Golden Isles + Georgia Power

Read the full interview here:

Vanessa: Hi, my name is Vanessa Wagner. I work with Georgia Power Community and Economic Development.

McKenzie: And I'm McKenzie Padgett, director of Business Development for the Golden Isles Development Authority here in Glenn County.

Vanessa: We are sitting in Historic Brunswick, Georgia - the Golden Isles and Brunswick is still my home in Georgia, and really is the reason I'm in Georgia in the first place. I came down here to support the development authority and actually had the role McKenzie used to have. Part of that role means going out to the community and educating them on the opportunities to work with industry, making sure that you're talking to educational partners about what careers are out there. And letting them know what economic development is because a lot of folks aren't familiar with our industry, and that's how I met Mackenzie. I was presenting in your class during the pandemic, right?

McKenzie: Yes. So, I am a graduate from the College of Coastal Georgia. It was my senior year. It was during the pandemic. Vanessa came in via Teams and spoke about her job. She spoke about everything economic development within the community. I was already interested in economic development, but she really sealed the deal for me. Shortly after that, I requested to have an internship with the Chamber of Commerce here and the rest is history. I fell in love with everything economic development. I was with the Chamber for two years and then Vanessa moved on to new things, so her position opened up. I already knew the team with the Golden Isles Development Authority, so I applied and kept my fingers crossed for about two months. It's very stressful....but I landed the job, and I'll never do anything else. This is where my heart is, so thank you.

Vanessa: You're welcome! I had only learned about this story recently from Mackenzie where we both been on the advisory board for the Lucas Entrepreneurship Center, and Mackenzie was that's where we met first and where she'd been inspired. And I think that's such a great story because in economic development, a lot of times you really never know the impact you're having. You might be able to report jobs created or capital investment, see the grand opening signs, but to know the individuals you're reaching and inspiring in the community. I mean when you shared that with me, that gave me all the feels, and teary eyes, to be honest!

McKenzie: It was a great moment. And that's why we do what we do. We want to help our community, let them know about opportunities, and make sure that they're in the right place at the right time. Absolutely.

Vanessa: And increase the quality of life and the lives of others. I had never heard of Brunswick, Georgia until I found the position I applied for. This was a community that was right on the cusp of something special happening. And you've seen it, I mean, right down the main street, you don't see a lot of vacancies any longer. You see beautiful facilities, like we are here at H2O Creative Group. You've got these creative classes coming in, you've got new markets. What else are you seeing down here in Brunswick?

McKenzie: Restaurants for one, which we're really excited about! One is rooftop fine dining and the other is an expansion actually from St. Simon's Island. Really fun Tex-Mex place. Schroeder's Market is another one. So we're seeing grocery stores that really cater to farm to table and we have a new makerspace downtown as well. There's really exciting stuff happening here in the downtown area. We're really lucky to have investors who see the potential of downtown and invest in these structures and buildings. And I love too that they're keeping the historic personalities of these buildings as well. Yeah, it's exciting to see, exciting to be a part of.

Vanessa: It certainly is. One thing about the Golden Isles - it's been a well known vacation destination for so many years. But there's such a vibrant mix of industry off the islands. You also have the quality of life down here at Historic Brunswick, the walkable community, live music on Fridays...When I first moved here I said, there really is something for everyone in the Golden Islands, and I still believe that to be true.

McKenzie: It's a really great place to attract workforce as well. The prime age labor force of 25 to 55, they want that downtown feel. They want the mom and pop shops. They want a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. So being able to facilitate that, we're also helping drive this labor force to the area. It's really exciting. This is all ripple effect, right? This is why I love economic development. You make one small change and it just ripples throughout community. It's incredible.

Vanessa: And if you're looking for a job in this area, you can go to keepglynn running.com, which aggregates all of the local job postings in one location, so it's really easy to find all of the opportunities.

McKenzie: Yes! And Vanessa started that site. I've had to change very little, so thank you for that. And it's a great tool to use to attract individuals to the area for great work opportunities.

Vanessa has not stopped supporting the community since her new role - she's now chairing for the Lucas Center of Entrepreneurship. The Lucas Center has seen tremendous growth over the past year. Most of that is due to Ande, who is the president, and we work alongside her. She came to visit me a couple months ago and said, I need help, things are going so well but it was super busy. So we came up with the idea for an advisory board. I immediately thought of Vanessa because of her experience in entrepreneurial ecosystems and strengthening those ecosystems, and her experience in marketing, which is something else that the Lucas Center needs. So being able to partner with Vanessa and Georgia Power and kind of tap into those resources has been tremendous.

It's such of a mix of friendship and a professional relationship. A few minutes ago we were talking about mentors and how important it is to have a mentor, or be a mentor, or both. And Vanessa has certainly been that for me. I'm going to make her cry again.

Vanessa: You are! But really, when your product is the place you live and call home, what better opportunity than to sell the place you love? I'm very excited about being able to work with McKenzie and community again in that advisory role at The Lucas Center. Our team at Georgia Power really is available for anything partners need, whether it's help with an RFI, site plans, research. So the possibilities are almost endless, but that's what we're there to do. We're there to be that friend for our communities and ensure that they have the resources they need to wow the prospects and help other businesses called Georgia. And the level of partnership between all the Georgia groups is amazing.

McKenzie: I have to say I've certainly seen that not just with utility partners, but with the state development project managers. I have been welcomed with open arms. I was new and it never felt awkward. Now I go to a conference and I feel like we've been lifelong friends. I mean, there is incredible support from the state level.

Vanessa: It's so important that when women or other diverse audiences are entering the field that we welcome them and understand how important it's to have those voices speaking on behalf of their companies. I am your biggest cheerleader, Mackenzie, and I am so proud of where you are today. I look forward to many more years of friendship and growing our community together.