VSU RDI Inspires Brooks County Leaders to Renew Commitment to Focused Growth, Community Engagement

A seven-member team from Brooks County — Chip Carroll, Brooks County area manager with Southeastern Credit Union; Patrick Folsom, chairman of the Brooks County Board of Commissioners; Lisa Folsom, community volunteer; Janice Jarvis, Brooks County finance director; Don Morgan, Quitman City Council representative; Allen Nelson, Moven City Council representative; and Jerome Tucker, executive director of economic development for the Brooks County Development Authority — recently attended the Valdosta State University Center for South Georgia Regional Impact Rural Development Institute, a three-day summit designed to help communities across Georgia develop an action plan for rural prosperity. They were mentored by Mill Graves, Retail Strategies South Central Region vice president.

VALDOSTA — A seven-member team from Brooks County recently attended the Valdosta State University Center for South Georgia Regional Impact Rural Development Institute, a three-day summit designed to help communities across Georgia develop an action plan for rural prosperity.

Jerome Tucker, executive director of economic development for the Brooks County Development Authority, left RDI feeling excited about the future. He said rural communities like Brooks County face unique challenges in encouraging growth and development, but he and his team believe that focused effort coupled with community engagement will help them achieve positive change. 

To prepare for the RDI, Brooks County’s participating economic development, city, county, and community leaders were tasked with using a readiness index to conduct a self-assessment of their recruitment, education, infrastructure, leadership, demographics, and quality of life.

During the summit, they analyzed the results of their self-assessment and worked with a mentor to identify their unique opportunities and challenges, connect with experts and other available resources, build a support network, and develop a roadmap for economic vitality.  

“Rural communities and their citizens are integral to Georgia’s economy, culture, and future,” said Darrell Moore, director of VSU’s Center for South Georgia Regional Impact. “Through the RDI, VSU is working to build capacity that encourages the growth and development of rural communities without sacrificing their distinctive rural character.”

Moore said this year’s RDI — VSU’s fourth — offered a program that emphasized experiential learning with a heavy dose of discussion, debate, and teamwork.

Highlights included content experts, professional developers, and consultants delivering interactive and engaging sessions on the elected official’s role in economic development, the current economic environment and future projections, tourism opportunities to generate wealth, leveraging state and federal resources, downtown development strategies, retail as a catalyst for economic growth, how to utilize artificial intelligence in a rural community, building the future workforce through pathways and partnerships, and more.

After each session the Brooks County leaders worked with their mentor to reflect on what they had just learned and then talk about how they could implement some of those ideas in their community.

The Brooks County leaders left RDI with a prioritized list of projects and initiatives designed to build a better future for the people who live, work, play, and visit in their community. This includes conducting a survey to identify the top three priorities seen as necessary for the growth and development of Brooks County and reorganizing the Quitman-Brooks County Chamber of Commerce to improve its relevance, efficiency, and impact on the local business community.

Through experiential learning initiatives at VSU, the Center for Regional Impact will use university faculty, staff, and students to help Brooks County implement one or more projects from their priority list in the coming months.

“Since the launch of the Rural Development Institute, 25 communities have participated in the program,” Moore noted. “We’ve seen measurable progress in many of the communities as they have implemented strategies learned through RDI. Each community has completed two to three follow-up projects with support from VSU, and several have developed long-term partnerships with us. Many communities are continuing to address local challenges by working with their RDI teams and tackling issues such as workforce development, downtown development, and marketing.” 

Based on feedback and comments from participants, presenters, and mentors, VSU’s RDI continues to have a tremendous impact on rural Georgians. As new communities sign up to participate each summer, the university is poised to remain a positive influence on rural growth and opportunity for many years to come. 

“Without a doubt, economic development is a contact sport,” said Mill Graves, Retail Strategies South Central Region vice president and Brooks County RDI mentor. “The RDI program does a great job of getting local decision makers out of their safe space to create and strengthen human connections at the local level. Community members can interact with regional peers about common challenges and opportunities and engage with industry specific experts about trends and resources that might be valuable to their economic development focus.

“The leadership team from Brooks County shares a common vision for growth and quality of life in the community. From our first breakout at RDI, the focus group was intentional about creating an action-oriented and consistent effort to move the community forward. The team at Retail Strategies looks forward to supporting RDI, Valdosta State University, and the Quitman-Brooks stakeholders as they navigate the first steps on a few projects identified at the workshop.”

VSU’s Rural Development Institute is an opportunity for the university to continue supporting the work of the Governor’s Rural Strike Team and provide a positive impact on Georgia’s rural communities.

On the Web:  
www.valdosta.edu/sgri
 
Participating Brooks County Leaders
• Chip Carroll, Brooks County area manager with Southeastern Credit Union
• Patrick Folsom, chairman of the Brooks County Board of Commissioners
• Lisa Folsom, community volunteer
• Janice Jarvis, Brooks County finance director
• Don Morgan, Quitman City Council representative
• Allen Nelson, Moven City Council representative
• Jerome Tucker, executive director of economic development for the Brooks County Development Authority