Appling County Leaders Leave VSU RDI Ready to Establish Community Brand
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A five-member team from Appling County recently attended the Valdosta State University Center for South Georgia Regional Impact Rural Development Institute, a three-day summit designed to help communities across Georgia develop an action plan for rural prosperity.
The Appling County leaders left with a prioritized list of projects and initiatives designed to build a better future for the people who live, work, play, and visit in their community.
“Our team identified the need to establish a community brand that reflects our agricultural roots, along with our strengths in distribution, warehousing, and manufacturing,” shared Matt Carter, president and chief executive officer of the Development Authority of Appling County. “The branding initiative is seen as vital to unifying efforts across the city, county, chamber of commerce, development authority, education, and tourism sectors. Our chamber is organizing a retreat for community leaders aimed at developing comprehensive long-term plans that align with our shared vision for growth and identity.”
To prepare for the RDI, Appling County’s participating economic development, city, county, and community leaders were tasked with using a readiness index to conduct a self-assessment of their recruitment, education, infrastructure, leadership, demographics, and quality of life.
During the summit, they analyzed the results of their self-assessment and worked with a pair of mentors to identify their unique opportunities and challenges, connect with experts and other available resources, build a support network, and develop a roadmap for economic vitality.
“Rural communities and their citizens are integral to Georgia’s economy, culture, and future,” said Darrell Moore, director of VSU’s Center for South Georgia Regional Impact. “Through the RDI, VSU is working to build capacity that encourages the growth and development of rural communities without sacrificing their distinctive rural character.”
Moore said this year’s RDI — VSU’s fourth — offered a program that emphasized experiential learning with a heavy dose of discussion, debate, and teamwork.
Highlights included content experts, professional developers, and consultants delivering interactive and engaging sessions on the elected official’s role in economic development, the current economic environment and future projections, tourism opportunities to generate wealth, leveraging state and federal resources, downtown development strategies, retail as a catalyst for economic growth, how to utilize artificial intelligence in a rural community, building the future workforce through pathways and partnerships, and more.
After each session the Appling County leaders worked with their mentors to reflect on what they had just learned and then talk about how they could implement some of those ideas in their community.
“RDI provided our Appling County team with fresh ideas, from community development to revitalization,” Carter said.
The Baxley-Appling County Chamber of Commerce and Development Authority of Appling County are looking at ways to partner with area schools “to strengthen our workforce,” he added. Local government leaders have partnered with the development authority “to look at developing a new industrial park with county-owned real estate,” he said.
Through experiential learning initiatives at VSU, the Center for Regional Impact will use university faculty, staff, and students to help Appling County implement one or more projects or initiatives from their priority list in the coming months.
“Since the launch of the Rural Development Institute, 25 communities have participated in the program,” Moore noted. “We’ve seen measurable progress in many of the communities as they have implemented strategies learned through RDI. Each community has completed two to three follow-up projects with support from VSU, and several have developed long-term partnerships with us. Many communities are continuing to address local challenges by working with their RDI teams and tackling issues such as workforce development, downtown development, and marketing.”
Based on feedback and comments from participants, presenters, and mentors, VSU’s RDI continues to have a tremendous impact on rural Georgians. As new communities sign up to participate each summer, the university is poised to remain a positive influence on rural growth and opportunity for many years to come.
“The Rural Development Institute empowers rural communities by providing resources, expertise, and mentorship, fostering sustainable development and growth by tapping into resources provided by VSU,” said Scott Purvis, regional economic development manager for Georgia Power and Appling County RDI co-mentor. “Working with Appling County has been incredibly rewarding. The community’s dedication and resilience have led to tangible improvements, and I am excited about their future progress and innovation.”
“The fact that communities desire to participate in RDI is an indication they want to build on their abilities to collaborate and to expand their horizon,” shared Bill Twomey, director of county consulting services with Association County Commissioners of Georgia and Appling County RDI co-mentor. “After experiencing RDI there’s an excitement among the participants to go and do the work it requires to bring about positive changes.”
VSU’s Rural Development Institute is an opportunity for the university to continue supporting the work of the Governor’s Rural Strike Team and provide a positive impact on Georgia’s rural communities.
On the Web: www.valdosta.edu/sgri
Participating Appling County Leaders:
• Matt Carter, president and chief executive officer of the Development Authority of Appling County
• Robin Crosby, chief financial officer of Appling Healthcare
• Reid Lovett, Appling county manager
• Keri Orvin, Baxley city manager
• Bryan Shipes, president and chief executive officer of the Baxley-Appling County Chamber of Commerce
