Every fall in South Georgia, Moultrie hosts the annual Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition. For nearly a week, thousands of farmers and those who supply them equipment and supplies, will descend not only on Moultrie, but into every available area community with a hotel, including Valdosta.

Area hotels are booked this week, and other businesses will benefit as well from having this group here in our community.

Valdosta also has the honor now of hosting the Monday evening dinner for the 10 state Farmer of the Year Award finalists from across the Southeast. Several hundred people are expected to attend the event Monday as the farmers and their families are recognized for their contributions to agriculture. The winner will be announced at the Expo at a special luncheon on Tuesday.

While we may celebrate the new business that is coming our way due to growth and economic prosperity, let’s not forget, as the saying goes, who brung us to the dance. This community was founded on agriculture and it still plays a vital role in our economic health. Without our area farmers, we wouldn’t be having all this growth today. While many may be leaving their land or selling it for development, there are still those who are hanging in there, keeping the family land planted as it has been for generations.

So this week while Valdosta/Lowndes County celebrates coming into its own as the new shopping mecca of the Southeast, stop for a minute and remember the farmers who founded this community. Their descendants are still here and they are just as important today as they were 100 years ago.

This is Sunbelt Ag Expo week in South Georgia. Support the farmers.



Business Roundup

I guess everyone has heard the big news about the new James Road development, with more than a million square feet of mixed use commercial and retail space filled with stores, restaurants, homes and offices. The city gave it a thumbs up at its meeting Thursday, meaning that in about one to three years, you will finally see some of the retailers and restaurants that you’ve been waiting for, that you used to have to leave town to visit.

Beginning next week, I’m going to start running another “Business Wish List” for our readers to vote on. While the big retailers are lined up and ready to sign, the smaller stores aren’t already spoken for, and the developers would like your assistance in voting to see who your top ten businesses are that you’d like to see here in Valdosta. Stay tuned.

In other business, Todd Tillman will be the new head honcho and broker for the Century 21 realty office in town. He recently moved into a new office in Hahira, near the development that his family has undertaken at the city’s edge on the other side of I-75 called Creekside West. Look for a story next Sunday on the development.

Back in Valdosta, a new candy store opened this weekend in the mall called The Candy Lane. It’s in the food court area near the Fun Factory.

The Shoppes at Baytree, the strip center being built adjacent to Publix, are going to be six retail stores opening in February. Three of the six spaces are already rented by local entrepreneurs, including Nails by Chris, City Cuts, and We’re Expecting You, a maternity store.

The Waffle House on Hill Ave. looks closed, but apparently it’s being renovated.Anyone know details?

I understand there is going to be a new pet funeral home on Northside Drive. I will keep you posted when I know more about it.

That’s it for this week, but there’s always more to come next week. If there’s anything I’ve missed, please let me know!