Columbus or Savannah, GA? (Atlanta, Statesboro: how much, home builder, buy)

[Columbusattorney]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

I've worked in the airline industry for 20+ years. Why should I be familiar with the financial world?

Good point.

[KingChile]

Columbus is a **** hole.

(1) People are very uneducated and rude.

(2) People are close minded and don't even seem to speak English. Go visit the Southside while you're there and you'll see what I mean.

(3) Not enough to do for families. That's why the younger crowd gets into so much trouble. Visit the Columbus newspaper site (ledger-enquirer) and read about all of the violence in Columbus.

(4) Once again, there is reverse racism. If you're not the right color you get treated like ****.

[Columbusattorney]

Originally Posted by KingChile

Columbus is a **** hole.

(1) People are very uneducated and rude.

(2) People are close minded and don't even seem to speak English. Go visit the Southside while you're there and you'll see what I mean.

(3) Not enough to do for families. That's why the younger crowd gets into so much trouble. Visit the Columbus newspaper site (ledger-enquirer) and read about all of the violence in Columbus.

(4) Once again, there is reverse racism. If you're not the right color you get treated like ****.

To be honest,a lot of this rings true.
I think it is all about to come to a head in the Columbus area as desperation sets in.
Boredom and poverty breed hatred and violence...

[ATLCOL1]

Columbus Economy to Improve at End of 2009

From the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business Economic Luncheon in Columbus

The Columbus and Georgia economies are going to get worse before they get better, economic experts said Friday. “Dreadful” and “grim” were some of the adjectives tossed out to describe what they say will be a bruising first half of 2009.

But prospects for the area should improve slowly in the second half of the year, they said. Improvement is expected to become more dramatic heading into 2010 as local economic expansion kicks into high gear.

“Today’s big news is that we are approaching a turning point,” Robert Sumichrast, dean of the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business, told several hundred community and business leaders gathered Friday at the Columbus Convention & Trade Center.


The turning point, he said, should come sometime in the third quarter of this year if the credit markets thaw as expected.

“I know it doesn’t feel like it, but you need to prepare — right now — to take advantage of the economic recovery that is on the way,” Sumichrast said.

A year ago, the business dean predicted a 50 percent chance of a recession hitting Georgia in 2008. Economists say the U.S. economy has been in recession since December 2007, starting with the subprime mortgage fiasco.

Then Wall Street spiraled out of control over the summer. That generated a crisis and drained the lifeblood out of consumer confidence, prompting Americans as a whole to tighten their purse strings.
“The aftershocks of the financial panic will continue to be felt,” Sumichrast said. “People and companies have lost assets. Many are truly less well off.”

There will be a total of 175,000 job losses in Georgia as the recession unfolds, according to data crunched by UGA’s Selig Center for Economic Growth. That compares to 150,000 job losses during the 2001 recession.

“The main reason job losses won’t be worse is that many businesses entered this recession with very lean staffing,” the dean said.

The Columbus area, however, is much better positioned than most communities and regions in the state and nationally, said Jeff Humphreys, an economist and Selig Center director.

Opportunities to come

He pointed specifically to the major expansion taking place at Fort Benning over the next several years. The U.S. Army is moving its Armor Center from Fort Knox, Ky., to the post, where it will be blended with the Infantry School to become the Maneuver Center for Excellence.
The center is mandated to be open by September 2011, with an additional 28,000 or more people — soldiers, civilian employees and family members — living in the community. The post also expects to train 30,000 additional students.

“Since most of those folks will not be living on the base itself, the demand for housing and services in the community will soar,” Humphreys said. That should create at least 6,000 more jobs off post.

Fred Green, chairman of the Fort Benning Futures Partnership, said the financial impact of the Base Realignment and Closure expansion keeps growing, and nothing will stop it.

“BRAC will occur. BRAC’s happening now,” he said. “It took the Congress of the United States to approve it, and it will take the Congress of the United States to change it. Even with the new administration, BRAC will continue as planned.”

Green suggested the “once in a lifetime” project, now pegged at $3.5 billion, should be renamed BRAG instead of BRAC — meaning base realignment and growth.

“With the softness in the economy throughout the world, throughout our country and certainly within our state, our region certainly does have a lot to brag about,” he said.

The Kia automotive plant being built in West Point, Ga., about 45 minutes north of Columbus, also is a major factor regionally, Humphreys said. The factory, scheduled to open in late 2009, will employ more than 2,500. That number should top 6,000 with auto plant suppliers factored in.
Spinoff jobs from Kia could be impressive, the economist said.

He ran a computer simulation last month and found the auto company could generate nearly 14,000 jobs, including employment created by support businesses servicing new residents of the area.

“All of the stars are lining up for a vigorous expansion in the Columbus region that will begin late in 2009 and continue through mid-2012,” Humphreys said.

Future looks bright for Columbus!!!!!!!!!!!

[ATLCOL1]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

I've worked in the airline industry for 20+ years. Why should I be familiar with the financial world?

Then don't make comments on something you know nothing about

[Columbusattorney]

Originally Posted by ATLCOL1

Columbus Economy to Improve at End of 2009

From the University of Georgia’s Terry College of Business Economic Luncheon in Columbus


Future looks bright for Columbus!!!!!!!!!!!

This report is just a rehash of his feel good predictions he gives at luncheons everywhere he goes....just google it
They just keep moving the dates forward by a year or two hoping it will finally happen.
My question is if they are so smart and up on economic issues in the state why did they not see the writing on the wall that thousands of georgians could plainly see happening in sales and employment 2-3 years ago.

This post also makes Atlcol1 look like a fool as you can go back over his previous discussions on BRAC where he claims 40k plus were coming to the city whereas his above post says only 28k.
No credibility..

[Columbusattorney]

Originally Posted by ATLCOL1

Then don't make comments on something you know nothing about

You may want to look in the mirror......

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by ATLCOL1

Then don't make comments on something you know nothing about

Context, my friend. Context.

The list of companies that I was responding to were presented to us as though they were generally well-known or even famous for some reason.

If they actually were well-known, however, I would think that knowledge of them wouldn't be limited just to finance industry insiders.

Right?

Besides, companies like "Carmike Cinemas" and "Char-Broil" don't cound particularly financial in nature to me, and I've still not heard of 'em (except in this thread) after 46 years on this planet. Must not be so important outside of your area.

I come from the Twin Cities -- I'm sure you're heard of companies based there like Best Buy, Target, General Mills, Northwest Airlines, Pillsbury, and 3M. Those are corporate names that carry a certain amount of clout nationwide... Not to mention Cargill, United HealthGroup, US Bancorp, The Travelers Companies, Inc, Supervalu, etc.

If Atlanta doesn't particularly impress me (it's roughly on par at best with my somewhat smaller hometown when it comes to companies based there), then why should I be impressed with the smaller cities in this state? Heck, even the second-tier cities in MN have things like the Mayo Clinic, Hormel, and the Duluth Curling Club at the DECC.

[Columbusattorney]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

Context, my friend. Context.

The list of companies that I was responding to were presented to us as though they were generally well-known or even famous for some reason.

If they actually were well-known, however, I would think that knowledge of them wouldn't be limited just to finance industry insiders.

Right?

Besides, companies like "Carmike Cinemas" and "Char-Broil" don't cound particularly financial in nature to me, and I've still not heard of 'em (except in this thread) after 46 years on this planet. Must not be so important outside of your area.

I come from the Twin Cities -- I'm sure you're heard of companies based there like Best Buy, Target, General Mills, Northwest Airlines, Pillsbury, and 3M. Those are corporate names that carry a certain amount of clout nationwide... Not to mention Cargill, United HealthGroup, US Bancorp, The Travelers Companies, Inc, Supervalu, etc.

If Atlanta doesn't particularly impress me (it's roughly on par at best with my somewhat smaller hometown when it comes to companies based there), then why should I be impressed with the smaller cities in this state? Heck, even the second-tier cities in MN have things like the Mayo Clinic, Hormel, and the Duluth Curling Club at the DECC.

Rofl....great post.

[ATLCOL1]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

Context, my friend. Context.

The list of companies that I was responding to were presented to us as though they were generally well-known or even famous for some reason.

If they actually were well-known, however, I would think that knowledge of them wouldn't be limited just to finance industry insiders.

Right?

Besides, companies like "Carmike Cinemas" and "Char-Broil" don't cound particularly financial in nature to me, and I've still not heard of 'em (except in this thread) after 46 years on this planet. Must not be so important outside of your area.

I come from the Twin Cities -- I'm sure you're heard of companies based there like Best Buy, Target, General Mills, Northwest Airlines, Pillsbury, and 3M. Those are corporate names that carry a certain amount of clout nationwide... Not to mention Cargill, United HealthGroup, US Bancorp, The Travelers Companies, Inc, Supervalu, etc.

If Atlanta doesn't particularly impress me (it's roughly on par at best with my somewhat smaller hometown when it comes to companies based there), then why should I be impressed with the smaller cities in this state? Heck, even the second-tier cities in MN have things like the Mayo Clinic, Hormel, and the Duluth Curling Club at the DECC.

Wow, what do the "Twin Cities" have anything to do with Columbus? As for Atlanta, the Twin Cities are not even close when it comes to corporate HQ's. Delta bought NorthWest and took your HQ and put it in Atlanta. Best Buy just fired 500 corporate workers in your town. If you would like a list of what is based in Atlanta I will be happy to tell you.