Savannah Economic Development Authority Contributes to Technology Association of Georgia’s Economic Gardening Program

SAVANNAH, GA – September 27, 2010 – The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) today announced that the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) has pledged $15,000 to the Economic Gardening program in the Coastal Georgia Economic Development District. This contribution is in addition to the $100,000 investment TAG has brought to the region to spur job creation by meeting the needs of entrepreneurs with innovative business support services. Funded in part by a grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) the program will focus on enabling second-stage companies to scale business activity for sustainable growth.

“We are proud to support TAG in their efforts to grow our economy from within,” said Lynn Pitts, president of SEDA. “By providing our entrepreneurs with access to information and decision-making tools typically only available to larger companies, this program will accelerate the maturity of those early-stage companies and allow them to increase their workforces as their businesses grow. This program is a perfect complement to other valuable business support and referral services in the area like UGA’s Small Business Development Center, the Small Business Assistance Corporation, SCORE, the City’s Economic Development Office and The Creative Coast, to name just a few. ”

“TAG is grateful to SEDA for this substantial commitment to the economic gardening program,” said Tino Mantella, president of TAG. “Their contribution is a testament to the importance of cultivating growth companies in the region to take them to the next level.”

The Economic Gardening program offers an array of services including market research provided by Chris Gibbons, the pioneer of the Economic Gardening methodology, and his team of specialized research analysts. Other offerings include staffing assessments, peer-to-peer learning, competitive analysis and GIS data. Currently, only businesses in the Coastal Georgia Economic Development District qualify for the free services. These counties are Byran, Bulloch, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, and Screven.

More information about TAG’s Economic Gardening program is available at www.GAgrow.com.

About The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)
TAG is a leading technology industry association dedicated to the promotion and economic advancement of the state's technology industry. TAG provides leadership in driving initiatives in the areas of policy, capital, education and giving, and also brings the technology community together through events, initiative programs and networking opportunities. TAG serves as an umbrella organization for 27 special interest groups, or societies, including Women in Technology (WIT). Additionally, TAG’s charitable arm, the TAG Education Collaborative, is focused on helping science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education initiatives thrive. For more information visit the TAG website at www.tagonline.org or TAG’s community website at www.TAGthink.com.

Contact:
Lisa Ballard
Director, Economic Gardening
Technology Association of Georgia
75 Fifth Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30308
912-220-1179
lisa@tagonline.com

Katie Dye
Director, Marketing and Public Relations
Savannah Economic Development Authority
912-447-8450
kdye@seda.org

This release was published on openPR.