Georgia Magazine - April 2021 - 15

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E XPAN S I O N AN N O U N CE M E N T

SHORTTakes

CLAYTON
FAYETTE

NEWTON
HENRY

EMCs bringing broadband
to Middle Georgia
COWETA

MORGAN

PUTNAM
Breath
life: Baldwin County Fire and Rescue
JASPER of
in Milledgeville purchased 13 CPR mannequins
PIKE
LAMAR
(both adult and infant varieties) and an AED
MERIWETHER
JONES
MONROE
(automated external defibrillator) trainer
UPSON
with
BIBB a $2,581 grant from Tri-County Electric
entral Georgia Electric Membership Corp. (EMC) in Jackson and Southern CRAWFORD Membership Corp. (EMC) in Gray. The funds
Rivers Energy in Barnesville on Feb. 8 announced a new partnership
came from Operation Round Up, in which
with Conexon, a full-service fiber broadband provider, to provide highmembers opt to round their monthly bills to
Central Georgia EMC
speed internet to 80,000 homes and businesses in 18 Middle Georgia counties:
the next
Southern
Riversdollar
Energy and the difference goes into a
Bibb, Butts, Clayton, Coweta, Crawford, Fayette, Henry, Jasper, Jones, Lamar,
fund for charitable causes in the community.
SPALDING

BUTTS

COURTESY GEORGIA EMC

Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Newton, Pike, Putnam, Spalding and Upson.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and House Speaker David
Ralston made the joint announcement at the State Capitol before a group of state
and local leaders.
" The majority of members in our service area have no access to the quality,
high-speed internet service they so desperately need. That changes today, "
said Michael McMillan, Southern Rivers Energy president and CEO. " We know
electric cooperatives play a critical role in connecting underserved areas, and
we are proud to partner with Conexon to help bridge the digital divide for our
communities. This partnership will enable thousands of rural Georgians to finally
access theFIBER
same online
connections as those in more urban areas, while allowing
RURAL
BROADBAND
us
to
maintain
focus
on
our
core
RU RAL FI BER
BROAD
BAN
D mission: providing reliable, affordable electricity
EXPANSION
ANNOUNCEMENT
E XPAN
S I O N AN N O U N CE M E N T
to our
members. "
The partnership includes an
overall capital investment of more than
RURAL FIBER BROADBAND
$210 million. Central Georgia EMC will
EXPANSION ANNOUNCEMENT
invest $135 million, Southern Rivers
Energy will invest $53 million and
CLAYTON
MORGAN
NEWTON
Conexon will contribute $21.5 million.
HENRY
FAYETTE
Monroe County also has committed
COWETA
PUTNAM
JASPER
BUTTS
$1.3 million in local funds to
SPALDING
incentivize the EMCs to start
PIKE
LAMAR
MERIWETHER
their projects in Monroe County.
JONES
MONROE
The EMCs will partner with
UPSON
BIBB
Conexon
to design and build a
CRAWFORD
6,890-mile fiber network that will
provide improved electric service and
increased reliability through smartCentral Georgia EMC
Southern Rivers Energy
grid capabilities. The fiber network will
provide high-speed internet access to
all 80,000 of the two EMCs' memberowners within the next four years, beginning as early as June. Conexon works
exclusively with electric cooperatives and is considered one of the pioneers in the
electric cooperative broadband movement.
Central Georgia EMC and Southern Rivers Energy will own the fiber and
lease excess capacity to Conexon, which has agreed to serve every EMC member
with fiber-to-the-home internet speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second. The internet
service will be powered by EMC fiber, but Conexon will provide the retail service
to homes and businesses, managing account setup, customer service and billing.
" EMC directors and staff live and work in the communities they serve, " said
George Weaver, president and CEO of Central Georgia EMC. " We see firsthand
the disadvantages associated with a lack of internet service. That's why electric
cooperatives throughout the state have been actively searching for partnerships
with providers like Conexon and community leaders like Monroe County,
negotiating to bring high-speed internet to rural Georgia so our members are
afforded the opportunity to participate in today's digital world. "

KIM BROUN / TRICOUNTY EMC

Job creation: Tucker-based Georgia EMC
and its economic development partners
successfully recruited several new companies
to Georgia, bringing economic investment
and jobs to communities. In Barrow County,
plumbing-fixture and home-furnishings
manufacturer Spring Mountain Center will
invest $45 million into a manufacturing and
distribution headquarters, creating 205 jobs.
Boat manufacturer Correct Craft will invest
more than $1.7 million into a manufacturing
facility in Valdosta that will provide 90 jobs.
JinTech America, a South Korea-based supplier
of automobile parts, will open its first U.S.
advanced manufacturing facility in West
Point. The project represents an investment of
almost $4.5 million and will create 70 jobs.
Economic leadership: Dennis Chastain,
president and CEO of Georgia EMC, was
elected to serve as secretary-treasurer
of the Georgia Department of Economic
Development board of directors. Chastain
has served on the board since 2016, when
former Gov. Nathan Deal appointed him;
after his original term, he was reappointed
by Gov. Brian Kemp. He also serves on the
board of governors of the Georgia Chamber of
Commerce, the Georgia 4-H Foundation board
of trustees and the board of directors of the
Georgia Corp. for Economic Development.
www.georgiamagazine.org

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Georgia Magazine - April 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - April 2021