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While driving down Daniel Siding last week, I came across a young man in the ditch. He was not alone - his car was with him. As I drove by, I noticed that he was just standing there. I expected to see him on a cell phone calling for help. What if he didn’t have a phone? The road leading to Waterford Landing is not the most traveled road in town during the week in the middle of the day. So, I stopped. Sure enough - no phone. I offered my phone so that he could rally reinforcements. Someone was on the way but it would be at least an hour before he could get out there. I made sure the young man was okay and drove on to my original destination in Waterford. I passed back by about 30 minutes later and someone else had stopped with a truck to offer assistance. I love this town.

This muddy ditch experience seemed to have a lot in common with doing business in Bryan County. Most of us have or knows someone who has found themselves stuck in a ditch. Hopefully, we have the resources to pull ourselves out. If not, it sure is helpful when other folks come along and offer a hand. In business, these people can be those that have knowledge, expertise and experience being where you are. They can also be the consumers that support our business. Either way, if these folks don’t know your business is out there, how will they ever know to come on by?

The Richmond Hill Bryan County Business Expo looks to provide another venue in which to bridge that gap. A yearly event, the Business Expo gathers different businesses from around town into one central location and gives the community the opportunity to see what goods and services Bryan County has to offer.

This year’s Expo committee includes Shirley Heagerty, chair, John Reynolds, vice chair and Michelle Englehart, past chair as well as participants of Leadership Bryan County and local business people. The first meeting was full of ideas to create an atmosphere that benefited both business owners and the local consumer. "Our main goal is to introduce or reconnect the community with local businesses," says Shirley.

The Expo boasted 69 businesses last year and over 600 attendees. The attendance has steadily grown over the years. This year, the committee hopes to increase the number of business booths to around 75 to accommodate the interest from businesses to participate. With more businesses participating, it is likely the attendance will follow suit.

The Richmond Hill and Bryan County 2008 Business Expo is scheduled for April 18 and 19 at the Richmond Hill Recreation Center. The Friday event on the 18th is slotted as a business to business gathering. This gives Expo participants an opportunity to view the booths and become better acquainted with other business owners in the area before the general public arrives.

The Saturday event on the 19th is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is open to the public free of charge.

Businesses that wish to participate or individuals who would like to help out can get more information by calling the Chamber of Commerce at 756-3444 or Shirley Heagerty at 756-7113.

April Groves covers all things business for the Bryan County News. You can send press releases, tips, and questions you’d like to answered to agroves@bryancountynews.com.

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Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port
GardenCityTerminal
The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

The Georgia Ports Authority's busiest April ever pushed its fiscal year-to-date totals to more than 3.4 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 8.8 percent, or 280,000 TEUs, compared to the first 10 months of fiscal 2017.

"We're on track to move more than 300,000 TEUs in every month of the fiscal year, which will be a first for the authority," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "We're also anticipating this to be the first fiscal year for the Port of Savannah to handle more than 4 million TEUs."

April volumes reached 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units, up 7.1 percent or 23,700 units. As the fastest growing containerport in the nation, the Port of Savannah has achieved a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 percent a year over the past decade.

"As reported in the recent economic impact study by UGA's Terry College of Business, trade through Georgia's deepwater ports translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater productivity," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "In every region of Georgia, employers rely on the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to help them become more competitive on the global stage."

To strengthen the Port of Savannah's ability to support the state's future economic growth, the GPA Board approved $66 million in terminal upgrades, including $24 million for the purchase of 10 additional rubber-tired gantry cranes.  

"The authority is committed to building additional capacity ahead of demand to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a trusted link in the supply chain serving Georgia and the Southeast," Lynch said.

The crane purchase will bring the fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156 RTGs. The new cranes will support three new container rows, which the board approved in March. The additional container rows will increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah by 150,000 TEUs.

The RTGs will work over stacks that are five containers high and six deep, with a truck lane running alongside the stacks. Capable of running on electricity, the cranes will have a lift capacity of 50 metric tons.

The cranes will arrive in two batches of five in the first and second quarters of calendar year 2019.

 Also at Monday's meeting, the GPA Board elected its officers, with Jimmy Allgood as chairman, Will McKnight taking the position of vice chairman and Joel Wooten elected as the next secretary/treasurer.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.

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