I am so looking forward to another great experience at this year’s ninth annual Mayor’s Small Business Conference on Wednesday, Sept. 30, in the Savannah Civic Center ballroom.

This year’s theme is Small Business, the Backbone of Our Economy, and organizers are expecting more than 250 members of the business community to attend.

The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. So if you have not already reserved your tickets, I recommend you do so now as last year’s event was sold out.

This is my third year being involved with this event. Rob Davis, Manny Dominguez and the entire team at the city of Savannah’s Economic Development Department have put in countless hours to make sure the annual gathering provides a real return on participation by local business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.

I love seeing so many of Savannah’s small-business owners in a single location. The energy and dedication in the room is electrifying.

This segment of Savannah’s economic engine is a bit different from the ones I engage with at The Creative Coast. These businesses are the more traditional brick-and-mortar companies providing products and services to the local community, whereas the majority of the early stage startup companies we mentor at The Creative Coast are focused on scalable ventures, i.e. products and services that can be marketed on a national and international basis.

The common thread is their commitment to being successful and their desire to make Savannah a better place to do business. The impact small businesses have on Savannah’s economy is real. In truth, these small businesses are the backbone of Savannah’s economy.

The agenda for the conference includes a number of key topics, including opening remarks by Mayor Edna Jackson, a Business Spotlight honoring Jennifer and Tim Strickland, owners of River Street Sweets along with a variety of workshops and a business roundtable discussion that always gets lively. Bob James, president of Carver State Bank, will deliver the keynote speech.

I particularly enjoy the keynote speech given by a local business owner. Each year I am inspired by their insights and advice. Previous keynote speakers who jump to my mind include Greg Parker, of Parker’s convenience stores, who described his organization’s intense focus on feedback loops and business metrics; and Jusak Yang Bernhard and Jeffrey Manley, co-owners of Tailspin, who spoke with heart and passion about pets, people, service and their business.

This year I look forward to Bob James’ keynote speech. He is currently wearing two hats as president of Carver State Bank, which is dedicated to minority and inner-city businesses and residents, and as chairman of Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA), which is almost a full-time job in itself.

James has an undergraduate degree from Morris Brown College and an MBA from Harvard University. More importantly, as Carver State Bank’s president, Bob has been the face of financing for inner-city businesses and residents for more than 40 years.

The conference also includes three workshops addressing hot topics for small-business owners: Branding Your Business led by Jennifer Abshire of Abshire Public Relations; Small Business Administration News presented by SBA official Terri Denison; and Small Business Assistance Corporation News hosted by Stephen George from SBAC.

In addition, there will be a roundtable discussion featuring local business owners as guest panelists: Davey James, managing partner and co-owner of Outback Steakhouse on Abercorn Street; Stephanie Lindley, CEO of family owned Byrd Cookie Company; Ian Nott, founder of Aetho, an innovative filmmaking tool for GoPro videographers; and Travis Sawyer, co-owner and founder of Creative Approach printing company on MLK. And yours truly will serve as moderator.

What’s a business event without a networking opportunity? The conference includes that, too, with a networking lunch followed by the keynote address and closing remarks by Mayor Jackson. By the way, both the lunch and a continental breakfast are free for attendees, courtesy of the city of Savannah.

If you are a small-business owner, you should be at this conference. After all, it’s your city and it’s your business. Registration closes at noon Friday, Sept. 25, so get moving. Go to www.savannahga.gov/businessconference to register online or contact the city of Savannah’s Economic Development Department at 912-651-3653.

See you there.

Bea Wray is the executive director of The Creative Coast, a not-for-profit organization that promotes the creative and entrepreneurial community within the region. Bea can be reached at 912-447-8457 or bea@thecreativecoast.org.

By Bea Wray

With the turn of ceremonial shovels Wednesday afternoon, Nashville-based Tennessee Commercial Warehouse marked the beginning of construction on its new Savannah terminal just off Jimmy DeLoach Parkway.

“This is our 25th year in the Savannah area, and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate that milestone than with a new facility,” said CEO Scott George, who thanked the Pooler City Council and Mayor Mike Lamb for creating a business-friendly environment.

“We are truly excited about our new home in Pooler and look forward to being good citizens and neighbors in the community,” he said.

TCW’s 30-acre terminal footprint will consist of three buildings, including a cross-dock and office, a maintenance facility and guard house, as well as a fueling station on a greenfield site.

West Construction Co., a Savannah-based general contractor specializing in industrial and commercial construction, has begun working the site, removing the top 18 inches of soil, which will be used to build a 25-foot berm along the property’s western border. Two feet of

structural fill will be hauled on-site, and more than 20 acres of concrete and asphalt paving will be installed.

The project will be finished with site lighting and landscaping improvements, said West Construction president Matt West.

George thanked West, project manager Matthew Schivera and the rest of the construction team, as well as engineer Terry Coleman and architect Brian Felder “for taking our concept and making it a reality.”

West said his company was proud to be part of the project.

“After working with the TCW team, it’s easy to see why they’re so successful,” West said. “We look forward to a safe and successful project and to cutting the ribbon for TCW next spring.”

TCW began in 1948 as a small family owned warehousing business in Tennessee. While it remains family owned, with the third generation at the helm, TCW has grown exponentially.

Now ranked among the largest intermodal operations in the country, TCW and its subsidiary, Tennessee Express, hold both contract and common carrier authority, serving all points within the continental United States.

In the Southeast, TCW offers a network of transportation services, with operations at nine inland terminals and three port locations — Savannah, Charleston and Wilmington, N.C.

George credits his company’s success with staying true to its original philosophy.

“TCW has changed in many ways during the past six decades,” he said, “but the fundamentals have stayed the same.

“We know and value our customers and offer quality, professional service tailored to each customer’s requirements. Most importantly, we’re willing to go out of our way to get the job done.”

ON THE WEB

www.westgc.com

www.tcwonline.com

CSX Transportation presented the Development Authority of Bryan County with a “Partnershipping” award Wednesday for its leadership in the development of the Belfast Commerce Park.

Officials praised the development authority’s role in securing the industrial park’s first tenant, Caesarstone, an Israeli-based manufacturer of engineered quartz surfaces for countertops.

“The DABC’s dedication, expertise and persistence were instrumental to the success of this project,” said Carl Warren, CSX director of industrial development and ports. “This development capitalizes on the region’s logistical strengths and will promote economic expansion and job creation in the area.”

Caesarstone recently opened a 284,152-square-foot manufacturing facility, which will employ 180 people.

The Belfast Commerce Park received CSX Select Site designation in December 2012, confirming that the site met development criteria and could rapidly utilize freight service.

Located less than 30 minutes from the Port of Savannah, the 1,000-acre industrial park, privately owned by Raydient Places + Properties, is adjacent to Interstate 95. A feature of Belfast Commerce Park is its large sites, served by rail, that connect directly to the CSX in Savannah via the Riceboro Southern short line.

In addition, Belfast has been certified as a Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development site.

“We are honored that the CSX has awarded the DABC a Partnershipping Award,” said Derrick Smith, chairman of the development authority. “The Belfast and Caesarstone projects have truly been a local, regional and state collaboration with participation from the DABC, city of Richmond Hill, Bryan County Board of Commissioners, Raydient Places + Properties, the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Georgia Department of Transportation, Georgia Quick Start, Georgia Ports Authority, Genesee and Wyoming and of course CSX.”

Bryan County is the second community in Georgia to receive the Partnershipping Award.

Even the most cursory observer of U.S. financial markets can attest to the recent swarm of news headlines talking about dramatic stock market behavior. Indeed, this summer has witnessed some of the broadest stock price gyrations in U.S. history.

Investors have had to deal with a confluence of financial and economic shocks from China, a murky picture on the timing of the first Federal Reserve rate hike since June 2006 and overall uncertainty facing a global slowdown in emerging markets.

But what does the recent stock market volatility mean historically, and what are the implications for your retirement portfolio?

Perhaps investors have been lulled into a state of market complacency as low volatility reigned for a long time before the summer stretch.

There were 45 days in 2015 in which the SP500 Composite Index closed at least 1 percent above or below the opening price, and 11 — or nearly 25 percent of total days — fell within the period from Aug. 20 through Sept. 9.

What’s more, the spread of daily price movements from June 1 to Sept. 9, as measured by the standard deviation of returns, nearly doubled compared to the same measure for the first five months of 2015.

Market observers will also note the wild price swings that have occurred within minutes of the opening bell. This trend unfolded on the heels of a series of disappointing economic reports from China. During the week of Aug. 24, the NYSE enacted the infrequently used “Rule 48” to help smooth out, and actually speed up, the execution of scheduled trades when the market opens.

When markets face high volatility, a flurry of trades placed before markets open can bottleneck and contribute to widespread sell-offs and market chaos within seconds. Analysts believe such concentrated sell-offs tend, to some extent, to be driven by computer-guided sell orders based on algorithmic trading rules.

Approved in 2007 by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Rule 48 allows market officials to temporarily suspend floor traders’ requirement to reveal price benchmarks after trading has been halted or, in this case, before the opening bell.

A high-volatility environment for stocks has been associated with historical events such as the global financial crisis of 2008, Greek debt crisis of 2010, the U.S. debt ceiling circus and impending sequester of 2011 and the European sovereign debt crisis of 2012.

The outlook for continued market gyrations looks likely as the U.S. government faces another potential shutdown unless lawmakers agree on a budget by the end of October. Additionally, emerging market prospects hang in the balance as Chinese macroeconomic reports expose underlying weakness.

For those concerned about the value of their retirement accounts and other portfolios, I would suggest a patient approach. Though some investors have noted that market valuations look a little frothy — with comparisons being drawn to 1999 — value can still be found in blue-chip cyclical stocks as the U.S. economic footing looks relatively sound and large mergers and acquisitions continue to be sought out.

Also, European markets have begun to garner increased interest from investors as U.S. firms, such as those in the auto industry, pursue a greater market share abroad. The trick to weathering this financial rollercoaster for longer-run investors may be simply to stop clicking the portfolio refresh button like a woodpecker.

Nicholas Mangee is an assistant professor of economics at Armstrong State University and can be reached at Nicholas.mangee@armstrong.edu.

ATLANTA — Metro Savannah’s unemployment rate for August was 5.6 percent, down from 6.1 percent in July, the Georgia Department of Labor announced Thursday. The rate in August 2014 was 7.6 percent.

The rate declined as employers created more jobs. New layoffs, as measured by initial unemployment insurance claims, decreased.

The number of jobs in Savannah increased by 200, or 0.1 percent, in August to 170,900. The job gains came mostly in retail, local government, school system employees returning from summer recess and education and health services,

Comparing year over year, Savannah gained 3,800 jobs, a growth rate of 2.3 percent, from 167,100 in August 2014. Most of the job growth came in professional and business services and trade, transportation and warehousing.

Also, the number of initial claims for unemployment insurance declined by 81, or 8.7 percent, to 851 in August. Most of the decrease came in accommodations and food services and manufacturing. Over the year, claims were down by 227, or 21.1 percent, from 1,078 in August 2014.

Metro Gainesville had the lowest area jobless rate at 4.8 percent, while the Heart of Georgia-Altamaha region had the highest at 7.7 percent.

Meanwhile, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for August was 5.9 percent, down from 6.0 percent in July. It was 7.1 percent in August 2014.

Local area unemployment data are not seasonally adjusted. Georgia labor market data are available at www.gdol.ga.gov.

Speaking to a sold-out crowd of 1,500 people on Thursday, Georgia Ports Executive Director Curtis Foltz reported on a year of what he described as extraordinary growth, made possible in no small part by an ongoing investment in equipment, infrastructure and human capital.

“In fiscal year 2015, we experienced unprecedented growth, with West Coast diversions to East Coast ports, a recovering U.S. economy and import market-share gains leading to all-time highs in cargo volume,” Foltz told the crowd gathered at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center for his annual state of the port address, sponsored by the Propeller Club of Savannah.

That the port was able to handle the influx of business without missing a beat — when other major ports on both coasts were mired in congestion — has opened doors to long-term opportunities for Georgia, he said.

“Effective, efficient port services are an important lure for new business,” Foltz said. “In fact, port-related expansions announced during FY15 have brought more than $619 million in private investment and more than 2,770 new jobs to Georgia.”

Foltz credited his board’s “visionary” willingness to invest in infrastructure before it’s needed with the success GPA has seen recently.

“If we wait to invest until we need it, it’s too late,” he said.

James Allgood, GPA board vice president, agreed that investment has been key to the ports’ success.

“Georgia is making the improvements necessary to maintain and strengthen our position as the premier gateway for trade to the U.S. Southeast,” Allgood said.

“Our port customers want partners who are investing not only for today but for the long term. By expanding and modernizing our transportation network, we ensure the fast, reliable delivery of goods to important markets at home and abroad.”

Numbers for the recently completed year reflect new records set in total tonnage, container growth, roll-on/roll-off cargo and containers moved by rail. At the same time, breakbulk was up 8 percent, and bulk cargo was up 2 percent.

“In our line of business, it’s extremely rare to have growth in all commodity segments,” Foltz said. “It truly was a phenomenal year.”

Savannah’s Ocean Terminal, often overshadowed by the success of the ports’ Garden City container terminal, posted exceptional numbers for FY 2015, Foltz said.

The general cargo facility reported total tonnage up 16 percent, auto units up 29 percent, machinery units — think JCB and Caterpiller — up 23 percent, iron and steel up 41 percent and rubber exports up 3 percent.

“Ocean Terminal is a gem of an asset that had a huge recovery last year,” he said. “Between it and the Port of Brunswick, the GPA moved 714,008 units of autos and heavy machinery last year — our highest volume ever.”

At Garden City Terminal, a record 3.66 million 20-foot equivalent container units — or TEUs — crossed the docks, a jump of 17 percent, or more than half a million TEUs. Gate moves grew a record 12.9 percent and are now averaging 9,500 a day.

“Those are container volumes we didn’t expect to see until 2019, and we saw them last year,” Foltz said.

Though some of the increased business the ports experienced last year has returned to the West Coast, more stayed than anticipated. And while Foltz doesn’t expect to repeat the record-shattering performance of the pat year, he is predicting more growth in the coming year.

And he said the ports should be ready for the extra volumes.

“Of course, none of this could have been done without the tremendous efforts of our employees, the strong partnership we have with the International Longshoremen’s Association and all the stakeholders who move cargo for us every day,” Foltz said.

“We all recognize that our customers have a choice, and it takes the entire team to make sure we are that port of choice.”

Foltz also detailed progress toward deepening the Savannah Harbor.

“Earlier this month, the 300-foot Great Lakes Dredge and Dock vessel the Alaska began work on a $134.5 million contract issued to dredge the 18.5-mile outer harbor to 49 feet at mean low water,” he said. “This will better accommodate larger container ships and reduce transportation costs for U.S. companies moving goods through the port between 20 and 40 percent.”

Larger ships are already coming through the Suez Canal, he said, and make up a third of the ships now calling on the port.

Foltz stressed the importance of the federal government coming up with its $440 million share of the $700 million-plus project, estimating that Washington will need to fund at least $100 million by October of next year to keep the project on track.

“The big ships are already here,” Foltz said. “We’ve got to get this deepening project done and done as soon as possible.”

TEU CONTAINERS

17%

3.7 million

TOTAL TONNAGE

8%

31.7 million

INTERMODAL CONTAINERS

11%

369,347

AUTO AND
MACHINERY UNITS

1.9%

714,008

TONS OF
BULK CARGO

8%

2.9 million

TONS OF
BREAKBULK CARGO

7.6%

2.8 million

LIQUID BULK AT THE PORT OF SAVANNAH

32%

Moon River Studios to acquire firm

FONU2, Inc., the parent firm of Moon River Studios, has announced that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire the assets of SouthEast Props in Wilmington, N,C.

SouthEast Props is a set decoration and prop rental house that serves the East Coast film and television industry. Plans call for the company’s assets to be relocated to Effingham County, according to the announcement.

The recent curtailing of film tax credits in Louisiana and North Carolina has created new opportunities for creating jobs and providing production services to films that are seeking motion picture infrastructure in Coastal Georgia, the announcement said.

The new Moon River Studios division will be managed by Matthew Sullivan and Adam Cameron, and the announcement said the acquisition is expected to close in the next 45 days.

Food, wine festival seeks volunteers

The 2015 Savannah Food & Wine Festival is looking for volunteers to help fill various general and leadership roles during the week of Nov. 9-15.

Volunteer positions include general registration, exhibitor registration, exhibitor load-in/load-out, water/ice distribution, celebrity chef kitchen/learning experience, stages/tent support, wine and food booths set-up, signage and VIP lounge set-up registration and management.

There also are various volunteer needs leading up to the festival.

If interested in becoming a lead volunteer, contact Briana Manion at briana@savannahfoodandwinefest.com or 912-0232-1223. For information about becoming a general volunteer and the volunteer application, go to www.savannahfoodandwinefest.com/volunteers.html.

Volunteers must attend one of the orientation sessions scheduled from 5 to 6 p.m. Oct. 20 and Oct. 22 at the Tourism Leadership Council Office in the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center.

United Way partners with Reed House

The United Way of the Coastal Empire has awarded Reed House Inc. $10,000 in Opportunity Funding. “Thanks to the generosity of our donors, this creative and inventive program will expand employment opportunities for adults with mental illness, enriching their lives, our workforce and the community as a whole,” said Pfeffer McMaken, vice president of community iInvestments at United Way.

Adults with serious mental illness have up to a 90 percent unemployment rate, and Clubhouse programs help their members gain the education, training, skills, stamina and support to participate in the mainstream workforce.

Reed House follows the standards of Clubhouse International and Fountain House, winners of the 2014 Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize. There are over 300 Clubhouses around the globe, but Savannah’s Reed House is the first mental health clubhouse in Georgia.

For more information, go to www.Reed-House.org or call 912-777-4108.

When dockworkers at West Coast ports threatened a work stoppage during contract negotiations last year, it set off a wave of cargo diversion to the East Coast, as shippers hedged their bets to prevent costly seasonal delays.

While most of the labor issues on the West Coast have been resolved, it’s becoming apparent that more and more shippers are opting to stay on the East Coast, with Savannah the almost unanimous port of choice.

At the height of the diversion last spring, GPA handled record-breaking cargo volumes with hardly a hiccup. Despite the onslaught, truck turn times were largely unscathed, with a single-container move taking about 30 minutes and combined import/export moves completed in less than an hour. At some other East Coast terminals, congestion allowed drivers to complete only one port visit per day.

It’s no accident that Georgia Ports has seemed relatively immune to most of the more serious supply chain shocks. Decades of investment, combined with planned infrastructure improvements, are not only helping Georgia Ports maintain a strong operation but are keeping them ahead of the growth curve, said ports executive director Curtis Foltz.

In his “State of the Ports” address Thursday, Foltz detailed a number of capital improvements — past and future — designed to keep the fourth-largest container port well ahead of the growth curve.

In the past decade, the GPA has invested $807 million in its deepwater ports, bringing in up to 22 ship-to-shore cranes to work its nearly 10,000 contiguous feet of dock space, allowing ease in scheduling the largest ships.

A 1,200-acre container yard — the largest single operator terminal in North America — gives GPA enough room to handle influxes of cargo. That cargo flows easily out to road and rail with the help of more than 100 large rubber-tired gantry cranes.

These improvements have put the port in an enviable position as the completion of the expanded Panama Canal and the increase in megaships loom large on the horizon.

But that doesn’t mean it’s time to slow down, Foltz said, adding that the coming decade’s investment of $1.4 billion will eclipse the last 10 years’ spending, with $142 million earmarked for fiscal 2016 alone.

Among the projects scheduled for completion this year:

• A new 30-acre depot yard for empty containers in the Mason Intermodal Container Transfer Facility, the on-port rail yard serving Norfolk Southern Railroad. The yard will add more than 1,500 container slots, increasing capacity by 8 percent.

• Gate 8, a third major truck interchange at the Garden City Terminal, should be open in March. It will start with eight truck lanes and is designed to expand to 20 lanes.

“If you think about the entire Garden City facility, Gate 8 will be a perfect complement to support the Jimmy DeLoach Parkway and Grange Road extensions,” Foltz said. “It will improve traffic flow and lessen the pressure on gates 3 and 4.”

• Speaking of Last Mile projects, both the Jimmy DeLoach Parkway Connector and the Grange Road Upgrade will be completed in 2016.

• New equipment slated for purchase in 2016 includes four additional ship-to-shore cranes for a total of 26; 30 new rubber-tired gantry cranes, for a total of 146; and 20 new refrigerated container racks comprising 480 slots, for a total of 3,234 slots.

Senior business reporter Mary Carr Mayle covers the ports for the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow. She can be reached at 912-652-0324 or at mary.mayle@savannahnow.com.

Following are the ships expected to call on Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City and Ocean terminals this week. Schedules are supplied by GPA and are subject to change.

TERMINAL VESSEL ETA

GCT SPIRIT OF COLOMBO Today

GCT MAERSK PITTSBURGH Today

GCT KYOTO EXPRESS Today

GCT ARDMORE SEALION Today

GCT APL TOURMALINE Today

GCT RHL AGILITAS Today

GCT JPO TAURUS Today

OT GRANDE MAROCCO Today

GCT CMA CGM MAUPASSANT Saturday

GCT CMA CGM FAUST Saturday

GCT CMA CGM MATISSE Saturday

GCT TOKYO EXPRESS Saturday

GCT EVER DIVINE Saturday

GCT TMSC ALESSIA Saturday

GCT MSC GISELLE Saturday

GCT HH EMILIA Saturday

GCT WASHINGTON EXPRESS Saturday

GCT ZIM BARCELONA Sunday

GCT HANJIN DALLAS Sunday

GCT BONAIRE Sunday

OT NIPPON HIGHWAY Sunday

GCT HYUNDAI FORWARD Monday

GCT DALIAN EXPRESS Monday

GCT MAERSK KINLOSS Monday

GCT CPO MIAMI Monday

GCT IBRAHIM DEDE Monday

GCT SCT DIGNITY Monday

GCT SAN DU AO Monday

OT TOSCANA Monday

OT ORIENTAL ANGEL Monday

GCT CSCL SYDNEY Tuesday

GCT CMA CGM JAMAICA Tuesday

GCT BULL HUNTER Tuesday

GCT ZIM CONSTANZA Tuesday

GCT MSC VERONIQUE Tuesday

GCT HANOI BRIDGE Tuesday

OT PARSIFAL Tuesday

GCT MOEN ISLAND Wednesday

GCT CONRAD S Wednesday

GCT HANJIN RIO DE JANEIRO Wednesday

GCT CMA CGM MOLIERE Wednesday

OT STAR HARMONIA Wednesday

GCT MOL MAXIM Thursday

GCT ZIM NEW YORK Thursday

GCT HYUNDAI INTEGRAL Thursday

GCT NYK DIANA Thursday

GCT CGM UTRILLO Thursday

GCT MOL EMPIRE Thursday

GCT HALIFAX EXPRESS Thursday

GCT MSC STELLA Thursday

OT BALMORAL Thursday

Hotel firm receives Hilton developer award

North Point Hospitality Group has been named the developer of the year by Homewood Suites by Hilton for its Savannah Historic District/Riverfront development project that includes a Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel.

“We always strive to be in the best markets with the best brands at the best locations and feel that the Homewood Suites by Hilton brand complements the vitality of the Savannah market perfectly,” said S. Jay Patel, president and CEO of Atlanta-based North Point Hospitality Group.

The 162-unit Homewood Suites by Hilton on Savannah’s riverfront is the first hotel in the company’s newest development, River Street East, a project expected to have a total build-out cost of more than $170,000,000.

The company has plans for five other hotels, all within Savannah’s Historic District.

Pure Barre fundraiser benefits child abuse victims

Pure Barre Savannah has completed a fundraiser — “Pure Giving: Stronger Me. Stronger We” — that generated $1,785 for the Coastal Children’s Advocacy Center.

“Every year, we choose one local nonprofit and for a whole month, we bring awareness to their organization, promote all the good they’re doing in the community and encourage our supporters to donate what they can,” said owner Brook Nash. “This year, when deciding what organization to donate to, it was an easy choice.”

The children’s advocacy center provides a confidential, child-friendly site for recording forensic interviews with children who have been sexually or severely physically abused or witnessed violence. Recording interviews prevents young victims from having to talk repeatedly about their abuse, thus decreasing the trauma of disclosure and preserving children’s initial statements for court.

The center also offers free trauma counseling and play therapy for victimized kids and teens.

Junior League, Habitat for Humanity partner on project

The Junior League of Savannah has chosen the Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity to receive a “Done in a Day” grant for $1,000 for “A Brush with Kindness” project slated for Nov. 14.

Junior Leaguers will work alongside Habitat staff, volunteers and homeowners in a Savannah neighborhood.

A Brush with Kindness is an exterior home preservation program that provides painting, landscaping and minor repair for low-income homeowners affected by age, disability and family circumstances. The program helps people who struggle to maintain the exterior of their homes a chance to reclaim their homes with pride and dignity.

The Junior League has “a wonderful history of helping in the community, and we are so pleased to be part of their plans,” said Michael Weathers, executive director of the local Habitat for Humanity.

With the end of 2015 approaching, you may be assessing your personal income tax situation and looking for tax planning strategies that will work to your favor. Have you considered the potential for tax savings related to capital gains and losses?

Most taxpayers understand that their income levels and filing status determine their marginal (ordinary) tax bracket, with tax rates ranging from 10 percent to 39.6 percent. These tax rates apply to sources of ordinary income, such as salary, self-employment income, business income, interest income and certain sources of retirement income.

However, capital gain income may be subject to rates that are lower than ordinary tax rates. Capital assets commonly include property held for investment, such as stocks, bonds and mutual funds. The tax rate on long-term capital gains can range from zero percent to 20 percent, depending on your taxable income.

Awareness of the different tax rates and evaluating the nature of your capital gains can help you take advantage of the preferential capital gain tax rates, utilize capital losses to offset capital gains and provide an opportunity for tax savings.

What are the different capital gains tax rates?

The long-term capital gains tax rate of zero percent applies to taxpayers with taxable income less than $74,900 for “Married Filing Joint” and less than $37,450 for single filers.

The long-term capital gains tax rate of 15 percent applies to taxpayers with taxable income between $74,901 and $464,850 for “Married Filing Joint” and between $37,451 and $413,200 for single filers.

The maximum long-term capital gains tax rate of 20 percent applies to taxpayers with taxable income over $464,851 for “Married Filing Joint” and over $413,201 for single filers.

What is the difference between short-term and long-term capital gains and losses?

A capital gain or loss occurs upon the sale or exchange of property and equals the

difference between the sales proceeds and your basis in the property, which typically is the amount you paid for it.

A capital gain or loss is categorized as short-term when the property is owned or held for one year or less before it is sold. Property held for more than one year is categorized as long-term. The holding period generally begins the day after the property is acquired and ends as of the day the property is sold.

It is important to know that net long-term capital gains qualify for the lower tax rates and net short-term capital gains are taxed at your ordinary tax rates. For this reason, if you are going to sell an investment at a gain, it may be beneficial to hold onto it for more than a year before selling so the gain can qualify for long-term treatment.

In order to determine the tax treatment of your capital gains, you will first need to net the gains and losses. Capital losses offset capital gains, but only up to $3,000 of net capital loss can be used to offset ordinary income in each year.

Excess losses are carried forward within the short-term or long-term category from which they originated to offset future capital gains until fully utilized.

Capital gains and losses are first netted against each other within their respective short-term or long-term categories. When there is both a net short-term gain and a net long-term gain, the short-term gain is taxed at ordinary rates and the long-term gain is taxed at capital gains rates.

An overall net short-term gain can result when net short-term gains exceed, or absorb, net long-term losses. An overall net long-term gain can result when net long-term gains exceed net short-term losses.

How can losses help reduce my tax liability?

Capital losses offset your capital gains dollar for dollar. Capital gains are essentially tax-free when fully absorbed by capital losses.

You may want to consider whether your investment portfolio provides an opportunity to recognize capital losses to partially or fully offset gains. Also, since net capital gains are included in your taxable income, they factor into several tax deduction limitations and phase-outs that are based on income levels.

There are additional tax implications and variables to consider beyond the general concepts covered in this article. A detailed analysis may be necessary to determine the specific tax impact that will apply to your situation.

Carolyn Corey, CPA, is a staff accountant in the tax department at Hancock Askew & Co. She can be reached at 877-550-8243 or ccorey@hancockaskew.com.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. economy grew at an even faster clip in the spring than previously estimated. But that growth likely slowed in the summer, held back by global headwinds and turbulent financial markets.

The overall economy expanded at an annual rate of 3.9 percent in the April-June quarter, up from a previous estimate of 3.7 percent, the Commerce Department reported Friday. The new-found strength came from additional gains in consumer spending, business investment and residential construction.

The second quarter expansion in the gross domestic product, the economy’s total output of goods and services, was a marked improvement from an anemic 0.6 percent increase in the first quarter when the economy was battered by a harsh winter.

While economists believe growth in the third quarter has slowed to around 2.2 percent to 2.5 percent, they expect a modest acceleration in activity for the final three months of this year.

“Overall, the outlook on the U.S. economy for the remainder of the year remains fairly optimistic, supported by continuing job creation, increasing consumer spending, improvements in the housing sector, and solid manufacturing numbers,” said Jim Baird, chief investment officer for Plante Moran Financial Advisors.

The revision in second quarter growth was led by a boost in consumer spending, which expanded at a 3.6 percent rate, up from the previous estimate of a 3.1 percent advance. The stronger result reflected increases in spending on such consumer services as health care and transportation.

Business investment spending was revised higher, reflecting increased spending on structures and equipment. Residential construction grew at a 9.3 percent pace, even better than the 7.6 percent growth estimated last month.

Friday’s report was the government’s third and final estimate for second quarter growth. The initial look tabbed GDP growth in the spring at 2.3 percent, which was revised up to 3.7 percent last month.

Economists believe the subsequent slowdown in the summer will reflect a reduction by businesses in restocking their inventories.

Once unwanted inventories are worked down, the expectation is that growth will accelerate again in the final quarter of the year. Economists at Macroeconomic Advisors are forecasting GDP growth of 2.7 percent in the October-December period.

For the whole year, economists expect a modest gain of around 2.2 percent, in line with the modest growth seen during the six years of the current recovery. In 2014, the economy grew 2.4 percent after 1.5 percent growth in 2013.

Activity has been held back this year by a rise in the value of the dollar, which weakens sales of U.S. exports while making foreign goods more competitive in the United States.

Adding to the problems facing American manufacturers has been a significant slowdown in growth in China, a major market for U.S. products. The slowdown in China sent shockwaves through global financial markets as investors grew concerned that that the economic problems in China, the world’s second largest economy, could be even worse than previously believed.

All these developments contributed to a decision by the Federal Reserve last week to keep its key interest rate unchanged at a record low near zero, where it has been since late 2008.

However, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said Thursday that she still believed the Fed would start raising rates before the end of this year. While the central bank would continue to monitor developments abroad, she said that, “we do not currently anticipate that the effects of these recent developments” will be large enough to impact the Fed’s interest rate decisions.

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday that it will launch sweeping changes to the way it tests for diesel emissions after getting duped by clandestine software in Volkswagen cars for seven years.

In a letter to car manufacturers, the EPA said it will add on-road testing to its regimen, “using driving cycles and conditions that may reasonably be expected to be encountered in normal operation and use, for the purposes of investigating a potential defeat device” similar to the one used by Volkswagen.

The testing would be in addition to the standard emissions test cycles already in place, the EPA said.

VW’s sophisticated software allowed its cars to pass tests in the lab and then spew pollution into the atmosphere while on the highway. The changes announced Friday are designed to detect software and other methods automakers might use to rig a test.

“We’re actually making sure that this is a one-off,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said Friday.

The agency is going to “look at all of the other models aggressively and do the testing we need to make sure there aren’t any hidden software devices or other ways they could defeat the emission system,” McCarthy said.

The revelations about VW led to unwanted scrutiny for the EPA. Its testing procedures have been criticized for being predictable and outdated, making it relatively easy for VW to cheat.

EPA did not initially uncover the problem; researchers at West Virginia University did, using on-road testing that EPA did not.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said he was frustrated that regulatory agencies such as the EPA are failing to protect the public. “Seven years is way too long a time that the EPA has been asleep at the switch,” he said.

The VW case has similarities to those involving General Motors’ defective ignition switches and Takata Corp.’s exploding air bag inflators, where it also took years before those problems were disclosed to consumers, Nelson said.

“When there is this kind of deception, we’ve got to get these agencies to be able to cut through it and catch it,” he said.

Chris Grundler, head of the EPA’s office of transportation and air quality, defended the agency’s testing procedures, noting that passenger vehicles with diesel engines account for far less than 1 percent of overall vehicle emissions of nitrogen oxides and other pollutants.

“It’s not a question of equipment or technology or capability. It’s a question of where we deploy those resources,” Grundler told reporters Friday.

The EPA has conducted on-road testing on heavy duty trucks, rather than passenger cars, “because that’s where the emissions are,” he said. The additional testing announced Friday is part of a “continuous evolution of our oversight” of new and used cars and trucks, Grundler said.

VW has admitted to installing so-called defeat devices on Volkswagen and Audi cars with four-cylinder diesel engines. The devices switch on pollution controls when the cars are being tested, but turn off the controls when the software determines that the cars are back on real roads. The EPA says about 500,000 U.S. cars including the Jetta, Golf, Beetle, Passat and Audi A3 have the cheating software, and VW says a total of 11 million cars have it worldwide.

VW was able to fool the EPA because the agency only tested the cars on treadmill-like devices called dynamometers and didn’t use portable test equipment on real roads. The software in the cars’ engine-control computers checked the speed, steering wheel position, air pressure and other factors to determine when dynamometer tests were under way. It then turned on pollution controls that reduced the output of nitrogen oxides that contribute to smog and other pollution, the EPA has said.

VW started the scheme with the 2009 model year, and may not have been caught without testing performed at West Virginia University on behalf of the International Council on Clean Transportation, a nonprofit group that advises governments on regulations. EPA and California regulators confronted VW with those findings to VW in May 2014. The automaker eventually did a recall late last year, without much improvement, the EPA says.

Only when the EPA and the California Air Resources Board refused to approve VW’s 2016 diesel models for sale did the company admit earlier this month what it had done.

The EPA said the cars are safe to drive but VW will have to pay to recall and fix them. VW also faces billions in fines.

Grundler says the EPA had deferred to European regulators on diesel emissions because diesels make up half the cars in Europe. The European Union became aware in 2010 that lab testing was not as accurate as on-road tests might be. In the case of carbon dioxide emissions tests — not nitrogen oxide — the discrepancy was as much as 20 percent.

The EU will introduce new tests from next year, with on-road testing complementing the laboratory work that is currently being done. Lab tests will also be refined to try to reduce the margin of error.

It’s not the first time the EPA has had to change testing to make sure automakers are playing by the rules. Earlier this year the agency updated gas mileage tests after some automakers were caught with inflated window sticker estimates.

Grundler disputes the notion that EPA would never have caught VW without the outside help. European regulators were looking into VW’s on-road diesel emissions as far back as 2012, and since diesels make up half the cars there, the EPA decided to let Europe take the lead, he says.

“I don’t think it’s fair to say that this would never have been uncovered,” he says. “Do I wish we had uncovered it sooner? Absolutely.”

RIDGEVILLE, S.C. — Volvo broke ground on its first auto manufacturing plant in North America on Friday and announced that workers at the $500 million plant will build a car still being designed in Sweden.

Volvo North America CEO Lex Kerssemakers said the plant will build the company’s new S-60 sedan as well as another model to be announced later.

“This is the one and only factory where we are going to produce the S-60. Global customers all over the world will drive a car made in this factory,” he said,

The plant is being built off Interstate 26 about 30 miles northwest of Charleston and will eventually be capable of making 100,000 cars a year.

Kerssemakers was joined at the site by Gov. Nikki Haley, U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt and other state and local officials. Haley joined Kerssemakers in wielding a silver shovel to turn dirt at one corner of a large tract that has already been cleared of trees.

Company officials said foundation work will begin early next year and the first vehicles are expected to roll off the plant’s production line in 2018.

Kerssemakers said customers will be able to order vehicles and come by the plant to pick them up. That, he said, will benefit tourism, an $18 billion industry in South Carolina.

“It means South Carolina is going to receive a number of people who are going to enjoy the beautiful landscapes of South Carolina,” he added.

He added the plant, which is expected to employ about 2,000 workers during the next decade, will also have a visitors’ center so people can see how Volvos are designed, built and marketed. He said a small museum showing Volvo’s history and its vision for the future is also planned.

“We have all the plans but first, it’s a small detail, we have to build a factory,” Kerssemakers said.

The governor told reporters later that she recently visited Sweden on a recruiting trip to bring Volvo suppliers to the state as well. Neither the governor nor Hitt would discuss specifics but Haley said “it’s not just about the Volvo plant, it’s going to be about the city surrounding the Volvo plant.”

As part of an incentive package to lure the plant, a new interchange will be built on Interstate 26.

Whether you’re an aspiring filmmaker or a grandparent filming your grandchild’s first steps, Ian Nott wants you to know you can film like a pro with Aeon, the initial product from his Savannah-based tech company Aetho.

According to Nott, Aeon, which is a handheld stabilizer for GoPro cameras, is easier to use than your smartphone and gives the user smooth cinematic footage every time.

“We said, let’s create something that has an experience that a grandma, a child, anybody, not just a professional filmmaker, can grab and create great content. It’s putting the power of a pro video crew in the palm of your hand.”

When Nott introduced the prototype almost a year ago, it featured a headset component — similar in appearance to Google Glass — but the final product has undergone numerous changes and improvements.

New features include a joystick that pans and tilts your GoPro camera, battery life indicator, LCD screen that focuses on the center of the frame and a GoPro accessory mount.

“You can attach a selfie stick to the bottom and you now have a boom crane, but it fits in your backpack,” he said.

The device uses sensors and motors to balance the camera, so the user can run, hop, skip or jump and still have smooth footage every time.

“If I move to the right it’s reading that micro movement so quickly and counteracting on the axis so quickly that to you, I or the camera the footage is still perfectly buttery smooth. It almost works like magic,” he said

Last year, Aetho was secured $100,000 in seed funding from an investor at the Creative Coast’s Geekend event. Since then the team has managed to raise several times more than that, all from Savannah area investors, and is preparing to launch its crowd funding campaign Sept. 30 at Indiegogo.

Securing the funding ahead of the Indiegogo launch allowed Nott to figure out what mechanical and engineering aspects the product needed along with building his team and company and to line up contract manufacturers, which he said makes Aeon’s crowd funding campaign different.

“A lot of those campaigns rely on renderings and promise and two years later they don’t deliver anything... But we’re able to say your dollars go toward your product. That’s been pretty exciting for us...,” he said.

“What’s kind of cool for me is that a year ago I was sitting around on a laptop, and now here we are almost a year later and we’ve created a number of jobs. We’ve created a really awesome company and brand and ultimately, Aeon.”

The final products are expected sometime during the first quarter of 2016. Until then Nott is keeping his eyes on the future and Savannah.

“...It’s the right talent, the right time, the right place,” he said.

“We’re excited to continue reinvesting in Savannah, there’s a lot of great talent here... Excited to be creating jobs and making cool stuff here in Savannah that’s built here but ultimately sold nationally and on a global scale.”

ON THE WEB

For more information or to pre-order Aeon, go to www.aetho.co.

The Savannah City Council held a three-hour workshop session on the morning of Sept. 17 and then had a two-hour regular session in the afternoon.

All council sessions like these are televised, and all eventually appear on the web for on-demand viewing. If you’re a regular spectator of these official public meetings, you already know the bureaucratic tedium is punctuated by moments of great seriousness, of farce, even of passion.

In the most recent workshop, Chief Jack Lumpkin updated the council on a wide variety of issues involving the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department’s attempts to return the force to full staffing and to employ new strategies to fight crime.

After a lengthy discussion among council members about various ways to fight crime, Alderman At-Large Tom Bordeaux, who is not seeking re-election, used some surprisingly frank language about political inaction.

“I think this brainstorming session is great,” Bordeaux said. But a moment later he added,

“This is what in college we would call a bull session.

“We’re talking like we’re people running for office, not like we’re people who are serving in office. We have the authority now,” Bordeaux said, tapping the conference table in time to his increasingly insistent words. “We have the power now.

“We are three and a half years into this term, and we’re talking like ‘this is what I will do if I get elected.’ Well dang it, we’re already elected, and this is silly.

“It’s a waste of this man’s time,” he said, pointing at Lumpkin. “It’s a waste of his staff’s time. He’s got other things to do to put some of this into effect, and he’s standing here listening to us brainstorm.”

Bordeaux said “brainstorm” with special frustration.

Bordeaux then noted that he and the rest of council voted for a budget that did not contain money for some of the initiatives aldermen apparently want.

Later in the meeting, Alderman Tony Thomas appeared frustrated with the slow pace of fully staffing the police force and with the pace of implementation of pay raises for police officers. Much of that frustration was directed at City Manager Stephanie Cutter.

I’ve been writing about crime in Savannah off and on for 15 years, and this could be a watershed moment of widespread discontent when real change is possible.

Or not.

I’ve written in recent weeks about various issues that might be on voters’ minds as we approach the citywide elections in November, and crime is clearly at the forefront. But Bordeaux’s comments about the slow pace of change certainly resonated with me on multiple levels.

Yes, we are three and half years into the term of the current City Council, and the aldermen still have not approved an amended ordinance allowing chickens and other animals. The issue was publicly debated in 2011, and Chatham County changed its ordinance in 2012.

In 2012, Alderman Carol Bell told city staff she wanted to see a food truck ordinance, and we’ve just this month received a first draft, one so restrictive it will scare away would-be entrepreneurs.

City staffers have been revising the alcohol ordinance since January 2013.

The proposed Cultural Arts Center ­— first approved by voters a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away — remains mired in controversy, and, amazingly, the city still owns a Waters Avenue strip mall, an entire vacant city block on Hall Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and another large lot on MLK where the city itself demolished a historic and architecturally significant African American-owned pharmacy.

Continued inaction on policy and property issues like these is hurting the city’s economy and doing real damage to the neighborhoods and to the business owners who are most affected.

Eight of nine incumbents on Savannah City Council, including Mayor Edna Jackson, are running for re-election. At least publicly, those incumbents have repeatedly praised the work of the city manager and her staff, so the elected leaders don’t seem too troubled by the fact that so many problems have remained unresolved for the past three and a half years.

I suppose a cynic might even be happy with some of the current political inaction. By every measure I’ve seen, the Savannah area economy is growing. Payroll employment is up, and the unemployment rate is down. Why risk messing things up by, you know, actually doing something?

Of course, that’s not a tenable position, not with crime up and with the police force woefully understaffed.

And not with so many business owners and residents negatively affected by such slow decision making.

City Talk appears every Tuesday and Sunday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net. Send mail to 10 East 32nd St., Savannah, Ga. 31401.

By Bill Dawers

Coastal Georgia National Association of Women in Construction

Date:

Sept. 28

Time:

11:30 a.m.

Location:

The Pirates’ House at 20 East Broad St.

Speaker:

Suzanne Donovan, Executive Director from Step Up Savannah

Cost: $20 for members and $30 for guests, includes lunch

Register:

RSVP to Candace Forkner at cforkner@pioneersavannah.com

Leadership NOW Lecture

Date:

Sept. 29

Time:

5:30 p.m.

Location:

Savannah Jaycees headquarters, 101 Atlas St.

Speaker:

NFL star and Georgia Southern alumnus, Adrian Peterson

Cost:

Free

Register:

To reserve your seat, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/adrian-peterson-at-the-savannah-jaycees-tickets-18505378084.

Mayor’s Small Business Conference

Date:

Sept. 30

Time:

8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Location:

Savannah Civic Center

Cost:

Free; includes a continental breakfast, workshops and a networking lunch.

Register:

Pre-registration is required by Sept. 25. Go to www.savannahga.gov/businessconference or contact the Economic Development Department at 912-651-3653.

Session on Business and Mobility

Date:

Sept. 30

Time: 7:30-9:30 a.m.

Location: Georgia Tech-Savannah campus , 210 Technology Circle

Subject: Thought leaders from Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. and Georgia Institute of Technology will discuss business and mobility at a breakfast meeting co-hosted by Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and Georgia Tech-Savannah. The presentation it titled “What Mobile Applications and the Internet of Things Mean to the Future of Your Business.”

Speaker: Hannah Byrne, Gulfstream’s director of Enterprise Mobile Solutions; Russ Clark, a senior research scientist in Georgia Tech’s School of Computer Science.

Cost: $15

Register: https://s01.123signup.com/servlet/SignUp?P=15219741911429509900&PG=1521974182300

Bluffton Chamber of Commerce’s Hump Day Evening Networking

Date: Sept. 30

Time: 5:30-7 p.m.

Location: Peaceful Henry’s, Bluffton Road in Magnolia Village

Register:

Contact the Chamber Office at 843-757-1010 or info@blufftonchamberofcommerce.org

ONGOING

Castle Toastmaster Club

When:

First and Third Thursdays

Where:

124 Barnard Street, GSA Building #2, 3rd Floor, Conference Room 2

Time:

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

BNI – Business Network International

Local chapters:

• Referrals Have Power: 8:30-10 a.m. Tuesdays, GoodWill Industries, Richmond Hill

• Savannah Business Connections: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Hilton Garden Inn Southside, off Abercorn

• Crosstown Connections: 8-9:30 a.m. Wednesdays, Hampton Inn Southside off Abercorn

• Island Business Networkers: 8-9:30 a.m. Thursdays, Johnny Harris Banquet Hall, Victory Drive

• True Givers Increase Financially: 8-9:30 a.m. Fridays, Troy University, Hodgson Memorial Drive.

Information: Sarah Westcott, sarah@bni-scga.com.

Toastmasters Club

When: Noon each Tuesday

Where: Saint Leo University, Room 3, 7426 Hodgson Memorial Drive, Suite A

Info: Call 912-844-9139 or go to www.toastmastersclub.org.

Toastmasters Club of Richmond Hill

Date: First and third Friday of the month

Time: 8-9 a.m.

Location: Magnolia Manor, 141 Timber Trail, Richmond Hill.

Information: For more information, call 912-927-4607 or email 1168191@toastmastersclubs.org.

Pooler Business Network

When:

11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. every first and third Thursday

Where: Western Sizzlin, U.S. 80 in Pooler

Information: RSVP to Jason Torres at jasonjtorres@gmail.com

LETR & Co. win three design awards

Eleanor Rhangos and Leigh Thomson, principals at LETR & Co., has won three American Health + Wellness design awards.

The awards program sponsored by Graphic Design, USA, recognizes graphic communication excellence nationwide. The competition encompasses traditional medical and health-care industries as well as holistic health and healing products.

The 2015 competition drew more than 1,000 entries, with only 125 gaining recognition.

LETR & Co. was recognized for outstanding design of a corporate brochure designed for Brasseler USA and for the design of Savannah Bee Company’s Royal Jelly Body Butter for Sensitive Skin and Lip Balm packaging.

For more information, go to www.letrco.com.

Neighborhood Revitalization Day scheduled for Garden City

The Coastal Empire Habitat for Humanity will join forces with the Garden City community housing team for a one-day revitalization project on Saturday, Oct. 24.

Habitat staff and community volunteers will repair, fix and clean six houses in six hours in the Rossignol Hill area of Garden City.

“It is an exciting time to have Habitat for Humanity come into Garden City and help us help multiple families all in one day,” said Garden City housing team spokeswoman Sharon Bethune.

Volunteers are needed from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteer duties may include washing home exteriors, repairing, construction, landscaping, cleanup and general maintenance work.

To volunteer, go to www.coastalempirehabitat.volunteerhub.com.

Senior living center has ground-breaking

The Oaks at Pooler Assisted Living and Memory Care had a ground-breaking ceremony Sept. 22 for a new senior living facility at 125 Southern Junction Blvd., just off of Interstate 95.

The two-story community will be home to nearly 100 seniors and will create more than 65 jobs. The property will feature 61 assisted-living apartments and 29 memory -care apartments. The 5-acre site is expected to be complete in late 2016.

The center will offer amenities such as a media room, chapel, physical/occupational/speech therapy, dental and podiatry services, beauty salon/barber shop, Wi-Fi, concierge, housekeeping, laundry service and transportation to shopping and banking.

“The Oaks strives to operate communities for seniors that are not just fee for service models, but home environments that create lifestyles for the members that live there,” said CEO Alex Salabarria.

“This will be the first community of its kind in Pooler, which is why we’re so excited to open the doors and begin serving the needs of the community.”

For more information, call 770-888-4683.

Average retail gasoline prices in Savannah have risen 2.8 cents a gallon in the past week to $2.16 a gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 262 gas outlets in metro Savannah.

The national average has not moved in the last week at $2.29 a gallon, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Prices Sunday in the immediate Savannah area were $1.10.3 a gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 14.9 cents a gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has decreased 22.1 cents a gallon during the last month and stands $1.04.6 cents lower than this day one year ago.

“Retail gasoline prices should be expected to continue a slow but steady descent consistent with what typically occurs when cheaper ‘winter blend’ gasoline becomes more available as we near the beginning of the fourth quarter,” said Gregg Laskoski, GasBuddy senior petroleum analyst. “The Great Lakes region may be the only one where a decline is less likely given the jump in Chicago wholesale fuel prices late last week.

“The spike brought Chicago wholesale as high as Los Angeles and to a tie for the highest wholesale gasoline prices nationwide.”

For a complete listing of current averages and other fuel price data, visit http://media.gasbuddy.com.

Gas prices up 2.8 cents in metro Savannah

Average retail gasoline prices in Savannah have risen 2.8 cents a gallon in the past week to $2.16 a gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 262 gas outlets in metro Savannah.

The national average has not moved in the last week at $2.29 a gallon, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Prices Sunday in the immediate Savannah area were $1.10.3 a gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 14.9 cents a gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has decreased 22.1 cents a gallon during the last month and stands $1.04.6 cents lower than this day one year ago.

“Retail gasoline prices should be expected to continue a slow but steady descent consistent with what typically occurs when cheaper ‘winter blend’ gasoline becomes more available as we near the beginning of the fourth quarter,” said Gregg Laskoski, GasBuddy senior petroleum analyst.

Glennville DQ finishes first in nation

GLENNVILLE — The DQ Grill & Chill restaurant at 403 N. Downing Musgrove Highway in Glennville raised $31,315 during the 10th Annual DQ Miracle Treat Day to support the Children’s Hospital at Memorial University Medical Center, the local Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.

As of Aug. 21, the money raised during Miracle Treat Day at the Glennville restaurant was the most of any location in the DQ system.

“Our responsibility in our community is to help those members in need, especially children,” said owner Zuber Malek. “We need to give every child the chance to have a better, healthier life.”

On Miracle Treat Day, Malek donated proceeds from every Blizzard Treat sold to Children’s Hospital at Memorial University Medical Center.

Cooking class supports youth emergency shelter

The Olde Pink House and Park Place Outreach Youth Emergency Shelter Inc. have announced plans for a cooking class from 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3

The course will be conducted at Park Place Outreach, 514 E. Henry St., followed by dinner at The Olde Pink House at 6 p.m.

Pink House general manager Craig Jeffress began the program after meeting with two residents of Park Place Outreach who worked in restaurants.

Park Place Outreach provides the only youth shelter in Savannah and Chatham County and has helped more than 6,600 children.

The cost for the cooking class is $125, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit Park Place Outreach. Space for the class is limited. For more information, call 912-234-4048.

According to estimates released recently by the Georgia Department of Labor, Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 5.9 percent in August, down slightly from the 6 percent rate in July and down markedly from the 7.1 percent rate in August 2014.

Thirty-eight states had lower rates in August, but it’s still good to see the data headed in the right direction.

The state had robust job growth over the last year — a solid 2 percent increase in payroll employment between August 2014 and August 2015. Private sector employment actually increased 2.6 percent, but the final number was restrained by declining public employment.

The Savannah metro area (Chatham, Effingham and Bryan counties) had 2.3 percent payroll employment growth between August 2014 and August 2015. That’s considerably faster than the rate of population growth.

The manufacturing sector added an estimated 700 jobs in the Savannah area over the past year, as did retail trade. The category of transportation, warehousing and utilities added 500 jobs.

But those gains pale beside the annual increase of 3,300 jobs in the broad sector of professional and business services.

By contrast, employment in leisure and hospitality added just 100 jobs over the past year. Statewide, the leisure and hospitality sector added 10,100 payroll jobs, so the local estimate is something of an outlier.

Government employment and construction employment declined over the past year, but those were rare weak spots in this upbeat data.

The preliminary estimates from the Georgia Department of Labor put the Savannah metro area unemployment rate at 5.6 percent in August. That number, which is not adjusted for seasonality, represents a dramatic decline from 7.6 percent in August 2014.

The only worrisome note in the data is the year-over-year decline in the total size of the labor force in the Savannah area. I noted that issue in last month’s estimates as well. I’d like to see a few more months of data before getting too worried about the decline, however.

The unemployment rate in the city of Savannah was 6.5 percent in August, dramatically lower than the 8.8 percent unemployment rate in August 2014.

Such vigorous employment numbers would typically work in favor of incumbents in the upcoming mayoral and aldermanic races in Savannah, but crime has developed into the most important issue.

The unemployment rate varies widely across Georgia. The estimated August rate was over 8 percent in 30 of the state’s 159 counties. Many of those counties that are lagging the recovery have low populations and are located in middle and south Georgia.

City Talk appears every Sunday and Tuesday. Bill Dawers can be reached via billdawers@comcast.net Send mail to 10 E. 32nd St., Savannah, GA 31401.