VALDOSTA, GA – In January, THBoyd Communications won the 2016 Southwest Georgia Bank Business Plan Competition. The business plan presentation was based on creating and publishing the South Georgia Business + Culture Magazine, which launched its inaugural issue last month.The editorial content of the magazine is focused on creating an awareness and synergy about South Georgia’s economic impact, business opportunities, entrepreneurship and research, as well as the vibrant cultural growth within the region.

“This magazine would not be possible without the support of my partners at Southwest Georgia Bank, the Valdosta-Lowndes County Chamber of Commerce, and University of Georgia Small Business Development Center at Valdosta State University,” said Thressea H. Boyd, CEO of THBoyd Communications. “The magazine presents a regional message to a statewide audience.”
Complimentary copies of the magazine are distributed to business and industry leaders, governmental representatives, and key influencers throughout Georgia. In 2017, three issues are scheduled for publication.

“When people read the magazine, I want them to be amazed at what we have here in South Georgia,” Boyd said. “The economic impact found through industry, agriculture, tourism, and workforce development in South Georgia, along with the rich cultural prominence, plays a tremendous role in making South Georgia a great place to live and work. It’s time we tell our story!”
For more information on South Georgia Business+ Culture, visit the magazine’s website at www.sgamag.com.

For more information regarding the SEEDS Business Resource Center, contact Betty Morgan at 229-247-8100 ext. 234 or visit the SEEDS center website at http://www.seedsbusinessresourcecenter.com

VALDOSTA, GA – The Chamber Ambassadors held a ribbon cutting for Valdosta Christian Academy recently.

Valdosta Christian Academy is a fairly new member of the Valdosta community, opening just four years ago. Valdosta Christian Academy is the only private school within 100 miles that is Adventist owned. They operate on a condensed school week, Monday through Thursday, and they offer classes for grades 1 through 8. ” We love to train our children for this life by providing a challenging, fun, and authentic curriculum,” says Shanel Marchany of VCA.

Most of VCA’s students are performing at least one grade above their current grade level. The student to teacher ratio is 1:8, so students have the opportunity to receive individualized small group instruction during their learning times.

One of the school’s projects is a book drive where books and stories are donated to members of the Valdosta- Lowndes community. “We were able to donate hundreds of cook books, Biblical literature, and faith stories to Lowndes county residents last year,” said Marchany. VCA also said they are looking forward to continuing the book drive this year.
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For more information about Valdosta Christian Academy, please give them a call at (229) 469-5090 or stop by the campus at 2285 E. Park Avenue Road.

Welcome back to 1977, where Lowndes County’s population was a mere 67,500 people and times were much different. Population is not the only thing that has grown for our area over the years. Business and development has too.
In honor of “Throwback Thursday,” we cracked the vault and found this gem, a copy of the 1977 Edition of the Valdosta Promotional book.
Click the link below to take a look!
Valdosta Promotional book by Chamber of Commerce, 1977

​Being able to look back on the Valdosta-Lowndes County area in 1977 gives us an idea of how much growth and progress we have made since then. In addition, it shows what a solid foundation was laid for that growth to happen just over 39 years ago.

Maximilian James Wang, a high school senior at Lowndes High School, has been named the 2016 Region Winner PAGE STAR Student for PAGE STAR Region 10.  The announcement was made today by PAGE Director of Human Resources Gayle Wooten.  Wang selected Mrs. Jennifer Graybeal, AP microeconomics teacher at Lowndes High School, as his STAR teacher. ­

The PAGE Student Teacher Achievement Recognition (STAR) program, now in its 58th year, is sponsored, administered and promoted by the PAGE Foundation, the charitable arm of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. Other region-level sponsors include the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and the Price Gilbert, Jr. Charitable Fund. Since its inception, the STAR program has honored more than 25,500 students and the teachers they have selected as having had the most influence on their academic achievement.  To obtain the 2016 STAR nomination, high school seniors must have the highest score on a single test date on the three-part SAT and be in the top 10 percent or top 10 students of their class based on grade point average.

STAR begins each year in participating high schools throughout Georgia when the STAR Student is named and chooses a STAR Teacher to share in this recognition.  The students and their teachers are honored by their schools and receive special recognition in their communities from one of the more than 165 statewide civic organizations and businesses that serve as local sponsors of the STAR program.  Students then compete for school system titles, and those winners compete for region honors. Region winners compete for the honor of being named State PAGE STAR Student. The Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber organizes the Region 10 event in Valdosta, with the help of presenting sponsor, Smith Drug Company.

“We are very proud of Max and Mrs. Graybeal and the academic excellence they exemplify at Lowndes High School,” said Bruce Allred, with director of operations at Smith Drug Company. “They not only represent their school, but they represent our entire community. We are thrilled that their outstanding work has been recognized as part of this prestigious program.”
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 As a 501(c)(3) organization, the PAGE Foundation supports PAGE, encouraging and receiving charitable gifts that advance the association’s core business and PAGE Foundation programs such as PAGE STAR, PAGE Foundation Scholarships, the PAGE Academic Bowl for Middle Grades, the PAGE Georgia Academic Decathlon and PAGE TV. To learn more about the PAGE Foundation and to donate, please visit http://www.pagefoundation.org.