successes and future plans at the event, which was hosted at Comcast.

Economic Development has focused on attracting expansion in four key areas: Manufacturing, Corporate Offices, Service and Technology, and Distribution, as well as a new area of expansion, SIC 283, which is botanicals, medicines and drugs.

Efforts to attract new industry to the metro Augusta area have included marketing trips to trade shows and familiarization tours for statewide developers and consultants, direct mail advertisements and a variety of Masters® week initiatives including the Red Carpet Tour and the Augusta Showcase.

Confidence is high that Augusta’s strong employment growth and ranking as the 13th hottest MSA in the United States for development by Expansion Management means that the area has a bright future ahead.

Chamber Committee Update

As a new addition to the Augusta Vision newsletter, each issue will highlight a different Chamber of Commerce committee, its current projects, goals and plans for the future. This first article looks at the Richmond County Government Affairs Committee.

Committee: Richmond County Government Affairs Committee, Chairman: R.W. Allen

Mission Statement: To monitor and effect federal, state and local issues that may impact new and existing business development.

Update: The Chamber’s Richmond County Government Affairs Committee has focused its efforts on a single goal to encourage and identify ways for the Chamber and the local business community to become more involved in local government. We feel that this is essential to the future of our city.

Members of the Government Affairs Committee and Executive Committee have been meeting with members of the Augusta-Richmond Commission to discuss the Chamber’s role in making Augusta a better place to live and do business. The reaction to these meetings has been very positive. I hope that by building understanding between the business community and our elected officials, we can find ways to work together. I also believe that by communicating, we can better handle our disagreements and create a more positive image for both our local government and the Chamber.

Business must play a role in leading our community and I believe that the Chamber is the natural tool for that leadership. Augusta’s business community needs to find its collective voice, and use it. I hope that the efforts of my committee are a start of a process that will mean a better Augusta for all.

Chamber Welcomes CDG Call Center, 200 Jobs to Augusta

The Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce is pleased to announce that Civic Development Group (CDG), a Woodbridge, New Jersey-based teleservices company, has selected Augusta as the location of a new outbound call center that will provide employment for 200 people.

The company, which will occupy 10,000 square feet of space at the Westgate Center Business Park on Center West Parkway, plans to be operational by early October. CDG’s call center will serve its clients in the fundraising, credit and telephone fields.

Walt Lapinsky, Jr., President, CDG, stated, “We are very excited about this new business in Augusta. CDG intends to provide quality jobs in the teleservices business for Augusta area residents. We considered other locations, but decided on Augusta because of the available qualified work force, a good selection of available real estate, a very livable community and the cooperative spirit and able assistance from the Chamber of Commerce economic development department and business and community leaders.”

Civic Development Group is a full-service teleservice company that provides direct sales for Fortune 500 companies, cellular phone companies and mortgage lenders. CDG employs approximately 7,000 people at its call centers in New Jersey, Kansas, Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.