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TODAY'S
ISSUE
Gwinnett wins designation
as entrepreneur-friendly county
By Alison Tyrer
Georgia Department of Economic DevelopmentSpecial
to GwinnettForum.com
DEC. 16, 2005 -- Gwinnett County is the second metro
Atlanta county to join the state's ranks of "entrepreneur-friendly"
communities. This is an official designation indicating Gwinnett
County is developing an environment conducive to small business
and entrepreneurs. Gwinnett is the 13th community in the state
to earn "entrepreneur-friendly" status from the Georgia
Department of Economic Development (GDEcD)'s Entrepreneur and
Small Business Office.
Gov. Sonny Perdue says: "Encouraging and supporting our homegrown
businesses and entrepreneurs will help create quality jobs for
Georgians. By helping local communities support the growth of
small business, we ensure prosperity and opportunity throughout
the state."
An entrepreneur-friendly community must complete a program instituting
guidelines and strategies that build a local environment and culture
to support entrepreneur and small business development. Gwinnett
County also completed a two-day assessment by a review team that
identified strategies to implement entrepreneur and small business
development programs. Additionally, the Gwinnett County Chamber
of Commerce asked local entrepreneurs to evaluate Gwinnett County's
present environment for small businesses.
Of the more than 25,000 business licenses issued by Gwinnett County
in 2004, over 24,000 were for businesses of fewer than 50 employees.
More than 90 percent of Gwinnett's businesses have fewer than
10 employees, whereas the national average is closer to 80 percent.
Stephanie Hopkins, manager of economic development resources,
Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, says: "Entrepreneurs and small
businesses are the economic foundation of Gwinnett County and
have helped to shape and lead the county to where it is today.
We are excited to be a part of Georgia's initiative to create
awareness about the importance of entrepreneurs and small business
to our local economy. By becoming involved with this program,
we were able to identify the multitude of resources that Gwinnett
has to offer entrepreneurs, as well as study our challenges that
exist to further assist small business growth in Gwinnett."
The commissioner of Georgia's Department of Economic Development's
Entrepreneur and Small Business Office, Craig Lesser, says: "Local
economies benefit when they include strategies to encourage and
nurture their small businesses and entrepreneurs. The entrepreneur-friendly
program raises awareness of the issue and helps communities fully
integrate these businesses into their plans for growth."
Gwinnett County has taken a proactive approach to sustaining its
many and diverse small businesses, adds Chris Clark, chairman
of the Georgia Entrepreneur and Small Business Coordinating Network
and GDEcD's deputy commissioner of Global Commerce. "We congratulate
the community for taking the steps necessary to ensure its small
businesses will thrive and thus play an active part in Gwinnett
County's significant and fast-paced growth."
The Georgia Department of Economic Development is the state's
sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business
investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and
small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting
tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for
film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing
state resources for economic development. For more information,
visit www.georgia.org. More information about the Entrepreneur
Friendly program for Georgia's communities is available by visiting
http://www.georgia.org/Business/SmallBusiness/programs.htm.
* * * * *
Here are the current entrepreneur-friendly communities,
other than Gwinnett: Ashburn-Turner County; Adel-Cook County;
Valdosta-Lowndes County; Douglas-Coffee County; Fannin County;
Toombs County; Montgomery County; Tattnall County; Rockdale County;
Miller County; Albany-Dougherty County, and Thomaston-Upson County
ELLIOTT
BRACK
Georgia Baptist Convention will make Gwinnett
its home
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher
GwinnettForum.com
DEC. 16, 2005 -- Gwinnett will become home of the Georgia Baptist
Convention about mid year in 2006. The denomination headquarters
will move from its present location in DeKalb County adjacent
to Mercer University/Atlanta to its new campus on 40 acres on
the north side of Sugarloaf Parkway, literally across the parkway
from the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. The site is very convenient,
a half mile off Interstate 85.
It is a prime location.
With the move to Gwinnett, the county will chalk up the approximately
200 jobs that the convention provides. Officials picked the Gwinnett
site after studying the location of homes of its present work
force, with many presently living in Gwinnett.
The handsome new building and land will cost $43.5 million. The
building is about six months from completion and will be set in
a wooded site. A 55 foot aluminum cross will be a feature of a
two acre lake in front of the building, and will be lighted at
night.
The building will be of classical design of brick and limestone
and has four stories, plus a basement. Trees were left on the
front of the site, partially shielding the building from Sugarloaf
Parkway. Altogether, the facility will have 155,000 square feet.
It is designed by the Gainesville architectural firm of Smallwood,
Reynolds, Stewart and Stewart. The general contractor is Brasfield
and Gorrie of Birmingham. Jim Seibert and Son of Gwinnett are
the developers of the project.
An
illuminated cross will be
in front of the building. |
Dr. Mike Williams, assistant executive director of the Convention,
who is vice president for operations, says that there will "be
nothing like it" in Baptist circles. It will exceed other
state conventions, "Not only in size, but the features in
the building. It will be far more than the other state facilities
to look at and enjoy." While the exterior of the new Baptist
headquarters is now being finalized, another six months of work
remains on the interior of the building.
The Baptist Convention is expected to vacate their present building
and move into their new facility in May or June, 2006. Their current
building will become a part of the Mercer/Atlanta campus.
All the departments of the convention, Sunday school, music,
ministry, The Christian Index, etc., will be housed in the building.
There will also be a Harvard-style classroom, and one large meeting
room to seat up to 300, and a chapel seating 25. The entire building
will be wired with the most modern tele-communications facilities.
As Dr. Williams says, the building will be "a missions and
ministry center, where the collected work of the Georgia Baptists
will be managed. A museum of Baptists artifacts will set forth
the history of the convention from 1822 until now, and will have
interactive video displays, and the most modern equipment. Part
of the building will house the convention's Archives.
This
is the artist's conception of the
Reception area of the building. |
At the entrance of the building will be a colonnade of flags,
showing every country where Georgia Baptists support missionaries.
There will also be an Old Testament covenant in the hallway entrance,
and the first duplication of the Roy Moore Ten Commandments monument.
The building will have a commercial kitchen capable of producing
food for 300-400 people.
Dr. Williams adds: "We think it will be an attraction that
people will want to visit, having people in here from all over
the state." Tours of the building are anticipated.
* * * * *
The arrival of the Georgia Baptist Convention in Gwinnett will
mean the addition of another major denomination to the line-up
of churches with major offices in the county. Already located
in here is the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist
Church, which has its offices in Peachtree Corners, and has 44
employees on its payroll there. In addition, its Simpsonwood Conference
Center has about 20 employees on its staff. The national headquarters
of the Presbyterian Church in America, which also has about 200
employees, is located also in the Sugarloaf area, on North Brown
Road.
ABOUT
OUR SPONSORS
 The
public spiritedness of our sponsors allows us to bring GwinnettForum.com
to you at no cost to readers. Today's sponsor is the Aurora
Theatre, Gwinnett County's First Choice for Professional Theatrical
Entertainment. The theatre is located in historic downtown Duluth
and is committed to producing quality, professional theatre for
all of North Georgia. Now featured Hometown Holidays Christmas
Canteen, a delightful holiday show being performed for the 10h
season. To purchase individual tickets, season tickets or for
more information, visit their website at www.auroratheatre.com
or call 770-476-7926.
For a list of other sponsors of this forum, go to: http://www.gwinnettforum.com/about/sponsors.htm
McLEMORE'S
WORLD
12/16: Sofa scrooge
The latest from cartoonist Bill McLemore:
FEEDBACK
12/16: Recent bills
mean that USA needs to get priorities in order
Editor, the Forum:
With the U. S. House of Representatives passing $56 billion in
new tax breaks targeted overwhelmingly to the wealthiest Americans,
and $50 billion in cuts to programs that help struggling working
families, it's clear the leadership's priorities are out of touch
with ordinary Americans.
Our nation is struggling with the fallout from natural disasters.
We're worried about the threat of terrorism. Our federal debt
is spiraling ever deeper. And working families are struggling
with falling wages, rising fuel costs and out-of-reach health
care. Now more than ever, it's important to keep our priorities
clear and pursue an agenda that helps working families instead
of punishing them. It amounts to class warfare with taxes.
-- Ralph Greene, Snellville
12/16: Johnny Lawler
in Norcross announces retirement
(Editor's Note: Announcing his retirement this
week, longtime Norcross employee Johnny Lawler sent out this
notice. We thought many people in Gwinnett would like to read
this notice. -eeb)
Dear Colleagues and Friends:
After 31 years of serving the Citizens of Norcross, I am retiring
on January1, 2006. I am very proud of how Norcross has developed
during these years.
I first worked for Norcross during high school in 1968-69 and
then came back in 1974. That means I have worked in five different
decades, two different centuries and two different millenniums.
That's a long time.
When I first started there were no elevators (to my knowledge)
in Gwinnett County. Now we have two elevators in City Hall. The
closest restaurant to Norcross was in Duluth at the Dutch Mill,
and the closest fast food restaurant was the Dairy Queen on Buford
Highway. Now, our historic downtown is like a food Court, and
we have a much-welcomed parking problem.
After answering tens of thousands of questions I still get surprised.
Just last week I was asked if the zoning ordinance would allow
a "helicopter pad in my yard." I will not reminisce
further rather I will take this opportunity to thank you for all
your help, patience, support and encouragement over these years.
Please contact Maggie Cofer (mcofer@norcross-ga-gvt.com)
for assistance in the new year.
God bless you all,
Johnny Lawler
UPCOMING
Aurora Theatre adds
another performance for holidays
With the tremendous popularity of Hometown Holidays, Christmas
Canteen 2005, the 10th Anniversary celebration of Christmas Canteen's
past, Aurora Theatre has added another performance. It will be
Tuesday, December 20, at 8 p.m. All this weekend's performances
are sold out, with limited availability for next week. Artistic
Director Anthony Rodriquez says: "We are adding this show
to accommodate others who want to share in the joy of the season
here at Aurora Theatre. If you call right away for Tuesday evening
you have a great shot at getting prime seating." For reservations,
call 770.476.7926, or go online at www.auroratheatre.com.
NOTABLE
County seeks input on change to clean indoor
air rules
There's still time to weigh in on what you think of the proposed
amendments to Gwinnett County's Clean Indoor Air Ordinance. Commissioners
are seeking public input before making a decision. Residents may
complete a brief online survey at the County's official website,
www.gwinnettcounty.com
through midnight, December 18.
The changes to the ordinance would further define a private club
in order to reduce the likelihood that a private club exemption
could be abused; clarify that temporary walls on smoking patios
are prohibited; and clarify that a business owner can be subject
to penalties for violations.
County Administrator Jock Connell says: "Extending the survey
period will give residents ample opportunity to voice their opinions
about the ordinance changes the Board of Commissioners will consider
after the first of the year." The survey consists of three
questions and the opportunity to comment. The questions are:
1. Do you support an amendment to the Clean Indoor Air Ordinance
that would define a private club as "a facility owned or
operated by a non-profit fraternal order or civic organization
that contains at least 75 members who pay dues and select the
directors?"
2. Do you support an amendment to the Clean Indoor Air Ordinance
that would define an enclosed area as "all space between
a floor and ceiling enclosed on all sides by solid walls, windows,
temporary side curtains, or other temporary materials?"
3. Do you support an amendment to the Clean Indoor Air Ordinance
that would hold the business owner responsible for ordinance
violations?
RECOMMENDATION
- An invitation: What
Web sites, books or restaurants have you enjoyed? Send us your
best recent visit to a restaurant or most recent book you have
read along with a short paragraph as to why you liked it, plus
what book you plan to read next. --eeb
GEORGIA
TIDBIT
Erskine Caldwell's early success depicts
life in the South
Over the course of a long career, Erskine
Caldwell (1903-1987) wrote 12 books of nonfiction, 25 novels,
and nearly 150 short stories. Profoundly influenced by his father,
a minister and social reformer, he was intent on depicting life
among the lowly in Georgia and the rest of the South. His concern
for the less fortunate, poor whites and blacks, shines in his
great novels and short stories of the 1930s. This concern also
permeates the strongest writing of his later years, his nonfiction
works of the 1960s.
Caldwell |
Caldwell broke into print as a student at the University of Virginia
with an essay entitled "The Georgia Cracker" (1926),
which contained many of the themes that he later treated in fiction:
political demagoguery, racial injustice, orgiastic religion, cultural
sterility, and social irresponsibility.
Included among the 100 most significant novels in English of
the 20th century, Tobacco Road (1932) describes the body-breaking
and soul-numbing effects of poverty among Georgia's tenant farmers
during the Great Depression, a description leavened by Caldwell's
dark humor. God's Little Acre (1933) portrays the abuse of southern
industrial workers and the disintegration of a family, both of
which are emphasized by a raw rendition of sex.
After the great work of the 1930s, Caldwell's fiction declined
significantly. The beginning of the decline coincided with the
death of his father, who had been a steady and enthusiastic source
of support and encouragement. The turmoil of his personal life
also took its toll. Moreover, he believed that the optimal powers
of a creative writer lasted only 10 years.
Although Caldwell settled outside of Georgia shortly before he
was 25, he paid extended visits to his parents in Wrens for as
long as they lived there. Later, he returned to Georgia and other
southern states on numerous occasions. Though he lived much of
his life outside the South, the region stayed on his mind and
figured prominently in most of his writing. Nostalgia for his
native Georgia found expression when he reached his 60's. As he
wrote Governor Lester Maddox with an ironic twist in 1967, "I
like to think that I am as much a Georgian as B'rer Rabbit."
A month before his death on April 11, 1987, Peachtree Publishers
in Atlanta issued his final book, an autobiography entitled With
All My Might . It is supremely fitting that his farewell was published
in his native Georgia, a place that had supplied such rich material
about the poor people whose lives he sought to improve.
THOUGHT
OF THE DAY
What all the armies
find most difficult to overcome
"There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the
world; and that is an idea whose time has come."
-- Author Victor Hugo, (1802-1885), novelist, poet, and
dramatist, via Roy McCreary, Dacula.
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