ATLANTA — The better industry recruiters are at their jobs, the more jobs there will be for the rest of us, according to the new head of the recruiters association.
Kevin Shea may be the new president of the Georgia Economic Developers Association, and he may have just moved here from St. Augustine, Fla., but he’s an old hand at Peach State industrial recruitment. He spent years in both the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce and the Savannah Economic Development Authority and served a term as the association’s volunteer president.
He intends to keep the focus on education, networking and serving as a resource for the more than 700 members across the state who spend their days trying to bring new jobs. And a relatively new goal is working with homegrown companies to add jobs.
“It’s not always easy to figure out what helps small business,” he said.
Like most associations, the developers also want to steer policymakers by providing the perspective of the professionals who deal directly with businesses. After just a few weeks on the job, Shea didn’t have a list of goals for legislators yet but expects to soon.
“We try to work with them on what issues are being brought up,” he said.
The members are pleased to have someone with Shea’s experience and background, according to Walter Sprouse, director of the Augusta Economic Development Authority.
“Kevin Shea is one of the most respected economic developers I know,” Sprouse said. “I came to Augusta, shortly after Kevin left this job and moved to Florida. So, there were definitely big shoes to fill.”
Follow Walter Jones on Twitter @MorrisNews and Facebook or contact him at walter.jones@morris.com.