Partners
THE BEST OF GEORGIA:
EXCEPTIONAL PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS. GROW IT SWEETER WE GROW IT SWEETER
One of the most reliable indicators of how productive an economic development team will be on your behalf is the depth of its partner network. To put it simply, exceptional relationships with the right people often make the difference between a fast track project and one that gets mired in the mud of bureaucracy. We can’t promise you similar results, but to our knowledge, the Development Authority of Peach County still holds the Georgia record for shortest time between initial property offering and final sale – and it was an enormous project.
Whenever possible, we enhance the personal power of relationships and expert counsel with bottom-line, data-driven assessments and projections. We are an official licensee of LOCI™, the gold standard in fiscal impact analysis software. LOCI is a nationally recognized, local government tool originally developed by our friends at the Georgia Institute of Technology. LOCI is designed to import your data for real-world views of company and community benefits and potential concerns. Ask us how LOCI can benefit your organization. We’ll be glad to get you up to speed quickly.
SOME OF OUR PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS
- Georgia Department of Community Affairs
- Georgia Department of Economic Development
- Georgia Department of Labor
- Economic Impact Group at Georgia Institute of Technology
- James-Bates-Brannan-Groover LLP
James-Bates-Brannan-Groover LLP
Hays McQueen focuses his legal practice on business and corporate transactions including contractual negotiations, corporate formation, mergers, acquisitions and both public and commercial financing. In addition, he has garnered a vast array of experience in the areas of commercial litigation, appellate practice, and transactional work. Hays currently works with clients to provide advice in areas of general need ranging from the formation of the business to exit strategies including mergers, acquisitions, dissolutions, and everything in between.
Originally from Alabama but raised in Macon, Georgia, Hays graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Political Science, and he then received his Juris Doctor at Mercer University's Walter F. George School of Law cum laude. Hays is a member of various civic and charitable organizations throughout the Macon area. He and his wife, Anne, have two sons, Holmes and Wood, and are active members of Vineville United Methodist Church.
Georgia Institute of Technology - Center for Economic Development Research
Georgia Tech’s Center for Economic Development Research and their group of talented economic development professionals have the research and implementation experience needed to help economic developers, community leaders, and industries alike understand the opportunities and challenges in fostering local economic development.
Alfie Meek, Ph.D., is the Director of the Center for Economic Development Research (CEDR) with Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²).
Dr. Meek has more than 20 years of experience in economic/fiscal impact analysis and community-based research. Before joining EI², Alfie served for nine years as the Chief Economist and Director of Economic Development for the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners. In that role, he was integral in the development and implementation of Partnership Gwinnett, a community-wide strategic plan that was named the best multi-year economic development program for large communities by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) in 2010. Before his time in Gwinnett County, he spent three years as the Director of Applied Research at The University of Georgia’s Business Outreach Services and Small Business Development Center, and served for five years on the faculty at the Georgia Institute of Technology as an economist and project director for the Center for Economic Development Services. Preceding his tenure at Georgia Tech, Alfie was the Research Economist for SunTrust Banks, Inc.
His current areas of special focus include economic/fiscal impact analysis, forecasting and modeling, work-force issues, tax policy analysis, and target industry analysis. In addition to his research, Dr. Meek speaks widely on topics relating to economic impact and economic development. Dr. Meek has also written for economic development-related publications, as well as other periodicals. His research on the size and economic impact of the sports industry in the United States was published in Sports Marketing Quarterly. This research has been written about and cited in numerous publications – USA Today, Georgia Trend, Financial Times London, Fortune Magazine, and Investor’s Business Daily among others.
Alfie is an active member of the National Association for Business Economics, and is past president of the Atlanta Economics Club. He holds a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from the University of Georgia, a Master’s degree in Business Economics from Georgia State University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Allen-Smith Consulting – Economic Development Efforts
Allen-Smith Consulting partners with local governments and Development Authorities in Georgia to assist in economic development efforts through grant writing and grant administration. Industries that are interested in located to a Georgia site are typically in need of various public infrastructure such as water, sewer, or a rail spur. Allen-Smith partners with clients to use federal or state money to offset the cost to the community of locating an industry to a site.
Patsy Allen, CEO at Allen-Smith Consulting, has over thirty four (34) years of experience in planning, grant writing & administration, funding procurement, community assessments, and program management.
Allen has developed and prepared grant and loan applications for Economic Development, Water and Sewer Facilities, Senior Citizen Centers, Mentally and Physically Disabled Centers, Public Health Departments, Child Development, Head Start Centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, Downtown Development Projects, Street Improvements, Drainage Improvements, Shelters, and Sidewalk Improvements.
In Allen’s role at Allen-Smith Consulting, she is responsible for coordination with Allen-Smith Project Managers and Grant Managers, the client, the engineer/architect, contractor, and the state or federal agency to bring each project to a successful completion. Allen started Allen-Smith Consulting with business partner, Debra Smith, in 1994 to serve clients as a grant writing and administration firm.
Debra Smith, President at Allen-Smith Consulting, has over thirty (30) years of experience in planning, grant writing & administration, funding procurement, community assessments, and program management. Smith started Allen-Smith Consulting, a grant writing and administration firm, in 1994 with Patsy Allen.
Smith has developed and prepared grant and loan applications for Economic Development and other various projects utilizing the following agencies: Georgia Department of Community Affairs, OneGeorgia Authority, Economic Development Administration, Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority, Rural Development, Georgia Department of Transportation, and Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
Smith is well-versed in compliance with local, state, and federal regulations, which include environmental, financial, citizen participation, fair housing, labor standards, and other project specific requirements.
In Smith’s role at Allen-Smith Consulting, she is responsible for coordination with Allen-Smith Project Managers and Grant Managers, the client, the engineer/architect, contractor, and the state or federal agency to bring each project to a successful completion.
Georgia Department of Community Affairs - Region 6 
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) partners with communities to help advance, cultivate and build a climate of success for Georgia’s businesses and families. The DCA works to stimulate economic development and growth by way of implementing various strategies and providing access to funding resources and utilizing a multitude of programs available.
Tonya Mole is the Region 6 Representative for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) serving Middle Georgia. In this role, Tonya serves governments and citizens in the region by identifying state and federal resources for community and economic development; provides technical and educational assistance to enhance local and regional leadership capacity; and works with groups to encourage regional cooperation. Tonya has extensive experience in deal structuring and project financing. She works on-site to provide specialized service to each community.
Tonya has been in the field of Economic Development for 14 years, beginning her career with the OneGeorgia Authority. She works with various regional partners including: the Middle Georgia Regional Commission, Georgia Power, Georgia EMC, Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Department of Labor, and Central Georgia Technical College. From a policy perspective, economic development can be defined as efforts that seek to improve the economic well-being and quality of life for a community by creating and/or retaining jobs and supporting or growing incomes and the tax base. It is important to point out that Economic Development is that new or expanded small business, existing industry, workforce development initiative, housing development, beautification of Main Street communities, elimination of slum and blight, tourism, and of course that competitive location or expansion of a major industry.
Some of the programs where Tonya can provide technical assistance or more information include:
Expand a business in Georgia is made easier with the aid of Regional Project Managers put in place by the Georgia Department of Economic Development. There are multiple free and comprehensive business expansion services provided by the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s regional project managers and they have been instrumental in helping in excess of 1000 Georgia businesses annually.
Candice Scott, Region 6 Project Manager, works with the Development Authority of Peach County on a number of major projects. Some of the services she's been able to assist with include:
- Site selection
- New or available buildings search
- Building layout and other industrial engineering services
- Workforce recruiting
- Labor training and retraining
- Existing business contact programs
- Export assistance
- International trade missions
- Export development strategies
- Existing business council start up
- Prospect package development
- Supplier attraction strategies
- Georgia tax credits and exemptions
- Freeport exemption on inventories
- Financing options
- Utility availability and costs
- Startup Booklet
Technical College System of Georgia (GA DOL) - Region 6
Aundrea Simmons is one of the 13 Regional Coordinators for the Georgia Department of Labor Business Services Unit. She supports Region 6, the Heart of Georgia, which covers 11 counties. Aundrea is a graduate of Tennessee Technological University, located in Cookeville, Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. She currently serves on the Middle Georgia Workforce Development Board and the Hutchings College and Career Academy Board. Aundrea joined the Georgia Department of Labor in 2002 and has held various positions during her tenure that has allowed her to faithfully serve the state of Georgia in bringing the Georgia Workforce System and economic development community together. Aundrea Simmons, Regional Coordinator of Region 6 for the Georgia Department of Labor, places an emphasis on a more employer-driven service delivery by providing employers customized solutions to workforce issues.
As part of the team, she is able to provide insight on current area labor workforce trends and express the specific qualifications employers are seeking in qualified individuals. She brings over 12 years of experience working with dislocated workers, targeted industries, and students of the future workforce. She has a proven track record as a multi-talented professional who brings best business practices through her broad knowledge base of unemployment insurance, employment services, reemployment services, and is a Certified Professional Résumé Writer.
