Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed cut right to the chase.
“I know a lot of you are worried because you didn’t get what you were expecting (for harbor deepening) in the president’s budget proposal,” he told the sold-out crowd of more than 750 gathered Thursday for the Savannah Economic Development Authority’s annual luncheon.
“I’m here to tell you don’t be concerned a bit,” he said. “This is going to happen. We’re doing things in an orderly fashion, and we’re making real progress.”
In the last year, Reed said, the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project has received more than 100 approvals across four different federal departments.
“Now the Water Resource Development Act, currently in the House, contains language to authorize the spending levels needed,” he said. “When that goes through, you’re going to see things move quickly.”
Reed said he spent about four hours with President Obama when he came to Atlanta recently.
“I was ready to bring up the issue, but I didn’t have to,” he said. “The president brought it up himself, specifically mentioning the Port of Savannah.”
Reed, a Democrat, recalled going to Washington several years ago with then-Georgia Ports chairman Steve Green, a Republican, to talk about harbor deepening. When people in the administration got past the fact they were on the same page, they wondered what concern the mayor of Atlanta had with a port in Savannah.
“I told them it was simple,” he said. “I get it.”
Now, a lot other people are starting to get it as well, he said.
“With Atlanta’s world class airport and Savannah’s world class port, Georgia has the potential to become the logistics hub of the Western Hemisphere,” Reed said, noting that, as more obstacles are overcome, that vision comes closer to reality.
“So don’t be discouraged,” he said. “Let’s not get tired and miss the moment, y’all.
“This new spirit of cooperation over conflict will do more to end the notion of two Georgias than anything else.
“And always know you have a friend in me.”
SEDA’s year
Before Reed spoke, SEDA board chairman David Paddison recapped the year, noting that the most significant change was the unanimous appointment of Trip Tollison as president and CEO.
“Trip is absolutely the right person for the job and we feel fortunate that he has agreed to lead us into the future,” Paddison said.
As for the year’s accomplishments, Paddison announced the business retention team broke a SEDA record with 101 visits to existing industry.
“There is a tremendous amount of follow-up work that goes along with each meeting, sometimes going on for months. With only 252 working days a year, that is an astonishing number. And they are on track to break that in 2013,” he said.
The business attraction team worked on 58 new projects that lead to 11 announcements and expansions in 2012. Those were Arizona Chemical, Dollar Tree, Gulf States Cold Storage, Great Dane Trailers headquarters, JodyJazz, K-Machine, LMI Savannah, N.E.T., Nordic Logistics and Pallet Consultants.
In late 2012, the authority launched SEDA Innovations, an effort to attract capital investment to the region, Paddison said. And, on the workforce front, SEDA has joined with the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce and the United Way to commission a workforce study that will identify strengths, weaknesses and shortfalls.
The World Trade Center Savannah, an affiliate of SEDA, had an active first year, said Scott Center, vice chairman of the new organization.
“Our team has hosted 49 international delegates from 17 nations, created 11 customized country and industry reports for businesses and government partners and completed in-depth research to determine five target countries and five countries of interest for our proactive marketing and sales efforts in 2013,” Center said.
“We’ve also organized and participated in 14 educational programs, many of them sold out well in advance.”
Paddison noted that, while a lot had been accomplished in the past year, there is more to be done.
“It’s an exciting time to be part of SEDA,” he said. “It’s an exciting time to be in Savannah and part of the greater region. And, as I take my last turn as chairman, I’m more confident than ever about the future of SEDA and our area.”