Each year, Georgia Trend magazine develops a list of who its writers and editors consider to be the 100 most influential people in Georgia.
This year’s list, which appears in the magazine’s January edition, includes six Savannah community and business leaders.
In the magazine’s introduction to the list, it reports: “Some of the 100 wield their influence in the limelight; others work behind the scenes. But all of them impact the daily lives of Georgians everywhere.”
Here are the Savannahians who were selected and what Georgia Trend’s writers had to say about them:
Larry Flynn, 62, president, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.
“Flynn is in the pilot’s seat for the aircraft maker, as Gulfstream continues to expand. He also is a vice president of General Dynamics Corp., Gulfstream’s parent company. Flynn, who joined the company in 1995, previously was responsible for the company’s worldwide sales. Gulfstream, which employs nearly 10,000 people along the coast, received Gov. Nathan Deal’s 2014 Georgia Large Manufacturer of the Year Award.”
Curtis Foltz, 54, executive director, Georgia Ports Authority
“Foltz administers a $280 million annual budget and oversees all activity of the deepwater ports of Savannah and Brunswick, as well as inland terminal operations in Bainbridge and Columbus. Foltz has aggressively pursued the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, and his efforts paid off when President Obama signed into law the Water Resources Reform and Development Act in 2014, which authorized the project.”
Todd Groce, 53, president and CEO, Georgia Historical Society
“Groce has been described as one of the country’s leading public history executives. During his tenure, the operating budget has increased from $200,000 to $3 million, the endowment has grown from $1 million to $8 million, and membership tripled from 2,000 to 6,000. The society has also revived the Georgia Trustees, the highest honor the state can confer.”
Edna Branch Jackson, 70, mayor, city of Savannah
“Inducted into the 2014 National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame, Jackson, in 2011, became the first African-American woman elected mayor of Savannah. Prior to that, she served three terms as alderman at large on the city council. A participant in the Civil Rights movement, she first joined the NAACP Youth Council in Savannah at age nine.”
Robert S. Jepson Jr., 72, chairman and CEO, Jepson Associates Inc.
“Jepson completed his second term as chairman of the board of the Georgia Ports Authority in 2014, having guided the agency through the crucial proposed deepening of the Savannah port and phase one of construction. Savannah’s container traffic grew by 13 percent in the third quarter shortly after the deepening project was secured, making it the fastest-growing Atlantic port.”
Page Siplon, 40, executive director, Georgia Centers of Innovation
“As executive director of this arm of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Siplon leads the center’s six strategic industry teams: aerospace, agriculture, energy technology, IT, logistics and manufacturing. He also serves as executive director of the logistics team, which hosts the annual Georgia Logistics Summit. In 2014, the summit hosted 2,300 attendees from 38 states and 11 nations.”
For the complete list of Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians, visit georgiatrend.com.