TIFTON — The Georgia Chamber of Commerce is hosting a grand opening for the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s first regional office, 6-8 p.m. on Monday, May 15.

The office will be at 1001 Love Avenue is the first office opened outside of Atlanta in the Georgia Chamber’s 102-year history.

“The Georgia Chamber’s regional office in Tifton will have a positive impact on our community as well as all of South Georgia,” said Brian Marlowe, president and CEO of Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce and Tift County Development Authority. “It will provide our members with direct access to Georgia Chamber staff and resources.

“The office will also serve as the location for regional and state economic development meetings, making it much easier for local leaders to participate and have their voices heard. The opening of the regional office in Tifton confirms the Georgia Chamber’s commitment to rural Georgia and we appreciate Chris Clark’s [Georgia Chamber president and CEO] effort in bringing this vision to fruition.”

The new office is in the process of hiring a regional manager, according to Chris Beckham, vice-president of the TTCCC.

The newly opened regional office will host a State of the Region meeting 7:30—9 a.m. on May 16.

This event is part of a statewide, 15-city tour that will feature Georgia Chamber president and CEO Chris Clark. 

The program will review key outcomes from the 2017 legislative session, highlight current chamber initiatives and provide an update on the issues that are most important to our state’s business community.

Georgia Chamber has a Georgia 2030 initiative to discuss how the state’s economy must grow by nearly 40 percent by the year 2030 to keep pace with the rest of the country, according to Beckham.