My older sister and I are very close. We text, email or talk almost daily and know almost everything about each other. She was instrumental in raising me and continues to teach me lessons in life. She is a great friend and generally among my strongest supporters.

My sister has always preached appreciation. Appreciation for what we have. Appreciation for where we live. Appreciation for our jobs. Appreciation for our friends. And above all, appreciation for family.

She is forever sentimental. She reminisces about childhood, days gone by, Jerry Garcia, the Chicago Cubs and movies.

And so, in this my last Savannah Morning News column, I will take a cue from my sister and outline a few things that I will miss from this great city.

I will miss the way they call your name at Vinnie Van Go Go’s. I will miss the international college students obliviously riding their bikes without helmets, dangerously, through the historic district. The act of scanning the scene when walking into the Sentient Bean. The fans above the bar at the America Legion on Bull Street. The sandwiches from Brighter Day.

I will fondly remember the downtown battle between the powerful tourist lobby and residents who long to enjoy their neighborhood. The unspoken battle between Savannah and Charleston. The back river on Tybee. David Paddison’s constant advice giving disguised as Confucian phraseology.

Prayer before City Council meetings. The online comments at savannahnow.com. The beautiful women behind the desk at the Bull Street public library.

Alex Raskin shuffling in and out of his store. The sweat of summer. The music emanating from African-American churches on Sunday mornings. The sweet smell of paper mills on a wet day. The free ferry ride to Hutchinson Island.

Bradley Lock and Key. Playing softball in the adult recreational league. Savannah’s battle with progress, waged at times against, and at others times, in tandem with, Chatham County and the Metropolitan Planning Council.

Those palm frond sculptures that are pawned off on tourists for a few bucks. The Girl Scouts. Thirteen million tourists.

I will miss men watching football games in their garage. I will miss Salt Life stickers. I will miss red Ford trucks. I will miss that John Barrow commercial where he pumps his shotgun.

I will miss voting, where finding one’s polling place is always a mystery. I will miss seeing Bill Dawers everywhere and Jane Fishman’s guerilla gardens. I will miss the excitement of the film festival. I will miss high school football and basketball games. I will miss marching bands.

I will miss when Coca-Cola is pronounced CoCola. I will miss the way Tom Kohler pulls the hair on his arm when he talks to you.

I’ll miss these things and so much more.

To say I will miss you, Savannah, is an understatement. To say that I completely understand you, Savannah, is just plain wrong.

Until we meet again, please refrain from moving too fast. Please contain the urge to turn your urban core into a Disney world. Please don’t govern yourself into a place that 20-somethings wouldn’t want to call home. And don’t forget, Savannah, you are who you are because of where you have been.

Progress brought us to this point; where will progress take us?

Jake Hodesh is the executive director of The Creative Coast, a not-for-profit organization that promotes the creative and entrepreneurial community within the region, but he’s leaving for a position in Cincinnati. Until he leaves, Jake can be reached at 912-447-8457 or jake@thecreativecoast.org.

NEW YORK — Why wait on Washington to fix the economy when there’s Wal-Mart?

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world’s largest retailer and the biggest private employer in the U.S. with 1.4 million workers here, said Tuesday that it is rolling out a three-part plan to help jumpstart the sluggish U.S. economy.

The plan includes hiring more than 100,000 veterans in the next five years, spending $50 billion to buy more American-made merchandise in the next 10 years and helping its part-time workers move into full-time positions sooner.

The move comes as Wal-Mart attempts to bolster its reputation, which has been hit in the past year by an alleged bribery scandal in Mexico and a deadly fire at a Bangladesh factory that supplies clothes to the company. Wal-Mart, which often is criticized for its low-paying jobs and buying habits in the U.S., said it’s plan aims to highlight career opportunities in the retail industry, which supports one in four jobs in the country. The company’s plan could have an impact on the U.S. economy: With $444 billion in annual revenue, if Wal-Mart were a country, it would rank among the largest economies in the world.

“We’ve developed a national paralysis that’s driven by all of us waiting for someone else to do something,” Bill Simon, president and CEO of Wal-Mart’s U.S. business, said Tuesday at an annual retail industry convention in New York. “The beauty of the private sector is that we don’t have to win an election, convince Congress or pass a bill to do what we think is right. We can simply move forward, doing what we know is right.”

At the center of Wal-Mart’s plan is a pledge to hire veterans, many of who have come home from Afghanistan and Iraq and had a particularly hard time finding jobs. The unemployment rate for veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan stood at 10.8 percent in December, compared with the overall unemployment rate of 7.8 percent.

Wal-Mart said it plans to hire every veteran who wants a job and has been honorably discharged in the first 12 months of active duty. The program, which will start on Memorial Day, will include jobs mostly in Wal-Mart’s stores or in its Sam’s Club locations. Some will be at its headquarters, based in Bentonville, Ark., or the company’s distribution centers.

Dave Tovar, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said Wal-Mart hasn’t worked out the details but it will “match up the veterans’ experience and qualifications.” Simon, who served in the Navy, said that veterans have “a record of performance under pressure.”

“They’re quick learners, and they’re team players. These are leaders with discipline, training, and a passion for service. There is a seriousness and sense of purpose that the military instills, and we need it today more than ever,” he said.

Wal-Mart said First Lady Michelle Obama, who spearheaded a White House drive to encourage businesses to hire veterans, has expressed an interest through her team in working with Wal-Mart and with the rest of the business community on this initiative.

In the next several weeks, Simon said the White House will meet with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense and major U.S. employers to encourage businesses to make commitments to train and employ American’s returning veterans. The first lady on Tuesday called Wal-Mart’s announcement “historic.”

“We all believe that no one who serves our country should have to fight for a job once they return home,” she said in a statement. “Wal-Mart is setting a groundbreaking example for the private sector to follow.”

In addition to hiring veterans, Wal-Mart said that it will spend $50 billion to buy more products made in the U.S. over the next 10 years. According to data from Wal-Mart’s suppliers, items that are made, sourced or grown in the U.S. account for about two-thirds of the company’s spending on products for its U.S. business.

Wal-Mart said that it plans to focus on buying more in areas such as sporting goods, fashion basics, storage products, games and paper products. The commitment comes as economics are changing for making goods overseas. Labor costs are rising in Asia, while oil and transportation costs are high and increasingly uncertain.

Simon, Wal-Mart’s CEO, said that a few of the company’s manufacturers have told Wal-Mart that they have defined the “tipping points” at which manufacturing abroad will no longer make sense for them. Simon cited one supplier called 1888 Mills, which made most of its towels overseas, but had an underutilized factory in Griffin, Georgia.

Wal-Mart said it worked with the supplier on a couple of innovations and now the U.S. factory is hiring again. The towels made in the U.S. will be in 600 of its stores this spring, and another 600 stores in by the fall. The towels’ label will say “Made Here.”

The final piece of Wal-Mart’s plan is to help part-time Wal-Mart workers transition into full-time employment if they so desire. Simon said that about 75 percent of its store management start as hourly associates, and their average pay is $50,000 to $170,000 a year.

“There are some fundamental misunderstandings out there about retail jobs, and we need to do better at explaining the opportunities we offer,” he said.

Bernard Williams Insurance, 6001 Chatham Center Drive, on Monday celebrated its 75th year of working with CNA, the country’s seventh largest commercial insurance writer and the 13th largest property and casualty company.

“The insurance industry is about building relationships, and CNA is proud to have this long-standing partnership with Bernard Williams,” said Rob Huber, CNA’s senior vice president of Field Operations. “We thank you for your ongoing commitment to provide quality services to the families and businesses in this area and wish you continued growth and friendship in the future.”

CNA began working with Bernard Williams in December 1937.

For more information call 912-234-4476 or go to www.thepoweroftheshield.com.

ATLANTA — Gov. Nathan Deal announced Wednesday he will offer legislation to beef up the state’s review of mental-health records for gun permit applicants.

He also predicted passage for a bill that would allow trained administrators to have guns in schools.

His comments came in response to reporters’ questions following remarks to the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s annual Eggs and Issues breakfast. Other state leaders also spoke, but only Deal faced the media.

“Most of what we will probably see will come out of Washington, either through the executive orders that the president is talking about now or federal legislation,” he said. “There is one area I do believe we need to tighten up, and that is the checking of mental-health records for permitting purposes.”

He said much of any new gun-control measures were in the realm of federal government, and President Barrack Obama was scheduled to unveil his proposal later in the day.

But the governor acknowledged one idea in response to the Connecticut shooting that he agreed with, a bill to allow administrators who undergo the same weapons training as law-enforcement officers to carry guns in schools.

Of the bills already introduced in Georgia’s legislature as of the third day of the current 40-day session, he predicted the only one to succeed is from Rep. Paul Battles, R-Cartersville, that would authorize local school boards to arm principals if they choose.

“That one does have some merit,” said Deal, in what is as close as he ever gets to endorsing anyone else’s proposals. “If someone is going to be in an environment around children, they certainly need to be trained. I think it’s one that may receive favorable consideration by the General Assembly”

Other pending bills would impose greater restrictions on the owning of firearms or remove them entirely.

In his formal remarks, the governor defending shifting the taxing of hospital revenue from lawmakers to a board of his appointees. Conservatives have said renewal of the hospital tax that funds the state’s share of Medicaid amounts to a violation of a pledge many Republican legislators made never to raise taxes.

Deal said give taxing power to the Community Health Board is no more of a political cop-out than doing the same thing with a nursing home tax for Medicaid in 2003.

“It seems to me we could streamline the process by consolidating the functions of both the nursing homes and hospitals in the authority of the board that has responsibility for oversight of these two bulwarks of our healthcare system,” he said.

A Senate committee approved the shift Tuesday, and the full Senate will vote Thursday, the day Deal presents his full budget plan for the next fiscal year.

Bakers will battle for charity

Ronald McDonald House Charities is accepting entries for the Coastal Empire’s fourth annual Battle of the Bakers. The showcase and bake sale will take place Feb. 2 at the Hoskins Center on the campus of Memorial University Medical Center.

Bakers check in and set up at 11:30 a.m. Doors open to the public from 1-3 p.m.

Entries will be scored on appearance, authenticity, taste and creativity with bonus points given for creative displays. The 2013 Featured Battle Item will be cupcakes.

Participants are asked to register online and start a fundraising webpage on www.firstgiving.com/rmhcoastal. All donations go to the Ronald McDonald House Charities. Bakers who raise $65 receive a Battle of the Bakers T-shirt. For more information, contact Nikole Layton at 912-350-7641 or nikole@rmhccoastalempire.org.

Nonprofits invited to International Paper workshop

International Paper’s Savannah Mill will host an IP Foundation workshop from 10-11 a.m. Jan. 28 in the conference room of the Mary Calder Golf Course. All nonprofits interested in applying to the foundation are encouraged to attend.

Each year, the Foundation awards thousands of dollars to various organizations in the following focus areas: environmental education — outdoor classrooms, encourage awareness of environment with hands-on approach; literacy — books, reading programs, tools to increase reading; employee involvement — supports those organizations where employees volunteer; and critical community need — one-time gifts that are critical to a community or organization.

The deadline for applications, which may be submitted at www.ipgiving.com, is March 22. For questions, contact Karen Bogans at 912-238-7347 or karen.bogans@ipaper.com.

Alliance will serve state’s hospitals

Georgia Hospital Health Services Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Georgia Hospital Association, has formed a strategic alliance with Strategic Healthcare Partners, 413 W. Montgomery Crossroad, Suite 602.

Strategic Health Partners provides various financial related services to more than 30 community-based hospitals and 600 physicians. The two organizations will work together to create programs or offerings that offer a benefit to members of the Georgia Hospital Association.

Savannah-based Strategic Health also has offices in Albany and Atlanta.

IEC Georgia elects 2013 board

Robbie Jones, an estimator and project manager with Pace Electrical in Savannah, has been elected to the board of directors of the Georgia chapter of Independent Electrical Contractors.

Elected with Jones were John Follett, president of Engineered Low Voltage Electronic Systems LLC in Columbus, and Tony Varamo, workforce development manager with MetroPower in Columbus and Macon.

IEC is a trade association for electrical contractors.

I recently watched a “riveting” interview with AirBnB CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky. I put “riveting” in quotes because not everyone is riveted by a three-hour tech interview. But Brian is a great story teller, and his explanations about this thing called the sharing economy were hard to ignore.

The basic idea behind the sharing economy is that we’re becoming a culture of sharing. It’s prominent online, where sharing links, pictures and videos is the norm. But Brian’s company, AirBnB, lets people share their homes with strangers.

There are other uses, too, but the core revolves around sharing homes with strangers for short stays. If that seems a little silly or even impractical, you might be shocked to learn that AirBnB is valued at over $2 billion at last count.

I don’t want to dwell on AirBnB, though. The idea of the sharing economy goes beyond guest rooms in strange cities. Big cities have Zipcar and services like it that allow you to share cars on an hourly or daily basis. And our local co-working player, ThincSavannah, lets businesses share resources like conference rooms, internet connections, etc.

Then there are areas that are ripe for sharing economy disruption. In his video, Brian Chesky states that the average power drill is used a total of 13 minutes in its lifetime. I don’t know how to fact check that, but it seems pretty accurate to me. Yet I’m betting nearly everyone reading this article owns at least one power drill. I think I have three power drills and no batteries for any of them, but I digress.

People who champion the sharing economy herald it as a potentially bigger movement than the Industrial Revolution. They say it can end over-consumption, which can, in turn, be a solution to some of our most difficult environmental and economic challenges.

It’s not all sunshine and roses for serial sharers, though. AirBnB is a disruptive entity, and it can make the existing hospitality industry nervous. Luckily, AirBnB has chosen to work with and support a lot of the existing business models, but other areas aren’t so lucky.

Luxury Taxi company and a sharing economy maverick, Uber, may have actually broken many regional laws by circumventing the proper channels in places such as New York City and Washington, D.C.

I doubt any of us will be alive to get history’s vantage point of how the sharing economy will rank next to the Industrial Revolution. My opinion is that it is simply the extension of the Internet.

The term “web 3.0” has been used to death by tech writers, but I’ll kick it one more time. If web 1.0 was taking things offline and putting them online (ie. auctions with eBay, banks with PayPal), and web 2.0 saw things that lived wholly online and couldn’t exist offline (i.e. Facebook, Twitter), then I believe web 3.0 is where online connectivity enhances our offline lives.

That seems like where the sharing economy is taking us, and as soon as I can find a service that allows me to borrow power drill batteries, I’ll be set.

Jesse Bushkar is the CEO of Sysconn New Media Inc. He can be contacted at 912-356-9920 or jesse@sysconn.com.

First Citizens Bank held a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday morning to celebrate the opening of its new Savannah branch in the Cay Building at 110 W. St. Julian St.

The branch opened for business on Dec. 10 after completing a move from its former location at 13 E. York St.

“We are excited to be open for business in our new branch and have been overwhelmed with the support we’ve received from the Savannah community throughout this process,” said Reeves Skeen, Savannah market executive for First Citizens. “We look forward to serving customers from this convenient Savannah location for years to come.”

In addition to Skeen, First Citizens Georgia Division Executive Drew Putt also attended the even.

First Citizens has more than 190 offices in South Carolina and Georgia.

The sale of the Georgia Power headquarters site on East River Street closed late Tuesday.

Hotelier North Point Hospitality plans to develop the four-plus-acre site as a hotel/retail complex. The development will include two hotels, a parking garage and several retail and restaurant spaces. The project received the first of several necessary approvals from the Savannah Historic District Board of Review last week.

The sale price on the property was not disclosed.

The sale is the second in three weeks for Georgia Power. The utility sold the Plant Riverside power station site on River Street’s west end on New Year’s Eve. The buyer, a group that includes Savannah native and boutique hotel developer Richard Kessler, has yet to detail its redevelopment plans for the site.

The sale of the two properties ends Georgia Power’s century-long presence on River Street. The utility’s predecessor, Savannah Electric and Power Co., opened Plant Riverside in 1913.

“With this sale, our transition off River Street is complete,” said Cathy Hill, Georgia Power Coastal Region vice president. “We look forward to a new chapter in their history and the economic vitality and growth predicted from these developments.”

ON THE WEB

Developers faced a deadline in getting East River Street deal done. Adam Van Brimmer shares details of the backstory on the Daddy Warbucks blog at savannahnow.com/exchange.

For the first time in 18 years, a Savannahian has taken the helm of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and that “Savannah awareness” was apparent in remarks he made Wednesday as the chamber outlined its 2013 legislative priorities at the annual Eggs & Issues Breakfast in Atlanta.

“The Port of Savannah expansion will be the biggest economic development opportunity of our generation,” said Stephen S. Green, the state chamber’s 2013 board chair.

“To take advantage of the job growth it will bring, we need to be sure that Georgia is ready to offer companies the most pro-business climate possible.”

Among the Chamber’s priorities for this year:

• Lessen regulations and improve incentives that facilitate expansions, capital investment, new recruitment, small business creation and hospitality growth.

• Expand access to venture and seed capital by offering incentives to attract venture capital firms to Georgia.

• Enact workers’ compensation system reforms that promote a balanced and equitable system that is fair to the employee and employer and designed to return the employee to work as soon as medically appropriate.

• Preserve Georgia’s employment-at-will doctrine and strengthen the state’s right-to-work status.

• Support a health care financing program through which providers can continue to care for patients without compromising the current delivery system.

• Protect the “Transportation Investment Act” to ensure the benefits of the law as passed are not diluted.

•·Encourage school improvement through a more flexible, accountable and transparent system tied to a new school rating system.

• Pursue a new school student-based budgeting funding system that would tie the majority of the state’s educational spending directly to student need.

• Pursue funding sources for continuation of Regional Water Councils and their work to implement regional water plans.

“We feel strongly that by working with lawmakers to concentrate on these legislative priorities, we will put Georgia in an even better position to compete both domestically and globally, create jobs, attract investment and strengthen our overall business climate,” Green said.

Chris Clark agreed.

“Georgia enjoyed one of the most business-friendly sessions in history last year, but in today’s global marketplace you need to constantly evolve and improve in order to stay competitive,” said Clark, Georgia Chamber president and CEO.

“To ensure that Georgia stays on the right path to economic prosperity, we need to give companies already here in Georgia every resource possible to grow and at the same time create an environment that will attract new business and investment. We look forward to working with Gov. Deal and the General Assembly this session to get these important issues addressed.”

Green, who serves as president and CEO of Morris Manning Martin & Green Consulting LLP, is the first state chamber chair from Savannah since Arnold Tenenbaum served in 1995.

His professional career has included successful roles in distribution, real estate development and banking.

“The Georgia Chamber has enjoyed tremendous successes over the last few years — thanks in large part to a great leadership team and the continued support of our investors,” Green said Wednesday.

“There is still plenty of work for us to do to get Georgia further down the road to recovery. We have an exciting year ahead of us, and we are looking forward to doing all we can to ensure this state continues to be a great place for business.”

Savannah’s long-term growth prospects are among the best in the nation, thanks to the city’s dual personality as both a major tourist attraction and deep-water port, the University of Georgia’s Robert Sumichrast told 650 business people gathered Thursday at the Westin Savannah Harbor.

The dean of UGA’s Terry College of Business also had good news for the state as a whole, a departure from his last several annual forecasts.

“Georgia’s economy is forecast to grow by a modest 2.1 percent in 2013; however, that is higher than the 1.8 percent growth forecast for the nation as a whole,” Sumichrast said, speaking at the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Economic Outlook luncheon.

The expectation of an economically healthier Georgia is due to a number of factors, he said, including the end of the housing bubble, which dealt the state an especially harsh blow, as well as a number large projects bringing jobs and investment in 2012.

“And Georgia has become even more competitive with the establishment of a $100 million deal-closing fund,” he added.

That said, Sumichrast cautioned that uncertainty at the federal level may leave many businesses without the confidence to expand or relocate this year.

“These growth projections are based on several key assumptions,” he said, including raising the debt ceiling, preventing sequestration and the Fed keeping interest rates low and inflation under control.

“If Congress doesn’t increase the debt ceiling, we could be back in a deep recession,” he said. “If sequestration is not replaced with reasonable spending cuts and tax increases, that could shave a half percentage point off the state’s GDP.”

Oil prices, too, could play a role.

“If oil prices should climb above $140 a barrel, that could also trigger a recession,” he said, adding that it’s unlikely to happen barring a major geopolitical crisis.

Manufacturing boom

Savannah economist Michael Toma generally agreed with Sumichrast’s report, adding manufacturing growth into the mix of industries fueling the area’s comeback.

“Savannah’s Metropolitan Statistical Area is well-diversified, with a variety of pistons in its economic engine,” he told the sold-out audience.

Savannah’s MSA includes Chatham, Bryan and Effingham counties.

“The manufacturing sector was a source of growth in 2012,” said Toma, who heads the Center for Regional Analysis at Armstrong Atlantic State University and presents a quarterly Economic Monitor detailing the current and projected economic health of the region.

“Recent years’ announcements of facility expansions totaling more than $1 billion in capital investment and nearly 4,000 jobs are beginning to be realized in employment data.

“Approximately 1,000 manufacturing jobs have been added since mid-2010, with additional manufacturing growth expected this year.”

Although growth at Georgia Ports Authority slowed last year, the facility will still end 2012 handling more cargo than ever before for the third straight year, Toma said.

“Improvements in transportation linkages, technology, new service, strategic marketing and - most significant – the green light to deepen the Savannah Harbor will play a role in maintaining GPA’s position as a premier East Coast hub for containerized cargo,” he said.

The city’s healthy tourism industry grew steadily in 2012 and helped the regional economy down the road to economic recovery, Toma said.

Data available through late 2012 indicate gains of approximately 7 percent over the previous year, with activity expected to increase again in 2013.

The region’s health care sector increased employment by 3.8 percent last year, adding some 4,500 workers since 2005, Toma’s numbers show.

“Above-average growth in employment is expected to continue in 2013,” he said.

The region is home to 27,300 military personnel stationed at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield. The military facilities also provide jobs for more than 4,700 federal civilian employees. That number, while growing substantially in recent years, dropped slightly in 2012 as federal defense budget cutbacks took effect. Together, the payroll for military and civilian workers was $1.53 billion last year.

Finally, residential real estate development began to show promising signs of recovery in in 2012, with home sales up 11 percent year-over-year through November and building permit issuance up 15 percent in the first three quarters, Toma said.

“In all, 2012 was a decent year,” Toma said. “But the momentum taking us into 2013 is promising.

“I think what we’re seeing is a return to a more reasonable rate of growth as opposed to the unsustainable growth we experienced in the mid-2000s.”

SAVANNAH’S PROJECTIONS FOR 2013

Employment growth - l.5 percent

Unemployment rate – 7.5 percent

Personal income growth – 3.5 percent

Population growth – 2 percent

Georgia jobless rate up in December

ATLANTA — Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate increased to 8.6 percent in December, up one-tenth of a percentage point from 8.5 percent in November. The rate was 9.4 percent in December a year ago, the Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday

“We had a modest increase in new layoffs, along with a small job loss driven primarily by seasonal layoffs in education,” said State Labor Commissioner Mark Butler. “Basically, the December numbers are flat, but even so, this is the best November to December job market report since 2007.”

While the number of jobs decreased by 400 to 3,985,800 in December, it rose by 70,200, or 1.8 percent, from 3,915,600 in December 2011. Most of the over-the-year job growth came in professional and business services, 26,000; trade, transportation, and warehousing, 17,300; education and health care, 12,700; leisure and hospitality, 12,100; and manufacturing 11,800.

Behind the Veil wedding boutique salon scheduled

The fourth annual Behind the Veil boutique bridal salon will showcase Savannah wedding professionals on March 3.

The event, presented by Savannah Weddings, the Telfair Museums and the editors of Savannah magazine, will feature expert wedding planners, caterers, florists, photographers, venues and others.

Behind the Veil will be held from 12:30-4:30 p.m. at the Telfair Academy, 121 Barnard St., and from 1-5 p.m. at the Jepson Center for the Arts, 207 W. York St. A bridal fashion show will hit the runway at 4:30 p.m. in the Jepson Center.

Tickets are $15 in advance, $20 at the door or $40 for a VIP champagne brunch that will feature Elizabeth Demos, a stylist, event planner and author of Vintage Wedding Style, at 11 a.m. March 3 at an off-site location. Tickets can be purchased at Savannahmagazine.com.

For information about showcasing your services, contact Jane Townsend at 912-652-0294 or jane.townsend@savannahmagazine.com.

Nominations for historic preservation awards due

Historic Savannah Foundation is accepting nominations for the 2013 HSF Preservation Awards for excellence in historic preservation.

The deadline is Feb. 15; winners will be announced May 9.

The preservation awards recognize projects or individual achievements falling within the areas of restoration, rehabilitation, new construction, stewardship, craftsmanship and archaeology. Projects must have been completed within three years and may include projects nominated but not selected. Nominations are open only to Historic Savannah Foundation members. Self-nominations are acceptable.

A jury of local professionals will select the winners.

The nomination form and details on eligibility, submission criteria and key dates can be accessed at http://www.myhsf.org/advocacy-education/programs/awards/.

For more information, contact Danielle Meunier at 912-233-7787 or dmeunier@myHSF.org.

Robert Sumichrast typically sticks to what he mines from charts and graphs in forecasting Georgia’s economic outlook.

The outgoing dean of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, however, dropped a nugget of a more philosophical nature on Savannah’s business leaders during Thursday’s Economic Outlook Luncheon at the Westin Savannah Harbor Resort.

The state must improve academically to improve economically, Sumichrast said.

“Georgia has implemented many positive economic development changes,” said Sumichrast, who recently accepted a job to head up Virginia Tech’s business school after six years with the University of Georgia. “The state’s biggest competitive challenge, however, is in the quality of our K-12 education.”

Workforce readiness has been a priority locally since the wane of the recession. The Savannah-Chatham County Public School System has revamped its approach, establishing specialty schools geared toward career paths and expanding its technical and vocational programs.

And local industries, like Gulfstream, have become heavily involved in STEM (an acronym for science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs.

Those steps should prove “helpful” to Savannah’s economy in the future, acknowledged local economist Michael Toma, who also spoke at the event.

Sumichrast encouraged business leaders to continue to push for improvement. Only 65 percent of Georgia high school freshmen will graduate within four years, Sumichrast pointed out, compared to 75 percent nationally and 85 percent in European Union countries.

Such disappointing numbers do not escape the notice of companies considering Georgia as a relocation destination. A poor reputation in terms of education is particularly costly to the state in attracting “high-paying, highly-technical” businesses.

“It is time to change the culture of the state,” Sumichrast said. “We need to increase the value we place on academics.”

WASHINGTON — U.S. builders started work on homes in December at the fastest pace in 4 ½ years and finished 2012 as their best year for residential construction since the early stages of the housing crisis.

The Commerce Department said Thursday that builders broke ground on houses and apartments last month at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 954,000. That’s 12.1 percent higher than November’s annual rate. And it is nearly double the recession low reached in April 2009.

Construction increased last month for both single-family homes and apartments. And the pace in which builders requested permits to start more homes ticked up to a 4 ½ year high.

For the year, builders started work on 780,000 homes. That’s still roughly half of the annual number of starts consistent with healthier markets. But it is an increase of 28.1 percent from 2011. And it is the most since 2008 — shortly after the housing market began to collapse in late 2006 and 2007.

Steady hiring, record-low mortgage rates and a tight supply of new and previously occupied homes available for sale have helped boost sales and prices in most markets. That has persuaded builders to start more homes, which adds to economic growth and hiring.

The positive housing report, along with a steep decline in unemployment benefit applications, contributed to a strong day on Wall Street. The Standard & Poor’s 500 gained eight points to close at 1,480, a five-year high. The Dow Jones industrial average ended the day up 84 points at 13,596. The Nasdaq composite rose 18 points to 3,136.

“There is no denying that the housing market recovery is solidifying, and we expect construction activity to ramp up to the 1 million annualized threshold by the end of this year,” said Michael Dolega, an economist with TD Economics, in a note to clients.

Dolega said the gains in home building helped boost construction hiring in December by 30,000 jobs — the most in 15 months. He predicts the construction industry could add half a million jobs in 2013.

In December, the pace of single-family home construction, which makes up two-thirds of the market, increased 8 percent. While that’s well below healthy levels, single-family housing starts are now 75 percent higher than the recession low reached in March 2009.

Apartment construction, which is more volatile, surged 23 percent last month. It is now back to pre-recession levels.

Applications for building permits, a sign of future construction, inched up to a rate of 903,000 — the highest level since July 2008.

“The strong rise in single-family starts is a clear indication of builder confidence in the sales outlook,” said Pierre Ellis, an economist at Decision Economics, in a note to clients.

Confidence among homebuilders held steady in January at the highest level in nearly seven years. But builders are feeling slightly less optimistic about their prospects for sales over the next six months, according to a survey released Wednesday.

In November, sales of previously occupied homes rose to their highest level in three years, while new-home sales reached a 2 1/2-year high.

Those factors have helped make homebuilders more confident and spurred new home construction. But homebuilders’ are still warily watching the current standoff in Washington between President Barack Obama and Congress over several approaching budget deadlines, including the need to boost the nation’s $16.4 trillion borrowing limit.

Though new homes represent less than 20 percent of the housing sales market, they have an outsize impact on the economy. Each home built creates an average of three jobs for a year and generates about $90,000 in tax revenue, according to data from the homebuilders association.

Contract negotiations continued this week between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance — or USMX — in an attempt to forge a new, six-year contract before the extension ends Feb. 6.

According to Joseph Bonney, senior editor of the Journal of Commerce, a 20-member ILA committee and a group representing USMX were scheduled to meet in Galloway, N.J., as they try to work out a deal to avert a strike at major container ports on the East and Gulf Coasts.

No details were available on the substance of the negotiations, which are being overseen by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

On Thursday, FMCS director George H. Cohen issued the following statement:

“The United States Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen’s Association conducted negotiations during the three-day period January 15-17. In these negotiations the parties made progress and have agreed that the negotiations will continue under our auspices.

“Due to the sensitivity of these negotiations, we will have no further comment at this time.”

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is an independent U.S. government agency whose mission is to preserve and promote labor-management peace and cooperation

The two sides agreed to a short-term contract extension last month after tentatively agreeing on container royalties, a key issue in the coast-wide master contract. That extension — the second since negotiations began in March — was designed to provide time to work out the remaining issues, including those with local contracts.

The largest and most contentious local contract is between the ILA and the New York Shipping Association, which is seeking changes to work rules and practices in the Port of New York and New Jersey.

In advance of this week’s meetings, the ILA signaled that it intended to remain at the bargaining table longer than it did last week when the union walked out shortly after the start of a scheduled two-day session on New York-New Jersey local issues, Bonney reported.

Both sides have said approval of a coast-wide contract is contingent upon settlement of supplemental local agreements.

Senior business reporter Mary Carr Mayle covers the ports for the Savannah Morning News. She can be reached at 912-652-0324 or at mary.mayle@savannahnow.com.

LOGISTICS SNAPSHOT

Following are the latest encouraging statistics from Page Siplon, executive director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics, located in Savannah:

• During the past year, container volume on U.S. railroads represented 87 percent of total intermodal volume, up from 69 percent in 2000 and every Class 1 U.S. railroad recorded increases in intermodal for the year.

• At the end of 2012, about 32 million square feet of warehouse construction was in progress nationwide. Georgia leads all states in this category with 3.4 MSF of new construction underway; nearly twice as much as the 1.8 MSF being constructed in Tennessee, which is No. 2 in the country.

• The U.S. GDP increased 3.1 percent in the third quarter of 2012 according to the final estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

• In November, building permits — an indicator of future housing starts — rose 3.6 percent to an annual rate of 899,000.

SHIPPING SCHEDULE

These are the ships expected to call on Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City and Ocean Terminals in the next week. Sailing schedules are provided by Georgia Ports Authority and are subject to change.

Terminal Ship name Arrival

GCT KAAN KALKAVAN Today

GCT AL ABDALI Today

OT GRANDE GUINEA Today

GCT MELINA Saturday

GCT PUSAN Saturday

GCT ITAL LIBERA Saturday

GCT BUSAN EXPRESS Saturday

GCT CMA CGM TANCREDI Saturday

GCT YORKTOWN EXPRESS Saturday

GCT MSC ALESSIA Saturday

GCT UASC SHUAIBA Saturday

OT BANSUI Saturday

GCT APL ATLANTA Sunday

GCT APL SPINEL Sunday

GCT HOECHST EXPRESS Sunday

GCT HANJIN CHITTAGONG Monday

GCT NYK DAEDALUS Monday

GCT MADRID EXPRESS Monday

GCT E.R. DENVER Monday

GCT MSC NERISSA Monday

GCT FOLEGANDROS Monday

GCT MSC KYOTO Monday

OT SAUDI DIRIYAH Monday

GCT MSC CHICAGO Tuesday

GCT MOL ENDURANCE Tuesday

GCT HANJIN NAGOYA Tuesday

GCT MAERSK MERLION Tuesday

GCT JAMES RIVER BRIDGE Tuesday

OT ANJELIERSGRACHT Tuesday

OT TITANIA Tuesday

OT TARAGO Tuesday

GCT YM SINGAPORE Wednesday

GCT HYUNDAI GOODWILL Wednesday

GCT HALIFAX EXPRESS Wednesday

GCT ZIM LUANDA Wednesday

GCT DALLAS EXPRESS Wednesday

GCT SEA-LAND RACER Wednesday

GCT FOUMA Wednesday

OT BBC NILE Wednesday

GCT SINGAPORE STAR Thursday

GCT ZIM MEDITERRANEAN Thursday

GCT ISLANDIA Thursday

GCT OOCL OAKLAND Thursday

GCT MAERSK DAVENPORT Thursday

GCT MSC TOKYO Thursday

STATESBORO — Goodwill of the Coastal Empire held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday for its new community Job Connection career center and retail location in Statesboro.

The Job Connection career center is next to the store in the shopping plaza at 812 Hwy. 80.

Job Connection offers a number of free resources and services to employers and job seekers, including applicant screening to match qualified applicants to employer databases for interview.

Goodwill also can provide office space for interviewing, training and job fairs.

“We talk to employers and match their needs to our services,” said Brenda Pollen, interim vice president of Mission Services for Goodwill. “Our role is to tailor our programs to fit employers’ needs.”

Goodwill job centers in the Coastal Empire trained and placed more than 1,400 workers in 2012.

In addition to connecting people with jobs, the Statesboro Job Connection will also be part of Goodwill’s Buena Vida Initiative, an initiative created to expand employment services, family strengthening and financial education to the growing Hispanic/Latino population in Georgia.

The Buena Vida initiative offers adult education and GED classes in Spanish and English in addition to (ESL) classes, ESL and SSL (English and Spanish as a second Language), and Work Literacy classes.

“We know education is the key to lifting people out of poverty,” Pollen said. “The goal is to help them see their world in a different way and see what they can become. Goodwill can help them meet their needs and goals.”

For more information, go to www.goodwillsavannah.org.

Banking’s household names are raking in profits again, but the cash piles could soon start shrinking.

Improvement in the real estate market has resulted in fewer failed and delinquent loans, boosting the bottom line for large banks. Loan demand slowed late last year, though, and did not keep pace with deposit growth as customers carried higher deposit balances with the fiscal cliff crisis looming.

The result was a decline in interest margins, or the amount of interest banks collect on loans minus the amount they pay out on deposits, that troubles analysts.

The four big banks that do business in Savannah — national players Wells Fargo and Bank of America and regional behemoths SunTrust and BB&T — all reported decreasing net interest margin in 2012’s fourth quarter, which ended Dec. 31.

Wells Fargo, Savannah’s biggest banking player in terms of local deposits, reported record earnings but also acknowledged a 13.7 percent drop in its mortgage business. Deposits growth more than doubled loan growth. With lending and credit lines accounting for half of Wells Fargo’s business and the Federal Reserve’s pledge to hold down interest rates until the unemployment rate drops significantly, analysts pressed the bank’s CEO, John Stumpf, during an earnings conference call last week.

“Why would we turn away deposits from our customers?” Stumpf said. “Sure, we look at the margin, surely we think about that, but we don’t run our business according to it.”

Such an approach toward deposits runs contrary to the tack taken by many community banks. Many smaller banks worked to shrink their deposits during the recession and the early stage of the recovery, typically by lowering interest rates on certificates of deposit and other interest-bearing accounts. Doing so allowed those banks to maintain their interest margins even as loans soured and loan demand dried up.

The big banks, meanwhile, saw the recession and early stages of the recovery as a chance to expand their footprint, as well as their presence within existing markets. Locally, Wells Fargo, SunTrust and BB&T have all seen significant deposit growth over the last three years. Only Bank of America has seen deposits fall.

Interest margin worries extend beyond the big banks that do business locally. Chase Bank CEO James Dimon noted interest margin issues with his bank in a conference call this week but predicted the pressures will eventually debate as the fiscal pressures ease.

Complicating the interest margin situation for the banks going forward is the difference between the rates on existing loans and new loans, said Ed Sibbald, director of Georgia Southern University’s Center for Excellence in Financial Services.

“The loans they had at 6 or 7 or 8 percent are running off, and they are replacing them with new loans that are a couple of percentage points lower,” Sibbald said. “That’s going to cause pressure on margins.”

The regional banks are faring better than the megabanks. SunTrust managed its deposits in 2010, added $2.8 billion while increasing its loan portfolio by $2.1 billion. Still, all of SunTrust’s year-over-year earnings growth came from non-interest income. BB&T also minimized the impact of lower interest markets, growing loans by $7.3 billion compared to $9.8 billion in deposits.

SKINNY ON THE BIG BANKS

National megabanks Wells Fargo and Bank of America and regional behemoths SunTrust and BB&T hold more than 57 percent of deposits in the Savannah area. A look at those banks’ 2012 performance:

Bank|Profit|Noteworthy

Wells Fargo|$18.9B|Lending increased late in year as borrowers took advantage of expiring tax rates.

Bank of America|$4.2B|Incurred $5.9 billion in expenses tied to foreclosure abuse claims, not including the $11 billion settlement reached with regulators last week.

BB&T|$1.9B|Credit quality improved, with repossessed properties hitting lowest level in five years and net charge-offs, or delinquent loans deemed uncollectable, hitting four-year lows.

SunTrust|$356M|Increased profitability by five times versus year previous; got big boost from expense cuts tied to reduced employee compensation and benefits and a shrinking workforce.

* Savannah’s other large publicly traded banks, including Synovus, the parent company of Sea Island Bank, and Regions Bank, will report earnings next week. South Carolina Bank & Trust, which owns The Savannah Bank and Bryan Bank & Trust, reports Jan. 31.

Last year, the House Ways and Means Oversight Subcommittee, under the leadership of Louisiana Rep. Charles Boustany conducted several hearings that touched on nonprofit compliance with federal regulations for tax-exempt status and how the IRS was tracking this compliance.

It was announced this week that Boustany has been re-appointed as chair for the oversight subcommittee. Along with all its other challenges in 2013, what might the oversight subcommittee hold in store for tax-exempt organizations? How can charitable nonprofits ensure they are on the right side of current requirements for maintaining their tax-exempt status?

Boustany and the oversight subcommittee’s concerns last year were focused on larger organizations like associations (specifically the AARP), hospitals and universities, all of whom accrue significant earned income revenues. Boustany announced the goal of the hearings was “to ensure that the tax-exempt sector is operating in an efficient manner and that the laws governing tax-exempt organizations are being applied fairly and evenly.”

One of his questions for the IRS, which was called to report to the subcommittee last May, also asked about the usefulness of information supplied on the relatively new Form 990 — specifically, “how the redesigned Form 990 increased transparency and accountability of tax-exempt organizations.”

Boustany has repeatedly stated his opinion that nonprofits are not being adequately monitored by the IRS for abuses of their tax-exempt status.

While he’s certainly more interested in pursuing abuses by major organizations, the principles under discussion apply to smaller nonprofits as well. At this time, there are a few good ways to be protected from an audit or other scrutiny that may uncover embarrassing — or worse — lapses in compliance.

One is for your staff and board to be familiar with the “long form” 990. This annual federal reporting form for tax-exempt organizations is a key tool for monitoring nonprofits’ activities. Even if your nonprofit has only to fill out the EZ (postcard) form, a look at the Form 990, as the long form is called, will be informative in planning for your organization’s future growth and your processes around that growth.

Nonprofits required to complete the long form should have this done in conjunction with a professional accountant who’s familiar with nonprofit tax compliance. The Form 990 is due on the 15th day of the fifth month following the end of your organization’s tax year. If you are on a calendar year, now is a good time to look at the information on the Form 990 and discuss it with your board as a planning and good practices document, as well as a reporting form.

The second way to maintain high standards as a tax-exempt organization is to simply be familiar with information provided by the IRS about staying compliant. The IRS website provides extensive, easy to comprehend information at www.stayexempt.irs.gov/ExistingOrganizations.aspx.

Five activities can jeopardize your status.

Activities that provide private benefit to individuals associated with the organization should be carefully monitored and range from excessive pay for an executive director to activities that put money in the pockets of one or more of your board members.

Another red flag, more familiar to most nonprofits, is engaging in political activity or substantial activity designed to influence legislation (i.e., lobbying).

Of most concern to young nonprofits I talk to is activity that generates unrelated business income. There’s a great deal of confusion about this requirement that can be resolved by going to the IRS website for clarification and by discussing this with your nonprofit-knowledgeable accountant.

Many nonprofits generate earned income, but the income must be related to the organization’s mission and any net revenue must be reinvested in meeting the mission.

Follow these guidelines and, while the changes nonprofits may face in this rough-and-tumble political year can’t be predicted, you can be protected on those matters where you do have control.

Sarah Todd is founder and principal of Change Pioneers, an information source on effective change leadership. She can be reached at changepioneers@gmail.com or 912-224-2120.

With new building partners, the proposed $150 million mixed-use development project in Hardeeville is moving forward with plans to build the commercial structures first.

Gateway Crossing Development Partners announced in October 2011 the project slated for 319 acres off Interstate 95 and Exit 5 on Frontage Road.

Ralph Braden, managing partner of Gateway Crossing Partners, said this week that significant changes were made to how the project would be implemented.

“It’s the same project but how we begin building is now a more feasible plan,” he said. “We will begin more moderate and it will end up the original size eight years later.”

Beginning on U.S. 17 with the development of a grocery store, restaurants and multi-family housing immediately, the single housing development will begin when the demand presents itself, he said.

In September 2012, he partnered with Jim Chaffin and Jim Light to set a new timeline for the project that was expected to provide affordable housing, rental units, a grocery store, medical center and senior living facilities.

Chaffin could not be reached for comment.

“We want to have realistic development and we do it as the demand is there,” Braden said. “We’ve had to re-analyze the project and take it in different steps.”

City Manager Bob Nanni said the city last heard from Gateway Crossing about two months ago before the holidays.

“They partnered with Chaffin, who was going to make changes from the original plan and that they would move earlier on the commercial,” he said.

Braden said they want to make sure the schedule of the project is planned accordingly before presenting to the City Council.

The developers want to use tax increment financing to pay for the development. TIF is a financing method that uses future gains in taxes to finance current improvements.

TIF is a big part of the project and Gateway Crossing cannot happen without the approval of the City Council, Braden said.

“The city will not be at risk, but has to approve it,” he said. “The project takes a lot of careful planning because we want to offer the best quality, but also make it affordable.”

Nanni said the city is in process of putting together a TIF policy and model and will present the policy to City Council in the near future. Previously, the city had no TIF policy.

“It is a major financial decision that should be backed by a policy,” Nanni said. “In terms of numbers, this is the second TIF proposal that is coming before the council. There is Gateway Crossing and another in Okatie. It is simply good financial management to have a policy to guide those decisions.”

Despite the funding issues and finding a suitable building partner, the project of Gateway Crossing continues to move forward. Braden said construction could begin this year. He gave no timeframe to when he would present the revamped project to City Council.

“When go before the council, we want to know exactly what we’re doing and share exactly what they’re going to be a part of,” Braden said.

Enmark Stations Inc. celebrated the grand opening of its newest location at 1283 Highway 21 South in Springfield with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Mayor Barton A. Alderman and several city council members were at hand for the event.

The new Enmark station, located at the site of a former convenience store, has been fully remodeled and features eight gas pumps, two diesel fueling locations, fresh-brewed coffee and other standard convenience store items.

Food items include six flavors of frozen yogurt and freshly prepared food including hot breakfast items, fried chicken, smoked ribs and rotisserie chickens.

“For the past 50 years, Enmark has made customer satisfaction our No. 1 priority,” said Houstoun Demere, Enmark Stations Inc.’s vice president. “We’re excited to continue that tradition with the store in Springfield and look forward to serving the needs of area residents and daily commuters.”

Enmark, which will celebrate its 50-year anniversary in 2013, operates 62 stores in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

Savannah assisted living facilities honored

Four assisted living and Alzheimer’s care facilities in the Savannah area have been recognized by Caring Stars, a national program that recognizes service excellence in assisted living and Alzheimer’s care based on consumer ratings and reviews in the Caring.com Senior Care Directory.

The winning providers represent the top 1.2 percent of the more than 31,000 senior care providers in the United States.

The winners in Savannah are:

• Habersham House, 5200 Habersham St.;

• Savannah Commons Retirement Community, 1 Peachtree Drive;

• Savannah Cottage of Chatham, 11310 White Bluff Road;

• Savannah Square, 1 Savannah Square.

The Caring Stars of 2013 captured the highest possible rating of five stars on Caring.com in reviews from families, seniors and others concerned about assisted living and Alzheimer’s care.

For more information, go to caring.com/bestseniorcare.

Hilton Head restaurant week coming soon

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. — Chamber Restaurant Week, presented by the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, returns to the Lowcountry Jan. 26-Feb. 2.

Modeled after successful restaurant weeks in New York and other cities, the fifth annual Chamber Restaurant Week features more than 50 restaurants with special value-priced menus served only during Chamber Restaurant Week.

Diners will get to pick their favorite dining experience by voting on the website for this year’s Chamber Restaurant Week Champion. Reigning 2012 champion is Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks.

New menus are being added daily at ChamberRestaurantWeek.com. Last year more than 40,000 people visited the Chamber Restaurant Week Web page to view participating restaurants, with links to their prix-fixed menus and valuable menu offers available during Chamber Restaurant Week.

For more information, go to ChamberRestaurantWeek.com.

Savannah firm leads sustainable effort

Savannah-based Trident Sustainability Group has announced a LEED certification for the Mercer University Admissions and Welcome Center in Macon.

The building became Mercer University’s first LEED certified project when it was verified by achieved LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Trident served as the LEED consultant for the project.

The project is a blend of new construction and historic preservation, with the existing building from the late 1800s completely restored and combined with a new addition that showcases 21st century design strategies with 19th century aesthetics.

Sustainable features included a high efficiency, variable speed HVAC system, low flow plumbing fixtures, lighting tied to occupancy sensors and low-emitting finishes used throughout. All stormwater is managed on site, and tree preservation and native landscaping surround the project.

For more information, visit go to tridentsustainability.com.