Center for Rural Entrepreneurship Celebrates Progress

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Many community leaders and officials gathered at the Greater Vidalia Center for Rural Entrepreneurship construction site to celebrate the completion of the facility’s structural steel and wooden framing on Friday, January 19.

The $5,668,860 project is funded through a $4,059,474 Rural Downtown Development Grant, $750,000 of OneGA funds, and a $859,386 local match. Construction began last April and is slated to be completed next year. The Center will house both the Toombs County Development Authority and Greater Vidalia Chamber, and will provide several business incubator spaces, cubicle spaces, and classrooms to provide resources for emerging entrepreneurs.

During the event, attendees were invited to tour the facility’s floor plan as they learned what amenities and spaces the Center will house. At the conclusion of the event, a small ceremony was held. “It is such a pleasure to be able to be in here. This has been a long time coming,” Greater Vidalia Chamber Director of Community Development Ann Owens remarked. “To see everything that is happening is awesome.”

Both chairpersons of the Greater Vidalia Chamber and the Toombs County Development Authority also commented on the event, along with Greater Vidalia Chamber Director of Entrepreneur Development Mandy Britt and Garbutt Construction President Sean Moxley.

“What an exciting time! I just want to take a few minutes and thank Garbutt Construction for its partnership in this whole project. I want to thank Kevin [Palmer] and his firm DPR [Architecture] for working with us to bring our ideas for this building to fruition,” Toombs County Development Authority Chairman Tim Truxel commented.

“This has been years of collaborative work between your Chamber of Commerce, your Development Authority, your elected officials, your local community, and the state of Georgia. That work has happened over many years. It’s just very exciting to see it coming true. It is, in my opinion, the start of the continuation of growth in our local community here in the Greater Vidalia area. I’m just humbled that I have the role in the Development Authority to see it get kicked off,” Truxel said.

He continued, “My vision is that this building is going to cultivate new entrepreneur businesses to continue to grow our local economy, but it’s also here to help existing businesses. It is here to help small businesses in our community that we have right now to get the resources and expertise that they may not have to continue to grow their business. I think if we can get that started, the future is going to be great.”

Truxel also spoke on the financial risk that comes with the investment on the facility. “It’s definitely a risk and we understand that. But those who came before us took risks and laid the foundation for what we are doing now – it is our job to continue that growth, and it takes risks to do that,” he noted.

Greater Vidalia Chamber Chairwoman Stephanie Williams shared her excitement for the structure. “I remember sitting at a chamber meeting and someone said, ‘Well, the foundation is going to look like nothing, but when it gets above the barrier curtain, people are really going to start to take notice and it’s going to get very exciting.’ I have seen that happen. I’ve had lots of questions from community members, so that has given the opportunity to reiterate what’s going on here, and what we’re doing.

“It can be difficult to explain at times, but I do see people catching on to what’s really going on here. So, as this building rises out of the ashes as I like to say, you start seeing the characteristics of it, and people are getting really excited and starting to understand how good this is going to be for our community.”

Williams added, “Every screw and bolt has been budgeted and carefully planned – that’s a process. But, when you’re doing a project like this, it really makes you feel more secure to know that the people you are working with share your vision. Having this here today to show where we’re at and where we’re going is comforting in a project this big, so I’d like to thank Garbutt Construction for that.”

Garbutt Construction President Sean Moxley replied to these remarks, sharing his personal passion for the project. “Construction sites are always a different environment. There’s been a lot of guys who have put in a lot of hard work out here through hot days, cold days, and more to make this happen,” he emphasized.

“[Greater Vidalia Chamber President] Michele [Johnson] brought us on as a partner to make sure this project hopefully will be everything we want it to be. The vast majority of the workforce has been local, and what I’m excited about is the opportunity for all those guys and girls that are out here working to be able to say, ‘I helped with that building.’ I’m thankful to be a part of this.”

He invited attendees to sign one of the steel beams on the second floor of the building, so that their names can be a part of the structure for years to come.

When asked about her thoughts regarding the Center, Greater Vidalia Chamber Director of Entrepreneur Development Mandy Britt commented, “Every morning, I pray over this building because we’ve lost entrepreneurs since the 1960s. Both of my grandfathers were entrepreneurs, but we don’t have that anymore. We have generations of people who don’t know what it is like to be their own boss and to be that pillar of the community that creates jobs for other people.

“I think that this building and effort have a very unique opportunity to build our community through the lives of others. We can help to create a legacy. Once folks get their businesses started, that will be progress that continues through generations of their family. So, I’m so happy and thrilled to be a part of this effort.”

Attendees concluded the event by taking tours of the building and learning more about all the Center would have to offer.

SIGNING THE BEAM – Longtime Greater Vidalia Chamber and Toombs County Development Authority Supporter John Koon signs a steel beam atop the new Greater Vidalia Center for Rural Entrepreneurship construction.