James May-June 2023 web - Flipbook - Page 4
P U B L I S H E R ’ S M ES SAG E
the Tourism Industry, Law & Politics and Other Reflections
W
e’ve somewhat revamped our May-June issue
by putting a special focus on Georgia’s burgeoning tourism and hospitality industry. Staff writer Cindy
Morley puts it into perspective: When we invest and
support tourism, everybody wins. After all, it takes real,
live Georgians to staff hotels, hold conventions, manage
tourist attractions, operate restaurants and keep our
lakes and nature areas clean and safe. The bottom line:
Georgia has snapped back from the COVID era and,
judging from the positive quotes our writer cites, the
future is bright.
Even though that industry is a huge component
of Georgia’s economy, we aren’t forgetting Georgia’s
number one industry: agriculture. That’s why we have
an exclusive column by new Agriculture Commissioner
Tyler Harper. He’s particularly promoting the Georgia
Grown program, a division within the department dedicated to helping 2,000 farmers and businesses participating in the program to increase the visibility of their
products for local and international markets.
LAW & POLITICS Traditionally, this has been the “Law &
Politics” issue— especially as it relates to Georgia. So
for this issue I commissioned veteran Atlanta attorney
Mark Spix to write about the role of those lawyers,
elected officials, politicians, journalists and others who
present and argue legal issues. His conclusion is a
reminder of what I learned in high school: our constitutional republic operates under a system of laws, not
men. Yet, on a personal note, I’m concerned about how
many public school students are not learning about this
aspect of our republic’s legal system and the concept
of “blind justice.” Our system is especially eroded these
days by district attorneys who indict politicians on flimsy charges while violent criminals are a lower priority.
EDUCATION FOCUS The nationally acclaimed Technical College System of Georgia supervises 22 colleges, and we
focus on one of them: Augusta Technical College. Staff
writer Cindy Morley interviewed its president, who assumed office in late 2020, to report how he and his team
have elevated the two-year institution’s educational
and training mission.
Education was also a priority in the 2023 General
Assembly, but some readers may have missed some underreported education bills that passed. We recommend
reading Matt Smith’s column on welcomed legislation,
which Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law, addressing
literacy and workforce development.
BUSINESS & REGIONAL FEATURES We regularly highlight various companies that have a positive impact on Georgia’s
economy, so we chose for our latest “CEO Spotlight”
a thriving Atlanta-based firm: Integra Construction
Company headed for almost two years now by W. Scott
Henwood Jr. James also often features Georgia cities,
counties and regions and this time we publish articles
on Georgia’s second largest city Augusta (with a new,
reform-minded mayor) as well as “cool” Canton, the
county seat of growing Cherokee County.
POLITICS & POLLING It seems like the 2022 elections were
just yesterday, but time flies and the focus now turns to
2024. That’s why our own Matt Towery provides a sober
analysis for Republicans looking toward the upcoming
election cycle, while offering good advice for the GOP
in Georgia and elsewhere. Aside from being a political
analyst, businessman and lawyer, among his many
endeavors over the past two decades is polling— so he
begins his column by sharing interesting news about
InsiderAdvantage Polling.
SIPPIN’ LOCAL POLL FEATURE As part of our annual Sippin’
Local feature, James asked readers to vote for their
favorite winery, distillery and brewery in Georgia. Our
winners come from three very different areas and have
very different origins. But the two things they share are
loyal customers and success. We feature a story about
each winner, plus the other top 10 vote getters in each
category. Staff writer Baker Owens writes of the care
and craft these places put into making their products,
often in businesses located in unique spaces.
PHIL KENT CEO & PUBLISHER
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JAMES
M AY/ JU N E 2023