Written by Doy Cave

You’re Gonna Need A Bigger Boat

WRITTEN BY DOY CAVE

Afew months ago, during an unscheduled visit to the emergency room here in Statesboro, I met a nice lady with a pronounced New England accent — an accent begging for an origin story.

“Rhode Island,” she said. “People ask me all the time.”

“What brought you here?” I asked. Another question I’m sure people ask her all the time.

She said she initially moved to Statesboro to be closer to her family, who had moved down South. But even when her family moved away, the warmer weather, affordable cost of living and hometown vibe kept her here, and she and her husband fell in love with the place.

Seems these Rhode Islanders — Rhode Islandites? Rhodies? — are not alone in their appreciation of Statesboro. A recent article from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Statesboro is the best place in Georgia to live on a fixed income.

Stan Suboleski, Ph.D., a professor of practice in management at Georgia Southern, with more than 20 years of hotel and hospitality experience, came to Statesboro from Las Vegas almost 10 years ago. He said the transition from 24-hour restaurants and amenities to a more laid-back small town was jarring at first.

“The first thing I learned in Statesboro is that if I don’t eat by 9:30, I ain’t eatin’,” he said.

But in that time, he said he’s watched the community come together with an eye toward tourism, and believes Statesboro is beginning the work it has to do to become a true destination in Georgia — starting with the Blue Mile project.

“There has to be a link between what we want to be, what we are, and a path to get to the two,” said Suboleski. “I believe the Blue Mile is that and has the potential to be that more so than anything else that I’ve seen in my almost 10 years here.”

The Blue Mile project will make improvements to the mile-long stretch of South Main Street, beginning at the entrance of Georgia Southern University, all the way to the Bulloch County Courthouse downtown. The announcement of the project excited area business, and since that time, the city announced initial plans for The Creek on the Blue Mile project, which would transform the drainage canal that crosses South Main and Fair Road into a beautiful multi-level walkway, lined by commercial and residential properties.

Private investors have also started construction in the West District, along South College Street, the Tormenta professional soccer team is building a stadium on Veterans Parkway, and Publix is also planning to build nearby. All told, the projects could expand the tax base by some $250 million and potentially create 750 jobs.

Suboleski says each addition and investment lays the groundwork for more, and expands Statesboro’s capability to play host to larger and larger events for more and more people.

“If you’re not ready for them, they won’t come back again next year,” he said. “So we have to want it, then we have to build the vessel that will hold it. And that’s a long process…. But I think as we start to put small gems and jewels into our crown, eventually, we’ll put one or two anchors in there — to use a retail term — that will eventually complete that crown and open the door to vastly more people.”

Suboleski keeps a close eye on the hospitality industry in Statesboro, where he routinely sends his students for internships in its local hotels and businesses. He says it’s a great place to learn hospitality, because you discover “you don’t have to be the best in the world, you just have to be the best in this market.” And he believes local leaders are discovering this as well, and planning a bright future for Statesboro.

“I really remain excited here,” he said. “And I’m just telling the new people that we hired, the best thing about this place is that I have no desire to leave. And I spent most of my life going somewhere every two years, either fixing it or saying it can’t be fixed and going somewhere else.”