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Gas South says pay option attracts users
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ATLANTA — Gas South’s pay-as-you-go program is now in its second year and the payment option developed for credit-challenged consumers is growing in popularity.
Even amid signs of a strengthening economy, the recent recession has left many consumers with uncertainty and a renewed commitment to savings. Thousands have turned to Gas South’s pay-as-you-go program for affordable residential natural gas service. More than 12,000 customers are currently enrolled in the program.
“Value, affordability and convenience — these are the reasons pay-as-you-go has proven to be an attractive and valuable option for credit-challenged consumers,” Gas South CEO Kevin Greiner said. “Customers have been very pleased with pay-as-you-go, and it has been gratifying for Gas South to be able to help consumers in Georgia during this difficult time.”
The program was developed for customers who may have recently relocated, lack a credit history or are dealing with financial challenges that prevent them from qualifying for service or paying the deposits required by other natural gas providers. Although the state’s regulated provider is required to offer natural gas service to anyone, regardless of credit history or ability to pay, it too can require large deposits and customers may be affected by rate volatility.
Customers who qualify for Gas South’s pay-as-you-go program are not required to pay any deposit and receive the benefit of more stable rates. In addition, customers who establish a good payment record for 12 consecutive months become eligible to transfer to one of Gas South’s standard plans.
Since the program began in 2008, more than 2,000 customers have been offered the opportunity to switch from pay-as-you-go to one of Gas South’s regular rate plans.
In a survey of pay-as-you-go customers who received service through the program for at least 12 months, nearly 90 percent of respondents reported being very satisfied or satisfied with the voluntary program, and 92 percent said they would recommend it to a friend. In addition, more than one-third of respondents cited the fact that the program requires no deposit as the leading reason for enrolling, followed by 23 percent who cited the program’s low rates, and 21 percent who became Gas South pay-as-you-go customers after being declined for service by another natural gas provider.
“We recognized that historically credit-challenged consumers have been underserved by natural gas providers, and we developed Pay-As-You-Go to offer a valuable option,” Greiner said. “The facts that the program requires no deposit and offers competitive rates continue to be very important for customers who also may have had difficulty qualifying for service or are required to pay a large deposit by other providers.”
Several community service agencies — CredAbility, the Salvation Army, United Way, Society of St. Vincent DePaul and the Atlanta Community Food Bank — have partnered with Gas South to raise awareness of the pay-as-you-go program among the communities they serve.

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Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port
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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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