Coastal Georgia Has Massive Impact on Local Economy

The economic impact the 26 University System of Georgia institutions have on their communities cannot be understated.

The colleges had a collective impact statewide of $20.1 billion based on spending by the institutions and their students in 2022.

College of Coastal Georgia is among those contributing to the local economy. More than $87 million is spent in the community annually. The impact includes college personnel, operating expenses and student spending.

“I believe local residents and community leaders have a general sense that the college contributes positively to the area economically and through outreach, but they may not be fully aware of the $100 million a year economic impact generated by the college,” said Michelle Johnston, president of the college.

“And it goes far beyond that impactful number through the partnership and research efforts of our faculty and students and through the impressive work of the Lucas Center for Entrepreneurship and the Murphy Center for Economic and Policy Studies.”

The college’s outreach impact is also an important part of how the economic impact is calculated. Student groups led by faculty work with area agencies, business and organizations to serve specific needs.

“The college’s service-learning efforts have included more than 650 projects with over 190 partners resulting in 100,000-plus hours of active engagement by our faculty and students,” she said.

The Lucas Center for Entrepreneurship has made an impact in the brief time it has existed, Johnston said.

“In our first 18 months, the Lucas Center for Entrepreneurship has served 453 entrepreneurs and small business owners from our community and region,” she said. “For context, there are about 4,400 registered businesses in Glynn County, meaning the Lucas Center’s work has created about a 10% growth in new businesses in our community.”

Another program, the Idea Bootcamp, is also making an impact, Johnston said.

“The Idea Bootcamp takes participants from idea to startup plan in just a day,” she said. “From that program, 45% of participants go on to launch their business and are earning revenue within the first year. Seventy percent of participants in that program are people of color and 78% are women. An example of a recognizable local business that started in Bootcamp (less than one year ago) is Makers in downtown Brunswick.”

An eight-week program, Acceler8, helps support local businesses with the growth goals.

“This program was designed to solve the challenge many of our founders face, where they are really great at tech or sewing or BBQ but don’t have all of the business skills they need to scale,” she said. “This program culminates in investor pitch night where we connect the business owners to capital to support that growth.”

In addition to the grants given by the college to investors, the city of Brunswick also contributed $3,500 and the college awarded $20,000 in all, she said.

“Businesses that participate in Acceler8 grow to add employees, brick and mortar locations, and expand to new markets, driving even more revenue and opportunity into our economy,” she said.

Johnston said the work will continue.

“Our college is dedicated to preparing stellar graduates who are ready to contribute to our regional workforce,” she said.

“Strong community partnerships, a wide range of services, and the outreach work of our expert faculty and staff have created a bond between the college and the region that is special and impactful.”

Written by Gordon Jackson gjackson@thebrunswick.news.com

Republished with the permission of The Brunswick News. Originally published in The Brunswick News.