Statesboro Magazine Jan/Feb 2017

January February 2017

Priceless

The Blue Mile Road to Success

Buongiorno!

A Single Thread

The Spider’s Web

Sister City Monte Compatri

All About Bulloch

A quick guide to finding your bank’s decision makers.

Dwayne Rocker FMB Chief Financial Officer

Brett Morgan Cliff Wildes FMB Senior VP Business Banking NMLS#849139

Farmers & Merchants Bank Main Street • Brannen Street • Brooklet

NMLS#498426 LDP-3066-16

2 • Statesboro Magazine

FMB President

Anna W. Swicord FMB Chief Lending Officer NMLS#514322

Brannen G. Smith FMB Vice President NMLS#1535827

Trish Tootle FMB Senior Vice President

Sure, you love your Bulloch bankers. We do, too.

But honestly, can your Bulloch bankers make local decisions—or do they have to ask out of town?

Only FMB decides locally on policies, procedures and loans for Bulloch people. Local bank, local decisions, since 1948: that’s how FMB is truly here for you.

www.FMBnk.com

912-489-2600

We make appointments available fast.

Looking for a doctor who can see you quickly? We can help! At East Georgia Primary Care, we treat adults, providing preventive care, treating routine illnesses and helping patients manage serious chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and COPD. To schedule an appointment, call 912-764-2273 and ask about same-day appointments.

Mark Crick, M.D. Board Certified in Internal Medicine

4451 Country Club Road, Suite 3A Statesboro East Georgia Regional Medical Center is owned in part by physicians. Member of the Medical Staff at East Georgia Regional Medical Center.

FROM THE EDITOR

B

Established March 1, 2000

Jenny Starling Foss Editor

Better brush-up on your Italian. Most of us know words like Ciao, Buongiorno, and Arrivederci, which may come in handy as we extend the hand of friendship to our new sister city – Monte Compatri, Italy. Located about 12 miles southeast of Rome in the Alban Hills, Monte Compatri has a population of around 12,000 people. It is a metropolitan area in part of what was once ancient Rome. Last fall a delegation representing Statesboro, Tormenta FC, and Georgia Southern visited Monte Compatri and other parts of Italy and Albania. They came back with friendship agreements between soccer franchises and the city of Monte Compatri. It is so exciting that Statesboro now has a close international relationship with a European city! We’re going global!

There’s more exciting news for the City, AgSouth Farm Credit has announced that it will be consolidating its administrative offices and relocating them to the corporate headquarters here in Statesboro. That means about 20 new jobs and a significant investment in a new office complex and green courtyard, forming a campus for the agricultural lending institution that will cover about three acres downtown.

It just so happens those three acres face South Main Street aka The Blue Mile. There have been several improvements to the stretch of U.S. Highway 301 that is the front door to our community.

Ground has broken on the construction of a new archway that will serve as the main entrance to downtown Statesboro, an attractive addition that we celebrate!

We’re also celebrating the discovery of a spider species never before seen in Bulloch County. Local naturalist Matt Moore shined a light on the ogre-faced spider in his parent’s backyard and made science history. Read all about it inside.

Also check out our special sections where we highlight - A special Woman in Business, Industry Leaders, Leading Lawyers, and our Partners in Progress.

We call the January/February issue our Economic Development edition because it allows us to begin the year with a recap of all the great investments, accomplishments, and improvements happening in Statesboro and the area. It’s a great way to get the New Year going!

Enjoy!

Joe McGlamery Publisher

Hunter McCumber Art Director

Erica Sellers Advertising & Marketing Director

Frank Fortune Jennifer Woodard Matt Moore Contributing Photographers Statesboro Magazine is proudly produced by:

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION, PLEASE E-MAIL: esellers@StatesboroMagazine.com FOR EDITORIAL QUESTIONS, PLEASE E-MAIL: editor@StatesboroMagazine.com MAILING ADDRESS: PHYSICAL ADDRESS: P. O. Box 1084 16 Simmons Statesboro, GA Shopping Center 30459 Statesboro, GA 30458 p: 912.489.2181 f: 912.489.8613

January February 2017

Priceless

THE BLUE MI LE ROAD TO SUCCES S

A SINGLE THRE THE SPIDER’S AD WEB March/April 2016 • 45

Jenny Foss, Editor

4 • Statesboro Magazine

BUONGIORN

SISTER CITO!

Y MONTE COM PATRI

Proud publishers of Statesboro Magazine, Weddings by Statesboro Magazine, and GSU’s official football program – FLIGHT!

Featured Contributors Frank Fortune Frank is the national award winning freelance photographer who holds the distinction of shooting 17 years’ worth of covers for Statesboro Magazine.

He retired from Georgia Southern after having been responsible for capturing the University’s history on film and video for 30 years. Throughout his career Frank’s enjoyed all aspects of photography, including sports, still-life, landscape, and architecture. He and his wife, Mandy, are the proud parents of teens, Jack and Cate.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Thank you for advertising and reading Statesboro Magazine, Statesboro’s Economic Development partner and lifestyle magazine.

Heidi Jeffers Heidi Jeffers is the Vice President of Franchise Development for the TORMENTA FC Professional Development League soccer team located in Statesboro. A specialist in Sports Marketing and Sports Tourism, Heidi joined TORMENTA FC in December 2015, after having served as the Executive Director of the Statesboro Convention and Visitors Bureau for five years. She has over 25 years of economic development experience in logistics, industrial, retail, commercial and tourism development.

TRUE Blue From Eagle Nation is a column brought to you by Georgia Southern University, where we cherish our place in the larger Statesboro community. In each issue, we hope to bring interesting and informative stories to the readers of Statesboro Magazine.

Doy Cave is the Marketing Content Manager in the Office of Marketing and Communications at the University, and resides with his family in Statesboro.

SPIRITUAL PATHWAYS Bill Perry grew up in Live Oak, Florida, a small town just south of Valdosta, GA. After graduating from Stetson University, he earned three degrees from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In 2004, he retired as pastor of First Baptist Church of Statesboro after serving that congregation for 22 years. He and his wife, Margaret, registrar of Statesboro High School before her retirement in 2005, have two daughters, five grandsons, and one granddaughter. Bill has been very much involved in community life in Statesboro. He is an avid reader and has been a runner since 1973.

THE VIEW FROM HERE Ric Mandes, a popular essayist, retired after 27 years as Director of Public Relations and Development for Georgia Southern. His memories about growing up and living in South Georgia inspire his writings. He’s a published author and former newspaper columnist for the AJC.

January/February 2017 • 5

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Contents

About the Cover Look who’s strolling down the ever-improving South Main Street, it’s Mayor Jan Moore pictured with Georgia Southern President Jaimie Hebert. Dubbed The Blue Mile by The South Main Street Revitalization Committee, that stretch of road is undergoing exciting new developments that are changing the way we view the corridor linking the University to downtown Statesboro. Captured here by award winning photographer Frank Fortune.

THE CULTURE The Blue Mile Written by Jenny Starling Foss Photography by Frank Fortune ����������������������������������������������������������

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Expanding into the Next Century Written by Jenny Starling Foss Photography by Frank Fortune ����������������������������������������������������������

18

Buongiorno! Sister City Monte Compatri, Italy Written by Jenny Starling Foss Photography by Jennifer Woodard ���������������������������������������������������

SPECIAL SECTIONS

14

Woman in Business �����������������������������������������������������

Building a Legacy Written by Jenny Starling Foss Photography by Frank Fortune ����������������������������������������������������������

Partners in Progress �����������������������������������������������������

32

Active! �����������������������������������������������������������������������������

26

Spiders & Snakes Written by Jenny Starling Foss Photography by Frank Fortune & Matt Moore ����������������������������������

30

22

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IN EVERY ISSUE From the Editor �������������������������������������������������������������������������

4

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Calendar of Events ��������������������������������������������������������������������

8

Leading Lawyers �����������������������������������������������������������

36

News & Notes �����������������������������������������������������������������������

10

Industry Leaders �����������������������������������������������������������

44

Look Around ��������������������������������������������������������������������������

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Transitions ������������������������������������������������������������������������������

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Real Estate �������������������������������������������������������������������

Circulation Statesboro Magazine is published bi-monthly (six issues a year) at a $20.00 annual subscription rate by Statesboro Publishing Company, Inc. Standard postage paid at Statesboro, GA. To subscribe, email Statesboro Magazine Editor, Jenny Foss at jfoss@StatesboroMagazine.com or call 912.489.2181. The cover and contents of Statesboro Magazine are fully protected by copyright laws of the United States and may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the written consent of Statesboro Magazine. We are not responsible for loss of unsolicited inquiries, manuscripts, photographs, transparencies or other materials. Such materials will not be returned unless accompanied by return postage. Address letters and editorial contributions to Statesboro Magazine, P.O. Box 1084, Statesboro, GA 30459. Copyright © 2016/2017 by Statesboro Publishing Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

FEATURED COLUMNISTS Tormenta FC Written by Heidi Jeffers ���������������������������������������������������������������������

True Blue Written by Doy Cave �������������������������������������������������������������������������

59

The Spiritual Pathway Written by Rev. Dr. H. William Perry ���������������������������������������������������

The View from Here Written by Ric Mandes ����������������������������������������������������������������������

57 61

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January/February 2017 • 7

Calendar

January Sunday 1

monday 2

Tuesday 3

Wednesday 4

Thursday 5

Friday 6

New Years Day

Saturday 7 Jaycee’s Night Out 6:30 PM Paulson Stadium

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

Spring Semester

The Soul Within

Kenny Brawner

Begins @ GSU

By Abner Cope

As Ray Charles

Art Exhibition

7:30 PM

Through Feb. 25

Emma Kelly Theater

Averitt Center

15 15

16

17

18

19

20

21

24

25

26

M.L. King Day

22

23

27

28

Doc Severinsen

Steel Magnolias

Steel Magnolias

7:30 PM

7:30 PM

7:30 PM

GSU PAC

Emma Kelly Theater

Emma Kelly Theater Rockin’ Out Alzheimer’s 7 PM GSU PAC Chinese New Year

29

30

Steel Magnolias 2:00 PM Emma Kelly Theater

8 • Statesboro Magazine

31

Calendar

February Sunday

monday

Tuesday

Wednesday 1

Thursday 2

Friday

Saturday

3

4

10

11

Groundhog Day

5

6

7

7 8

9

Pam Tillis Trio

Let’s Rock ‘n Roll

7:30 PM

Benefit Performance

Emma Kelly Theater

7 PM Trinity Episcopal

Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Feb. 5 – 11 GSU PAC

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

Alice & Wonderland

Valentine’s Day

Family Night Out Puppet Show 7:00 PM Emma Kelly Theater

19

20

Bulloch County

Presidents Day

Schools Winter Break Feb. 20 - 24

21

The Great War that Changed Georgia

22

23

24

25

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

5th Annual

7:30 PM

Chocolate Run 5K

Emma Kelly Theater

7 AM @ GSU RAC

Exhibit Opening

Last of the Red Hot

GSU Museum

Lovers 8:00 PM GSU PAC

26

27

28

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof 2:00 PM Emma Kelly Theater

January/February 2017 • 9

News & Notes

Sponsored by:

J

The Johnson Firm, P.C. Attorneys & Counselors

Y O U H AV E A C H O I C E Attorney Francys Johnson

www.francysjohnson.com | 912.225.1600 | 51 East Main Street

Doing Justice, Loving Mercy, Walking Humbly.

— Micah 6:8

6th Annual SERVPRO Fundraiser Benefits CAFÉ Unit CAFÉ = Community Assistance in Fire Emergencies

Pictured (L-R) are Tracy NeSmith (Division Chief), Carrie Adams, Katie Byers, Peggy Garner, Steve Garner, Ronnie Shaw (Deputy Chief) and Mr. Bill Taylor - Manager of the CAFE Unit

With community support, SERVPRO of Statesboro, a fire and water clean-up & restoration company, recently raised $5,000 for the local Community Assistance in Fire Emergencies, or CAFÉ Unit during the 6th Annual Golf Tournament fundraiser held on September 29, 2016. For the sixth consecutive year, SERVPRO has hosted the fundraiser at Forest Heights Country Club to benefit the Café Unit. A special response vehicle that provides assistance to fire victims and firefighters in Bulloch County, the CAFÉ Unit is staffed by community volunteers and supported entirely through contributions. The CAFÉ Unit is a donated RV, painted to match a fire engine. It responds along with engines to fire scenes and is stocked with clothes, blankets and other supplies for those displaced by fire.

SEB High Principal Receives Seven Seals Award Principal’s second honor for support of Guard & Reserve employees Southeast Bulloch High School Principal Donna Clifton was recently awarded the Seven Seals Award by Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR). The prestigious national award is given only to employers at the discretion of the ESGR’s State Chair or its senior leadership.

According to the ESGR’s official statement, “Donna Clifton has gone above and beyond in her support of the Air National Guard mission and the Airmen who carry it out, including one of Southeast Bulloch High School’s own teachers, Brent Whitaker. Multiple military deployments can take a toll on any organization, and Mrs. Clifton’s unwavering support has helped to further the mission of our Air National Guard.”

Clifton was nominated by Senior Master Sergeant Brent Whitaker, the SEBH’s acclaimed director of choral operations, who is a member of the Air National Guard and the ANG Band of the South.

10 • Statesboro Magazine

Pictured (L-R): SEBHS Principal Donna Clifton and Chuck Clark, the employer outreach director for the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR).

FMB Promotes Jason Parrish New Officer of Credit Administration at Bulloch’s Only Locally Owned Bank Jason Parrish of Farmers & Merchants Bank has been promoted to Banking Officer, Credit Administration, bank officials announced in November 2016.

Parrish joined FMB as a junior credit analyst in 2009, shortly after graduating from Georgia Southern University with a Master of Accounting degree. He also served FMB as Credit Analyst and Information Security Officer before his recent promotion.

His responsibilities include compiling complete, up-todate data for loan approvals, using tax returns, financial statements and credit reports.

He and his wife Jessica, a Registered Nurse at East Georgia Regional Medical Center, have lived in Statesboro since marrying in 2010. They now have two daughters.

FMB President Brett Morgan said, “Jason has been a valued, productive member of our team. We couldn’t be more pleased to have him advance with us now, as we work to make our bank and our community more successful than ever.” www.fmbnk.com

SaVaSa Trio Performs on Valentine’s Day What are your plans for this Valentine’s Day? Dinner and a concert, maybe?

The Georgia Southern University On the Verge series presents the SaVaSa Trio (formed by members of the legendary German group Ensemble Modern, one of the most renown music ensembles in the world). Following performances across Europe, South America, and the Middle East, SaVaSa will bring the best of their repertoire to Statesboro (in only one of three presentations in the United States), Tuesday, February 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Carol A. Carter Recital Hall located in the Foy Building on Georgia Southern’s campus. The event is Free and open to everyone. Limited seating is available.

Gary M. Davis, CPA, Named Chairman of FMB Board

Gary M. Davis, accountant, restaurateur and longtime board member of Farmers & Merchants Bank, will now chair the bank’s board of directors, FMB announced in December 2016.

A graduate of Southeast Bulloch High School, Davis holds a BBA from Georgia Southern University. He began his association with FMB in 1988 with a business loan, which he invested in a Subway franchise. He now owns six Subway stores in the Statesboro area.

Davis lives in Statesboro with his wife, Michelle Davis, the executive director of student activities at Georgia Southern University.

Davis noted, “This bank was founded in 1948. I remember it from when I was a boy. Once there were several locally owned banks in Bulloch County, and now we’re the only one. As such, we will continue to provide full-service banking to our customers, build shareholder value through balanced growth and profitability, make sure our bank is a good place to work, and to strive to enhance the quality of life in our community.” www.fmbnk.com January/February 2017 • 11

Your Success Is

...quality of life

912.764.5468 | www.STATESBOROGA.gov 12 • Statesboro Magazine

|

Our Goal

The City of Statesboro uses an innovative approach to doing business! We partner with private, public, and non-profit entities to recruit, retain, and expand local business with programs such as Right Start and the GSU Entrepreneurial Zone FabLab, and by redeveloping areas with Tax Allocation Districts (TAD) funds. Statesboro is a place your business can call home!

TOP 8 FINALIST!

WINNER ANNOUNCED APRIL 2017

...amenities

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50 EAST MAIN STREET | STATESBORO, GA 30458 January/February 2017 • 13

The Blue Mile s Jenny Starling Foss

14 • Statesboro Magazine

The Blue Mile s Jenny Starling Foss

The Blue Mile

T

Written by Jenny Starling Foss | Photography by Frank Fortune

The dream is a reality. On Wednesday, November 16th in Jones Lane Park across U.S. Highway 301 from the main entrance to Georgia Southern, ground was broken on the Gateway to The Blue Mile, a stretch of South Main Street linking the University to downtown Statesboro.

The initiative began with an idea tossed around at a Chamber of Commerce leadership retreat in 2012, and centered on improving the one mile stretch to make it a more inviting link between Statesboro’s two most distinguishing areas.

A local committee of South Main Street busi-

ness owners and community stakeholders led by former Chamber presidents Darren Burnette and Keely Fennell was formed to address the possibilities for improvement of the area. Mayor Jan J. Moore and Georgia Southern President Jaimie Hebert met to discuss a “town and gown” partnership to address the goals established by a Downtown Statesboro Development Authority (DSDA) Master Plan for improving downtown Statesboro.

Former Georgia Southern University President Brooks Keel credited Mayor Moore with coming

up with a name for the corridor targeted in the Master Plan as an area in need of improvement – The Blue Mile.

The South Main Street Revitalization Committee has been working with not only the City of Statesboro and Georgia Southern as partners, but with buy-in from Ogeechee Technical College, the Chamber of Commerce, the Averitt Center for the Arts, the Bulloch County Board of Commissioners, the Board of Education, the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority, the Bulloch County Development Authority, the January/February 2017 • 15

The Blue Mile s Jenny Starling Foss Statesboro Convention & Visitors Bureau, private businesses, interested citizens, and others.

The committee has been using data collected

by University students who surveyed business and property owners to determine the needs and desires of community members in redeveloping and revitalizing the South Main Street corridor.

The area was determined to be far more than a one mile stretch of highway that needed reinvestment attention. It was determined that The Blue Mile is a gateway to downtown for students, visitors and tourists that serves as the welcome mat to the community as a whole. The Blue Mile should not only provide an attractive entrance to the City, it should reflect the character of the community because it is the historic center of commerce, the arts and government for Bulloch County.

The South Main Committee (the name condensed for quick reference by all), also considered the City of Statesboro’s Master Plan, the City and County’s Long Range Transportation Plan, the DSDA Master Plan and the Tax Allocation District (TAD) Revitalization Plan to determine what the community wanted most for the area.

It was unmistakable that the number one request from the public was for more pedestrian friendly access – walkways, bike trails, and crosswalks.

The committee has also been on the road visiting other Southern cities that have undertaken revitalization projects throughout their downtowns. Members traveled to North Augusta, Greenville, and Spartanburg, S.C., and other towns to see firsthand how reinvestment in infrastructure in those cities spurred privately funded redevelopment by property owners and outside

16 • Statesboro Magazine

investors. Members came back with a list of great the top three winners of the most innovative and ideas for community improvement projects, but effective proposals for community improvement no immediate funding for the initiatives. in the nation.

Providentially, local Frontier Communications The top three winners will be announced in General Manager Jaclyn Cason put Statesboro’s April 2017 and awarded a total of $6 million in name “into the hat” for a nationwide best com- grand prizes with the #1 community receiving $3 munities contest. million. Breaking ground on the Gateway to The In 2015, Statesboro was chosen as a quarterfi- Blue Mile gets Statesboro one step closer to the nalist in the America’s Best Communities (ABC) top prize. competition. Sponsored by DISH Network, Mayor Moore stated, “We are already seeing Frontier Communications, CoBank and the redevelopment along South Main since we startWeather Channel, the $10 million prize compe- ed The Blue Mile initiative - the Visitors Center, tition was formed to stimulate growth and revi- Southern Palace, Three Tree Coffee, Little Italy talization in small cities and towns across Fron- Pizza, and the recently announced multi-million tier’s 27-state footprint. Picked dollar expansion by AgSouth as one of the top 50 communiFarm Credit. I think there is Former Georgia Southern ties, Statesboro received a cash a momentum building and University President Brooks prize of $50,000 to be used to it is encouraging to see comKeel credited Mayor Moore develop and implement community stakeholders making with coming up with a name prehensive strategies to accelinvestments along our main for the corridor targeted in erate the local economy and thoroughfare. I am proud to the Master Plan as an area improve the quality of life in see folks are recognizing the in need of improvement – the community. true importance of a redevelThe Blue Mile.

The contest couldn’t have oped South Main Street as an come along at a better time. inviting, business and enterThe ABC Committee made up of representa- tainment district for all ages.” tives from many of the same organizations as the “The Blue Mile is reenergizing the reality of the South Main group, used the resources to create a town/gown relationship between Georgia SouthCommunity Revitalization Plan. Representatives ern, Statesboro, and Bulloch County and will from the City of Statesboro, the Chamber, the benefit our students and our community,” said DSDA, and Georgia Southern worked together Dr. Hebert. “The town/gown concept. which is on a presentation for the next level of competi- highlighted by community partnerships and ecotion in the contest making their winning pitch nomic growth, is something that many university in February of 2016. Statesboro was awarded an communities strive to achieve. We have that here additional $100,000 and rose to become one of at Georgia Southern, and this project is a true 15 semi-finalists with a chance to become one of reflection of that. We love our city!”

Businesses and private investors taking a look at South Main will want to consider opportunities and incentives being developed by the City of Statesboro. The DSDA offers some assistance with façade grants and Sea Island Bank offers special interest rates for businesses opening in the Main Street District of Statesboro.

With the encouragement of the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority and the Mayor and City Council, voters passed the Redevelopment Powers Act in 2014, which authorized Statesboro to create Tax Allocation Districts or TADs in the city.

As public improvements and private investment take place in a TAD, the taxable value of property increases. The city/county collects those revenues, putting the increase due to the new investment into a special fund to pay off bonds or loans that financed the public improvements in the district.

The TAD plan states the goal is “to encourage the private redevelopment of outmoded, highway oriented commercial development into pedestrian friendly, mixed use centers to achieve the vision set forth in the 2011 City of Statesboro Downtown Master Plan and the 2014 Comprehensive Plan.” The TAD is becoming a great tool in reclaiming and improving the visual appeal of South Main.

As properties are developed and funds are available for improvements to sidewalks, for the creation of bike paths and green spaces, for art installations and for an inviting gateway; a greater variety of investors are attracted to The Blue Mile and Statesboro’s growth in a positive direction is assured for the future. S

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January/February 2017 • 17

Expanding into the Next Century s Jenny Starling Foss

Expanding into the Next Century Written by Jenny Starling Foss | Photography by Frank Fortune

18 • Statesboro Magazine

T This has been an important year for AgSouth Farm Credit, the largest Agricultural farm credit cooperative in Georgia. This year marks the company’s centennial and along with the celebration comes a time of transition and expansion of the company’s headquarters in downtown Statesboro.

“We’re looking back and looking ahead to where we’re going,” said Pat Calhoun, AgSouth’ s new CEO, named to lead the lender into the next century in July of 2016.

Calhoun was chosen by the AgSouth Board of Directors after what Chairman of the Board William T. Robinson said was “a rigorous search process for the new CEO, the board is confident that Mr. Calhoun is the right person to continue the positive growth of one of the strongest agricultural cooperatives in the southeast and to ensure that AgSouth will continue to be able to serve agriculture and our rural communities well into the future.”

Calhoun has over 25 years with Farm Credit beginning in 1988 as a loan officer with Southeast Georgia Farm Credit.

Through mergers, the cooperative became what is now AgSouth, and Calhoun has held positions as Team Leader, Regional Lending Manager, and, most recently, Executive Vice President with responsibilities as Director of Risk Management and Corporate Loan Manager.

Calhoun was tapped to replace retiring 29year veteran President and CEO William T. Spigener, Jr., who was at the helm when AgSouth renovated and revitalized two iconic downtown Statesboro buildings, the Old Post Office/City Hall and the Piggly Wiggly, which had been vacant for several years when it was repurposed as AgSouth’s Statesboro branch.

Calhoun, Spigener, and Georgia Divisional President Craig Peebles were all with AgSouth when the first expansion took place. Since then, AgSouth has been operating with three administrative offices located in Spartanburg and Orangeburg, S.C. and in Statesboro. After Calhoun was chosen this summer as the new CEO, plans were announced that all administrative offices would be relocated to the

Expanding into the Next Century s Jenny Starling Foss

Statesboro corporate office for consolidation.

“Our board of directors have been looking at consolidating our corporate headquarters for about a year,” said Calhoun.

“We had the three administrative offices to choose from,” said Peebles. “Some of our board members also thought Lexington, S.C., and Aiken, S.C., would also make great central locations for our corporate headquarters.”

“We were looking at several criteria,” Calhoun said. “Ease of access for transportation, good employment pools to attract and retain great employees. Locations that would be attractive to employee’s families as well with good schools, opportunities for community engagement, and good employment for family members.”

The company also looked at access to I-16, proximity to Savannah, and higher education opportunities such as Georgia Southern University

and Ogeechee Technical College.

“When we began to consider consolidation of the corporate offices, we didn’t have a new CEO,” said Peebles. “It probably helped that the new CEO lived here when the decision was made.”

Historically, AgSouth had already invested heavily in the downtown area.

“And Statesboro is a great place to work,” said Calhoun. “Most of our resources and staff were already here.”

CFO Alisa D. Gunter will be moving to Statesboro at the beginning of this year.

“We’re making a huge investment in the Statesboro community, not only by putting money into infrastructure but by adding additional jobs,” said Gunter. “In the past 13 years, AgSouth has increased our gross loan portfolio by more than 51 percent, and we are proud to be one of the most successful agricultural cooperatives in the Southeast.”

With over $1.9 billion in gross loan volume, AgSouth’s continued growth and patronage program for members will continue to make it an excellent corporate neighbor with dividends reinvested into the communities it serves far into the future.

Relocating all administrative offices to Statesboro will mean a new third building addition to the AgSouth campus for which the company has acquired property directly behind and adjacent to its current location. The new building will include approximately 30 offices and a meeting room available for agricultural and civic club use.

The three facilities will be joined by a green space area which the two existing buildings will be modified to face. When completed, the AgSouth complex will cover nearly three acres downtown.

Two Statesboro firms have been engaged for design and construction: John Rule of DPR Architecture and John Lavender of Lavender & Associates, Inc. Completion of the project is scheduled for the fall of 2017.

The 11,200 square feet of new offices will house central staff and executive management in areas of operations, accounting and human resources. An additional 20 positions will be located here. Administrative offices in Spartanburg and Orangeburg will consolidate with the Statesboro corporate offices, but the transition will not affect the branch locations in those cities.

In creating the campus downtown, AgSouth is working with the City of Statesboro on closing an alleyway that transects the property through the green courtyard area. The Downtown Statesboro Development Authority, The Bulloch County Development Authority and The Blue Mile committee have also been helping to accommodate AgSouth in their expansion plans.

“We also considered locating in Statesboro possibly on the bypass or at the Ag Center,” said Calhoun, “but ultimately our customer base knows us downtown. Our employees like downtown, and we already have a significant investment in downtown.”

AgSouth is ultimately looking to have 70+ employees in Statesboro with room for growth. The January/February 2017 • 19

The Blue Mile Expanding intos the Jenny Next Starling Century Fosss Jenny Starling Foss

20 • Statesboro Magazine

The Blue Mile s Jenny Starling Foss design anticipates growth in staff in the new building and in the Statesboro branch.

Statesboro Mayor Jan Moore said, “This additional investment of over $3 million will increase the number of local AgSouth employees to 60 with an annual payroll in excess of $6 million. The economic impact for our area will be tremendous on many fronts, and I am very hopeful it will be the catalyst for major redevelopment within the heart of our city. Have no doubt, this is a game changer for our city, and I could not be more thrilled.”

Ag South currently serves 59 counties in Georgia and 34 counties in South Carolina.

There are currently 25 branch offices located throughout that area, plus three administrative offices.

“Having all of our administrative functions in one location will really help us to grow and to improve our efficiency,” said Calhoun. “Technology has allowed us to communicate effectively, but the new layout will allow a continuity of the family feel of our organization. Now, we’ll have face to face time with each other to connect.”

Calhoun added, “We are excited about the opportunity to expand our campus in the downtown area. The new facility will complement our existing downtown facilities and help us to continue our tradition of investing in Statesboro.” S

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Buongiorno!

Statesboro’s Sister City sFoss Jenny Starling Foss Building A Legacy s Jenny Starling

Buongiorno!

Statesboro’s Sister City Monte Compatri, Italy Written by Jenny Starling Foss

22 • Statesboro Magazine

Buongiorno! Statesboro’s City s Jenny Starling Foss BuildingSister A Legacy

Y You never know where a relationship will take you. When former Statesboro Convention & Visitors Bureau (SCVB) board president Darin Van Tassell and then SCVB Executive Director Heidi Jeffers agreed to host a delegation from Albania for dinner in 2013, they had no idea what the future would bring from the relationships forged around the table.

Fast forward to October of 2016 and Van Tassell, now owner and president of the Statesboro based Professional Development League soccer team Tormenta FC, and Jeffers, Tormenta’s V.P. of Franchise Development, were on a plane to Rome, Italy, part of an eight-member delegation from Statesboro destined for meetings with three semi-pro international soccer teams, Albanian and Italian government officials, the U.S. Ambassador to Albania, the Mayor of Monte Compatri, Italy, and many other officials. The purpose of the visit was to form partnerships with the soccer franchises, develop educational and cultural exchanges with Tirana, Albania, and Italy, and to extend a Memorandum of Understanding for a Sister City Agreement between Monte Compatri, Italy, and Statesboro.

All of the international connections were developed thanks to a relationship forged between Van Tassell, Jeffers, and one of the 2013 group’s

hosts, Georgia Southern University professor Lori Amy, a member of the faculty of the Department of Writing & Linguistics. Amy’s Albanian group was also hosted by Georgia Southern’s Department of Political Science & International Studies, in which Van Tassell is an associate professor. From Amy’s point of view, all of the associations came about because of her Fulbright Scholarship Award to Albania.

“Our unique opportunity to twin with Monte Compatri, a historic town in the provinces of Rome, came out of my 2009 - 2010 Fulbright Scholars Award to Albania. My research in Albania connected me to an amazing group of people in Italy -- artists, musicians, scholars, local politicians, business people, athletes, and many loving families. We all shared an interest in developing educational and cultural exchanges that could link the United States, Italy, and Albania, and out of this interest our first study abroad program in Monte Compatri was born,” said Amy. Amy, who resided in Tirana, Albania, reached out to Van Tassell in the summer of 2016 to make plans for a visit from a Statesboro delegation.

Van Tassell, who has served as a commissioner with the International Baseball Federation; been a competition director for the 2008 Olympic

Games in Beijing; and been Technical Commissioner for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, among other international sports leadership positions, knew very well how all parties concerned could benefit from the positive impact of such a relationship.

“There are four global languages that can be used to build a bridge across borders,” Van Tassell said, “sports, arts, education, and tourism.

None of these are controversial areas of engagement for people around the world.”

Sports Van Tassell, wife Netra, Jeffers, City Councilman John Riggs, and other representatives from Tormenta FC met with three soccer organizations and Van Tassell signed “Friendship Agreements.”

“We will be working with FC Academia of Monte Compatri, ASD Grottaferrata Calcio from Grottaferrata, Italy, and KF Tirana of Tirana, Albania, to collaborate through players and our team’s administrations for the mutual benefits of the clubs,” said Van Tassell.

“This is an exciting partnership. We want to grow the brand of Tormenta and these agreements will give us international exposure and open up an avenue between the clubs where we January/February 2017 • 23

Buongiorno! Statesboro’s Sister City s Jenny Starling Foss

can exchange personnel and learn more from each other,” he said.

Alliances with these clubs and the cities they call home will bring exciting opportunities for future European soccer players to come here to try-out and perhaps play for Tormenta FC. The office staff members will also participate in an exchange program sharing best practices and learning how the different clubs perform their daily operations.

Van Tassell was also able to sign an agreement for the youth soccer program connected to Tormenta FC. Through an agreement with FC Academia the U13 team has been invited to Monte Compatri for a tournament in June of 2017.

The Grottaferrata organization will be sending a marketing and journalist associate to Statesboro for professional development opportunities 24 • Statesboro Magazine

during a three-month stay that coincides with the Tormenta FC’s season this summer.

Other coaches, international players, and staff members have also expressed an interest in visiting Statesboro.

“Anything is wide open,” said Van Tassell. “In the long term there is nothing legally binding about these agreements, but by cooperating this way, we are becoming global neighbors, extending a hand to the people next door.”

Arts Amy, through her ties with Statesboro, Georgia Southern and the Averitt Center for the Arts, was able to also bring an Averitt exhibit to Albania.

“We had the amazing opportunity to bring the Averitt Center exhibition Presidential Path-

ways to Albania this fall,” said Amy. “The photographer, George Tames, is a first generation Albanian-American, and this was the first visit of his work to his father’s homeland. George’s daughter, Stephanie, [former columnist for Statesboro Magazine] visited Albania for the exhibition’s opening in the prestigious venue of Albania’s National History Museum. The exhibition was funded by a grant from the United States Embassy in Albania, and opened on Election Day. The U.S. Embassy was so impressed by the exhibition that they borrowed the entire exhibit to display at the Embassy’s Presidential Breakfast held on November 9, 2016!”

Education “The 2015 Study Abroad Program, Italy Ancient and Modern, was a great success, and we

Buongiorno! Statesboro’s Sister City s Jenny Starling Foss

are happy to say, it has already become a Georgia Southern tradition. Building the study abroad program allowed students and professors at Georgia Southern to learn more about Monte Compatri and deepen our ties to the community, and this in turn helped forward-thinking people in Statesboro and Monte Compatri to build the Sister City Agreement,” said Amy. “The starting point for all of this was the international educational exchange and research of the Fulbright Program,” she said, “and our accomplishments demonstrate how our international friendships can create exciting synergies and global partnerships -- global partnerships that enhance life and meaning in our local communities and allow us to share our cultures and values, to find what unites us even as we celebrate and learn from our differences.”

In addition to the study abroad program,

Bulloch County schools could also benefit from an educational exchange with our Sister City, Monte Compatri, Italy. In the future it will be possible for students to partner with schools there in a reciprocal way enriching both classrooms in many areas such as music, history, geography, languages and the arts.

Tourism The Mayor of Monte Compatri, Marcos De Carolis stated, “Mount Compatri looked across the ocean as we signed a friendship pact with Statesboro, Georgia, in the U.S.A. A unique opportunity to continue the sharing relationship we have established with Georgia Southern University after the summer school ends. The idea for us is to create a genuine cultural exchange of information, both financial and professional, with everything from food to sports.

Among the objectives of the twinning between the two urban centers, we would like to promote cooperation and strengthen our partnerships, bringing effective collaboration between two communities.”

City Councilman John Riggs, who represented the City of Statesboro in signing the agreement stated, “We thank Mayor De Carolis for the hand of friendship he has extended to Statesboro on behalf of his community of Monte Compatri.

Our visit to that ancient area of Rome was not only a wonderful adventure, we were also able to make an international connection with a city of similar interests. We have a soccer team; they have a soccer team. They have fresh vegetable markets; we have the downtown farmer’s market.

There are so many similarities, I hope that the future holds many opportunities for us to learn from each other culturally and professionally.”

Mayor Jan Moore agreed, “What an excellent opportunity for Statesboro to become more of an international city. We already have companies located here that do business globally. I think this agreement between the two cities will provide opportunities in the future for students, athletes, business professionals and government representatives to learn from each other and to embrace a wider vision of the world. Statesboro is such a wonderful city, it is a pleasure to share our story with a sister city abroad.”

The signing of the agreement with the city of Monte Compatri was a grand affair in the city hall record room that housed records from as long ago as 1000 A.D. Attended by media representatives and 60 others, the ceremony was conducted through translators for both parties.

“I think what we came away with is an agreement to collaborate for the mutual benefit of both communities,” said Riggs. “I believe this association, based on international goodwill, can promote expanded public and private relationships between the two cities and our two nations with the exchange of ideas, people, and information for the benefit of both cities.” S January/February 2017 • 25

Building A Legacy s Jenny Starling Foss

G

Building A Legacy Written by Jenny Starling Foss

Georgia Southern’s College of Business Administration (COBA), one of Newsweek Magazine’s “Best AACSB Accredited Business Schools of 2016,” has announced plans to renovate and expand its 89,000 square foot facility on Southern Drive.

The campaign to help fund the project, Building A Legacy, is underway as friends and alumni work to raise the $10 million needed to expand the College to accommodate the current enrollment of 3,600 students and to keep the school among the best in the nation.

“Our College of Business was built in 1994 and has not undergone any significant renovations since that time,” stated Allen C. Amason, dean of the College of Business. “The Building A Legacy initiative will allow us to renovate and expand our current footprint with a financial learning lab, and an atrium we’re calling “The Hub.” Renovating the building will allow the college to move forward competitively in recruiting the highest quality students and faculty.”

The original COBA building, completed before the internet was incorporated into classroom instruction, was designed to accommodate around 2,000 students and has never undergone significant renovations except for improve-

26 • Statesboro Magazine

ments due to average wear and tear, such as paint, carpet and new furniture. The original COBA building was constructed at a cost of approximately $16 million.

According to reports, many other business schools at comprehensive universities across the nation, like Georgia Southern, have announced renovations and expansions or are building new buildings. The average size of these new buildings is 160,000 square feet with an average cost of $66 million.

According to COBA’s website, “classroom layout and design needs to be updated to provide greater instructional flexibility. The updated classrooms will be retrofitted with the latest in technology for leading-edge instruction. The financial learning lab will provide a customized facility for studying financial markets, monetary policy, financial securities, investment vehicles and other related topics. The lab will feature the newest technology and provide a venue for guest lecturers, student competitions, board meetings and recruiting events.

The renovation and expansion will enable COBA to continue to be among the leading business schools in the nation.”

To become a part of “Building A Legacy” or to learn more about the project, visit http://coba.georgiasouthern.edu/buildingalegacy/.

Building A Legacy s Jenny Starling Foss

Building a Legacy To address our need for cutting-edge space, the college is seeking to renovate and expand its 89,000 square foot building. At the time of its construction, our building cost approximately $16 million, and enrollment within the college was about 2,000 students. Our current enrollment has grown to 3,600.

As business education has become more competitive, at least 18 other business schools at comprehensive universities, like Georgia Southern University, from across the country have announced or are building new buildings. On average, these new buildings are 160,000 square feet and will cost $66 million. We need to raise $10 million to remain competitive.

Planning for the Future

The College of Business proposes a 3-phase plan to maintain competitiveness. This plan will address technological needs; the current building was built before the Internet and, therefore, needs to be retrofitted to support the full functionality required for cutting-edge instruction. It will also address student support, providing common areas, breakout space, project rooms or multipurpose areas. Lastly, it will add functional flexibility. Currently, the building offers 27 classrooms, 26 of which have about 45 seats configured in the same basic way. Renovation will provide opportunities for customization and innovation

Financial Learning Lab The Financial Learning Lab will add visual appeal, while providing a customized space for studying financial markets, monetary policy, financial securities, investment vehicles and other related topics. The lab will feature cutting-edge technology and provide a venue for guest lectures, student competitions, board meetings and recruiting events Students will gain access to the same data utilized by financial market professionals. Databases will provide real-time data from stock, currency, derivative, mortgage, treasuries and fixed income security markets. Students will benefit from global business-to-business relationship data including access to historical corporate financial date from 1926 through 2016.

In addition, the Financial Learning Lab will be a focal point and a beacon of progress for all stakeholders of the College of Business

The Hub The Hub will provide student support, aesthetic appeal and flexibility. The current building offers little space for students to gather and share ideas, work on projects or just interact with one another. The space will be designed with students in mind. The new space will offer students an atmosphere that encourages academic collaboration and social networking.

The visual appeal of The Hub will attract students and provide a comfortable environment that will enhance their academic experience. Designed to incorporate natural light and integrate with the natural surroundings, The Hub will be an integral component of progressive building transformation.

The new space will provide an opportunity to host large events within the building. Both academic and social functions will be welcomed in this warm, inviting learning space.

January/February 2017 • 27

A f ri ca n H eritag e S er ies JANUARY 2017

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Statesboro’s Weekly Community Calendar

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January 13 – February 2 Opening Reception on January 12 | 6:00 p.m.

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An Evening of African American Poetry

January 14 | 7:30 p.m.

Emma Kelly Theater

January 21 | 7:30 p.m.

Whitaker Black Box Theater

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Statesboro Magazine’s s Woman in Business

Woman in Business

This special Woman in Business section showcases one of the area’s successful innovators, risktakers, achievers, and pioneers – diverse in her accomplishments, always striving for excellence, and eager to serve the community.

Highlighting this successful woman continues Statesboro Magazine’s legacy of focusing a spot-

light on women we know who through their leadership ability, community involvement, and servant attitude, are making a difference in our world.

This year’s Woman in Business is influential, individual, and firmly on the path to achieving her dreams and ambitions; she defines success in

ME MarkEting SErvicES

Owner, Mandy Edwards 912-481-1683 | www.memarketingservices.com 5 ½ Years in Business Honors/Awards: UGA Alumni Association’s 40 Under 40 (2016), Lynda Brannen Williamson Foundation Women’s Leadership Academy Cohort (2016-2017), StatSocial’s Top 100 Social Media Power Influencers (2015), Statesboro Herald’s 20 Under 40 (2013).

Mandy Edwards and ME Marketing Services are the regional leaders in social media and digital marketing, helping businesses of all sizes and industries successfully brand and promote themselves online.

The tools of the trade we use are every single social media platform along with the required analytics and management programs needed to effectively function, plus various website development tools we use with our website development services. And of course, a computer and the internet!

Our mission at ME Marketing Services is to provide the best service through hard work, honesty, & transparency while keeping up with latest trends and changes in our always-changing industry.

What sets us apart is our work product. Almost 85% of our business is from referrals and it’s because of the quality of work we do and the satisfaction of our clients.

Our biggest accomplishment is having five consecutive years of growth, with 2016 being our biggest year to date.

We strive to do our best by doing our best each and every day. You cannot ask for less. We also make sure to walk the talk. If you do not do that, you’ll lose credibility and trust, and those are two attributes that are very important in any business.

30 • Statesboro Magazine

a way that’s inspirational. Her talent for marketing makes her a leader in the industry for Statesboro.

As a great role model, our Woman in Business leads the way in demonstrating how to achieve both personal and professional fulfillment in our own lives.

GO ahead When you open or expand your business, give yourself a 115-year advantage. That’s how long we’ve been lending to business owners and operators–longer than any other financial institution in the area.

Chances are good that we know something that can help you.

In an ever-increasing competitive climate, we don’t just want you to get by. We want you to be wildly successful. If you are banking with someone else, now is the time for a second opinion. Call us. We will answer the phone. (Busy people know how important that is.)

Locations across Georgia. Go online and choose a branch or a banker you want to work with.

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THANK YOU TO OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS: President - Bob Mikell Vice President - John Ray Treasurer - Hayley Glisson Secretary - Ava Percell Albert Burke Donald Chavers Doty Dunn JD Dunn William “Bill” Hatcher Patsy Kraeger Lindsay Martin Brad Sheffield William “Bill” Sellers Jacqueline “Jackie” Tremble Mildred Wilson Mary Woods

STAFF: Executive Director Linda Christy ReStore Manager, Associate Director Arliesha Mikell-Lovett Resource Development Coordinator Marcus Toole Construction Manager Jeffry Roberson

Habitat for Humanity of Bulloch County, a non-profit, ecumenical Christian ministry is dedicated to helping low-income families and neighborhoods become stronger, more stable and self-reliant through shelter. We do this by building homes using volunteer labor with donated or discounted materials and by providing low-income homebuyers an interest-free mortgage. Through our partnerships with individuals, government agencies, businesses, faith-based organizations and others, we have built or rehabbed over 50 houses and are currently working to revitalize a neighborhood adjacent to South Main Street, AKA “the Boro-Blue-Mile.”

FLAGS FOR HOUSING PROGRAM For a $60 annual contribution to the Habitat Flags for Housing Program, Habitat volunteers place an American Flag in the yard of subscribers on the holidays: Memorial Day Flag Day Independence Day Labor Day through Patriot Day (9/11) Veterans Day Show your patriotism and help build strength and self-reliance with low-income families through partnering today with Habitat Bulloch’s Flags for Housing Program. The easiest way to partner with Flags for Housing is by making a donation and signing up to display a flag at your house or the home of a family member or friend.

This year we hope to raise $30,000 through the flag program to use for building houses in Bulloch County by flying at least 500 flags in the Statesboro area. This goal represents a significant expansion of the program and will require more volunteers to help us set up and take down the additional flags.

Call us today at 912-489-2076 or visit our website at HabitatBulloch.org/flag to learn more or to sign up.

www.habitatbulloch.org | info@habitatbulloch.org 201 Johnson Street, P.O. Box 1253 Statesboro, GA 30458 912-489-2076 OFFICE 912-764-5777 RESTORE ReStore Hours - Friday 1PM - 4PM ; Saturday 9AM - 3PM 32 • Statesboro Magazine

Active s Statesboro Magazine

Just Do it!

The beginning of a New Year is easily the most popular time for setting weight loss and fitness goals and improving your overall health.

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To help you reach your goal of a healthier life, Statesboro has facilities for all fitness levels with dieticians and personal trainers to assist you in becoming the new you. If you need nutritional guidance, there are specialty stores and medical weight loss programs available to help you manage your dietary intake. If you prefer the social aspects of getting fit, or if you really want to feel good while improving your health, you may enjoy supporting one of the local 5K Benefit Runs.

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January/February 2017 • 33

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Statesboro Magazine’s s Leading Lawyers

Leading Lawyers The 2017 Leading Lawyers of Statesboro Magazine are committed to representing and defending their clients and to the judicial system in interpreting laws, providing protection, and restoring hope with justice and integrity.

We’re highlighting outstanding area attorneys who are community leaders through church, charitable service, membership in professional associations, countless hours of volunteer work, and supporting local schools and businesses. They represent many firms upholding a legacy, handed down through generations, of providing professional services from the simplest legal matters to unexpected legal crises.

Whether you need help in the areas of bankruptcy, divorce, child custody, real estate, inheritance, personal injury, tax or criminal law, Statesboro Magazine’s Leading Lawyers can assist you in navigating through the processes of the legal system.

When selecting the best type of lawyer the people of Bulloch County can find comfort in the solid judgment and expertise of these outstanding local attorneys and the firms they represent.

The Branch Law F irm, LLc

Elizabeth A. Branch 124 Savannah Avenue, Statesboro, GA 30458 912-871-5968 www.elizabethbranchlaw.com Concentration: Family Law and Litigation 17 years in practice; 7 years practicing family law and 8 years as Branch Law Firm Honors/Awards: Very Highly Rated in Both Ethics And Legal Ability by Martindale-Hubble Peer Review My mission is to solve problems for my clients and their children.

My charity of choice is Saint Jude’ Children’s Hospital.

I am known for handling child custody cases and defending fathers’ rights The best business advice I ever received was to never sue a client.

36 • Statesboro Magazine

H all law Group , p.C.

www.hlg-pc.com 5 Oak Street, Statesboro, GA 30458 | 912-764-6757 2036 Hwy 21 South, Springfield, GA 31329 | 912-754-7078 Partners: J. Michael Hall, Martha Hall Attorneys: Lori E. Welch, Paige Boykin Have been in business since 1990 Concentration: Family Law, Criminal Law, Bankruptcy, Wills & Probate, Commercial & Civil Litigation Our mission is to strive to earn the respect of each and every client and South Georgia’s legal community. We are committed to providing the highest quality legal representation and pride ourselves in exemplifying exceptional standards of professionalism.

Our charity of choice is Safe Haven Bulloch and pro bono work for children subjected to abuse.

Our biggest passion is serving and helping protect the children of this community. We seek to preserve the family unit and strive to ensure our clients’ voices are heard.

The best business advice we ever received was try to make a difference in the life of someone else each and every day, for this is the greatest reward.

We are known for our amazing support staff, attention to detail, and preparedness in court.

We are practicing in Statesboro because we love this town and Georgia Southern!

Spiders & Snakes s Jenny Starling Foss

Spiders and Snakes Written by Jenny Starling Foss Photography by Frank Fortune

38 • Statesboro Magazine

Spiders & Snakes s Jenny Starling Foss

M Matt Moore’s office is a swamp fed by overflow from a large pond in Bulloch County.

That’s where the local conservationist studies the habitat and behavior of reptiles and amphibians native to South Georgia. A self-taught naturalist, Moore was looking around the pond dam one night in July of 2015 when he discovered a species of spider never before documented this far north of Florida, an ogre-faced spider.

“I’ve always been into spiders and reptiles,” Moore said. “My first experience, I was less than eight-years-old, when I saw a hog-nosed snake crawling under the bushes and picked it up. I was so excited, I ran into the house to show my parents.”

Moore’s enthusiasm for the creatures most of us avoid extended through his public education at Sallie Zetterower and Julia P. Bryant Elementary

Schools. In addition to parents, Thomas and Sunni Moore, he credits seventh grade science teacher Brenda Steadman with encouraging his outdoor pursuits.

After a stint at Georgia Southern and ten years in unfulfilling jobs, Moore chose to make a career out of the hobby he worked on - the conservation of endangered reptiles and amphibians.

He currently works part-time as a field technician for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and part-time for the Orianne Society, a non-profit organization with a mission “to conserve critical ecosystems for imperiled reptiles and amphibians using science, applied conservation and education.”

Moore also excels as a photographer, which helps him record the species he encounters.

It was at dusk, while looking for threatened rep-

tiles in the swamp behind his parents’ home, that Moore discovered the ogre-faced spider. He was able to identify the spider by its distinctive characteristics.

“They have big fangs and bulgy eyes and long legs,” said Moore. “Unlike other spiders that drop from a single thread of silk, the ogre will build a scaffold attaching to a plant usually one to four feet above the ground and suspend itself, hanging head down, where it builds a web shaped like a casting net between its front legs to catch insects that might be flying by or jumping around. They’ll wrap the prey in the basket.”

The ogre hunts by sight at night and is the only spider to weave a cast net web, which made Moore’s identification unmistakable.

Moore contacted friend and colleague Dirk SteJanuary/February 2017 • 39

Spiders & Snakes s Jenny Starling Foss

venson, director of the Longleaf Savannas Initiative for The Orianne Society, about his discovery.

“Dirk said that the sub-tropical spider had never before been documented in Georgia, only in Florida, extreme southeast Alabama and Jamaica,” said Moore. “The discovery extended the range of the ogre by 150 miles from the nearest population in Florida. Since then, it has been documented in two more counties in southeast Georgia – Telfair and Glynn.”

Moore and Stevenson are now trying to figure the extent of the ogre’s range in South Georgia.

The discovery of the ogre by Moore in Bulloch County was big news generating stories in Savannah, Augusta and Atlanta media outlets including the Savannah Morning News and the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

Moore is grateful for the discovery because of the

40 • Statesboro Magazine

attention being brought to his wildlife conservation The same property was the natural habitat of efforts. indigo snakes, another threatened species native to “My primary motivation is the conservation of sandhill communities. reptiles and amphibians that are marginalized, espe“The project morphed into also surveying for incially snakes and turtles losing habitat,” said Moore. digos last winter during November and December,” “Since October 2015, I’ve been a field technician he said. part-time with the DNR,” said Moore, “I’ve been Moore uses a syringe to inject a tag into capworking on a tortoise removal tured snakes to help identify project from farm developments. and track them. The snakes “My primary motivation is I trapped all the gopher tortoises are measured each time they the conservation of reptiles I could find for relocation. Goare captured and assessed for and amphibians,” pher tortoises are a federally illness or injury before besaid Moore protected species west of the Mising returned to their habitat. sissippi. They are threatened in In his conservation work Georgia. We transferred them to a multi-acre pen with The Orianne Society, Moore is conducting a in the forest for protection. Their habitat has since reptile survey for Snake Fungal Disease in Georgia. been saved from development and my job this past “The fungal disease kills a lot of snakes. It’s a summer was to transfer them back home.” wasting disease,” said Moore. “It erodes the scales

Spiders & Snakes s Jenny Starling Foss

and the snakes waste away. We have identified the fungus as the cause, but we don’t yet know what makes the snakes susceptible. In a short period of time we have seen both an increase in the number of snake species infected and the number of individual snakes infected with Snake Fungal Disease in Georgia, but we don’t know exactly how high the mortality rate is.”

Moore’s passion is fueled by the concern he has for the creatures he wants to protect.

“Major factors are degradation and fragmentation, also the intentional killing of snakes. It is illegal in Georgia to kill a non-venomous snake. Most people kill snakes through missidentification and fear. Of the 40+ species of snakes native to Georgia, only six are venomous.”

Education and research are also important com-

ponents of Moore’s conservation efforts. He reaches out to groups sharing the conservation message with the help of volunteer Willah Vaigneur, who provides animals for teaching opportunities with the public.

“My greatest challenge is looking at the future with a positive attitude,” Moore said. “The mass amount of habitat destroyed and the public’s general attitude toward spiders and snakes makes it an up-hill battle that will never be over!”

Moore’s greatest reward is getting to see the animals in nature and being able to work at a job he loves.

“I’m blessed to have a job like this. I’m paid to do what I love to do. I have no typical days. I set my own schedule. My assignments are seasonal and are usually projects that I work on as needed until completed,” he said. “Without this job, I wouldn’t

get to see the animals in the secret locations I get to experience.”

Right now, Moore is experiencing a complete change at his “office.” Hurricane Matthew rearranged everything.

“I spent years learning the swamp,” Moore said.

“Now, I will have to learn all over again. I’m very interested in the long term effects the hurricane will have on the animals’ habitat.” S

Editor’s Note: Anyone spotting the ogre-faced spider can send in a reliable photo along with the latitude and longitude of the spider’s location to The Orianne Society. For contact information visit www.oriannesociety.org January/February 2017 • 41

s i h t Makes memories year’ te! i h w & e u l b in SHOP NOW AT GSUSTORE.COM

42 • Statesboro Magazine

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January/February 2017 • 43

Statesboro Magazine’s s Industry Leaders

Industry Leaders

When considering many of the great business leaders in our area who are wielding strong influence on the world we live in today, Statesboro Magazine has chosen to highlight a diverse section of quality professional organizations that are leading the way in terms of innovative thinking, focusing on customers, and serving the community at large.

From areas as diverse as agricultural lending to tourism; economic development to food processing, these companies are leading the way in investing in the community by providing outstanding employment opportunities, expanding facilities, and developing new ways to provide valuable services to the residents of Bulloch County.

We invite you to celebrate with us their successes: • Advantage Bulloch which in 2016 successfully recruited WL Plastics Corporation (WL), one of the largest manufacturers of high performance High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipe and related products for the oil, gas, mining, industrial and municipal water markets, which will create 40 44 • Statesboro Magazine

jobs and invest $12 million in Bulloch County.

• Ag South Farm Credit which in 2017 will move their corporate headquarters to downtown Statesboro creating 20 new jobs and expanding their campus with an investment of $15 million along the Blue Mile.

• Visit Statesboro! whose efforts to increase area tourism have resulted in the development of a new extended stay hotel facility slated to open on the bypass in 2017, bringing the hotel room count in Statesboro to over 2,000.

• Crider Foods who as a food supplier to the world, shares a commitment to providing the industry’s highest level of quality, service, and corporate integrity for their retail, foodservice, school, and institutional customers.

• Georgia Power the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, the premier energy company serving the Southeast through its subsidiaries. Value, reliability, customer service and stewardship are the cornerstones of the company’s promise to 2.5 million customers in all but four of Georgia’s 159 counties.

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POWERING OUR COMMUNITIES Statesboro - Bulloch County is our home too.

That’s why we’ve partnered with local chambers, development authorities and elected officials across the state to stimulate growth and invest in the future of our communities. And why, for almost 90 years, we’ve helped bring jobs and investment to the state – more than 121,000 jobs and $24 billion capital investment over the past decade alone.

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ECONDEVGA@SOUTHERNCO.COM I SELECTGEORGIA.COM ©2015 Georgia Power Company. All rights reserved.

Showcasing Our Community to the World

BULLOCH COUNTY Proud to announce

joining our industrial partners: briggs & stratton • great deane trailers • brodie international • viracon • sesolinc walmart distrubution • braswell’s • the sack company • m-d plastics • gaf • aspen aerogels

AdvantageBulloch.com | development authority of bulloch county 46 • Statesboro Magazine

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Your Brand. Our Process. A Shared Vision.

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Coming in the March/April Edition of Statesboro Magazine Call 912.489.2181 to reserve your space.

January/February 2017 • 47

Thank you, Statesboro! I am humbled and thankful for the confidence you have placed in me to represent your interests in the Georgia General Assembly. It’s a tremendous responsibility I take seriously. I am honored to continue serving in the seat which belongs to you.

Sincerely,

Jan Tankersley

State Representative Georgia House District 160

WWW.JANTANKERSLEY.COM

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To promote a better, healthier and happier community, Statesboro Magazine is forming partnerships with those organizations of our community who are dedicated to providing valuable services to the people of Statesboro and Bulloch County.

www.bulloch.k12.ga.us 912.212.8500 48 • Statesboro Magazine

Call Erica Sellers at 912.489.9488 to learn how your organization can become one of our Partners in Progress.

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January/February 2017 • 49

Agents

Brokers

builders

contractors

HOME

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Whether you are looking to rent, buy or sell your home, Statesboro Magazine’s directory of local real estate agents and brokers connects you with professionals who can help meet your needs. Because the real estate market is unique, it’s important to choose a real estate agent or broker with local expertise to guide you through the process of renting, buying or selling your next home.

Our directory helps you find real estate professionals who specialize in buying, selling, or relocation of residential and commercial properties. Work with a local agent or real estate broker to get the most knowledgeable and expert assistance in real Thank you for placing an ad with Statesboro Magazine. Below is your proof. estate buying and selling services.

Please check it closely and let us know right away if there are any changes needed. * A watermark will appear over the ad when printing. *

WE’VE GOT YOUR REAL ESTATE COVERED! 50 • Statesboro Magazine

Ashley Padgett SOLD STARTS HERE

If one of your New Year’s resolutions for 2017 is to buy or sell a home or property, pick up the phone and call me. As one of Bulloch County’s top producers, I am a full service agent that gets RESULTS! I’m not looking for your vote, I want your business. Call or text me and let’s talk about real estate.

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HOME BUILDERS

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• Statesboro Magazine is mailed to industry prospects and potential visitors requesting community information by the Chamber of Commerce and Visit Statesboro!

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As a commercial lender at a community bank, I am given the freedom to truly help my customers grow their business. To me, this is the most rewarding part of my job. I am passionate about many things, but mostly helping others. I am an avid outdoor enthusiast and have called Bulloch County home for 19 years.

I look forward to continuing to be here for my present customers and future customers for many years to come.

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56 • Statesboro Magazine

TormentaFC s Heidi Jeffers

Tormenta FC Named Premier Development League’s New Franchise of the Year

T

Also Awarded Best Social Media and Honors for Game Day Promotion

Tormenta FC was named the 2016 New Franchise of the Year at the Premier Development League’s Winter Summit on December 4, 2016, in Tampa, Florida. The team was chosen for the honor by the league. There are 68 teams in the United States and Canada within the Premier Development League. Statesboro’s own semi-pro soccer team entered the league in 2015 for the 2016 season, along with 11 other new franchises from cities around the U.S. Tormenta FC was also awarded Best Social Media Campaign of the Year, and in a third honor, the team was designated as runner-up for the Game Day Promotion category.

“Winning these top awards after our first season would not have been possible without the tremendous support of the community, our sponsors and Tormenta fans,” stated franchise owner Darin Van Tassell. “This has been an amazing year not only for the team, but for the Statesboro community as the home of South Georgia’s winning PDL soccer team.”

“We used every media outlet available to spread the news about Tormenta FC,” stated Heidi Jeffers, V.P. of Franchise Development in charge of marketing. “Our goal was to build a strong fan base for Statesboro’s newest sports entertainment venue, and to give our sponsors a great return on their investment.”

With the winning slogans of “Pros Start Here” and “Great Things Await” Tormenta FC created a marketing buzz in the industry and international attention from European and South American franchises as well. The success and viral reach of marketing campaigns for the team were highlighted as reasons for the awards; the impact of social media as a huge part of a franchise’s marketing strategy, with complete integration of all media coverage including print advertising, magazines, newspaper, television, video and radio, showcasing all on social media.

“Great Things Await” in 2017! More Fun for Fans in the pre-season - Tormenta FC will start FIFA 17 video game tournaments, sponsored by Galactic

Comics and Games, in March at Spikes Sports Bar and Grill. The final four of the FIFA 17 tournament will be played on the Jumbo Tron after the first Tormenta FC home game in May at Erk Russell Park.

Drive a new car to the 2017 games! Score a goal to win a car worth up to $20,000! Buy your season tickets now at TormentaFC.com to be eligible for a drawing for the “Goal in One” opportunity, another fun and exciting promotion sponsored by Jarrard’s Pre-Owned Vehicles.

Tormenta FC will showcase a Movers and Shakers Campaign for 2017. We will be highlighting fans, supporters and sponsors who help our team, our community and our mission.

Look for the 2017 Game Day Schedule and check-out 2016’s returning players list in March.

Go to TormentaFC.com for upcoming events, promos and updates.

Be a part of the Magenta and Blue Soccer movement right here in Statesboro and the Southeast.

Pros Start Here!

January/February 2017 • 57

GeorgiaSouthern.edu/BIG

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Launching a Business in Statesboro Starts with a Drive Downtown

S

Starting a business can be a daunting task.

Entrepreneurs have to do business research, get a business license, find funding, test products, find office space, find distribution and a whole lot more before they open their doors to the public.

In Statesboro, however, this difficult process now begins with a simple drive downtown to the offices of Georgia Southern’s Business Innovation Group, or BIG, for short. Area entrepreneurs can walk in with a business idea and have immediate access to business experts and agencies that can get them up and running quickly and efficiently.

BIG Director Dominique Halaby, DPA, calls it a “one-stop shop” for entrepreneurs, and a way for Georgia Southern to give back to the community it calls home.

“By creating this one-stop shop, we’ve been able to maximize the role the University plays in helping spur our economy,” he said. “We’ve now become that conduit for people to start businesses. I think that’s pretty important for us.”

Inside the offices of BIG are several local and federal agencies specifically tasked to get small businesses off the ground. These services include business research and economic development services, low-cost or free training and consulting services, and special training and business consulting for veterans.

Most recently, BIG welcomed a branch of the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) into its office. SCORE is a nonprofit organization sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and provides business men-

tors, tools and workshops at no charge or at very low cost.

“Some would say we can only do this if we’re in a major urban area,” said Halaby. “Well, that’s a fallacy. Creative ideas come from all walks of life and from all locations across the country.

They happen more in the urban areas because they have the facilities and the equipment to be able to encourage that. Now we have it here, too.”

BIG also worked with the City of Statesboro, the Downtown Statesboro Development Authority and the Economic Development Administration to renovate a 10,000 square-foot space downtown for a Fabrication Laboratory, or FabLab, and an Innovation Incubator.

The FabLab contains 3D printers, a CNC routing machine, a laser cutter, table saws and hand tools in a cutting-edge maker space which allows entrepreneurs to create new products prototypes for their businesses, or just learn about new manufacturing processes.

The Innovation Incubator holds office space for 20 new businesses, with access to meeting rooms, shared printers, shared audiovisual equipment, and a wireless network on the University’s fiber line. In addition, entrepreneurs will have access to ongoing advisement, coaching and leadership assessment, as well as business consulting and technical assistance. Seventeen local businesses have already applied for offices in the space, and Halaby said he is excited about the attention it will bring to the University and the community.

“I think we’re pioneering in a very integral space that connects the U.S. economy back to rural communities as opposed to just major urban areas,” he said. “I think that’s important.

And I think that we’re starting to get recognized and get eyes placed on us to see how successful we can be in our efforts to do that.”

Halaby has worked in economic development for more than 10 years, and has owned several businesses, the latest of which just opened an office in Shanghai, China. His love of economic development work isn’t just rooted in his love of business, however. It’s rooted in the rewards.

“It is extremely gratifying and rewarding in the sense that you get to see the fruits of your labor,” he said. “And not a whole lot of jobs will afford you that opportunity.

“In economic development, you actually get to see the end of a process you started, whether that’s a firm recruitment — you get to see them break ground, you get to see the ribbon cutting, you get to see the lines at the job fairs — you get to see those things.”

He hopes to see even more of it here in Statesboro.

January/February 2017 • 59

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The Spiritual Pathway s Rev. Dr. H. William Perry

S

Everything Struggles to Live Several months ago Parade magazine asked author Ann Patchett to make a list of The 75 Best Books of the Past 75 Years. They could have called it The 75 Best Books since Bill Perry Was Born, since I’m 75 years old. Oh, well.

I was a little surprised that I have only read 14 of the 75. As I pondered over the list of these fantastic books I decided that I want to read or reread all 75 in the next couple of years. In these five months since the list came out I am 20% toward my goal, having read 15 of the books.

Today I finished one of the books on Patchett’s list, Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, published in 1943, a beloved American classic.

It is the story of a family living in poverty in the slums of Brooklyn, and traces the first 16 years of Francie, whose mother resolves to give her daughter a better life than she has known. She works hard cleaning the apartments in the tenement, earning a few cents a day. She also reads to Francie and her brother, Neely, one page from the Bible and a page from Shakespeare every day.

And so Francie learns to work hard, to overcome her surroundings, and to excel, even though there are tragedies, hardships, and disappointments. She makes daily trips to the library, and becomes more and more aware of the kind of person she wants to be.

Throughout the book references are made to the Tree of Heaven, which grows in a tiny plot of ground at her tenement. Francie watches the tree through the years, and wonders how it can survive with so little soil, sun, and water. She is heartbroken when some neighbors decide to cut the tree down. Its limbs were growing into the tenement’s clothes lines. They even burn the stump so that there will be no possibility of the tree re-sprouting. But on the day Francie is about to leave Brooklyn to enter the University of Michigan she looks out the window and notices new life shooting up from the stump. The tree brings hope and joy. Thus a tree grows in Brooklyn.

But the book is not really about a tree, it’s about a girl who won’t give up and quit. The tree is a metaphor for her ability to overcome adversity. It’s an inspiring book. Oprah Winfrey calls it one of the ten books that has deeply affected her life.

I don’t need to tell you that life is a struggle.

We see that all around us. Even the pearl, one of nature’s most beautiful objects, is formed only when the oyster feels the pain of an irritant that settles inside its shell. The oyster secretes a liquid to cover the irritant, and repeats that process many times until the lustrous pearl is formed.

No irritant, no pearl.

What should we do when life places disappointments, hardships, and heartaches on us?

Of course we should pray to a Loving God who cares about us. Sometimes He removes the irritant; sometimes He teaches us how to be victorious in spite of the struggle.

I continue to be inspired by the story of the boy who was born with a deformed leg that made it difficult for him to walk. He kept asking his parents why he was born that way.

His dad said, “We don’t know, Son, but someday we will take you to the cathedral in the city, and God will heal you.” The day finally came when the father said, “This is the day, Son. Let’s go to the cathedral.”

They walked several miles, entered the large cathedral, prayed, and left. The boy had a big smile on his face, and a look of peace. He had been healed! But as they walked along the father noticed his son was still limping.

“You haven’t been healed!” said the father.

“Oh yes,” replied the son. “Somehow, God has healed my heart!” He lived the rest of his life with a painful limp, but also with a joyful heart and a confident mind.

Difficulties? Sure. We all have them. But we don’t have to give in to them; we can push onward, overcoming any adversity.

January/February 2017 • 61

LOOK AROUND Town & Gown Groundbreaking Ceremony For the Blue Mile Gateway Wednesday, November 16, 2016 Jones Lane Park Photography by Jenny Foss

62 • Statesboro Magazine

January/February 2017 • 63

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The View From Here s Ric Mandes

S

A Change in Tides She stands on the balcony watching moon beams etching the movement of the ocean’s tides sliding to shore, seemingly trying to roll upon the sandy beach and stay. But that would never be their destiny. They are powered by the strength of the “shove and push” of those deep currents. The concert sounds of this setting she had enjoyed all her life. Its melody, fresh to her, began when her parents would spend the weekends in the summers at the Coast.

So long ago and so far away, the first beckoning prelude of remembering warms her.

Now in sentinel pose she raises her crystal

goblet to her lips and enjoys the smoothness of its texture. Her husband and the girls called to confirm they were on their way as she was pulling into the side street adjoining the cottage they leased for a month each summer. Their daughters, Susan and Amanda had grown up running with the low gliding sea birds across the beach dunes. A sudden, most welcomed breeze encompassed the balcony and with that she moves into the sunroom. Such an inviting chamber. Her mind opens the remembering. Of the girls at a small age building sand castles with a little help from daddy. The narrative moving into a differed

form as the girls then within the mystic teens inviting friends to spend the weekends with them.

She closes her eyes. The quiet, a chorus of silence, enhances those “once upon the times” to resonate with soft notes. Her daughters were now grown and beautiful. The older, Susan is engaged to Robert, a fine and fun young man. They had met in college, beginning as cordial friends.

The younger daughter, Amanda will graduate next semester and looks forward to a nursing career. Susan and Robert both have jobs in their respective fields and would do well in married life. They were driving down in the morning.

Across the nearly thirty years she and Randy had remained each other’s best friends. Never a moment of confrontation. They are nice people.

Even in those scenes of anxiety, they took a deep breath and dealt with the challenges.

She walks into the master bath and tosses cold water in her face. She does her best to hide tear stains. She wishes away the lump in her throat and the one discovered in her breast just today during her yearly check up. “Composure,” she says to herself. “Keep it tight.” Randy and the girls have always remained keenly observant.

They love her just that much. She knew the slightest tremor would be noticed. They were a hugging family. They were a family expressing love each day.

Two hours later Randy pulls in with Amanda and friends and a new supply of groceries and two bottles of fine wine. She cannot remember when she and Randy started enjoying a glass of wine together as they sat at home on their patio with dinner warming in the oven. Oft times the girls would enjoy a swim in the pool adjacent to the lounge area, yelling at their daddy to “come on in, old man!” Now she moves to the cottage’s front door and welcomes them – this crew would liven the cottage like a parade of Grande note.

Joyful chatter fills the cottage as Amanda and her friends head up to the loft where they would bunk out and talk well past midnight. With those echoes, her days of the magical teens returns to her. Randy freshens her glass as the serenity of the evening moves in. He takes a deep breath and shares it had been an exceptional day at work.

She reaches out for his hand, warm and firm.

Randy leans into her. “How did your visit with Dr. Lowery go?” Quietly, she rises from her lounge and walks to the balcony’s edge. Randy moves to her and gathers her in, releasing one of his major hugs. She turns and looks into his handsome face as he whispers, “We’ll talk about it tomorrow during our sunrise walk.”

And she offers softly in return “Yes we will…”

January/February 2017 • 65

TRANSITIONS

There is only one happiness in this life, to love and to be loved.

- George Sand Mrs. Wanda Lowery Adams

10.04.16

Mr. Ray Howell

11.12.16

Mrs. Joy Brantley Olliff

11.23.16

Mrs. Alice “Kitty” Collins Akins

10.10.16

Mrs. Ronisha Pouncey Jackson

10.05.16

Ms. Jaquelyn “Jackie” Price

11.30.16

Mr. Cecil Franklin Jacobs

10.26.16

Mrs. Martha Jenkins Quick

11.20.16

Mr. James William “Jimmy” “PaPa” Altman

10.08.16

Mr. Dale M. Joiner

10.04.16

Mrs. Shelby J. Rocker Rigdon

10.30.16

Mr. Ralph Macauley Andrews

11.21.16

Mr. Charles Wayne Joiner

11.15.16

Mrs. Dorothy Jordan Rogers

11.12.16

Mrs. Rae Elaine Bankard

11.03.16

Ms. Voncile Jones

10.27.16

Mrs. Natalie Renee Phillips Rucker

11.29.16

Mr. George Daniel “Dan” Bishop

11.14.16

Mr. Robert Arthur “Night Train” Jones

11.20.16

Mr. Linton Lee Sammons, Jr.

11.15.16

Mr. James W. Blakely, Jr.

09.14.16

Ms. Willie Mae Jordan

11.14.16

Dr. Alfred Franz Schneider

10.20.16

Mr. James Richard Bourne

10.08.16

Mrs. Rosa Mae Key

09.27.16

Mr. Jason Matthew Schoot

11.05.16

Mr. John Robert Bowen

10.28.16

Mr. Forrest Alexander Kibler

11.04.16

Mr. Robert Coleman Scruggs

10.09.16

Mr. Earl Dean Bowman

11.02.16

Mr. Glenn Ray Kingery

10.25.16

Mrs. Jane Neal Walther Sikes

11.03.16

Mrs. Laverne Hatcher Brinson

10.07.16

Ms. Donna Gail Knight

11.08.16

Mr. Joyce Skinner

10.07.16

Mr. Robert Edward “Zeb” Brinson

10.20.16

Miss Parker Adalynn “Turtle” Lane

11.19.16

Mrs. Irene T. Smith

11.24.16

Mr. Steven Mallory Britt

10.06.16

Ms. Annie W. Lane

11.23.16

Mrs. Eunice L. Black Smith

11.03.16

Mr. David Walter Brogdon

10.04.16

Mrs. Annette Woods Lanier

10.07.16

Mr. Calvin Smith, Jr.

10.05.16

Ms. Autumn Rae Carter

10.16.16

Mrs. Betty Jean Bryant Lee

10.16.16

Mr. Charles Anthony “Buddy” Smith, Jr.

10.24.16

Mr. Ralph Henley Cavender

11.15.16

Mr. William Neal “Bill” Lee

11.05.16

Mr. Bobby Eugene “Sonny” Smith, Jr.

10.27.16

Mrs. Lois Ann Blackburn Corson

10.23.16

Ms. Rhonda Marlene Lee

11.03.16

Mrs. Matttie Everett Speight

11.14.16

Ms. Orline Daniels

10.17.16

Mrs. Doris Cannon Lee

11.16.16

Mrs. Juanita Stapleton

11.28.16

Deacon Joseph Davis, Sr.

11.30.16

Rev. E. Charles Lee

11.10.16

Mrs. Muriel Anderson Strickland

10.08.16

Mr. Clifford William Duggan

10.22.16

Mr. William “Gary” Lewis

11.10.16

Ms. Debra Ann Sullivan

10.08.16

Mrs. Connie Durden

11.05.16

Ms. Michelle Lynn Morris Lewis

11.07.16

Mr. Charles Leemon Taylor

10.16.16

Mr. Tommy Durden

11.16.16

Master Ricky Lee “RJ” Lewis, Jr.

11.09.16

Mrs. Nilarea Bacon Dickerson Thomas

11.04.16

Dr. Linda A. Ellis

10.27.16

Rev. Donald Logan

10.15.16

Mr. William Dewayne Thompson

11.03.16

Mr. Uyles Gordon English

11.26.16

Deacon Ernest Lovett, Jr.

10.14.16

Mr. Andrew “AJ” Townsend

11.10.16

Mrs. Marion Everett

11.22.16

Mrs. Joan Head Lumpkin

11.04.16

Mr. Herbert Tremble, Sr.

10.04.16

Mr. Jessie James Gadson

10.04.16

Mr. Colan Francis “Buck” Martin

11.08.16

Mr. Robert Cornell Vail, Jr.

11.16.16

Mr. Nicholas Frank George

11.23.16

Ms. Marilyn Mashburn

10.21.16

Mr. Billy Richard “Ricky” Walls

11.10.16

Mr. Alfred Prince Gould

11.22.16

Mrs. Anita Katharine Carter Masters

10.07.16

Mr. Matthew Ryan Ward

10.08.16

Mr. Steven Randall Haire

11.19.16

Mrs. Geneva Butler McArthur

11.02.16

Mr. Robbie Lee Ward, Jr.

10.12.16

Mr. Charles Franklin McDonald

10.09.16

Mrs. Eddie Lee Washington

11.09.16

“Frank” Harden, Sr.

11.11.16

Dr. Margaret A. “Marge” McLaughlin

11.14.16

Mr. Butcher Washington, Sr.

11.14.16

Mrs. Shirley Baldwin Harris

10.24.16

Mr. Emerson L. McMillan

10.04.16

Mrs. Easter Lee Williams

09.22.16

Mr. Philip William “Billl” Harrison

11.19.16

Mr. Jack Edward Mikell, Jr.

10.17.16

Mrs. Marion Puckett Williams

10.25.16

Mrs. Ereline Rocker Hartley

11.06.16

Mr. Robert “Carroll” Miller

10.02.16

Mrs. Katrena Nesmith Wilson

10.24.16

Mr. George A. Hill, Jr.

11.10.16

Mr. Leonard Desmond Mock, Sr.

10.04.16

Mrs. Tammy Lynette Wilson

11.13.16

Mr. David Louis Holland

10.11.16

Mr. Dewey Lamar Monroe

10.28.16

Mrs. Abbie Jean Woodcock

11.19.16

Mr. George Thomas Holloway, Sr.

11.28.16

Mr. Tyler John Morgan

11.03.16

Ms. Carrie Wright

10.12.16

Mrs. Nellie Mae Williams Yarbrough

11.07.16

Deacon Hugh Franklin

Mrs. Laura Jean NeSmith

10.25.16

Knight Roach Horne

10.15.16

Ms. Mattie “Joyce” Nessmith

10.23.16

Mr. Joseph Michael “Mike” Horton

11.07.16

Mrs. Lucille Williams Newton

10.27.16

Mrs. Jacquelyn Delores

66 • Statesboro Magazine

Wishing You a Most Happy and Prosperous New Year!

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