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Mediation center gets new leadership
Jill Cheeks - Executive Director
Jill Cheeks is the new executive director of the Mediation Center. - photo by Photo provided.

The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire has unveiled plans and initiatives under new leadership as it marks 31 years of cutting the emotional and financial costs of disputes for people throughout the region.

New Executive Director Jill Cheeks has been appointed to lead the center. As a Georgia registered civil, domestic and domestic violence mediator with more than 25 years of experience, she brings a collaborative spirit to the organization.

"I am very excited about our plans for the Mediation Center, which we’ll continue to roll out over the next few months, including new branding, website and printed materials; fundraising initiatives; services and programs," Cheeks said. "I am honored to be a part of guiding this organization into the future as we build on the vital role The Mediation Center has played in the Coastal Empire over the last three decades."

She has supported a number of Savannah nonprofits, such as the Savannah Children’s Choir and the Creative Coast, since moving here three years ago. Her leadership style includes empowering staffs, community outreach to create key partnerships and quality service to clients and stakeholders.

Cheeks said she is passionate about educating youth to manage conflict and expanding youth programs provided by the center.

She is responsible for launching the center’s new workplace programs, which complement the existing range of services. These new programs are tailored to meet the specific needs of each organization and focus on meeting facilitation and resolving workplace conflict.

Information about this brand-new program is available by contacting info@mediationsavannah.com or calling 912-354-6686.

The center, established in 1986, is a nonprofit organization that provides education, training and programs and is dedicated to providing and promoting methods other than litigation for settling disputes.

The center relies upon a volunteer board of directors and mediators who have experience in business, law, real estate, social work, education and many other areas. All mediators are registered with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution, under the Supreme Court of Georgia, and they attend annual in-service trainings.

For more information about the center visit www.mediationsavannah.com and follow on Facebook and Twitter.

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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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