to a 16% increase in throughput during that 11-month period via the Panama Canal at Garden City Terminal.

Lynch said the recent calls of 13,000-plus TEU vessels — the COSCO Development and OOCL France — demonstrate how efficiently larger vessels are served by the GPA. He noted the vessels play to the strengths of Garden City's single terminal operation, which include an unmatched 1,200-acre complex, 26 ship-to-shore cranes, nine container berths and

on-terminal service by two Class I rail providers. These advantages at Garden City Terminal allowed crews to move more than 19,000 TEUs from these two 13,000-plus TEU vessels, which called the Port of Savannah just 21 days apart. "The GPA's continued on-terminal investment along with the state of Georgia's off-terminal improvements will allow GPA to serve vessels well beyond 13,000 TEUs," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood.

On April 1, shipping lines realigned to form massive alliances. These new rotations signal more 13,000-plus TEU vessels are heading for Georgia's ports. Since the realignment, 35 weekly container services call Garden City Terminal, more than any other port on the U.S. East Coast. "Our record-breaking performance in May with no congestion or operational issues gave our customers increased confidence in Georgia's ports," Lynch said. "This proves the GPA can simultaneously serve larger vessels and greater volumes while providing the excellent logistic solutions our customers have come to expect."

If you’ve been following the local economic trends, you won’t be surprised by the sectors that gave the biggest boost to that robust growth. Over the past year, we’ve added 2,100 jobs in the broad category of professional and business services, 2,000 jobs in leisure and hospitality, and 1,100 jobs in education and health services. The Savannah metro area has also seen the number of public sector jobs increase by 1,600 (6.8 percent) over the past year. There was solid growth in federal, state and local government employment.

For the first several years of the ongoing economic recovery, government hiring lagged both private sector hiring and population growth. That was a trend nationally, not just locally, but it seemed inevitable that the need for additional employees in critical sectors like education and public safety would boost public payrolls. Most other sectors added payroll jobs between March 2016 and March 2017, but the estimates suggest that several key sectors contracted slightly. According to the data, manufacturing lost 600 jobs, information lost 300 and the broad sector that includes transportation, warehousing and utilities lost 500.

Those employment declines might just be statistical anomalies, but the numbers are nevertheless worrisome and deserving of future scrutiny. In March, the Savannah metro area saw 562 initial claims for unemployment insurance, a decline of 26 percent from the 755 claims in March 2016. The Georgia Department of Labor hasn’t yet released the local unemployment rate for March, but the February rate was 4.7 percent, down from 5.2 percent a year earlier. As I’ve noted routinely since the current economic expansion began almost exactly eight years ago, most rural and lightly populated parts of the state are not experiencing the job gains that we’ve seen in Savannah, Atlanta and a few other Georgia metro areas. The February unemployment rate was more than 7 percent in a dozen counties west and northwest of Savannah, including Screven, Jenkins, Emanuel and Toombs County.

I have been reading some interesting analyses lately about the prospects for economic recovery in rural areas that have experienced population losses in recent years, and I’m left with the sense that we’re likely to see continued growth in metro areas even as rural economies stagnate.  We will see continued warehouse growth along Hwy 16 because of cheaper land availability with still being within 20 miles from the Savannah Port. Georgia Hwy 95 & Hwy 16 interchange area will see new construction in distribution facilities over the next 24 months.

There are right now about 52 new start up companies here in Savannah.  If you want a heads up on who they are look at these sites I have listed below:

  • Georgia Tech Savannah offers many professional development courses including Leading Well workshops and a monthly Learning Series aimed at helping businesses grow and succeed. The university also offers a Coding Boot Camp (https://codingbootcamp.pe.gatech.edu) aimed at junior level web developers.
  • The Georgia Tech Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC) (http://atdc.org/savannah/) in Savannah helps tech companies and product-based startups in the Savannah area by providing education, coaching and connections.
  • The Georgia Southern Business Innovation Group (BIG) provides entrepreneurial resources and programs for students and the Statesboro community. Check out BIG’s next event, 3 Day Startup (3DS), a pitch competition for students. The event takes place Sunday at 7 p.m. in the Information Technology Building on Georgia Southern’s campus.
  • With an online Slack community and monthly meetups, techSav (https://techsav.co/), provides both virtual and physical meetups for the local tech community. techSav’s Refresh features content from local technologists about code, culture and more. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own projects to hack on, share or just get help with. Join Refresh this Thursday at 6 p.m. at 2222 Bull Street for a special edition on Open Savannah to discuss improving Savannah’s public data and government services through code.
  • Startup Grind (www.startupgrind.com/savannah/) is another monthly techSav event where you can meet local startups, founders and innovators. At each meetup, attendees listen to talks by featured entrepreneurs, get educated, connect with other successful entrepreneurs, and get inspired.
  • The Technology Association of Georgia Savannah (TAG) fosters an innovative and connected marketplace that stimulates and enhances Savannah’s tech-based economy. TAG members gain access to 200 plus events around Georgia for free or discounted prices and each year hosts the TAG Business Technology Awards for which the public nominates local companies for being the most innovative in the coastal region.
  • Maven Makers (www.mavenmakers.com) is Savannah’s makers space, a place for entrepreneurs to take classes on making and prototyping their next big endeavor. Located at Creators’ Foundry, Maven Maker’s provides a spacious workshop full of tools, materials and ideas to inspire your next project. Take a class and kick your skills up, learn how to use new tools from bandsaws and soldering irons to 3d printers, and collaborate with like-minded makers.
  • 1 Million Cups Savannah (www.1millioncups.com/savannah) helps local startups obtain real-time feedback and build critical relationships. Every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Creators’ Foundry, one to two entrepreneurs present their endeavors followed by 20 minutes of audience feedback. This is a great group & mention Bill Stankiewicz when you attend.


Regards,

Bill Stankiewicz

COLD LOGISTICS Supply Chain Executive

Phone: 1.404.750.3200

bstankiewicz@portfreshlogistics.com

www.beBee.com BRAND AMBASSADOR


Sources: My thanks to City Talk that appears every Sunday and Tuesday. For more details mail to 10 E. 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.  Press release information provided by GPA-Georgia Port Authority articles posted June 6, 2017.


"
Comments

Bill Stankiewicz

6 years ago #4

Thank you Donna-Luisa Eversley for sharing in other hives!! 👍👍👍👍😊😊😊😊😊😊🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🐝🎂

Bill Stankiewicz

6 years ago #3

Women in Manufacturing is a great group where CEO members mentor candidates

Bill Stankiewicz

6 years ago #2

Thx Marisa

Bill Stankiewicz

6 years ago #1

Many thanks Milos, Joyce & Laurent Boscherini, your all great bee's & I enjoy all of your posts too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Articles from Bill Stankiewicz

View blog
7 months ago · 1 min. reading time

Hello to all Bee's, · As a member here, I do love reading the many posts that are shared from beBee ...

4 years ago · 4 min. reading time

Hello To All the Bees at beBee: · The Savannah Chapter of APICS offers monthly professional developm ...

3 years ago · 3 min. reading time

Hello Bees: · APICS SAVANNAH CHAPTER LOVES beBee!! · Here are some tips that may help you as a bee t ...

You may be interested in these jobs

  • Anders Group

    Travel Physical Therapist

    Found in: Jobget US C2 - 4 days ago


    Anders Group Tucson, AZ, United States

    Anders Group is seeking a travel Physical Therapist for a travel job in Tucson, Arizona. · Job Description & Requirements · Specialty: Physical Therapist · Discipline: Therapy · Start Date: ASAP · Duration: 13 weeks · 40 hours per week · Shift: 8 hours, days · Employment Type: Tr ...

  • Lutheran Services Florida

    Shelter Counselor

    Found in: beBee S2 US - 1 week ago


    Lutheran Services Florida Miami, United States Full time

    Lutheran Services Florida (LSF) envisions a world where children are safe, families are strong, and communities are vibrant. · LSF is seeking a talented Shelter Counselor II who wants to make an impact in the lives of others. · Purpose and Impact: · Provide assessment and individ ...

  • Core Medical Group

    Locum Physiotherapist

    Found in: Jooble US O C2 - 17 hours ago


    Core Medical Group Carlisle, PA, United States

    Core Medical Group is seeking a travel Skilled Nursing Facility Physical Therapist for a travel job in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. · Discipline: Therapy · ~ Shift: 8 hours · ~ Employment Type: Travel · CoreMedical Group has hundreds of exciting and rewarding travel assignments th ...