The Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce has received over 35 applications for this fall's 2008 leadership program. The program is slated to begin in September.

Entitled "2008 Leadership Emanuel," the program will consist of ten topics offered on Tuesday nights from September 2nd through November 4th. The class times will be from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The University of Georgia's Fanning Institute, along with local leaders, will facilitate the courses and program.

The goal of the program is to create a new level of leadership in Emanuel County. The program goals are focused on economic development with session topics on understanding community leadership, knowing your community, community leader's role in economic development, and local governance. The class will be limited to 20-22 applicants for maximum discussion and input.

A board of advisor will meet next week to assist the Chamber in the selection of the class.

"We are very excited about the number of applications we have received. The response has been tremendous and bodes well for the future of our county. I'm sure it will be very difficult to choose this first class, but other classes are being planned as well," stated Bill Rogers Jr., president of the Chamber.

The 14th Annual Chamber of Commerce Industry Appreciation Golf Tournament and Pig Picking will be held on Thursday, September 25, at the Swainsboro Golf Course.

Again this year, the event is being co-sponsored by the Chamber and the Swainsboro/Emanuel County Joint Development Authorities.

The event is held each year to pay tribute to local industries. It is a time of fellowship and a chance to thank local industries for the jobs they provide. Last year fourteen industries participated in the outing along with over 118 golfers.

This year's event will begin with lunch at 12 o'clock, followed by a four-man team select-shot golf tournament. The tournament will be followed by a social time and a "pig picking" barbecue dinner. The Forest-Blade is sponsoring this year's lunch and dinner.

Industry representatives are invited to participate at "no charge," compliments of the Joint Development Authorities. For others who wish to participate in the golf tournament, the fee is $200 for a four-man team or $50 per individual. Tickets are also available for the meal only at $6.00. Applications for the golf tournament and individual meal tickets are available at the Chamber.

Serving as this year's tournament committee chairman is Peyton Frye. Other committee members are Jill Collins, Angel Morris, Jim Willis, Heather Jones, Doug Brown, Milton Gray, Ken Warnock, Donna Brinson and Bill Rogers, Jr.

Construction on Swainsboro's new Zaxby's, a Southeast favorite for chicken fingers and buffalo wings, has begun. The company plans to open the new quick-casual restaurant in November. Located at 410 South Main Street, the new restaurant will create an additional 40 to 50 jobs for the area.

"Swainsboro is an exciting area that presents a great opportunity for Zaxby's to grow," said Danny Struble, district manager for Zaxby's. "Zaxby's has enjoyed great success as a business, employer and neighborhood partner, and we look forward to bringing this thriving brand to this community."

Zaxby's provides freshly prepared chicken fingers, buffalo wings, sandwiches, salads and more in a fun, relaxing atmosphere. Zaxby's is a pioneer of the quick- casual format, providing services and amenities that fall somewhere between fast food and a sit-down restaurant.

This location is one of the few Zaxby's to feature the company's new store design, which includes floor- to-ceiling brick walls, larger windows providing more natural light, modernized tables and booths, and a new color scheme, all complemented by an eclectic mix of photography and new signage and menu boards.

The new Zaxby's is the first for Swainsboro and Emanuel County. Zaxby's currently operates more than 440 locations in 12 states throughout the Southeast - Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

Zaxby's success is rooted in a simple operating philosophy developed by its founders that has matured into the company's mission statement - "consistently create encore experiences that enrich lives one person at a time." That statement is not only the driving force behind the company's pursuit to provide delicious food and excellent customer service; it's also what helps the company create a fun work atmosphere for employees.

An alternative to fast food, Zaxby's offers prepared- at-order chicken fingers, wings, sandwiches and salads. Zaxby's most popular items are its hand- breaded Chicken Fingerz and Jumbo Buffalo Wings, smothered in a choice of eight sauces with names like Wimpy, Tongue Torch, Nuclear and Insane. The menu also offers innovative Zappetizers - Onion Rings, Tater Chips (home-style potato chips) and Spicy Fried Mushrooms. Zaxby's also features a variety of Party Platterz perfect for any family gathering or special occasion.

Zaxby's also offers four salads, or Zalads: The House, The Blue, The Caesar and The Chicken Salad Zalad. All are prepared at order, the first three with grilled or fried chicken, three kinds of lettuce, shredded cheese, fresh veggies and juicy tomatoes. Customers have a choice of buffaloed or blackened chicken when ordering The Blue. All of Zaxby's Zalads offer more chicken and unique ingredients, such as French-fried onions, and are larger than most salads offered elsewhere. Each Zalad is assembled at the time the order is placed, versus being pre-made and stored in a cooler.

Zaxby's is a "quick-casual" restaurant chain headquartered in Athens, Ga. and opened its first restaurant in Statesboro, Ga., in 1990.-from Company news release

Swainsboro's downtown park will soon have a new feature. Stage Front Presentation Systems of Savannah will begin installation of a new sound system within the next two weeks.

The 32-speaker Bose system is designed specifically for the park. All wiring for the system will be buried. In addition, the system will have music capabilities for holidays, festivals and other important downtown events.

"We would especially like to thank Mill Creek Foundation for their help with this project. For years, it has been very difficult to hear in the park when using a small portable sound system. Now, with this new sound system we should have sound coverage anywhere in the park," added Ezra Price, county administrator.

"For our downtown area, the ability to pipe in music should make holidays and our festivals so much more enjoyable. We are very excited about the project," added Bill Rogers Jr, Chamber president.

Along with Mill Creek Foundation, the City of Swainsboro, Emanuel County Commission, and the Chamber are contributing to the project.

After being delayed for several months due to a reorganization of Department of Transportation projects, construction of signage on the bypass should begin within the next 12 to 24 months.

Last year, the Swainsboro/Emanuel County Chamber of Commerce, through the city and county, applied for a Transportation Enhancement (TE) grant in the amount of $112,950. The funds were designated for construction of three "gateway entrance signs" on the Swainsboro Bypass.

In December of 2007, the project was selected for funding among 285 proposals from Georgia's 13 congressional districts. The 285 projects represented more than $176 million in requests. Only $54 million were available for fiscal year 2008 and 2009 for distribution statewide. Swainsboro received $90,360.

Since TE grants are federally funded, there are a number of steps that must be taken in order to receive funds. One of the first steps was to attend a TE grant workshop which was held last week in Macon. Attending the conference were City Administrator Al Lawson and Chamber President Bill Rogers, Jr.

"Now we begin the process of working our way through the various requirements such as environmental assessment, historical, right-of-way, public hearings, bid procedures and construction," stated Lawson.

"Again, we would like to thank DOT Board Member Raybon Anderson, Rep. Butch Parrish and Senator Jack Hill for their help in securing funds for this project. We think the signage will have a direct benefit on our tourism efforts and on our local economy," added Milton Gray, Chamber Board Chairman.

Here's good news for Emanuel County! A new study on the University System of Georgia's annual economic impact on the state indicates that East Georgia College's economic impact on its service region has grown to over $42 million. This figure is a significant increase over the previous 2005 study figures of $27.8 million.

In addition to East Georgia College's $42,137,152 in total impact generated in FY2007, the study determined that EGC is responsible for 471 full- and part-time jobs, both on-campus and off-campus that exist because of the presence of East Georgia College in the region.

August 7th should be a busy day for chamber members!

At 11:00 a.m. Perry's Auto Auction will celebrate their first anniversary under ownership of Kelvin Thompson. Perry's will feature food, music, classic cars, and special guests along with the 300+ vehicles that will be offered that Thursday.

At 5:00 p.m. Swainsboro Raceway will host "Business after Hours" at the racetrack located on Highway 56 North.

Make plans now to attend both of these events!

It pays to attend the Chamber's "Business after Hours!" Not only do you meet colleagues, friends and newcomers, but you may just win cash too!

Congratulations go to Al Lawson, winner of $350 at Verizon's "Business before Hours" event held on Friday, July 18th.

This was the first "before hours" event the Chamber has held. It was also the Chamber's first winner since the cash giveaway was initiated last year.

The jackpot starts over at $25. Remember, you have to be present to win.

The chamber offers many benefits for its members. Among those are additional benefits through our chamber's membership with the United States Chamber of Commerce.

The United States Chamber of Commerce is one of the loudest voices in Washington-speaking up for rights of the small business owner.

In addition, the U. S. Chamber offers access to over 10,000 websites full of tools, information, assistance and resources. They also offer free business forms you can download, including tax forms, government contract forms, marketing check list, compensation and benefit forms.

For the small business operators, they offer toolkits to assist with tax season, employment, financial spreadsheet templates and much more.

For more information on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, contact the chamber at 478-237-6426 or visit our offices at 102 South Main Street, Swainsboro, Ga.

Howard Rentals is now part of Georgia Equipment Company. That word comes from Adam Lane, owner of Georgia Equipment Co. Sales & Rental.

"The rental business is new for us, so we are pleased to have purchased Howard Rentals," stated Adam Lane. "We will be expanding the business to include new equipment such as bobcats, scissor lifts, dump trailers and much more. This new equipment will add to the large selection of equipment already available at Howard's."

The rental business will be located at Georgia Equipment Company at 389 West Meadowlake Parkway.

Walgreens is open! Visit the new store at 390 South Main St. or contact by phone at 478-237-6105.

On August 23rd, Chef and the Fat Man will once again join the staff at Flat Creek Lodge for a live taping of their national syndicated show, the only radio cooking show currently being broadcast to a national audience.

Tickets are $25 and include lunch, a seat for the show, and samples of the food prepared in the cooking show. For more information contact Flat Creek Lodge at 237-8273.

Congratulations to Heather M. Donaldson, CEO of Affordable Insurance Sales & Financial Services in Twin City.

Contact Heather today for your
insurance needs.
P.O. Box 87 2735 Hwy 80 East, Suite A Twin City, GA 30471 478-763-2084 FAX 478-763-2104