VALDOSTA – Some say good things come to those who wait. Making good on that promise, the leadership of Valdosta and Lowndes County has announced the official launch of One Valdosta-Lowndes.

The joint endeavor of strategic partners, One Valdosta-Lowndes representatives said the organization is prepared to “deliver on the promise of good things to come, as the initiative launch comes after years of work and a stated mission of commitment to the future success of all of Lowndes County.”

A partnership of the Lowndes County Board of Commissioners, the City of Valdosta, the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority, the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce, Valdosta State University, South Georgia Medical Center and Georgia Power Company, One Valdosta-Lowndes is “positioned to bring a spirit of collaboration, vision and action towards achieving the shared goals of the community,” representative said in a prepared statement. 

Housed operationally within the Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce, One Valdosta-Lowndes is designed to serve as a catalyst for growth and change by bringing business and industry, the faith community and the nonprofit sector to the table with its public sector partners to facilitate positive development and economic opportunity in Lowndes County, representatives said.

Mary Beth Brownlee was recently named director of One Valdosta-Lowndes and joins a staff and leadership to bring the 2021 One Valdosta-Lowndes Community and Economic Development Plan into fruition.

Christie Moore, Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber president and chief executive officer, said, “The most successful communities in Georgia and across the United States have one major quality in common: collaboration.

“One Valdosta-Lowndes is committed to working collaboratively with partners across our community to ensure economic opportunities and an enjoyable quality of life for all. The chamber is honored to house One Valdosta-Lowndes and to provide the necessary staff and operational support to ensure the initiative is successful. We are thrilled to see OVL launched and excited to see what the future holds.”

Lowndes County Commission Chairman Bill Slaughter said, “This is a big moment for all of Lowndes County. The rollout of One Valdosta-Lowndes will be a community effort to bring forth ideas, implementation and completion of efforts to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Lowndes County. I ask that our community welcome Mary Beth Brownlee as the One Valdosta-Lowndes director. I have complete confidence in her helping us make Lowndes County as the best place to live, work and raise our families.”

Brownlee most recently provided support and technical assistance to counties and elected officials across Georgia as a member of the Association County Commissioners of Georgia County consulting services team. Brownlee was the founding executive director of the One Sumter Economic Development Foundation in Americus and she continues to serve on the board of directors.

During her tenure at One Sumter, the organization raised $3.7 million — parlaying those financial commitments into an additional $37 million in capital investments to the community.

Brownlee said she is excited to be tapped to lead One Valdosta-Lowndes.

Brownlee said in the prepared statement, “One Valdosta-Lowndes has the potential and the expectation to be a game changer for Lowndes County. As the much talked about ‘capital’ of South Georgia, One Valdosta-Lowndes can address those issues that are either no one person’s or entity’s responsibility — or take on those challenges that are so important, so all-encompassing, that it is everybody’s issue, but because of that, very few know how to step up or take that on in a way that truly engages the entire community.”

She said, “Working around the state, and particularly with One Sumter, has given me the perspective to appreciate true grassroots enthusiasm and understanding of how essential it is towards creating real change. Something I think many in Lowndes County are looking for, but may not know how to make it happen. I look forward to leveraging that experience here in my new hometown, and in what is, and will always be, my daughter’s hometown.”

The work of One Valdosta-Lowndes will be led by the One Valdosta-Lowndes Advisory Council, comprised of representatives from the founding partners and leaders from across the community. The council consists of: Johnny Ball (South Georgia Medical Center), Clinton Beeland (CJB Industries), Thressea Boyd (Valdosta-Lowndes Chamber of Commerce), Joe Brownlee (Georgia Power Company), Dr. Richard Carvajal (Valdosta State University), Paige Dukes (Lowndes County), Mayor Scott James Matheson (City of Valdosta), George Page (Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority) and Andrea Schruijer (Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority).

Moore will provide general oversight and connection back to the chamber and its board of directors, representatives said.

Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson said, “There is great energy in Valdosta and Lowndes County. We have local governments, a university, South Georgia Medical Center, Development Authority, chamber — all who go to work every single day focused on doing what is best to grow and prosper our community. Too often we don’t have the opportunity to stop and get in the same room together to talk about our common goals and objectives, what really needs to happen to move our community forward.

“One Valdosta-Lowndes is the mechanism to do that, to harness those great energies into a single, driving and focused effort.”

“The efforts of Brownlee and the One Valdosta-Lowndes Advisory Council were made possible by a foundation put into place early on by the steering committee and its partners. Originally co-chaired by VSU President Dr. Richard Carvajal and Georgia Power Vice President for South Region Audrey King, and later by Scott Purvis, community development manager for Georgia Power’s South Region, their collective leadership and vision for what ‘could be’ over the last six years has been the guiding force in making One Valdosta- Lowndes a reality,” according to the statement. “Adopting a new vision that positions the community to be ‘united and forward-thinking,’ the OVL steering committee was incredibly thoughtful and deliberate in creating this expectation.”

Carvajal said, “It has been an incredible honor to co-lead this group, knowing every member truly cares about the future of our wonderful community. We look forward to continuing to work together for years to come tackling the big projects that will make Valdosta and Lowndes County even better.”

“The steering committee is to be commended for doing an excellent job,” Purvis added. “There is now a clear direction forward — we know where we need to go and, most importantly, we now have the roadmap to get there.”

VisionFirst Advisors, based in Tallahassee, Fla., provided on-the-ground support during the initial planning effort from 2017-20. Before making recommendations regarding ways to improve Lowndes County, it conducted in-depth personal interviews with nearly 80 community and business leaders, and collected input from more than 600 residents via a community survey.

Phase Two, the launch of One Valdosta-Lowndes, begins immediately with the establishment of the One Valdosta-Lowndes advisory council and staff to guide the effort.

In addition to identifying early priorities in which to demonstrate impact, “One Valdosta-Lowndes anticipates engaging in a capital campaign to raise the additional funds necessary to take on large and comprehensive community priorities,” representatives said. “Through the rollout of the campaign, One Valdosta-Lowndes will engage in an intentional outreach effort designed to make sure all voices have a vested interest in the final OVL priorities and outcomes.”

As a founding partner of OVL, Brad Folsom, Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority chair, said he believes the One Valdosta-Lowndes initiative will provide a collaborative framework and define strategies to enhance economic growth.

“The initiative will be part of a broad economic development strategy that offers a roadmap for achieving long-term prosperity,” Folsom said. “Through collaborative efforts, there are many opportunities to unite the private and public sectors to develop projects that will positively transform our community.”

Another early investor in OVL, Ronnie Dean, South Georgia Medical Center president and chief executive officer, expressed his excitement for the initiative and the commitment it will take, saying, “Everyone involved with the One Valdosta-Lowndes initiative has demonstrated the highest level of commitment to seeing our community grow and prosper. Without question, we are much stronger together as one.”