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On The Cover:from left to right
Robbie andAnna Roberts,
Bruce Allen & Tom Sands
5 my perspective
7 bulletpoints
15 components of success
64 press
29 Economic Impact: The United Way of Central GeorgiaFormerly a “gifting” organization supporting hundreds of charities, the organization now focuses on treating specific social and economicchallenges in the community.Mark Hoerrner
37 Benefit the Cause, Benefit the CommunityFrom humble beginnings to the catalyst for $40 million in gifts used for charitable purposes, the Community Foundation of Central Georgiais committed to enhancing the local non-profit arena and providing the highest level of service to its donors.By Katherine Walden
42 Destined to ServeAs the current Vice President of Professional Services for the Medical Center of Central Georgia, as well as the recently elected president of the 100 Black Men of Macon, Tom Sands has committed himself to serving the Central Georgia community, whether it is on the job or outside the office.By Kevin Manus
48 Start UpsWhen one door closed, another one opened for each of these five innovative former Brown & Williamson employees turned entrepreneurs.By Rick Maier
54 Growing International FriendshipsDrs. Bruce and Jennifer Allen’s fervor for world travel has not only brought them enlightenment, but it has also built international friendshipsand led foreign dignitaries to their history and culturally enriched home.By Judy Rocker
features
departments
contentsvolume 2 • number 5
37
48
29
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address Macon is published bi-monthly by Imedia Group.Copyright address Macon 2006. Reproduction in whole orpart without permission is prohibited. Advertising rates avail-able on request. The publishers are not responsible for thecomments of authors or for unsolicited manuscripts.Distribution is to business executives and developing youngprofessionals in Bibb and surrounding counties. All manu-scripts, photos, drawings, or letters will be treated as uncon-ditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes,and as such are subject to address Macon’s unrestrictedright to edit or comment editorially.
Macon’s Business Magazine
4360 San Carlos DriveMacon, Georgia 31206478-314-2285 phone
478-314-2294 fax
website:www.imediagroup.biz/addressMacon
email:[email protected]
Imedia GroupPublisher
Ronald T. WilliamsChairman
David S. CanadyPresident
Dawn BurkhalterChief Financial Officer
Vicki MillsSean WatersTim Anderson
Advertising Sales
Jessica Walden-GrinerEditor
Susie AllenRobb Gensic
Graphic Designers
Designed & Printed by Imedia Group
Photography Ken Krakow Photography
www.kenkrakow.com
Contributing WritersDavid S. Canady
Mark HoerrnerRick Maier
Kevin ManusKathleen Medlin
Judy RockerKristen Soles
Katherine Walden
A product of Imedia Group
addressDelivering Components of Success
opportunities in our Bulletpoints section, editorial features and
departmental stories, and of course, great readers and distribution for
advertising frequency. I look forward to and appreciate your input.
Remember the year is far from over. We still have more than 10
percent of the year left to go. Take advantage of it.
To our mutual success,
The die is cast – elections, for the most part, are
over and done. And the DAWGS are the victors over
the Auburn Tigers. No more solicitations calls and
no more taunting by War Eagles for another year.
Life is good.
In a recent conversation with an address
Macon reader, I was questioned concerning the
orientation of our editorial content. Basically it was
under the premise, “Where do you get all of your
ideas and aren’t you afraid you are going to run out
of them?” My response: “Never! Everyone has an
interesting story to tell. Sometimes you just have to
dig a little deeper than others.”
Fact of the matter, for address Macon, people
are the differentiating factor. No matter what your
favorite subject matter to read – business, sports,
decorating, wine or travel – it is always more
interesting to read when the story contains
someone you know, would like to know or find
interesting. Personally, I think the real experts on
any subject matter are those who have lived
through an experience, not just studied it.
As far as the “experts” we feature in address,
“you can’t judge a book by its cover.” Take for
example the couple whose picture adorns this page.
Upon first meeting Drs. Bruce and Jennifer Allen,
you are immediately impressed by their well-versed
knowledge on many subject matters, their poise
and professional nature. A picture is worth a
thousand words, so you now have some hint that
while all of my fore mentioned descriptions are accurate,
the Allens are also fun-loving, outgoing and genuine people.
Knowing what little I did about the Allens prior to Judy Rocker’s
interview, I was excited with the story potential. The most interesting
aspect surrounding the Allens’ new home featured in address is not
the contents you see. The most interesting aspect is the stories
coinciding with their collections. They are truly a renaissance duo.
As the holidays and 2007 approach, I am motivated to skip the
typical traditions of New Year’s resolutions. While you are reading
this issue in November, we are in full steam with our plans for the
next several issues. This forward planning has allowed me to look
beyond my annual year-end review and develop a process for
continual planning and re-evaluation.
addresss is Macon’s champion for business, but we have to
know about your business to be of benefit. We offer free press
address my perspective
Drs. Bruce and Jennifer Allen
www.kenkrakow.com
David S. CanadyPublisher, address Macon
5www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
“Since 1998, Macon Occupational Medicine has been a clinical site for the Medical Assisting Program
at CGTC. The internship offers training in the field of occupational and environmental medicine. The
internship also allows us the opportunity to evaluate the students for future employment. The students
are already well trained by the time they get to their internship, which is a reflection of CGTC’s quality
instructional program.”
— Bill Lindsey, MHA, FACHE, PHRSenior Vice PresidentMacon Occupational Medicine, LLC
www.centralgatech.eduphone: 478.757.3400
As partners in workforce development, Macon OccupationalMedicine provides clinical sites forinternships and employs graduates of Central Georgia Technical College.
Pictured, clockwise from top: Laurie Gregory, RN, Nurse Director; Linda Morgan, 2004 CGTC Graduate; Amy McDonald, Current CGTC Student; and Arthur Meadows, 2001 CGTC Graduate.
PPaarrttnneerrss iinn WWoorrkkffoorrccee DDeevveellooppmmeenntt
7www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
BULLETPOINTS•••••••••••••••••••••••corporatebusiness ventures •events•awards•sales reports•moving•new
The Shoppes at River CrossingBreak Ground
A groundbreaking ceremony for The Shoppes at River Crossing was held on
September 12 with local business and government leaders joining executives
from Jim Wilson & Associates, Inc. and General Growth Properties, Inc., the
two companies that are building the 750,000 square-foot regional shopping and
entertainment center at I-75 and Riverside Drive. The center is scheduled to
open in the Spring 2008 with upscale specialty stores, restaurants, two depart-
ment stores and five mid-size anchor stores. The Shoppes at River Crossing will
be the first open-air retail and entertainment center in Bibb County and will
serve a 22-county trade area in Central Georgia. “We look forward to serving the
people of the heart of Georgia,” said John Bergstrom, senior vice president,
development of General Growth Properties. “We will introduce retail stores and
restaurants that Macon will embrace, situated in an environment that visitors
will want to enjoy time and time again.”
Macon Hosts ConvenienceStore & Petroleum Trade
Show for Third YearFor the third year in a row, Macon hosted convenience
store and petroleum retailers from throughout Georgia and
the Southeast at the Southern Convenience Store &
Petroleum Show at the Macon Centreplex on October 25 &
26. The event, sponsored by the Georgia Association of
Convenience Stores and the Georgia Association of
Petroleum Retailers, featured more than 200 booths
showcasing the latest in products and services for the
convenience store and petroleum industry and seminars for
all levels of store employees and owners.
According the Beth Robinson, Convention Sales
Manager for the Macon CVB, “We are very pleased to have
this trade show in Macon for the third year in a row. The
convenience store industry is so important to middle
Georgia because our visitors, especially those traveling
along I-16 and I-75, spend a lot of money on gas and
convenience foods. We’re looking forward to hosting this
group for many years to come.”
Third Wave Launches New Admissions Website
for Mercer UniversityThird Wave Digital is pleased to announce the launch of
www.gomercer.com, an admissions recruitment website for
Mercer University. Recently, Mercer University decided to
redesign their online marketing efforts in the area of under-
graduate admissions. It was determined the new admissions
website should stand alone from the main Mercer site and
provide potential in-coming freshmen with a slick, hip and
multimedia focused experience.
Third Wave Digital responded with the creation of a
“push” technology site loaded with cutting edge features
wrapped in an engaging graphic user interface that is invit-
ing and intuitive. The new Go Mercer website features over
30 minutes of custom streaming media clips produced com-
pletely by the Third Wave team. In addition, Go Mercer also
features a detailed interactive campus map, over a dozen slide
show presentations, custom music and some very unique
Flash animated elements.
For more information, contact Bart Campione at
478-750-7136 or at www.thirdwavedigital.com
8 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
BULLETPOINTS•corporate
Verizon Wireless Brings Wireless Broadband to Central Georgia
Verizon Wireless announced it is making wireless broadband service available
for Macon, Warner Robins and surrounding areas. The company said it is the first
to bring the service to Middle Georgia. The service would allow users to connect
laptop computers wirelessly anywhere in the service area at broadband speeds. The
area also includes Fort Valley, Perry, Forsyth and Milledgeville. The Macon area
becomes the third in Georgia, behind Atlanta and Athens, to get the service, said
Greg Heenan, director of data sales for Verizon, and that Savannah, Augusta,
Columbus and Albany will follow. According to him, laptop users can currently
get cellular connections to the Internet at dialup speeds, and Verizon's service
allows remote connections at speeds that rival direct service link connections.
Heenan said the service is particularly popular with business people who
frequently work in remote locations.
California Cereal Products, Inc.to Locate a Cereal Manufacturing
Facility in Macon, GA
Sterling Savely, Chairman and CEO of California Cereal
Products, Inc., joined local officials at the Georgia Sports Hall of
Fame in Macon to announce that the California based company has
purchased the 454,476 sq. ft. former Keebler/Kellogg food man-
ufacturing facility in the Allied Industrial Park area. Sterling
Savely stated, “Our orders exceeded our capacity in our California
facility, and this building fits perfectly in our
expansion plans.” California Cereal Products, Inc. chose Macon as
the site for their second plant after searching for other facilities on
the East Coast. “When fully operational the plant will employ up
to 235,” according to Savely.
“California Cereal Products will be a great addition to our
community,” stated Charles Bishop, Chairman of the Bibb County
Commission. “This will provide employment opportunities for
the former Keebler/Kellogg employees left unemployed when the
facility closed earlier this year,” continued Bishop.
Savely stated, “The reception we have received from
development officials in Macon, Georgia has far exceeded our
expectations. Everyone has been eager to help.”
Jeff Counsell, Trammel Crow in Chicago, Illinois represented
California Cereal Products, Inc., and Art Barry of Coldwell
Banker/Eberhardt and Barry Commercial in Macon, Georgia rep-
resented the owners in the $6.5 million transaction.
California Cereal Products, Inc., based in Oakland, California,
is a supplier and contract manufacturer of batch cooked breakfast
cereal, producing traditional oven-toasted crisp rice, whole grain
brown crisp rice, corn flakes, wheat flakes, multi-grain flakes, and
sugar coated variations. The product is shipped to markets in
Asia, Australia, Europe, the United States, and South America.
Since January of 2005, fifteen companies have expanded or
relocated to Macon as a result of the efforts of the Macon
Economic Development Commission. These companies represent
investment of over $207 million and over 1,201 new jobs.
The Macon Economic Development Commission is the
private/public partnership responsible for recruiting new business
and industry to Macon and Bibb County in Georgia and for
the retention of established companies. If you would like more
information on economic development in Macon, please contact
Pat Topping, CEcD, Senior Vice President at 478-621-2030 or
visit www.maconworks.com.
Stroud and Company’s StarSoftware Project
Buildings Magazine recently announced that Stroud and Company has
been recognized for its construction of Star Software’s new facility. This project
was highlighted in the publication’s October 2006 issue, along with other
exemplary projects. This issue was the magazine’s first annual recognition of
innovations in the building industry.
More than 50 unique project innovations were submitted from around
North America. The entries were reviewed by a judging committee that estab-
lished criteria based on aesthetics, function, performance and sustainability.
This is the second recognition Stroud and Company has garnered for this
project. Earlier this year, the Georgia Branch of the General Contractor’s
Association presented Stroud and Company with a Build Georgia award.
9www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
Imedia Group Hires New Directorof Communications
Jessica Walden-Griner has joined Imedia Group as the Director of
Communications. The position includes coordinating the editorial aspects
of address Macon and Houston County Magazine, both published and printed
by the company.
Prior to arriving at Imedia Group, Walden-Griner
worked as the Public Relations and Events Specialist at the
Georgia Music Hall of Fame, Managing Editor of Georgia
Music Magazine and Editor of the 11th Hour arts &
entertainment newspaper. Although she is a new addition
to Imedia’s staff, she has acted as a contributing writer for
address Macon and Houston County Magazine, which
she also served as a freelance editor.
She graduated cum laude with a journalism
degree from Georgia State University, where
she was the recipient of the Walter F.
Newman Scholarship for Print Journalism.
She currently sits on the Board of
Directors for Midsummer Macon.
Warren Associates of MaconNamed Finalist For 2006 GA
Family Business AwardWarren Associates Inc. of Macon has been named a finalist for
the 2006 Georgia Family Business Award presented by the Cox
Family Enterprise Center at Kennesaw State University.
Warren Associates, a widely-known general contractor in
Central Georgia for 35 years, is one of two finalists recognized
along with the winner in the Small Family Business category.
The Small category encompasses those firms with 50 or fewer
employees. The award was presented Wednesday, May 24, to
Warren Associates President C. Warren Selby Jr. during a ban-
quet at the Cobb Galleria Centre near Atlanta. The awards cere-
mony was co-hosted by Georiga Trend magazine and the Cox
Family Enterprise Center.
The annual awards program was initiated in 1992 to celebrate
family firms demonstrating strength in business as well as strong
family ties, including multigenerational ties to the business. The
judges also considered contributions to industry and community,
and innovative business practices and strategy.
BULLETPOINTS•educat ionNational Achievement Scholarship
Program Announces 2007 SemifinalistsTwo Central High School students — Sasha Hutchings and Alexandria Byas — have been
named Semifinalists by the National Achievement Scholarship Program in its 43rd
Achievement Scholarship competition. As Semifinalists, Hutchings and Byas will move on to
the next level to compete for about 800 awards worth $2.5 million.
The 1,600 Semifinalists were selected out of a national pool of more than 130,000 high
school juniors based on scores from the 2005 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship
Qualifying Tests (PSAT/NMSQT). To become one of the 1,300 students expected to be named
as Finalists in February, each student must present a record of high academic performance
throughout high school, be endorsed and recommended by the school principal, and earn SAT
scored that confirm the PSAT/NMSQT performance. The National Achievement Program
began in 1964 to honor academically promising African American youth and provide scholar-
ships to many of the participants.
Central GeorgiaTechnical College
Campus Selected as Sitefor Winning Water Festival
Central Georgia Technical College is gearing up
to host the Winning Water Festival slated for March
22, 2007. Part of a statewide initiative, Winning
Water will be an interactive day of learning for
selected fourth grade classes in the Ocmulgee and
Lower Oconee River Basins. The purpose of the
festival is to educate students about ground, drinking,
and surface water (watersheds) and water quality in
a fun hands-on atmosphere. The Macon festival will
serve as a model for future water festivals in
Georgia’s other river basins.
Festival presenters will include water/natural
resources experts from universities and colleges,
government agencies, environmental organizations
and private businesses who will teach children in a
fun and interactive atmosphere. Over 850 students
have already registered to attend the event, held in
partnership with the International Cherry Blossom
Festival. Organizers include the Water Systems
Council, Keep Georgia Beautiful, the Georgia
Department of Community Affairs and Central
Georgia Technical College.
Pictured left to right, Alexandria Byas – National Achievement Semi-finalist and Commended
Scholar for National Merit, Sasha Hutchings – National Achievement Semi-finalist, Brian Mink
– Commended Scholar for National Merit, and Laura Cox – Commended Scholar for National
Merit. Not pictured is William Black, who is a Commended Scholar for National Merit.
10 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
BULLETPOINTS•educat ionTimberlake Honored by Macon State College Foundation
Joe Timberlake III of Macon was presented the inauguralLegacy of Leadership award by the Macon State CollegeFoundation during the recent annual meeting of the Board ofTrustees. The Legacy of Leadership award, the highestbestowed by the MSC Foundation, was established to honorindividuals or groups who have given exemplary service toMacon State and/or the Foundation.
For many years, Timberlake was president of his family’sTimberlake Grocery Company. Today he remains as presidentor managing partner of several family ventures. Timberlake’sunsurpassed leadership as chairman of Invest in Success,Macon State College’s first comprehensive fundraising effort,resulted in the Foundation exceeding its $6 million goal.
FPD Opens the 2006-07School Year with new
$6.3 million High School and Record Enrollment!On August 21, First Presbyterian Day School
started a new school year, but this year was not like any
other school year. The prospect of exceeding any past
enrollment record with 993 students was thrilling;
however, even more exciting was the fact that students
did not return to the same old surroundings. This year
they were greeted with beautiful new state-of-the art
classrooms, labs and gathering areas. A $6.3 million
high school, equipped with smart board technology in
every classroom, a large lecture hall, senior gathering
area, and new science and technology labs was com-
pleted this June. The middle school was renovated and
the elementary school was reconfigured to add 25 per-
cent more square footage to each classroom. Striving
to “educate and equip students to change the world for
God’s glory,” it’s an exciting time for FPD.
Pictured left to right, Dr. Betty Timberlake, Peggy Timberlake,
Joe Timberlake III, MSC President David A. Bell, Bob and
Jennifer Timberlake, and Caitlyn Timberlake.
Central High SchoolEarns Governor’s Cup
Governor Sonny Perdue has recognized
schools across the state of Georgia as part of the
Governor’s Cup Challenge for outstanding
improvement on the most recent administration
of the SAT test, awarding them with the
Governor’s Cup. Organized by Georgia High
School Association (GHSA) Class and Region
assignments, schools are compared with simi-
larly sized schools within the same Region of
the state. The GHSA organizes schools into
five Classes (i.e., A, AA, AAA, AAAA, and
AAAAA) with each Class having eight regions. Within each Region within a Class, the
school that has the greatest average gain in the most recent total SAT score for reading
plus math over the previous three years will be selected as a Regional winner and will be
a finalist for the Class competition.
Bibb County’s Central High School has been honored as the Region Winner of
3-AAAA for showing an increase in SAT scores from 2004-2006 of 16.5 points. Also
recognized on the web site (www.satrocks.com) are schools that improved by
10 points or more over the three years. Both Rutland and Westside High Schools
are listed in this category.
“We are closing the gap in scores and achievement in Bibb County,” says Bibb
County Superintendent of Schools Sharon Patterson. “Each year we are showing
improvement across the district, which translates to a better future for our children.”
“I am very proud of my students for working so hard and taking their education
seriously,” says Central High Principal Dr. Erin Weaver.
Since 2004, students in Bibb County have shown exemplary improvement as their
scores have increased 27 points (12 points in critical reading and 15 points in math).
The greatest improvement has been with African American students who, since 2004,
have seen a 20 point increase in critical reading and a 19 point increase in math.
Pictured, Assistant Principal
Dr. Dennard Scoggins displays
the Governor's Cup that was
awarded to CHS.
11www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
Tastes Only GeorgiaCan Offer
Gourmet Food Gift Boxes
www.onlyga.com
4360 San Carlos DriveMacon, GA 31206
478-314-2295478-314-2294 fax
Toll Free877-788-3344
12 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
BULLETPOINTS•communi tyNewTown Macon PresentsPartners in Progress Awards
At the 2006 NewTown Macon Annual meeting the following
awards were presented to community members who have made an
impact on downtown Macon.
Growing Jobs: Tony Long and Gene Dunwody, Jr.
have recruited restaurants, nightclubs, businesses, artists and
residents back downtown.
Increasing Residents: Vern McCarty has restored the
historic Happ Brothers factory, Katherine Court and The Terraces
into beautiful living spaces.
Creating a Sense of Place: David Thompson assembled
a volunteer board for Cox Capitol Theatre, helped raise $1.4
million for renovation and launched movies and concerts.
Special Recognition: Frank Amerson, Jr. led an effort
to donate the historic water works property to the Urban
Development Authority and NewTown for a public park.
Emerging Partner: Jeff Jones and Clay Murphey of
Woodland South built the first high-rise office complex downtown
in 15 years. A $75 million riverside complex and residential devel-
opments are planned.
Leadership: R. Kirby Godsey. As president of Mercer
University and chairman of NewTown, Kirby Godsey increased
Mercer’s presence throughout downtown by renovating buildings
for the medical school and other offices as well as signing master
leases on Broadway Lofts and Poplar Point. The University
also restored The Grand Opera House, transforming it into a
performing arts center and cultural asset.
Museum of Arts & SciencesHoliday ActivitiesCelebrate! ExhibitNovember 15 - December 31
Throughout the world there are many annual winter
festivals and special holidays that celebrate the traditions
of different cultural communities. This exhibition explores
eight major festivals from around the world: Hanukkah,
Diwali, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Posada, Chinese New Year,
Pioneer Christmas and Victorian Christmas. Discover a few
of the common threads between them as well as the
diversity of theme, setting, and culture that make each one
of these festivals unique.
Story of The Star Planetarium ShowDecember 2 - December 30, Saturdays at 12 p.m.Free with Museum admission
A kindly grandfather narrates the Museum’s traditional
Christmas show. This program includes the Biblical story, a
discussion of holiday customs, and a search for a scientific
explanation of what the Star of Bethlehem might have been.
For more information contract the Museum of Arts
and Sciences at 478-477-3232 or visit their website at
www.masmacon.com.
Intown Macon’sChristmas CandlelightTour of HomesSaturday, December 2, 2006 – 8 pm
Sunday, December 3, 2006 2 – 6 pm
Visit a collection of Intown Macon’s finest
historic residences, ranging in age from 1836
to 1926, and all dressed up for the holidays.
Tickets will be $15 in advance or on the
days of the tour. Advance tickets will go on
sale on November 15th and will be available
for purchase by cash or check through
Friday, December 1st at Ginger Michelle,
Creter’s, Forsyth Road Ace Hardware, and Aunt Zelda’s Furniture. Tickets
on the days of the tour will only be available for purchase at 244 College
Street (corner of College and Bond Streets). Tour programs may be picked
up at 244 College Street on the days of the tour. For more information,
please call Tour Chairman Julie Groce at 478-743-5651 or visit our
website at www.intownmacon.org.
Macon Arts Hosts 2006 Cultural Awards Macon Arts honored five arts community leaders during the 2006 Cultural
Awards held October 5 at Macon Little Theatre. The Awards honor those who
have made significant cultural contributions to the arts and cultural life of
Macon and Bibb County. This year’s recipients (pictured above, left to right) are
Franklin Camp Bacon, Dorothy Ogden Brown, Dr. Edward K. Clark, Morris
Purcel and Rosemary Spiegel.
14 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
“GIVE TANKS”“GIVE TANKS”
Harley-Davidson of Macon 5000 Mercer University Dr. 478.474.3343
VISIT HARLEY-DAVIDSON OF MACON
FOR GREAT HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR THE
HARLEY ENTHUSIAST ON YOUR GIFT LIST.
A wide array of Harley and Buell motorcycles for the “Perfect Gift”An excellent selection of the latest Harley apparel and giftsDon’t forget we provide excellent service by factory trained technicians
TIS THE SEASON TO BE HARLEY
Harley-Davidson of Macon 5000 Mercer University Dr.478.474.3343
componentsof successaddress Macon is a champion for business and delivers components ofsuccess for business, economic development, quality of life and lifestyles.Discover the products, services and resources available in our communityand benefit from our collective success.
Photography by Ken KrakowVisit online at kenkrakow.com
17 medicine
18 next generation
21 business
22 education
25 dining
26 philanthropy
17www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
medicine
Darby’s MiracleRobin Cochran, owner of Darby Physical Therapy Associates, is
the mother of a special needs child. Her eight-year-old daughter,
Darby, has cerebral palsy. After trying an array of therapies trying to
find anything that might improve her child’s motor skills, Darby’s
orthopaedic surgeon recommended the highly progressive Adeli suit
therapy to Cochran … and her family found a miracle.
The Adeli suit, originally developed in 1971 for the Russian space
program, has proven successful in rehabilitating patients diagnosed
with cerebral palsy, brain trauma and other neuromuscular disorders.
This therapeutic innovation consists of shorts, a vest, shoes and
sometimes a headpiece, all of which have special tabs for connecting
strong bungee cord-type bands. The bands, in turn, are fastened to
the suit focusing on the weak area of the body.
This design creates a kind of imitation muscular framework to
steady the patient’s trunk and extremities as close as possible to the
norm. It maximizes the course of muscle movements in the way they
would have moved if they had functioned naturally. It also induces
normalizing nerve impulses that stimulate the brain to send correct
signals to the impaired parts of the body. It is extremely important
to note that patients retain the results of Adeli treatment long after
the rehabilitation course.
Initially, families who wished to receive this
type of therapy had to go to Eastern Europe.
However, in recent years Adeli suit programs have
sprung up in California, Michigan, Miami, Florida,
The University of Alabama’s Children’s Hospital
and Darby’s here in Macon. With so many geo-
graphic areas in the U.S. now offering Adeli treat-
ment, the need to travel abroad virtually has been
eliminated. Regarding Macon, Debbie Gilmore,
Chief Operations Officer for Darby Physical
Therapy, says, “This city offers everything you can
think of for patients coming from out of town. In
addition to quality medical care, Macon has every
convenience and accommodation offered in
Atlanta, without all the traffic and confusion.”
What is still unfortunate about this profound
invention is the cost. “A typical session consists
of four hours a day, four days per week, for
four weeks, at a cost of approximately $6,000,”
says Gilmore.
Then again, Darby’s staff is addressing that
issue in order to deliver Adeli suit treatment to as
many patients as possible. “Insurance companies
do not currently recognize the Adeli suit as a tool
or treatment for which they will pay. However,
developers are involved in efforts with insurance companies and the
FDA so, hopefully, all of that will change. In the meantime, we have
implemented a non-interest bearing ‘lay-away’ plan for those wanting
us to help them save for a future therapy session. We want to help in
any way we can. It is also our desire, in the near future, to develop a
scholarship program or ‘STAR PROGRAM’ in an effort to provide this
effective therapy to as many as possible,” says Gilmore.
Cochran sums up the technology as both a business owner and
a mother: “When she was six months old, doctors said Darby would
never walk or talk. She talks fine and now that she’s been in Adeli suit
therapy, she can walk 63 steps with her walker. That may not seem
like much to the average person, but it gives her the independence to
do things we take for granted — things like going to the bathroom
alone or walking across a room for a book.”
A strong advocate of the Adeli suit, Cochran wants to spread
news of this technology to other parents of special needs
children like Darby. “I’ve seen it work for my child and all I can say
is ‘seeing is believing.’”
Kristen Soles
address
18 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
address next generation
Community Property“You could say I’ve been in the real estate business all my life,
really,” notes President of Midtowne Mortgage Walter Moody. “I’ve
actually been working in it for the past 10 years, but I learned a lot
from watching my mom, who’s been an agent for over 20 years and
my dad who’s been involved in any number of real estate
projects since I was little.”
Moody says he chose to follow parents Tom and Mary into the
real estate foray because he enjoys helping people. “I worked for a
big real estate company in Atlanta for a few years and made a lot of
good contacts, but when Tino Sheridan and Peter Solomon invited
me back to Macon to work with their new company, I was ready.
There’s nothing in the world like being able to help people buy that
first house, or the satisfaction of helping people relieve a little debt.
To me, that’s what my job is all about.”
That same benevolent demeanor so common to Moody’s work
spills over effortlessly into what he sees as his community
responsibilities. “Civic involvement is the apex of it all. As citizens,
we’ve got to be involved; whether it’s arts, education, government, or
something else. People being involved in their communities is
what really makes the difference,” he affirms.
Among Moody’s many patron causes is the Hay House.This
year he serves as President of the Board of Directors. Among the
things that excite him about serving on this board is the annual
“Seasons of the Vineyard” wine tasting benefit. When Moody
was invited to sit on the Hay House Board, he was given the
charge of developing this event. As a lover of wines, he was only
too happy to do so. Each year since Moody took on the project,
it has continued to grow in popularity. It has since passed on to
new talent, but Moody remains connected with the event.
As he remembers an incident from his childhood, those
who know Walter Moody will tell you he still exhibits the same
humanitarian enthusiasm: “I was maybe eight or ten and mom
was a Salvation Army volunteer. Each year during the holidays
we would have different rooms at the Salvation Army store set
up with different items. I got to help escort the people through
the rooms. I always enjoyed that because I thought it was fun to
know what other people were going to get for Christmas and
sometimes I got to help pick out things!”
Moody maintains he never complained about having to do
charity work. “It was just the way it was in our house. I don’t
think we really knew any different, but I liked doing it. It’s not
like my parents made us. The only time I can think of was maybe
when the kids next door were playing football and I had to pull
weeds from the flowerbed; I don’t think I liked helping out
much then. But now, I have the best-looking flowerbeds in the
neighborhood and don’t have to pay anybody to do them!”
Speaking of children, Moody and wife Allyson recently had
twin boys, Walter Glenn and Barrett Thomas. At 11-weeks-old,
Moody says his young sons haven’t exactly changed how he sees
the world yet, but he can understand where that thinking comes
from. Will the youngest Moodys follow in the family
footsteps of civic leadership? “I sure hope they pick up on it.”
Moody expresses. “I’m going to give them every opportunity,
but I won’t push. It will be up to them.”
Kristen Soles
Walter and Allyson Moody with newborn twin boys.
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business
All In The FamilyFour generations of the Dopson family were photographed
during the ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of the new
location of Jack’s Saw Shop on Thomaston Road. Bill, Ronnie, Bonnie
and Scott Dopson know how to run a family business — they’ve been
at this for over 40 years.
“People come into the shop and tell me they’ve known my
dad, Jack, for all these years and wouldn’t do business with anybody
else. I tell them that’s funny because my dad’s name is Bill,”
laughs Ronnie Dopson.
Jack Mayo opened Jack’s Saw Shop in 1949 on Broadway as
a motorcycle and go-cart shop. Then Felton Griffin, a local pulp
woodier, took over the business as a way to work on his equip-
ment. When Griffin retired, his employee, Bill Dopson, bought
the business from him but never changed the name from the
original owner. Dopson’s family is still running the business
today and many people assume that Bill is the shop’s namesake.
Approximately 27 years ago, they moved the shop to an
undeveloped part of Macon on Forsyth Road. That is the location
that has made them famous to the current customers in
Middle Georgia. This is also the same time that Bill’s son, Ronnie,
came into the family machine business after a hunting accident
put him out of work.
“My father is an honest, tremendous business man,” says
Dopson. “He taught me to always look a customer in the eyes
and tell the truth.”
This commitment to put customers and customer service
first is the core of what has kept Jack’s Saw Shop in business for
47 years. Dopson boasts that they have always sold only top
quality saws, yard equipment and mowers from manufacturers
such as Stihl and Snapper. Plus, they service what they sell to
ensure that if you buy a piece of equipment from Jack’s, you will
be taken care of.
Father, Bill Dopson, is not as involved in the day-to-day
business activities anymore due to health restrictions. Ronnie is
the man in charge these days, and he is quick not the take all the
credit for the business’ success. His wife, Bonnie, runs a tight
ship and takes care of the finances while their son, Scott, is his
father’s right hand man.
“I wish everyone enjoyed coming to work as much as I
do,” says Dopson. His enthusiasm must be contagious because
all of the employees seem just as eager to please customers
as Dopson himself.
The new location for Jack’s Saw Shop on Thomaston Road is
an exciting venture for the Dopson family. The shop is located on
3.3 acres with a spacious showroom, ample workspace for the
mechanics and most importantly, a huge parking lot for customers.
“The biggest complaint from customers in our old location was
parking — we basically had outgrown it,” says Dopson. “Thomaston
Road is growing, just like when we moved to our Forsyth Road
location — there was nothing there.”
The Dopsons are eager to adapt their business to the growth of
a new location and more employees. Most importantly they are ready
for the challenge of serving more customers, and pleasing customers
is what this family does best.
Kathleen Medlin
address
Ronnie and Scott Dopson
22 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
education
Businesses Go Back To SchoolRon McCall, principal of W.S. Hutchings Career Center, walks
through the halls of the school and students stop, shake his hand and
say “good morning.” It may not be typical in most high schools to see
students and administration interacting in such a professional
manner, but it is the norm at Hutchings.
W.S. Hutchings Career Center opened in 2002, and its goal is to
make graduates workplace ready. The school trains students with the
right communication skills, work ethic and business proficiencies so
they will succeed in the workforce. There are seven different career
schools at Hutchings: healthcare science, automotive technology,
drafting/design, information technology, manufacturing and
engineering, marketing and professional foods/culinary arts.
“This is not a last-ditch school for students who couldn’t function
anywhere else,” says Mary Beth Francine. “On the contrary, these are
top-notch, goal-oriented students from all over Bibb County applying
to attend Hutchings.”
Mary Beth Francine has a unique role at Hutchings. She is the
school’s corporate employment liaison and representative for the
Center for Racial Understanding (CRU). Thirty percent of her time is
allocated to be in the school with students and the remaining seventy
percent of her time is spent in the community “selling” Hutchings
students and the services of a career center to local employers.
These are lofty goals for any tenured educator and quite a feat
for someone who has been in her position only a few months;
nonetheless, Francine seems more than up to the challenge. She
worked for 13 years with children in a previous job and she held
another position with a temporary employment agency. The mix is
someone who wants to see students succeed in the workplace.
The mission for the CRU is to work to remove race as an impedi-
ment to economic, political, social and educational progress in
Central Georgia and create a climate of trust, respect, knowledge and
awareness among all people. Francine is building an intricate relation-
ship with local employers by showing them that Hutchings students
are ready to be the workforce of tomorrow. An employer who invests
with her students today through sponsorships, apprenticeships and
mentoring programs will ensure a successful future employee base.
“Local companies like GEICO, BMW of Macon, Riverside Ford
and national companies like The Crowne Plaza are on board with
us,” explains Francine. “They know the
importance of training these kids early
and some of our students graduate with
job offers from companies where they
have done apprenticeships.”
One of her directives from the Bibb
County Board of Education is to follow
students for one year preceding gradua-
tion. Francine will track graduates to
determine how well Hutchings trained
them for their present employment, career
plans or continued education efforts. The
class of 2007 will be Francine’s first class
to track so she is eager to see how work-
place ready the students feel after they
leave their alma mater behind.
“This is my dream job — I am so
excited and look forward to coming to
work each day,” boasts Francine. “The
teachers and staff care and want to see
these students succeed.”
With Francine’s enthusiasm for these
graduates and the right support of local and
national businesses, students entering
middle Georgia’s workforce will be trained
to make a positive impact in our community.
Kathleen Medlin
address
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address dining
The Secret Is OutYou have just been seated at a quiet table at Magnolia’s New South
Grill. The ambience tells you that your dining experience is being
taken seriously by the staff, so my recommendation is not to ask Elvis
“Kip” Hammersley, Jr., owner and chef, what is “good” on the menu.
As Hammersley says, “It is like asking me which one of my
children I prefer. It is impossible to answer. Each dish has qualities
that I like and admire and they are all unique creations.”
Having sole creative control over the menu, services for
customers and food preparation is what makes his restaurant more
than most. Hammersley is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of
America (CIA) in New York and his resume shows impressive positions
with the best and biggest hotels for large-scale banquet services and
other upscale restaurants. He has 21 years in the restaurant business
and knows exactly how he wants his customers treated.
But, what Hammersley enjoys most is making his food
personal for his guests. His weekly responsibilities for the
restaurant include trips to the local farmer’s market for
the freshest seasonal produce and keeping up-to-date with
information from his other suppliers for meats, seafood or
imported produce. He comments that he comes from a farming
family and knows the value of handpicked ingredients.
Also, I wouldn’t recommend trying to label his food with
any trendy lingo. In Hammersley’s words, it is something familiar
with a unique flare and can be called southern in a “laid back”
way. He takes the food that he loves from his childhood years
in Monroe County, uses his training from CIA and then inter-
prets the dish into its own distinctive recipe incorporating his
favorite cooking techniques and seasonal ingredients.
The results are selections that make your mouth water as
you read the menu options: peach glazed porterhouse pork
chop served with whipped sweet potatoes and seasonal vegeta-
bles, fresh Georgia tomato and buffalo mozzarella stack,
Atlantic lobster and jumbo lump crabmeat in a sautéed cake
served with Vidalia onion slaw and creole remoulade, or a
soufflé-style banana pudding made to order. There is also an
extensive wine selection available.
Customers tell Hammersley he has the best kept
dining secret in Macon with his restaurant snugly and
inconspicuously tucked in the Food Lion shopping center on
Thomaston Road. He wants people to realize that upscale
dining can be found in North Macon — regardless of past
experiences. He wants people to come in, try the food and
come back again and again. For Hammersley, this is what
owning a restaurant is all about — creating dishes that are new
and well-liked by customers.
Dining is casual and reservations are suggested. The
Magnolia New South Grill is open Tuesday through Saturday
with lunch hours from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner hours from
5 to 9 p.m. You will find a menu that does change seasonally
with market availability but customers are always sure to find
something delicious in this hidden gem.
Kathleen Medlin
26 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
address philanthropy
Right Man, Right CauseWhen Les Jones began working for Kroger over 20 years ago,
neither he nor Kroger’s corporate office could foresee the awe-inspiring
philanthropic success he would create. Though Jones and Kroger
support a number of charitable causes throughout the year such as
the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the American Cancer Society’s
annual Relay for Life, and other organizations that promote the
health and education of children, they made their mark this year with
their annual fundraising effort for The Children’s Hospital at The
Medical Center of Central Georgia.
Each spring, Kroger’s national headquarters totals the philan-
thropic efforts of each of their stores. This year, Kroger’s Zone T,
which includes 12 stores in Macon and surrounding areas, raised over
$114,000 for charity. What’s even more incredible is the news that this
is the highest amount of money collected by any Kroger zone in the
United States. $83,000 of those funds were earmarked for The
Children’s Hospital’s Generation to Generation campaign to expand
the neonatal intensive care unit and oncology/hematology center.
As unit manager for Kroger, Jones is the driving force behind
many fundraising events in Central Georgia. He credits some of his
motivation to his mentor who educated Jones at an early age about
the importance of supporting the community. However, Jones says
The Children’s Hospital is special to him: “If it were my children, I
would want them to have access to
our local children’s hospital. Both
my wife and I work and it would
be devastating if we had to be
separated and drive hours to
receive pediatric care when we can
get everything here in Macon.”
Jones praises Kroger employees
for their integral role in raising
$40,000 more this year than in
2005. “There was involvement at
every level, from the Zone office to
the store management teams to
the hourly employees … everyone
was committed to our goal.” To
raise money, employees sold hot
dog plates, hosted a carnival and
sold the Children’s Miracle
Network balloons customers often
see all along the store windows.
“Les Jones has been Kroger’s
representative to The Children’s
Hospital for about 15 years,” notes
Missi Upshaw, fundraiser for The
Children’s Hospital. “About the time Les became involved, our Board
was looking into the logistics of starting a celebrity golf tournament.
Les, on behalf of Kroger, was a fundamental part of this planning
process. In 1992, our first Celebrity Classic tournament, presented
by Kroger, raised $90,000. Fourteen years later, our event is still
presented by Kroger and this past April we raised $311,000.”
Jones is eager to discuss Kroger’s support of The Children's
Hospital, but he also gives credit to other local businesses who have
championed the Celebrity Classic over the years. “The Central
Georgia business community comes through each year in support of
our Celebrity Classic. The level of commitment grows each year. All
you have to do is tour our children’s hospital and you can’t help but
get involved.”
While we celebrate Jones and the Kroger stores on a local level,
it is very necessary to note the Medical Association of Georgia (MAG)
recently named Jones their Healthcare Humanitarian for 2006. In
another quote, Jones commented, “I believe in my heart that The
Children’s Hospital is the best organization I have ever worked with.
The people truly care about the children they serve and I believe it is
everyone’s responsibility to get involved in your community.”
Kristen Soles
27www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
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Passion for Jesusin the marketplace.Community-wide Christian business seminar.
Economic ImpactUnited Way of Central Georgia
Formerly a “gifting” organization supporting hundreds of charities, the organizationnow focuses on treating specific social and economic challenges in the community.
We’re more than you know.
Sports, Fitness and Recreation
Our Mission is to enable all young people, especially thosewho need us most, to reach their
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United Way partner agencywww.bgccentralgeorgia.orgProudly supports local charities.
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The following happens daily at your local Boys & Girls Clubs in the core program of:
31www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
hen you show people that something
has value, they are more than willing to
give their hard-earned dollars.”
David Lanier evangelizes that message
now for the United Way of Central Georgia
(UWCGA). He learned the value of charitable
giving as a young banker working his way up
through the ranks. It took a discussion with
his father, but he saw that money spent to
better his community had a real and tangible
result. The problems may never disappear,
he says, but the United Way is continuing
to target issues central to social problems
in Central Georgia.
This year, Lanier, who is a regional presi-
dent for BB&T Bank, is chairman of the
UWCGA’s fund raising. Not only is he working
to get professionals into businesses to talk
passionately about the prospect of a company
fund drive, he’s working to demonstrate the
success of the programs supported by the
United Way, and hopefully, increase personal
donations in the wake of the departure of a
couple of large companies from the area.
This includes convincing Macon-area
businesses and individuals to donate $4.3
million to assist the 70 programs that the
UWCGA funds in a 14-county area centered
on Macon. What’s unique about his mission is
how the United Way has changed over the
years. The UWCGA doesn’t simply act as a
fund raiser for any charity doing good
work locally, but selectively attacks a short
list of social issues affecting the local
community. That means that donated dollars
stay in the community and work to better
the local populace.
This is a direct departure from the way
the other 1,300 locally-governed United Way
organizations have served communities for
more than a century. Even just 25 years back,
UWCGA was a very different animal.
“We’ve turned the whole way of thinking
about UW around to go after specific high pri-
ority social problems,” says Ron Watson,
UWCGA’s president and C.E.O. “Competition
for charitable dollars over the past years has
meant that we had to change. We had to add
value beyond just funding non-profits. Now,
we fund targeted programs to achieve
success in areas we have deemed as systemic
challenges in the community.”
There are basically five target areas: special
initiatives, helping children and youth achieve
success, helping families towards economic
self-sufficiency, meeting basic needs and
promoting health, safety and wellness.
The UWCGA has stepped away from
across-the-board funding of non-profits to
giving funds to specific programs. Rather
than funding an agency’s full budget, the
UWCGA requests program submissions from
agencies and then distributes funds based on
how those programs match up with UW goals.
A good example of this is Boys’ and Girls’
Clubs of America. The agency is funded with
an eye on one of the key missions targeted by
the UWCGA – enriching the lives of children.
How the United Way WorksPrimarily, the United Way is a fund raising
organization that over the years has developedstrong strategies for getting in to the work-place and garnering donations from employees.While there are some corporate donors —
Geico Insurance kicks in significant funds overwhat employees raise — and the occasionalgift from other charitable foundations — Peyton Anderson foundation granted morethan $3 million for the UW — almost alldonations come through an at-work voluntary participation program.
Employees fill out pledge cards that indi-
cate their giving over the span of a year. Some
give only a few dollars, some offer as much as
a $1,000 a year. Any amount is accepted and
employees may even specify certain charities
to be recipients of the funds. On the whole,
‘‘W
When you show people that something hasvalue, they are more than willing to give their hard-earned dollars.David Lanier
David Lanier with BB&T staff
32 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
We’re changing people one life at a time.That’s the impact of this business: changing
the community in small but steady steps.Ron Watson
Watson says that about 80 percent of the
funds go into a general fund managed by his
40-member Board of Trustees.
Some companies look for additional ways
to generate money for the charity.
“One of the things we do at the local
Wachovia banks is have the employees donate
a small dollar amount to a United Way fund
one or two days a month,” says Chuck Harmon,
area president for Wachovia Bank. “Everyone
dresses casual on those days. This way we
build up a pretty good pool for a wonderful
cause. It keeps United Way in the minds of
our employees and clients all year long, not
just during the normal fund raising period.”
Once the pledges for donations are received,
the trustees get to work reviewing proposals
from the various agencies requesting funds.
“The trustees review this in detail,”
Watson says. “They visit the agencies. They
come up with funding recommendations.
Ben Forehand
Paul Cable, is also a J. Clay Murphy member.
“Giving this money has not altered my
life in any tangible way,” Baldschun says. “It’s
not a big sacrifice for me, but it makes a
big difference in the life of our community.
You can’t get a return on dollars like that
from any investment.”
Utilizing Community ResourcesFor the United Way, raising roughly $4.5
million each year is a daunting task for a
skeleton crew of 14 staffers who cover 14
counties in central Georgia. One of the ways
in which the UWCGA compensates for this is
to utilized “loaned” executives.
Ben Forehand is an Engineering
Supervisor with the Georgia Power Company.
For 12 weeks out of the year, he resides
full time as a loaned executive at the UWCGA
office. Georgia Power continues to pay his
salary, but he concentrates on a personal
responsibility for helping generate more than
$500,000 in donations by going out and
speaking to businesses new and old about
the benefits of introducing employees to
the United Way.
“In the everyday hustle and bustle of my
job, I really didn’t have a lot of exposure to
the things going on in the community,”
Forehand says. “I’ve had a chance to learn
about the issues in my communities and how
the United Way is impacting those issues.”
Forehand volunteered to be a loaned
executive early, hoping to get a spot in
Atlanta. As it turned out, he was able to get a
spot in Macon, much closer to his
Milledgeville home. He’s one of seven loaned
executives in the area.
“We’re working on some new businesses,
such as Sara Lee and Bass Pro Shops, but it
takes a lot of work to get larger companies
involved. They set up meetings. A lot of what
I do depends on access. A lot of what I do is
The board ultimately approves how much
money we give to an agency each year. The
agencies, while we have had some long-term
partners, are not static. We have just brought
several in to the fold. We also cull organiza-
tions that either are focusing on issues that
we are not currently financing or who don’t
work to continually produce results.”
Another way the UWCGA raises funds is to
concentrate on the J. Clay Murphy Society, a
level of giving that denotes its members have
donated at least $1,000 annually to the
UWCGA. Named for one of the UWCGA
founding fathers, the society is defined as the
“leadership level” of giving and uses the
J. Clay Murphy members as evangelists for
other companies and for potential high-
dollar personal gifts.
Kent Baldschun of Baldschun, Cable and
Jones is a member of the J. Clay Murphy soci-
ety and has been for some time. His partner,
34 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
talk about how you can be a corporate citizen
and have a positive effect on the community.
Most of these businesses already understand
that perspective and I am just helping them
to see that from the United Way point of view.”
How The Money Helps In the Community
About 40 organizations, Watson says, are
now recipients of the UWCGA monies. That’s
down from the multitudes UWCGA used
to fund. Unlike traditional businesses, the
economic benefits of such organizations may
be hard to track because the outcome is esoteric
rather than a tangible accounting. Service and
community enrichment, then, rather than
profits, are the economic indicators.
Mike Killen, president and CEO of the
Boys’ and Girls’ Club of Central Georgia,
represents one of those donor recipient
agencies. BGCCG works to help children
reach their full potential as citizens of the
community. About 40 percent of Killen’s
operating budget is United Way funded.
“That United Way funding has been the
leverage that has allowed us to go out and get
additional support to run life-changing
programs in our community,” Killen says. “We
are doing a program called ‘Money Matters,’
which is a financial literacy program, and
because of UW funds, we were able to roll out
a program that helps people break the cycle
of generational poverty.”
Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs’ programs are
more than what the community is aware of —
not only do the programs enhance school
activities, but BGCCG also fosters programs
such as Jr. Golf, Obesity Reduction, Career
Exposure and leadership opportunities. The
programs are showing clear results. Three
times in the past five years, one of the Central
Georgia area youths has been named the
“Youth of the Year,” essentially the Medal of
Honor within the Boys’ and Girls’ Club
organization. It’s an honor that only one child
out of 85,000 children statewide will receive.
While Killen can’t maintain a large staff to
do all of the outreach he wants to do, he’s
been creative with efficient use of money and
targeted partnerships with centers and agen-
cies in Bibb, Houston and Monroe counties.
“We’re serving more kids than ever
before,” Killen says. “We’re averaging about
1500 kids a day in our programs. If we looked
at what daycare would cost parents in our
community, that would be about $3 million
local parents would have to pay. We’re actually
able to take those dollars and be more
efficient with them and provide the same or
better programs for just $750,000 annually. If
there was ever any doubt about how we
directly benefit from giving to the United Way,
that savings of more than $2 million is clear
proof that giving is the right thing to do.”
Children are one of the key focus areas
for the UWCGA. Watson says that they have
managed to make great strides with the children
who are in United Way-sponsored programs,
touting that 96.7 percent of those children
performed at or above their age-appropriate
levels in school. About 68 percent of the
children helped by the United Way gained
self-confidence that enabled 61 percent of
them to directly improve academic performance.
Preparing for the FutureTo serve as the backbone for so many
community programs is a challenge that
requires financial discipline and foresight.
Watson is confident that the United Way of
Central Georgia is utilizing both. The charity
currently has a $1 million cash reserve to
call in when promised donations don’t hit
the mark or in the event of dire local
needs. In addition, UWCGA owns a building
valued at more than $4 million that keeps
it from having to pay rent or a mortgage
and helps to provide office space for other
non-profit organizations.
Donations, however, are a tough prey to
catch. UWCGA has been doing well, but
That United Way funding has been the leverage that has allowed us to go out andget additional support to run life-changingprograms in our community.Mike Killen
35www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
Watson sees a potential plateau coming
which goes against the corporate goal of
trying to provide more and more each year in
order to provide service to a growing
residential population.
“We put out an intangible product, really,
because donors can’t quite put their arms
around it,” Watson says. “So we work hard
at developing that sense of marketing. You
need to be pretty good at it or you won’t
survive. There are still many challenges. We
probably reach about 25 percent of the
working population.”
Unlike some charities, Watson says he
loathes to try to telemarket to the home, so
he keeps the UWCGA focused on business.
But even that has difficulty.
“Just to get people away from their
desk for 20 minutes to see a video is tough,”
he says. “We can’t spend a lot of money
on advertising. We’re at the mercy of the
company in most regards for the content
of the message with our employees. The
company’s management is then surrogates
for us in reaching their employees. If we
don’t make an effective sales call on the CEO
from the beginning, we’re dead in the water.
So that’s where we focus our efforts.”
Watson says the organization is doing its
best to integrate technology. They have a lot
of information available on the web —
www.unitedwaycg.com — and are working to
make sure even the smallest business has a
chance to get involved in donations. For
professional contacts, he’s having doctors
call other doctors and attorneys make calls
on other attorneys.
“You can’t stop because the future keeps
coming whether you want it to or not,” he
says. “The main point about the change for
United Way from a fund raiser and funder to
an organization focused on community
impact is where the future lies for us. I think
that’s what people want to see happen.
Governments and non-profits have been
around forever, but we still have the same
problems we had 100 years ago and we’re
adding issues as the country grows. We are
working hard to keep a tight focus rather
than the shotgun effect so that we can
demand results at a community level to
change systemic problems.”
“At the end of the day,” he adds, “We’re
nothing without the thousands of residents
who donate and work with us to improve
the community. We’re changing people
one life at a time. That’s the impact of this
business: changing the community in small
but steady steps.”
Mark Hoerrner
Photography by Ken Krakow
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Kathryn Dennis and Ashley Smithobserving foundation dollars at workin a school science lab.
“
”
We have been veryimpressed with theCommunity Foundation’ssystematic review offinancial managersand their performanceon behalf of thefoundation’s accountholders.
hen Peyton Anderson died in 1988,
he provided, in his will, the funding
for a foundation which would bear
his name. By 1990 the Peyton Anderson
Foundation, under the direction of Juanita
Jordan, was fully funded. “We were over-
whelmed by the requests for help at the very
outset — the needs were huge,” Jordan says,
remembering the desperation of so many
individuals and organizations in securing
money for efforts to improve the lives of the
people of Macon and Middle Georgia. “Mr.
Anderson, who was my boss for years, was
more interested in making things happen
than giving operational funds to various
groups,” Jordan says, reflecting on Anderson’s
well-known reputation as a philanthropist.
“Mr. Ed Sell, one of our trustees, and I
attended our first meeting of the Southeast
Council of Foundations in Charleston, South
Carolina, and absorbed all we could about
foundations,” Jordan says of this burgeoning
idea for an “umbrella” public foundation. One
of the facilitators at the meeting in Charleston
was Alicia Phillip, director of the Community
Foundation of Atlanta, who, according to
Jordan, had taken that foundation from assets
of $3 million to the multi-million dollar range.
“Alicia became a mentor to us, advising our
board [of the Peyton Anderson Foundation] on
the possibilities for, and advantages of, a
community foundation for Macon,” Jordan
comments on her longstanding friendship with
Phillip, adding, “The daunting task ahead of us
became clearer once we understood the selling
points of a community foundation.”
The benefits to donors to the foundation
would include the elimination of filing the
IRS 990 PF form, a requirement for private
trusts; the ability to designate recipients of
the donor’s choice and, the establishment of
an advisory board to oversee the donor’s
contributions. Armed with all of this
information, Jordan had only to convince
other charitable groups in Macon that their
campaigns for giving would not be
adversely effected.
Enlisting the help of Ed Olson, chairman of
the Greater Macon Chamber of Commerce,
and Ron Watson, president of the United Way
of Central Georgia, at the time, Jordan met
with Phillip from the CF of Atlanta who advised,
“We needed to identify the people in Macon
who would enthusiastically support a
community foundation and could afford to
give discretionary assets to the foundation,” the
only encouragement Jordan needed to begin
selection of the first board of directors.
“With the help of members of the Peyton
Anderson [Foundation] board of directors,
names of dynamic leaders in the community
who would have credibility with the public
in promoting a community foundation, were
selected as a founding board for the
Community Foundation of Central Georgia,”
Jordan says, still filled with admiration for a
board of 25 civic and business leaders who
serve up to six consecutive years before
rotating off the board. “I invited the director of
the CF in Jacksonville, Florida who brought the
chairman of the board of that foundation, a
banker who was sold on the idea, to our first
board meeting” Jordan recalls, adding, “and his
enthusiasm and support for the idea added
even more credence to our efforts.”
Launching a foundation of such magni-
tude, in terms of its potential for the Middle
Georgia area, prompted Jordan to order
informative books from the Southeast Council
of Foundations on exactly how to run a
community foundation. Each new board
member was given a book at their inaugural
board meeting, a meeting Bill Matthews led as
the first chairman in 1993. In an earlier
interview with Matthews, he said that of all his
civic accomplishments, he is proudest of his
continuing involvement with the Community
Foundation of Central Georgia.
Jordan went to the Peyton Anderson
Foundation for start-up money of $250,000,
then to the Woodruff Foundation in Atlanta to
match those funds to afford the new
foundation the bare essentials — a director
and an office. Having been friends for years
with Peter White, the executive director
of the Center for International Studies in
Atlanta, Jordan was delighted to have
White’s son, Paul, as the first staff person.
Lee Laughter
W
“
”
So many people arenot aware of thebenefits of a publicfoundation rather thana private one, and thetax benefits affordedthe donors to theCommunity Foundation.
“He was a bright, well-educated young man
who hadworked with his father and brought
enormous knowledge and leadership to the
CFCG,” Jordan remembers.
Jordan, intent on further educating the
new board of directors, didn’t consider her job
complete when White was hired. She attended
a meeting in San Francisco in 1993 of only
community foundation representatives, a trip
underwritten by the late Dave Zuver, another
visionary and philanthropist in Macon and, an
avid believer in Juanita Jordan. “I went out
there representing the smallest foundation
based on our assets, which totaled about $8
million,” Jordan says with a laugh, “but, I was
so excited about what I was hearing, I had to
buy another suitcase just to bring home all the
material from that meeting.”
Jordan has enjoyed working with several
directors of the CFCG, but says, “Under the
leadership of Kathryn Dennis, who has been
president since 2002, I can feel comfortable
rotating off the board [of CFCG].” Dennis, who
left Sun Trust Bank after 15 years to take the
job of president of CFCG, is hard to catch, if
you are looking for her behind her desk.
Dennis personifies the mission statement of
the CFCG, “ …. to enhance the quality of life for
the people of central Georgia.” According to
Lee Laughter, executive director of the Girl
Scouts of Middle Georgia, Inc., “Kathryn is
always willing to meet with our board of
directors or our finance committee,” and, in
turn, “we have been very impressed with the
Community Foundation’s systematic review of
financial managers and their performance on
behalf of the foundation’s account holders.”
The Girl Scouts are only one of the
recipients of the “over $22 million in grants
awarded through the foundation’s donor-
advised, unrestricted, designated, field-of-
interest, scholarship and organizational
endowment funds,” since its founding in 1993,
according to a brief history of the organization.
Dr. John O’Shaugnessey, retired from private
practice as an internist since 1997, is now in his
fifth year on the board of the foundation, and
chairman of the grants committee, responsible
for determining need and parameters for gifts
by the foundation. “I like the idea of investing
money here and spending it here,” he says of
the foundation’s diligence in managing the
gifts of individuals, families, corporations,
private foundations and not-for-profit
organizations. He adds, “So many people are
not aware of the benefits of a public
foundation rather than a private one, and the
tax benefits afforded the donors to the
Community Foundation.”
Jordan cites an instance of one property
owner who had owned some acreage for a
number of years which he knew had
increased dramatically in value. Had he sold
it at the present market value, he would
have paid capital gains taxes on property
he could realistically afford to keep in his
portfolio. Rather than selling the property, he
gave it to the Community Foundation to
establish a donor advised fund in his name.
When CFCG sold the property, the cash from
the sale became available for the donor to
recommend grants. One of the goals of the
CFCG, “to serve donors’ varied interests [of
philanthropic giving] and needs,” protects
individuals, such as this particular donor,
who have specific recipients in mind when
they set up the endowment.
The Macon Volunteer Clinic lists
O’Shaughnessey as vice-chairman of the board
of directors, a position he has held since its
founding in 2002. His three-page resumé of
accomplishments in the medical field and
history of service in the non-profit arena belie
his professed “retirement.” Like other members
of the board of the CFCG, who represent a broad
field of endeavors, O’Shaughnessey brings his
personal passion for improved medical care to
the table, not only through his volunteer efforts
at MVC, but with the Mother and Child
Ministries, another worthy CFCG grant recipient.
Another of the goals listed under the
mission statement, “to provide leadership and
resources in identifying and meeting local
needs,” is the responsibility of the board and
Dr. John O’Shaugnessey
staff of CFCG. Hazle Hamilton serves as Chief
Financial Officer; Ashley K. Griffin as Director
of Donor Services and Sara MacConnell, Donor
Relations and Grants for CFCG. Says Dennis,
“We have a small staff, but every one of them is
committed to providing the highest level of
service to our donors.” Regarding the board of
directors, Dennis has nothing but praise for
their participation, noting that it is rare to have
more than a few missing from a board
meeting. Describing the community leaders on
the board, she states, “They are the primary
ambassadors for our foundation, telling our
story to donors who want to get more out of
their philanthropy,” adding, “they review and
approve grant requests and share their
extensive knowledge of our community with
donors, each other and the staff, so we can
make better investments in Macon and
Middle Georgia.” The level of giving and the
increase in endowments are indicative of the
efficiency with which Dennis and her staff of
three full-time employees and office assistant,
Alex Edwards, a senior in high school, run
the Community Foundation.
Joe Timberlake, local businessman and
current chairman of the board of the CFCG,
started the Middle Georgia Food Bank with
Baptist minister, Rev. Ben Fore, and Methodist
minister, Rev. Helen Henry, over 20 years ago
and served on the board almost a decade. Not
only has Timberlake seen the advantages of
“giving appreciated assets directly to charities,”
he sees the benefits to the Food Bank from the
CFCG. Having been active in non-profit
agencies for years, Timberlake is nevertheless
eager to point out that, “the Community
Foundation has been the catalyst for $40 million
in gifts [the earnings of] which are used for
charitable purposes.”
Looking over the roster of board members,
one can see the zeal with which Macon’s
leaders have believed in the mission of the
Community Foundation. Melvin Kruger, part of
what Jordan refers to as her original “brain
trust,” is once again serving on the board. In fact,
the by-laws dictate that a board member can
serve two consecutive three-year terms, but
must rotate off the board for one year before
being elected again. Jordan related the story of
one former board member who had recently
called to tell her that she “missed being on the
board of the foundation, and to please let
Kathryn know I am ready to come back.” Board
members not only invest their time; they
invest financially, “putting their money where
their mouth is.”
Mike Ford, CEO of Newtown Macon, states,
“I am involved in the Community Foundation
in two ways. They manage all of the money
for Newtown Macon, which provides excellent
control over funds and investment oversight
of NTM’s assets.” Secondly, Ford says, “I have
a personal donor advised fund with the
foundation which allows my family to
contribute appreciated assets and avoid the
taxes [incurred with after-taxes giving], where
contributions are made to organizations that
my family and the foundation recommend.”
Ford adds to the list of accolades for Dennis
and her staff, stating, “They are most
professional and accessible.”
Boone Smith, a local attorney whose clients
depend on him to navigate and interpret the
ever changing and confusing income tax
laws, is now chairman of the development
committee and a former audit committee
member. He is now in his fourth year on the
board of directors of CFCG. He, too, stresses
the tax advantages of a community foundation
versus a private foundation, but particularly
likes the flexibility of giving through the CFCG.
Careful to explain in layman’s terms the
intricacies of the law as it pertains to charitable
gifts, Smith says, “The foundation offers the
opportunity for unrestricted giving, where
the foundation determines areas of most
urgent need, for the donor or, advised giving,
a vehicle for the donor to assist in
determining recipients of gifts from that
person’s endowment.” Smith refers to the
Professional Advisors Board, a separate entity
from the directors, as the seasoned veterans of
various law, CPA and brokerage firms in Macon
who meet annually rather than bi-monthly, as
required of the board of directors, to do just
“
”
The CommunityFoundation has beenthe catalyst for $ 40million in gifts [theearnings of] which areused for charitablepurposes.
Boone Smith with Suzanne Harper ofthe Museum of Artsand Sciences
what the name implies, advise the board and
staff on areas of need that may have fallen
under the radar of CFCG.
Smith voices some concern over the
apparent lack of understanding of what exactly
the Community Foundation does, not only for
Macon and Middle Georgia, but for those who
invest in the foundation. “We need to raise the
awareness of the public and the profile of the
Community Foundation to attract more investors
in charitable giving,” he concludes. With
Smith’s intensity in selling a “product” he so
firmly believes in, matched only by the boundless
energy of the board of directors and a president
who has set a goal of increasing the corpus of
the foundation by several million over the next
few years, his wishes will become a reality.
“People recommended for the board of
directors are leaders in their respective fields,”
states Jordan, “because they have proven that
their employees, stock holders and peers look
to them for answers to the needs of the com-
munity — and they never fail to provide them.”
Dennis, who serves on several other boards
of non-profits in Macon, is also a volunteer
scout leader with a daughter whose goal is to
earn the Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl
Scouts. Not only is Dennis a role model for
young women, she is an “invested advocate,” as
one admirer puts it, in Macon and Middle
Georgia. The Community Foundation of Central
Georgia, serving 14 central Georgia counties, is
one of 700 in the U. S., and is now recognized
for meeting the Council on Foundations
National Standards for community foundations.
Jordan has good reason to feel confident that
her brainchild is in good hands.
Dennis believes one of the ultimate
goals of the CFCG is to “bring out the
philanthropist in everyone.” With the CFCG’s
strong momentum, she adds, “We would like to
see donor advised and unrestricted funds
created to support every community in central
Georgia.” Even though the tax benefits are
significant, research indicates that reducing
taxes is actually the seventh reason in importance
given by “people motivated to give,” according
to Dennis. CFCG places great emphasis on
its flexibility in giving, advising donors on
charitable giving through the foundation, with
the advantages of personal oversight without
the hassles of a personal foundation.
In a September address to the Macon
Downtown Rotary Club, Dennis listed the four
primary motivators for family philanthropy as:
the wish to establish a family legacy; developing
a giving spirit in children and grandchildren;
creating stronger relationships among family
members; and, involving the entire family in
supporting the community where the family
generated their wealth.
The Community Foundation of Central
Georgia has made it possible for families who
feel a responsibility to share their good fortune,
to do so with strong administrative support, at
a reasonable cost, while creating a legacy of
giving for future generations.
Katherine Walden
Photography by Ken Krakow
“
”
People recommendedfor the board ofdirectors are leaders intheir respective fields,”states Jordan,“because they haveproven that theiremployees, stockholders and peers lookto them for answers tothe needs of thecommunity — andthey never fail toprovide them.
Joe Timberlake
Tom Sands - the executive.
43www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
Modern ideas of destiny or fate are most often applied to romanticsituations, true love and so on, but every now and then one can’thelp think fate had a hand in other areas as well. Take TomSands, for instance. As the current Vice President of ProfessionalServices for the Medical Center of Central Georgia, Sands’ lifeseems to have always been directing him toward Central Georgia—and toward helping others.
44 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
or Sands, the Medical Center is a
powerful and effective means of helping
others. The hospital’s economic impact
on the Macon-Bibb County region alone tops $1
billion, setting aside the fact that it’s the region’s
largest employer with over 4300 employees at
last count. And of course, MCCG’s medical
services have improved the lives of thousands.
The Medical Center stands as the only level-one
trauma center in Central Georgia and boasts the
Georgia Heart Center for advanced cardiac care.
Last year alone through these services and many
others, the Medical Center treated over
32,000 inpatients while its emergency center
saw over 48,000 individuals, most residents
of the community.
But while the Medical
Center’s commitment to service
was a good fit for Sands, he
also had a family connection
there: his mother. She was a
nurse at the Medical Center
for 40 years and the first
African-American registered
nurse to work in the operating
room. In fact, early in Tom’s
career for the Medical Center,
he had an office just down
from the operating room
and was keenly aware of
both his mother’s presence
and her example.
Sands’ current position at
the hospital, vice president
of professional services, is
understandably broad as he
oversees a number of different
areas. The lab, pharmacies,
radiology, respiratory services,
rehabilitation services, pur-
chasing, materials manage-
ment, Macon Health Club,
and the Wellness Center all fall
within his purview, totaling
over 700 employees. He’s
particularly proud of the recent expansion of the
Medical Center lab, a facility that performs some
2.1 million tests each year, and the recent digital
upgrades to radiology. The old X-ray films that
many of us are accustomed to are no longer
necessary at the Medical Center as the images
are now digital. A doctor can access a given X-ray
in an instant and they can be transported via disk
to doctors outside of the Medical Center.
Each such improvement undergoes a
rigorous process to ensure its appropriateness
and fiscal fitness in terms of the Medical
Center’s mission. Whether a given service or
advance is offered by a vendor or simply
requested frequently by the medical staff, Sands
coordinates an extensive review with members
of the effected department. The review
examines the service’s overall need in the
community, where else the service offered, and
what other technologies or vendors might
provide the service more effectively and
at better cost.
Sands is committed to such improvements.
Every advance Sands brings to the Medical
Center means that the hospital can “provide the
care and services to Macon citizens without
them having to leave Central Georgia.” Working
to support one of his community’s largest
medical resources, Sands acknowledges that he
affects people “during [times of] their greatest
need.” The importance of his work also occurs
to him on a more personal level: he was
born at the Medical Center (then Macon
Hospital) and also volunteered there as a
teenager during high school.
He is also committed to the very idea of
being a medical executive. He’s a fellow for the
American College of Health Executives and the
regent for that organization in the southern half
of Georgia. Aside from meeting with his fellow
members to exchange ideas and problems,
Sands promotes his profession and its unique
opportunities and challenges whenever he can
in the Georgia community.
Likewise, helping his community has contin-
ued to be a significant part of Sands’s life.
Before returning to Macon after receiving a
double Master’s in Business Administration and
Medical Administration, Sands served in
Columbus at Columbus Regional Healthcare
System. While serving there as administrator of
ambulatory services, he began seeking funds for
a community health center. After securing a
$500,000 grant, Sands oversaw the center’s
development into a reality and now Columbus
has opened another community center to
ease the burden on indigent families in
particular. “When you don’t have your health,”
says Sands, “it’s really hard to go out there
and make a difference.”
Once he returned to his hometown, Sands’
community activity has ranged from coaching
soccer and baseball to serving
on the board of directors for
the United Way of Central
Georgia. Presently, Sands
serves on the education
committee of the Macon
Chamber of Commerce and
the board of directors of
Central Georgia Technical
College Foundation. He is also
on the board of directors for
the Macon Downtown LIONS
Club and a recently elected
president of the 100 Black
Men of Macon.
The 100 Black Men of
Macon, a national service
organization with over 100
chapters, provides Sands a
unique way to serve the
community. “[S]omething is
happening in our social struc-
ture that is causing people to
give up at an early age,” says
Sands. The 100 Black Men’s
commitment to education,
mentoring and economic
empowerment permits Sands
an avenue to bring hope back
to his own community, partic-
ularly in the lives of young African Americans. To
that end, the 100 Black Men began Project Reach
in which it adopted the entire fifth grade class of
Ingram/Pye Elementary. Along with mentoring
opportunities, the organization promises that
any of these students who are accepted into
college would have his or her post-secondary
tuition covered by the 100 Black Men of Macon.
Here again one cannot help but think of fate:
Sands attended the very elementary school he is
now helping to mentor.
Another component of 100 Black Men’s
outreach of hope is Operation LIFT (Leadership
Initiative For Teens). Sands insists on the
importance of education to a fruitful life, or as
Sands puts it, “positioning oneself for success.”
F
Tom Sands - the family man.
46 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
Tom Sands - the volunteer with fellow 100 Black Men members.
47www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
Operation LIFT sought to teach teenagers the
basic skills needed in the business world from
interview techniques to proper business
decorum and social skills. Sands’ wife Michelle
even lead a number of the seminars and
training sessions in her capacity as a consultant
for small businesses.
In fact, Michelle’s firm, Empowerment
Concepts, is a central way that she gives back
to the community. As a consultant, Michelle
seeks to strengthen small businesses, helping
them address issues of strategic development,
marketing and training. Both the Sands
acknowledge the significance of economic
empowerment in improving individual and
community life. Michelle also
works with Jack and Jill of
America, a national organization
committed to improving the lives
of children.
The Sands’ children even
have a role to play in the
community, specifically through
the LIONS Club’s fundraising
for its various causes. Sands’
youngest son, Alexander, 10,
helps his father in ringing the bell
during the LIONS’ Christmas
partnership with the Salvation
Army ringers throughout the city.
During the LIONS’ springtime
initiative of brooms and mop
sales, Sands recruits his oldest
son Kendall, 14, to help carry the
products. Like his mother before
him, Sands believes that modeling
service for his children is just as
important as the service itself.
Why a busy executive would
involve himself so deeply in his
community is a serious question,
and one that fate alone cannot
answer. First and foremost, Sands
says, “I enjoy it.” While others may
find serving the community
daunting after a full work day or work week,
Sands finds it energizing. This can be partly
explained by the emphasis Sands places on
building relationships. To Sands, an opportunity
to interact with members of the community is an
opportunity to learn from each person he
meets, an opportunity to enrich his own life.
More to the point, however, Sands argues,
“It’s the right thing to do.” A career offers the
community only so much while the community
provides much for each individual: “If you’re not
giving back, then you’re only taking.” While
Sands understands the importance of one’s
career, he doesn’t believe that promotions and
projects are what people will truly remember
about a life well lived. Ultimately, only a balance
between work and community in one’s life
will prove truly satisfying.
To those reluctant to engage in community
service, Sands has some very reasonable advice.
First, realize that each of us has something
special to contribute whether or not we occupy
positions of power in the community. Also, find
a way to contribute to your local world that
you enjoy. Any service you can lend time to is
significant whether it’s in coaching a soccer team
or leading a project to create community health
centers for the poor. You may even find that
your career is enriched by what you give to
the community. Sands himself finds that as he
interacts with various residents of our region,
his own view of delivering health services
and identifying needs is brought to focus
and continually improved.
Executives, Sands believes, can play a special
part in improving the community. An executive’s
ability to direct public-private initiatives is
particularly valuable in transforming people’s
lives. Likewise, an executive’s familiarity with
assembling an action plan, seeking the necessary
support for it and seeing it through to
completion can address any number of
community problems.
Nonetheless, the demands of family, career
and community can be demanding on anyone,
particularly on executives. Sands emphasizes
balance in every aspect of his life, stressing
that adding community service to an already
busy schedule is part of that balance. On the
other hand, balance also involves “learning
to say no.” Community service “doesn’t have
to be a full-time job,” Sands suggests. He credits
the balance in his life to both his
supportive wife Michelle and his assistant
Beverly. “It’s nice knowing where you have to
be every day,” Sands notes.
His rise to Vice President of Professional
Services at the Medical Center of Central
Georgia also has a lot to do
with what he’s learned
along the way and, again,
“positioning yourself for
success.” Education, as he
mentions, is always first in
building a successful
career (and one of the
biggest items on Sands’s
lists of improvements for
Bibb County and Middle
Georgia). Sands also
stresses the need to
carefully define what you
want and nurture a
burning desire to achieve
it. As one begins to take on
more responsibility, Sands
points to taking risks
by accepting challenging
projects to establish one’s
capabilities. But as always
with this native Maconite,
the key to success is often
found in relationships. He
insists that building
relationships with those
above you in the organiza-
tion means establishing
trust and understanding
between parts of the team.
Whether you accept that fate had any hand
in bringing Tom Sands back to the Middle
Georgia community and his hometown, Sands is
still glad to be here, and while he acknowledges
that native Maconites can often be more critical
of the city than outsiders, he is insistent upon
the potential the citizens themselves possess. “If
not us, then who?” asks Sands. This community,
and the relationships to be nurtured within it,
remain central to Sands’ life and, he believes, the
success of us all.
Kevin C. Manus
Photography by Ken Krakow
Robbie Roberts worked his entire career at Brown & Williamson.
He was one of the first hires at the plant in 1977 and one of the last
to leave in July, 2006. His responsibilities included accounting,
finance and operations management.
Like everyone else, Roberts had heard the rumors of the closing
for years, always knowing that one day those rumors would become
reality. The nearly three years between the announcement of the
closing and the end of his work in liquidating assets gave him
sufficient time to put the next stage of his career together.
Roberts’ wife, Anna, has been a top real estate agent in Macon for
19 years, working for two of the largest brokerage companies in the
area. “Anna lives and breathes real estate and she’s extremely good at
sales. I like the administrative work, so we really compliment one
another in the new business,” says Roberts. “We had thought about
opening our own firm in several years, so the plant closing basically
accelerated our plans. The early pension benefits from B&W and hav-
ing two sons through college made the leap a bit more comfortable.”
“We don’t plan to become the biggest real estate broker
in Macon, but we do intend to be the best by offering customers
superior service.” he adds.
The most positive experience of being an entrepreneur so far for
Roberts? “It’s much more fun to row your own boat.”
Business: Rivoli Realty, Inc 4525 Forsyth Road, Macon, Ga. 31210 (478) 477-6528Description: Real estate salesOpened: May, 2006Website: www.rivolirealty.com
Robbie RobertsRowing His Own Boat
StartUpsOne door closed and anotheropened for these five former B&Wemployees turned entrepreneurs
Three years after Brown & Williamsonannounced they were closing, the cigaretteplant that once employed over 3,000 peopleis now a silent, empty shell. The Macon economy is steadily absorbing the shock asthose displaced workers who did not retireearly or transfer to North Carolina find newjobs in the area.
Five of those former B&W employeesused the shutdown as an opportunity tolaunch their dream of starting their ownbusiness. Here are their stories.
50 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
Jim Welch grew up in Chicago working in his uncle’s butcher
shop. Since moving to Macon in 1996, he has been less than
impressed with the availability of fresh steaks and specialty meats. So
when B&W announced the early end of what he thought was a career,
Welch and his wife Nancy decided to open Welch’s Country
Smokehouse across from the entrance of the new Bass Pro Shop.
The store, which is similar to relatives’ shops in Chicago and
Michigan, carries quality steaks and chops, a large assortment of jerky,
sausage, smoked meat, cheeses and related products. There’s nothing
like it in Macon.
To get the business started, Welch took advantage of the outplace-
ment benefits offered at B&W by attending entrepreneur classes
taught by Donald Rhodes, area director for the University of Georgia’s
Small Business Development Center. “The people at UGA are fantas-
tic,” he says. “We couldn’t have made it through the start
up without them.”
Business at Welch’s (next to the Pig in a Pit restaurant) has
been steadily building by word-of-mouth. “We’re waiting for the
opening of the Bass Pro Shop store in October to help more people
discover that we’re here.
“I miss the structure and camaraderie of B&W” says Welch, “but
working with my family and meeting all of the really fine people who
come in the store has been fantastic.”
Jim WelchFrom Making Smokes to Smoking MeatsBusiness: Welch’s Country Smokehouse 1687 Bass Road, Macon, Ga. 31210 (478) 474-7351Description: Retail sale of meat and related specialties Opened: February, 2006
Start Ups
51www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
Micah Strong was a 35-year-old licensed electrician with B&W
when they announced the closing of the Macon plant. With his wife
caring for two young children at home, the pressure was on to find a
new way to support his family. “I thought I would retire from Brown
& Williamson,” he recalls. “With only nine years of service with the
company and no offer to relocate to Winston-Salem, I was faced with
working for someone else or opening my own company.”
As his biblical name might imply, Strong says he prayed a lot over
his decision to start a new business. “In the end I put my faith in the
Lord and went for it.”
Strong used his two-year separation notice and generous
severance package to begin building his new business. He’s starting
out small, employing part-time workers and operating out of his
house. With big plans to grow, he knows he will be facing plenty of
marketing and administrative challenges. “I’ll be working some long
days before I get the right team in place,” he says. “Not every decision
I make is the right one, but sooner or later you run out of things that
don’t work and find the magic formula that does.
“None of my family had ever owned a business, so this was all
new to me. I’m going to business owner school every day, but I’m
doing what I love to do.”
Start Ups
Micah StrongA Leap Based on FaithBusiness: Strong Electrical Services, Inc.
P.O. Box 2128, Gray, Ga. (478) 747-7908 Description: Licensed contractor for commercial and industrial electrical workOpened: March, 2006
52 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
With nine years of experience in managing multi-million dollar
cigarette operations and an engineering degree from Mercer, Daniel
Duston saw the plant closing announcement as the perfect opportunity
to pursue his dream of starting his own business. Despite an attractive
offer to transfer to the RJR plant in Winston-Salem, he decided to stay
close to his family in Macon. After researching the market and
developing business plans, the 35-year old invested in a franchise for
a mobile car and truck fleet service. Within months he bought two
vans and a box truck and started drumming up business for his unique
maintenance and repair services.
For nearly two years, Duston worked at getting Total Fleet
Maintenance up and running while he worked at B&W. “It might have
been better to wait for the corporate outplacement benefits,” he says,
“but my wife Lynn was a major help in the early work of developing
a base of customers.”
The Panama City native says he misses the daily contact with
his B&W friends. But he is making new connections. “Despite the
pressure of managing cash flow each month, I love meeting new
customers and having the freedom to call the shots.
“My goal is to continue to grow the mobile business across
Middle Georgia and eventually open a service center that caters to
over-the-road drivers,” he says. “Customers are eager to try our
services because we make it easier for them to do what they get
paid to do – keep their vehicles on the road.”
Start Ups
Daniel DustonFamily Trumps TransferBusiness: Total Fleet Maintenance, Inc.
4480 Riverside Dr., Suite 4, Macon, Ga. 31210 (478) 405-7791 Description: Mobile fleet servicing in a 14-county areaOpened: August, 2004Website: www.totalfleetmaintenance.com
53www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
Start Ups
Nathan (Nate) CollinsFrom Automating to Creating JobsBusiness: Georgia Water Sports
2590 Eatonton Highway, Haddock, Ga. 31033 (478) 986-9841 Description: Marine equipment and repairs, ski instruction and sports excursionsOpened: August, 2004Website: www.georgiawatersports.com
B&W recruited Nate Collins from the engineering school at the
University of Florida in 1999. Having grown up near the water in
Florida, he felt very much at home living at Lake Sinclair.
“The toughest thing about the merger with RJR was staying
motivated for the two years that we knew the plant was closing, but
I used that time to consider my options. I wasn’t thrilled about
working nights for RJR in Winston-Salem, or working 60 to 70 hour
weeks at a paper mill in Palatka, Flordia,” he recalls. “Plus, my wife
Becky and I had become pretty attached to the people at the Lake.”
Like others, Collins took advantage of B&W’s outplacement
benefits by taking college courses to become a certified marine
mechanic and attending the business development classes offered
by UGA. Combining his passion for water sports with his engineer-
ing training, he decided to open his own marine shop. “One day I
work on boat engines, and the next day I might be taking a group
wake boarding on the lake,” he says.
With plans to become a boat dealer with expanded facilities,
Collins is investing long hours in the startup. “There’s plenty of
work. Boat owners appreciate good, fast service from a shop they
can trust.
“I was never comfortable with some of my projects at B&W
that involved further reductions in manning. Now I’m building a
business that will let me offer people a fun, meaningful career.”
Rick Maier
Photography by Ken Krakow
he citizens of Neyland, Wales stood in honored silence as the somber
processional passed by carrying one of their own, Lord Gordon Parry, to
his final resting place. The only sound that could be heard was the rhythmic
cadence made by the boots of the Welsh Royal Guard as they took the lead at
the front of the hearse. Cars with family and friends followed and overhead
the RAF did a missing man fly over in a final farewell to the great Welsh
statesman. Everything reflected a formal state funeral: the services, the
ceremonies, the processional, the national news coverage, the presence of
dignitaries and of family and friends. Everything was
protocol except for instructions given by Gordon Parry
to his daughter, Catherine, a few months before his
death. “Ask Bruce to be a pall bearer,” Lord Parry had
said. “I know he’ll come.” So on that solemn occasion,
Dr. Bruce Allen of Macon, the only non-family member
asked to be a pallbearer, embraced his friend’s final
request and escorted Lord Parry, Baron of Neyland, on
his final journey. But how did such a friendship, half
a world away, come to be?
T
he roots of Bruce Allen and his wife Jennifer
go deep in the red clay of Middle Georgia.
Bruce grew up in Warner Robins where he loved
the outdoors. He graduated from Warner Robins
High School with honors and went on to UGA
where he majored in chemistry and graduated
Magna cum Laude and was Phi-Beta-Kappa.
Jennifer is from Roberta. She graduated
valedictorian from Crawford Country High
School, where she won the “Betty Crocker
Future Homemaker of America award.” Her
father, J.B. Hawkins, was the high school basket-
ball coach and is now honored in the Georgia
Coaches Hall of Fame. Her mother taught the
sixth grade there for 30 years. Inspired by her
parents, Jennifer graduated Summa cum Laude
from UGA, with an undergraduate major in edu-
cation and a master’s degree in speech therapy.
Bruce and Jennifer first met at the Medical
College of Georgia. After being Assistant
Professor in the Department of Dermatology,
Dr. Bruce Allen left Augusta to open a private
medical practice in Macon. Shortly after they
were married, Dr. Jennifer Hawkins Allen joined
her husband in his quickly growing dermatology
practice. It was a practical path for a Southern
58 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
couple to follow. But at some point along the
way the Allens began to pursue a path less taken.
They chose to embrace the world, and the world
embraced them back.
The Allens have traveled extensively and
their time abroad has not only been a tangible
experience, often colored with adventure, but a
purposeful pursuit of other cultures. Their trips
have been a vehicle for understanding and for
building friendships. “People are pretty much
the same the world over,” Bruce explains. “They
want to be respected for what they do. They
want their children to have a better life than they
have, and they want to be able to raise their fam-
ily in peace.”
Perhaps it is their heart of understanding
and their gift of hospitality that has made the Allen
home an international respite for foreign visitors
and an asset to Macon, which is fast becoming a
player in the global business community.
So far, 17 foreign companies, both European
and Asian, now call Macon home. According to
Pat Topping of the Macon Economic
Development Commission, Macon’s proximity
to the Atlanta airport and to the ports in
Savannah, Brunswick, Jacksonville and
Charleston are important, but in the final
analysis he concludes, “This is a relationship
business that we’re in and people tend to do
business with people that they’re comfortable
with. To have somebody like Bruce and Jenny
host people, it’s a big part of it.”
In addition to opening their home to foreign
dignitaries, this year Bruce served as chairman of
the sixth Annual Georgia European Union
Summit held in November at Idle Hour Country
Club in Macon. Initially the idea of local attorney,
Chris Smith, the Georgia EU Summit is a net-
working event that hosts Consuls General and
Trade Commissioners from European nations to
both introduce them to Macon and to honor the
many European countries that invest in Georgia.
This year the keynote speaker was Mr. Matti
Anttonen, Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission
Embassy of Finland in Washington, D.C. Finland
holds the presidential seat of the European
Union this year. Over 20 European Consuls and
Trade Commissioners and their staff attended
the event in November. “Macon is rapidly
becoming a player on the international
scene,” observes Bruce, “and the Georgia EU
Summit is one Macon component that we fer-
vently hope will become the preeminent
European event in Georgia.”
Connecting with people from other
countries and developing a strong bond of
understanding and trust calls for not just
southern hospitality but international
hospitality. According to Bruce, the Macon
International Cherry Blossom Festival has
played a pivotal role in Macon developing
lasting international relationships. “I’m the
chairman this year of the Featured Nations
Committee for the festival,” he says. “As far as we
can tell there is no other major festival in the
United States that is prominently built around
featuring foreign countries, their art and
citizenry. This 25th Anniversary year we plan to
introduce a foreign film component to the festival.”
It was through the Cherry Blossom Festival
that he and Jennifer first met Lord Gordon Parry.
They developed a hard, fast friendship that
transcended distance and age. “He never had a
son, so he used to call me his ‘son,’ especially
when he was about to impart some wisdom.
Also, at his insistence, he became a godfather
to our son Blake,” Bruce says of the elder
statesman. “Some people you meet in your life
make you very fortunate because they help your
life blossom. Gordon was like that. He had a
very profound influence on us, our interest in
the world, and our love for different cultures.”
The Allen’s love for different cultures is best
seen by the number of foreign guests they have
welcomed into their home. Some of their
visitors have included Earl Grey of Earl Grey
tea fame; Mr. Jan Sauer, the Trade Commissioner
of Denmark; The Honorable Anne Mallinson;
Lord Mayor of Westminster London, England;
various Asian and South American guests; and of
course, Lord and Lady Parry who were often
house guests. Japanese visitors have a pleasant
surprise when they meet their son, Blake, a
senior at Stratford Academy who speaks
Japanese and plans to major in East Asian
studies and international business when he
attends college next year.
Each guest takes home something different
from their stay with the Allens. As Jennifer
observed when discussing international visitors
to Macon, “We often don’t realize what we
have in our own backyard.” The truth of this
statement was demonstrated during the last
Cherry Blossom Festival, when Director General
Wang, one of the Taiwanese dignitaries that they
59www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
were hosting, was so impressed with the lake at
the Allens’ home, that he wrote a poem entitled
“Bruce’s Lake.” It was published in the China
Times and now is a point of interest for
Taiwanese visitors to Macon.
Although the list of dignitaries is grand and
multinational, the Allens have carefully created a
home environment that will grow friendships.
“Alloway” the name of a small Scottish village
and the birth place of poet Robert Burns, is the
name Bruce and Jennifer have given to their
Georgian style home on Old Forsyth Road. Their
home is intriguing and visitors are captivated the
moment they are welcomed through the door.
With the guidance of interior decorator, Judy
Hodgens, Alloway blends history and culture
together like a seamless fabric. An expansive
Greek mural called “Clio’s Welcome,” replete
with detail, greets visitors upon their entry into
the foyer. “I commissioned this mural for my
wife,” explains Bruce. “Clio is the Greek muse of
history. We have a mutual enjoyment of
life-long learning and this mural is a celebration
of that.” The mural is the work of the Macon
artist Nancy Huggins and took almost three
months to complete.
The Jefferson Room adjacent to the foyer is
a conversational room that showcases Bruce’s
deep love of history, his knowledge and respect
for Thomas Jefferson and the era in which he
lived. “If I could live in any other period of
history, I would choose the time of the Founding
Fathers,” Bruce comments.
The Allens’ home reflects their extensive
world travel. International guests find it a haven
because it celebrates the beauty of different
cultures. The second floor east room of the
house is Oriental-themed and contains a
karaoke music center and home theater. You
enter the room through Asian pilasters which
support a pagoda pediment. The west room,
also on the second floor, is Occidental-
themed and incorporates Greek and Roman
motifs which emphasize the development
of western thought and culture. You enter
through fluted Greek pilasters that support a
Roman arch underneath which is a painting of
Pompeii and Vesuvius, again the work of Nancy
Huggins. The west room is decorated like a
museum and displays collections from many
periods in western history.
The guest room, which is located on the first
floor, offers an introduction to the history
of their own home state of Georgia. A full
collection of twelve blue and white Georgia
Historical Plates, made by Wedgwood, adorns
one wall. The collection commemorates the
200th anniversary of the founding of Georgia
with each plate depicting a different historical
event or place in Georgia.
The Allens may have embraced the world but
their hearts belong to Macon. People often ask
them where they will live when retired. But
retirement is a word not active in either of their
vocabularies. “Well, I have no plans to retire,”
Jennifer begins. “I love working and I love my
patients, and realizing we could live any place in
the world, we would still choose Macon. It’s
because of the people that are here and because
this is where our family and friends are, we will
spend the rest of our lives here.”
Their level of commitment to Macon is one
of involvement. Bruce is a businessman and also
serves on several boards, while Jennifer is a
prominent dermatologist. Both are excited
about the city’s potential and impressed by
Macon’s younger leaders. “There is so much
diversity here,” Jennifer continues. “We have
several colleges, great music, restaurants and
it’s such a beautiful area. It’s interesting to
see Macon through the eyes of our visitors. They
find it fascinating, all the unique history we
have here, such as the Indian Mounds and
the Halls of Fame.”
The word diversity could easily be applied
to Bruce. His tangible accomplishments are
many: physician, researcher, author, musician,
commercial pilot, candidate for the space
program, master scuba diver, world traveler
(adventure and good will travel), lecturer,
mountain climber, founder of CyberMedix
Resources, LLC, and avid historian. Some would
describe Bruce as a true Renaissance man, not
so much just for his pursuit of knowledge, but
for his application of that knowledge.
The knowledge Bruce gained during his six
day, 20,000-foot ascent up Mt. Kilimanjaro
passed on to Jennifer and Blake when they later
climbed Mt. Fuji in Japan. “There’s a trick to it,”
says Bruce, “what you do is just get a song in
your head that works with your rhythm and you
sing it over and over again.” Bruce learned this
in his hard-fought climb to reach Uhuru summit,
the highest point in Africa. He sang “Turn the
Page” by Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band.
I love working and I love my patients, and realizing we could live
any place in the world, we would still choose Macon. It’s because of
the people that are here and because this is where our family and
friends are, we will spend the rest of our lives here.
60 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
“I sang, ‘Only Believe.’ You know, all things
are possible, only believe.” Jennifer says of her
choice of song when climbing Mr. Fuji. “A lot
of mountain climbing is pure boredom. You
literally put one foot in front of the other. Your
brain is the only thing that keeps you going. I
know Bruce wondered if I would make it
because I’m not athletic. I like to read and to
play the piano, but I made it and it gives me
something to draw on.”
Bruce, Jennifer and Blake all share a deep
love of experiential learning. It is a
constant in their lives. Bruce gives credit to his
high school biology teacher, Mrs. Sally Blackwell
for this passion. “What she did focused me
in life. She taught me to love learning… to
continue to learn and to challenge myself to
be a better person,” he says.
Jennifer also gives credit to her teachers in
Roberta. “I was very influenced by my teachers.
My parents were both teachers, and I grew up
believing I could do whatever I wanted to do if I
was willing to put the work into it. I didn’t see
limitations even though in 1976 not many
women got into medical school. There were
160 men and 16 women in my class when I start-
ed medical school. And when I came to Macon,
there were only four other woman physicians
here. Today we almost have more women doc-
tors than men in Macon.”
When speaking of his wife as a fellow
physician, Bruce’s obvious pride in her accom-
plishments shows. “She treats her patients like
she would want her family treated. Jenny is the
closest thing to a female Marcus Welby you can
find.” And when reflecting on her “Betty Crocker
Future Homemaker Award” from high school
Bruce smiles, “You know, we’ve joked about
that. She said all she had to do was write a paper
to win. But in all honesty I don’t know if you
could have a better homemaker than Jenny. She
takes the house and makes it a loving home.
With all the aspects that go into that, I think it
was a very appropriate award.”
The Allens took a path less traveled and from
that grew many international friendships. Their
knowledge and experiences enrich not only
their lives, but the lives of all who know them.
They embraced the world, and then, invited the
world back home to Macon.
Judy Rocker
Photography by Ken Krakow
62 www.imediagroup.biz/addressmacon
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Laura M. BottsNew Head of Special Collections atMercer Unversity's Jack Tarver Library
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