When Marjorie Young heard the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce would have a new president in early 2023, she immediately scheduled a meeting and asked about their plans for small businesses. Young, founder of Carriage Trade Public Relations, a local small business, left the meeting impressed with the plan.
Just a few months later, then-new President Bart Brantley took the stage at the Mayor's Small Business Conference. So Young and his colleagues began planning this year's National Small Business Week. Mr. Brantley was the one who “bridged” all of their brainstorming and involved the Chamber of Commerce.
“This year it's going to triple in size because we have the power of the Chamber of Commerce and the power of the city behind it,” Young said.
Brantley celebrated his one-year anniversary on Feb. 1, the day after the chamber held the largest-ever Savannah Chatham Day Oyster Roast in Atlanta. Enhanced this year, Small Business Week is one of Brantley's top initiatives in his second year, aiming to keep small businesses a priority and tie in with the coastal region's large business boom.
Brantley's second year at the local chamber of commerce comes as Savannah's growth spark is in full swing, with Hyundai Motor Group's Metaplant America (HMGMA) ramping up production toward the end of the year. . But with impending growth comes both concerns and opportunities for workforce development, housing affordability, and residential quality of life.
A week ago, Brantley appeared on a panel of local leaders at Housing Savannah's first Housing Summit. Chamber members such as Cecilia Russo, founder of Cecilia Russo Marketing, said one of the hallmarks of Brantley's first year was his visibility and community involvement.
“A lot of times, new business owners may wonder, 'Can I really reach the president? Can I really talk to them?'” Russo said. “Yes, he can. He's very approachable in the Savannah chamber, which has a large membership.”
“One of the best relationship builders”
Brantley came to Savannah last year with 20 years of experience in state government. Most recently, he served as deputy chief of staff in Governor Brian Kemp's office, managing the foreign affairs, policy and voter services teams.
Prior to working in the Governor's Office, Mr. Brantley served as Chief Operating Officer for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. At the time, Brantley was already building relationships at the state level in coastal Georgia. He was still in the governor's office when Hyundai announced it was coming to Bryan County.
Tripp Tollison, president and CEO of the Savannah Economic Development Authority, said he has known Brantley for at least 10 years through his work with the state.
“Bert is one of the best relationship builders I've ever seen,” Tollison said. “He does a great job of building bridges with a lot of important partners for the state, and he's doing the same here in Savannah.”
Mr. Brantley also serves as treasurer and secretary of the Savannah Georgia Convention Center Management Committee, the group leading SCC and its $276 million state-funded expansion. He is also a board member of Leadership Savannah and Union Mission.
For Brantley, his time in the state built trust with the people he works with in Savannah. Brantley said that when the Hyundai plant was under construction, he worked with Tollison and other leaders, including Chatham County Commission Chairman Chester Ellis and Savannah Mayor Van Johnson. He reportedly met with him many times.
“You can sue the bank for what he says,” Tollison said.
Balancing the boom and this year's outlook
The growth of large-scale businesses in coastal Georgia has also led to concerns that affect the quality of life in the home. Some people in suburban Chatham County are organizing to fight the proliferation of warehouses caused by economic development.
The Georgia Department of Transportation's Coastal Empire Study showed that without improvements to local highways, congestion will increase significantly as the region grows. And despite projected population growth, there is already an estimated housing shortage of 10,000 units.
But Brantley said the sense that the relationship between businesses and residents is adversarial is always confusing because chamber members are also residents.
“It's not an either/or. It's not us versus them, it's both,” Brantley said. “We're just as concerned about historic preservation, livability, and so on as everyone else.”
Brantley said part of the chamber's mission is to work with counties and cities on these issues. Brantley said that throughout his time in Savannah in state government and as Assembly Speaker, he has made it a priority to maintain good relationships between groups even when opinions differ.
Key to Brantley's priorities this year is capitalizing on small business growth. Brantley said the chamber's membership includes more local small businesses than large corporations. One way he uses this growth to benefit smaller members is to connect them with larger operations.
Young, a local business owner who is helping organize Small Business Week, said there are plans for an event that will bring together local business owners and representatives from organizations such as Hyundai and Gulfstream. One example of a potential connection is that a major company could buy the services of a local company, such as insurance or catering, Brantley said.
“We want to make sure our members have access to these opportunities so that as this growth happens, they can grow with it,” Brantley said. Ta.
Diane Morrison, another small business owner who founded Ad Specialty, was also a member of the search committee that ultimately selected Brantley. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he felt Brantley's role overseeing various departments in the governor's office was similar to overseeing various businesses.
Morrison said Brantley's ability to advocate for companies of all sizes is one of the skill sets that made him the perfect candidate for the position.
“We (the chamber) feel more energetic, more proactive and more engaged with members,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. “We woke up and became alive again.”
Evan Lasseter is a city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. Please contact ELasseter@gannett.com.
