Imagine this: You check your company’s organic ranking on Google and you are the top one on the page. Maybe not.

Go online today and you will find more differences than similarities because many factors can affect search results.

Three main factors that cause varying results and could give a “false positive” to your business search engine ranking are personalized search, geographic location and device preference. Let’s take a look at each of these three factors.

Personalized search

If you are searching for the same products provided by your company, your website will display higher in search results because you previously visited it, leading you to believe your website is performing better than it really is.

That’s because Google’s personalized search feature uses browser cookies, web history and account data to manipulate search results.

For example, User A may prefer to shop for books on Amazon, so that user will see more search results from Amazon.com when searching for book titles and authors. User B may frequently visit Barnes & Noble, and will be more likely to see that site on their first page of results.

Google your own business name and you may notice a message underneath that says, “You’ve visited this page many times.” Such a message is based on your account history and cookie data.

It is important to know that Google also harnesses the power of social media by looking at your Google account associations and bringing in their influence. There have been bumps in search results positions for users who have friends on Google+ that have +1 or shared a webpage (based on the idea that people are influenced by your “inner circle”).

Mobile device preference

If your website is responsive and/or mobile friendly, Google is more likely to push your website higher in mobile search results. That’s because Google also gives preference to different types of devices based on a website’s code.

Geographic preference

Google often serves up local businesses for queries that they have determined to be helpful for the user. For example, if you Google “best restaurants,” Google will assume you’re looking for local restaurants, not the best restaurant in the entire world. Google My Business pages primarily dictates these results, yet website data such as addresses and phone numbers can also have an impact.

This can provide a false positive for local, national and international businesses because Google may give preference to a national business owner simply because he or she is located in the same state as his or her business headquarters. The situation becomes even more varied if you examine international businesses because Google has more than 100 supported languages in more than 100 countries.

Where your business ranks

Every time you search, Google is collecting data. That is why business owners frequently searching for their industry keywords or visiting their own website are giving preferential treatment to their domain, which makes them think they are higher in the search results for customers and the general public.

How do you address this issue?

No solution is 100 percent accurate, but a keyword rank analysis with a keyword tracking software program, which professional SEOs (Search Engine Optimization Specialists) use daily will help you track rankings as they vary. However, these programs can be expensive and may not be a viable option for business owners.

If you are looking to gauge your existing performance at a surface level to decide whether to hire a professional SEO, there are several steps to analyze your standings. These include installing a new browser on your computer, clearing your cookie data, searching your industry keywords on Google, taking note of your rankings, performing the same process on a mobile device and analyzing your performance.

This column was compiled by Karen Robertson, director of public relations and client development at Robertson & Markowitz Advertising & Public Relations, Inc. She can be reached at karen@robmark.com or 912-921-1040.

Since Andy Berke was elected mayor of Chattanooga, Tenn., in 2013, he has worked to grow jobs, make the streets safer, invest in smart development and provide what he says is the fastest and cheapest Internet in the world.

But he didn’t do it alone.

“There’s a tendency among all of us to feel like there are forces bigger than us that rule our cities,” Berke said Wednesday during the Savannah Downtown Business Association’s monthly luncheon at the Charles H. Morris Center. “You can make your good times a lot better and your bad times a little bit better as well if you do smart things together as a city and you don’t just plan, but you go out and execute on those plans.”

One of Chattanooga’s biggest and most successful collaborations is its Innovation District. The area comprises 140 acres in the heart of downtown and houses a mix of start-up businesses, restaurants, office space and public parks all in a walkable core radius.

The need to promote entrepreneurship, technology and the innovation economy was a factor behind the formation of the Chattanooga Forward taskforce, which includes members from various backgrounds with a common goal: Keep the city moving forward.

“It’s not enough to just have the assets. The question is, how do you take advantage of the asset that you have?” he said. “... And the biggest answer was, we needed to work together instead of people going at it alone to get organized.”

Outdoor space in the area is also getting an upgrade to make it more accessible and enjoyable to those who live, work and play in downtown. Miller Park, which opened in the mid 1970s, featured an outdated and sunken design but is undergoing a face lift to raise its elevation and include more space for concerts and other activities.

“We’re making sure this is a space that has incredible connectivity. You can walk and get around. It’s a place that people want to come and that adds so much to our innovation district and to downtown,” he said.

And while all of the growth in downtown has attracted a number of companies, including web-based restaurant reservation service OpenTable, Berke said the focus remains not just on development but on smart development and creating aspects that work with the city and its residents.

“Those are the issues we face, and I’m jealous of some of the assets Savannah has, but I also know that in Chattanooga we’re working very hard to execute on a vision that leads to a great mid-size southern city,” he said.

“And that’s what Savannah wants as well.”

In other news

Karen Guinn, owner of Collective Marketing, was installed as the new president of the Savannah Downtown Business Association on Wednesday.

“I’m very excited about stepping in as president of the Savannah Downtown Business Association for many reasons. I live and work downtown, I represent clients who are dependent on this town and I know I have some big shoes to fill,” Guinn said after accepting the gavel from Ruel Joyner, who served as president for six years.

“I promise to wake up every day and try to live up to the reputation he’s created for this organization,” she said.

Moon River Studios, the firm struggling to build a movie production studio in Effingham County, has found enough money to pay an auditor for its annual report but has received a demand for nearly $73,000 that’s past due for the film equipment firm it is trying to buy.

FONU2, which operates as Moon River, said in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Feb. 1 that it has paid Malone Bailey to complete the annual audit report for the fiscal year ended Sept. 30.

The company had said in a previous filing that the annual report would be late because it didn’t have money to pay auditors.

“The company and auditors are now working diligently to complete the 10-K filing at the earliest possible date,” the Feb. 1 filing said.

The report also said the company received a notice of default on Jan. 27 from AppleBox Productions, demanding immediate payment of $72,500.

Moon River has said its acquisition of AppleBox was an important step in its efforts to build movie studios and produce films. AppleBox has the equipment needed to make movies including cameras, trucks, lights and generators.

Moon River has said it will use the equipment on its own movie projects and rent it to other movie makers.

The Feb. 1 SEC document said Moon River failed to pay $15,000 to AppleBox that was due for November, $25,000 for December, $25,000 for January and $7,500 in attorneys’ fees incurred in collecting the past due amounts.

“Exclusive of several vehicles, AppleBox’s rights are fully subordinated to Loeb Term Solutions (the senior lender),” the report said. “At this time the company is current with the senior lender.”

Moon River agreed in October to downsize its plans for movie studios on property owned by the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority at Old River Road and I-16. The 1,560 acres originally agreed upon, when the company was known as “Medient,” would be cut down to 51 acres.

As of Monday, the company had not signed a termination letter making that change. When those papers are signed, Moon River will have to come up with $55,000 as rent for the 51 acres for one year.

Moon River announced recently that it had signed agreements to finance and produce the horror film “Mara.”

The Feb. 1 SEC filing said the company will pay Jeff Maynard, head of post production, $80,000 a year for the first six months and $150,000 a year for the following six months.

He will be paid $250,000 a year during the second year of employment.

Maynard has been studio executive, producer, production manager and post supervisor for more than 90 feature films, including “The Reader,” “The King’s Speech,” “The Great Debaters,” and “Limitless.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has enough funds to keep the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project on track for the coming year, according to Col. Marvin Griffin, the Corps’ Savannah District commander.

“The president’s proposed budget includes what we need to make good progress with this effort,” Griffin said, adding that funding isn’t the only thing that could affect the pace of a project of this size.

“The time it takes to complete a project like SHEP depends on a number of factors, including, but not limited to, acquiring lands, entering into construction contracts, as well as timely funding.”

Griffin said the Corps has enough funds on hand to continue making progress on construction efforts into fiscal 2017, including entrance channel dredging, environmental monitoring and portions of the flow re-routing system.

Fiscal 2017 begins Oct. 1.

The Corps also announced this week it will add $24.32 million to the deepening budget from its fiscal year 2016 discretionary construction allocations.

“Congress decides each year as to whether or not the Corps will be given discretionary funds above the amounts allocated in the president’s budget,” Corps spokesman Russell Wicke said, adding that those amounts, if any, are not determined until Congress passes the final budget.

Then the Corps must determine how to allocate the construction funds, giving priority to projects that are “shovel ready” or already underway.

Wicke said the Corps doesn’t expect to know Congress’ intentions for the just-released budget until later in the year.

The canal connection

Earlier this week, Oscar Bazán, executive vice president of planning and business development for the Panama Canal Authority, said the Port of Savannah played a critical role in the decision to undertake the multi-billion-dollar canal expansion.

“Back in 2002, when we decided to move forward on the expansion, it was partly because our studies showed the benefits to East Coast ports – specifically the Georgia Ports Authority,” he said.

“A year later, we signed a memorandum of understanding with the GPA to promote trade through the canal and that led to a number of other ports following suit,” Bazán said.

How important is the Panama Canal to Georgia’s ports?

“Some 30 percent of import traffic that comes through the canal today goes to GPA,” Bazán said, adding that he expects that number to grow when the newly expanded canal opens to ship traffic later this year.

“Right now, we are handling 5,000-TEU ships,” he said. “When the new locks open, we will be able to take up to 14,000-TEU vessels.”

A TEU is a 20-foot container unit. Most modern containers are 40-feet long and therefore count as two TEUs.

When the bigger ships start moving through the canal, Bazán said, he expects as much as 10 percent of container traffic between Eastern Asia and the United States to shift from the U.S. West Coast to the East Coast.

“Savannah will definitely benefit from this shift,” he said.

“Not only is more of the U.S. population moving to the Southeast, but the port of Savannah has demonstrated that it is capable of handling the extra cargo.”

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 SEOUL EXPRESS Today

GCT BARGE B31 Today

GCT MAERSK KAWASAKI Today

GCT MAERSK WESTPORT Today

GCT UASC UMM QASR Today

GCT IBRAHIM DEDE Today

GCT AMALTHEA Today

GCT APL TOURMALINE Today

GCT RHL AGILITAS Today

GCT MSC VANESSA Today

GCT TORM THUNDER Saturday

GCT SEALAND WASHINGTON Saturday

GCT WASHINGTON EXPRESS Saturday

GCT MARCH Saturday

GCT SAKAKA Saturday

OT FAUST Saturday

GCT ARNOLD MAERSK Sunday

GCT EVER LEGEND Sunday

GCT DOLPHIN II Sunday

GCT SILVIA Sunday

GCT COLOMBO EXPRESS Sunday

GCT SEA-LAND INTREPID Monday

GCT MAERSK COLUMBUS Monday

GCT PHILADELPHIA EXPRESS Monday

GCT HYUNDAI DYNASTY Monday

TERMINAL VESSEL ETA

GCT CSCL SYDNEY Tuesday

GCT THURINGIA Tuesday

GCT BOX QUEEN Tuesday

GCT OOCL ANTWERP Tuesday

GCT HANJIN BOSTON Tuesday

GCT ZIM VANCOUVER Tuesday

GCT NYK DENEB Tuesday

GCT HERMA P Tuesday

GCT MAERSK SERANGOON Tuesday

GCT CMA CGM TITUS Tuesday

GCT HANJIN GDYNIA Tuesday

GCT ALEXANDRIA BRIDGE Wed.

GCT HEINRICH SIBUM Wed.

GCT AL HILAL Wed.

OT GRANDE GUINEA Wed.

GCT ALM ZURICH Thursday

GCT DIMITRIOS C. Thursday

GCT MAERSK KURE Thursday

GCT MOL EMPIRE Thursday

GCT MSC LAURA Thursday

GCT ZIM SHANGHAI Thursday

GCT MOL MANEUVER Thursday

GCT HYUNDAI INTEGRAL Thursday

OT ATLANTIC OASIS Thursday

OT TARAGO Thursday

Smartphones, Facebook, Instagram and Vine have drastically changed the way we communicate. We can virtually connect with anyone in the world with the touch of a button — but that connectivity has also raised a big question among parents

Brian Bason, a Richmond Hill resident and father of two boys, has the answer.

“(My oldest son) is sending text messages now, and it will only be a matter of time before he’s clamoring to be on social media, so it started to beg the question as a parent, how do you keep your kids safe online?” said Bason, CEO of Bark, a subscription-based software designed to monitor children’s text messages, emails and social media without invading their privacy.

The software stands apart from other similar products because it uses machine learning and statistical analysis to recognize potential problems and only flags those messages, posts or emails that contain questionable content, while still giving your child their privacy. If it’s not flagged, parent’s don’t see it.

“Fundamentally, I just wanted to create something that would help keep kids safe online without me having to spend hours every day reading messages, which is also invasive. I want (my son) to have the opportunity to grow and develop socially,” Bason said.

Bason has worked in the technology field for about 15 years with the last 10 more focused on social media. In July he left his position as chief technology officer at Twitter-owned company Niche and began to focus on Bark full-time.

Eliminating the need for parents to snatch their children’s phones or tablets away helps build a relationship based on trust and communication, Bason said.

If the software flags something, the parent receives a notification and provides resources to help the parent and child approach the situation — whether it’s a case of bullying, drugs or mentions of depression or suicidal thoughts.

The software, which fully launched earlier this month, is $9 a month per family with no limit on the number of children or platforms you monitor. The product underwent nationwide beta testing last fall, Bason said, and during that phase one in five kids encountered a problem flagged by Bark that parents would have been unaware of otherwise.

“Children love the fact that’s its a solution in which their parents aren’t snooping through all of their stuff all of the time,” he said.

Along with an advisory board comprising child psychologists and cyber and media experts, the company has created a youth advisory board to get feedback from the child’s perspective.

“It helps us remember that the child is an integral part of the solution,” Bason said.

Bason hopes to see the software serve as a tool to build open relationships between parents and children while still maintaining trust and a sense of privacy. He stresses that it isn’t a replacement for an actively involved parent, but more like teaching your kids the importance of wearing a seat belt.

“When your child learns to drive, you don’t just throw the keys at them when they turn 16,” he said. “You teach them the actual mechanics of the car, how to take care of the car and defensive driving, but you also teach them to wear a seat belt. I feel like we’re the equivalent of a seat belt online, but we’re not a replacement for teaching, but we’re a tool that can help keep kids safe.

“Even if your kid is a great driver, there are other drivers on the road that aren’t.”

ON THE WEB

To subscribe or learn more about Bark, go to www.bark.us.

Citi Trends reports fourth-quarter sales drop

Savannah-based Citi Trends reported Thursday that sales for the 13 weeks ending Jan. 30 were down 2.8 percent to $176.1 million compared with $181.1 million a year earlier.

Comparable store sales in this year’s fourth quarter decreased 5 percent from fiscal 2014, a quarter in which comparable store sales increased 13.9 percent.

For the year, total sales increased 1.9 percent to $683.8 million compared with $670.8 million in fiscal 2014. Comparable store sales decreased 0.1 percent for the full year.

“Fourth quarter sales were challenging, with unusually warm winter weather affecting all apparel categories,” said Jason T. Mazzola, president and chief executive officer.

The company also announced its board of directors has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.06 per common share, payable on March 15 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 1.

Citi Trends Inc. is retailer for urban fashion apparel and accessories and operates 522 stores in 31 states. For more information, go to www.cititrends.com.

Awards gala recognizes Hilton Head store

J Banks Retail Store has been named best home accents store for the U.S. East/Atlantic Region by the Dallas Market Center and the Accessories Resource Team (ART), the trade association representing the decorative accessory industry.

Winners were announced Jan. 22 during the 27th annual ARTS Awards gala in Dallas.

The ARTS Awards program is dedicated to home industry excellence and achievement.

For more information, email anna.ruby@jbanksdesign.com or go to www.jbanksdesign.com.

Chick-Fil-A chairman to keynote institute’s program

This year’s Citadel Directors’ Institute at the Charleston, S.C., Marriott on April 22 will feature Dan Cathy, chairman and CEO of Chick-Fil-A, as the keynote speaker, and U.S. Rep. Reid Ribble, R-Wis., will give the event’s opening address.

The event, scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., is designed for directors, C-level executives and those aspiring to be directors. The one day seminar gives participants the opportunity to engage in an active dialogue focused on current and emerging issues, strategic planning, risk and board governance.

The faculty for this year includes several experienced CEOs and chairmen plus the former chief justice of the Delaware Supreme Court and other jurists along with individuals from leading university corporate governance research centers and governance non-profit organizations, institutional investors, government regulators and experts on risk and cyber security.

Directors of public or private companies as well as board members of regional and community banks are encouraged to attend. Space for the conference is limited to 75 participants. Those interested can learn more at www.citadel.edu/cdi.

If you have never heard the term AMT, or if you are familiar with the acronym but aren’t sure what it means or if it might affect you, this article is for you. AMT is the abbreviation for the Alternative Minimum Tax.

AMT is additional tax levied on a taxpayer whenever the IRS deems that not enough regular tax is being paid.

The AMT system is a parallel tax system that is equipped with its own rules to calculate a tentative minimum tax. If the tentative minimum ever exceeds the taxpayer’s regular tax, the alternative minimum tax triggers and the additional balance must be paid.

The idea of a minimum tax first came up in 1969 after Treasury Secretary Joseph Barr testified in 1967 that 155 wealthy individuals with adjusted gross incomes of more than $200,000 paid no federal income tax. For perspective, $200,000 in 1967 is equivalent to $1.4 million in 2016 dollars.

In short, extremely wealthy people were getting away with not paying any regular income tax.

In theory, the AMT system exists to promote a more equitable tax regime by ensuring that everyone pays their fair share. Unfortunately, the AMT is increasingly affecting more than just higher-income taxpayers.

As a general guideline, if a taxpayer has not been subject to the AMT in the past and there are no significant changes to his or her situation, then he or she is unlikely to be subject to the AMT as the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 keeps AMT exemptions increasing with inflation.

However, if significant changes occur in areas such as incomeV, family and residence, there is a risk of AMT triggering.

Perhaps surprisingly, completely avoiding AMT is not the goal. The goal every year is to minimize the overall tax liability.

The top AMT rate is 28 percent as opposed to the top regular income tax rate of 39.6 percent. Where applicable, this provides a planning opportunity to have certain incomes taxed at the lower 28 percent rate.

Current AMT calculations add back many deductions usually taken to calculate regular income tax. This includes state income and property taxes paid. Smart timing of these tax payments can reduce your overall tax liability, and poor timing can unnecessarily increase it.

Other deductions available for the calculation of regular tax are not added back when calculating AMT. Notably, charitable contributions and mortgage interest are deductible for both regular tax and AMT purposes.

The earlier a taxpayer can determine if he or she will be in AMT for a tax year the better, as this will allow for timely informed decisions to reduce overall tax liability.

A late AMT “surprise” may incur more costs than just the AMT liability itself. If it came as a surprise, it is likely that estimated tax payments on the additional liability were not paid, and so underpayment penalties could trigger as well.

More information is always available through online search, print sources and consulting a tax adviser.

Jonathan Kim is a member of the tax department at Hancock Askew & Co. He can be reached at 877-550-8243 or jkim@hancockaskew.com.

Applebee’s to open Pooler restaurant

A new Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar will open at 160 Tanger Outlets Blvd. in Pooler at 11 a.m. Monday, and the first 100 customers will be offered a free hamburger on their second visit.

“This restaurant will be the first in Georgia to feature hand cut steaks and pork chops that will be cooked on our wood fired grill,” said Neal Musmanno, director of operations.

The company said the Pooler outlet is one of only two new Applebee’s prototypes in the country with an industrial-like interior and exterior with gray color tones and reclaimed wood highlights.

The new Applebee’s also will have Carside to Go service.

“We can’t wait to serve our new neighbors,” said general manager Heather Sutherland.

Dan Schmidt, Applebee’s area director, said the restaurant will try some new things behind the bar, including local craft beers.

Chatham County to lower land-disturbance fees

The Chatham County commission had a first reading Friday to lower the fees charged for land disturbing activities.

If approved on second reading, the new costs for a single-family residential land disturbing permit will be a $2,000 base charge, plus $250 per disturbed acre — a decrease from the $3,000 currently charged per disturbed acre.

Land disturbing activity fees would be capped at $16,000 — down from $150,000 — for a project that will be complete within two years of the issuance of the permit. For a project that exceeds two years, the fee will be an additional $100 — down from $1,000 — per disturbed acre.

For any other land disturbing permit, the cost is a $2,000 base charge, plus $100 per disturbed acre.

BMW Manufacturing’s 2015 export value reaches nearly $10 billion

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — BMW Manufacturing Co. has announced that the export value of its passenger vehicles through the Port of Charleston in 2015 totaled $9.8 billion, making the company’s South Carolina facility the leading U.S. automotive exporter by value.

According to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the figure marks a 7.8 percent increase over BMW’s 2014 value.

In 2015, more than 280,000 vehicles were exported from its South Carolina plant.

“2015 was a great year for BMW in the United States… we had a record production year and a record sales year,” said Manfred Erlacher, president and CEO of BMW Manufacturing. “In addition to being the largest U.S. automotive exporter, our South Carolina plant has also become the largest facility in BMW’s global production network.”

Charleston ports boss Jim Newsome described BMW as “a tremendous asset to our port.”

As most accounting firms are preparing for their busiest time of year, one Savannah firm is also looking to celebrate three decades of serving the Lowcountry.

Founded by Gary Sadowski in 1986, Sadowski & Company serves clients in a variety of industries from construction and retail to medical practices and real estate.

“I think most businessmen aspire to own and run their own business,” Sadowski said of the company’s milestone. “I believe it is something that gives us a sense of accomplishment and pride. Although very happy 30 years ago in my job, I realized I did not want go through life without having tried to start my own business.” In the early years, winning new clients was a major challenge, Sadowski said, but he and his team strived to go the extra mile.

“We made sure we never lost any business by providing the very best in service. We didn’t just prepare financial statements and tax returns, we had the experience to help our clients succeed,” Sadowski said.

“... I think this philosophy and insistence on quality work has rewarded us through the 30 years,” he said.

Clinton Fonseca, who joined the company in 2008 and became a partner in early 2009, plans to help lead the company into its next chapter, but like Sadowski he credits the firm’s success to the strong bond between the employees and their willingness to work together for their clients, most of whom are privately owned family run companies.

“We really work as a team,” Fonseca said. “That’s the mentality around here... We work together. It’s not just my accounts or Gary’s accounts. We utilize the best skill set. There’s nothing that I’m the best at, but I know who the best is, and I know to hand the ball to them if I need help.”

Fonseca also puts a lot of merit behind the expertise of the team. Most members, including Fonseca, aren’t only accountants but also have background experience in business, which allows them to better serve and advise clients.

“We’ve got more intellectual capital in here than you can shake a stick at. We know how to advise businesses,” Fonseca said. “We’re business people first, very practical minded and we’re CPAs second... If you’ve got a business, we represent you and just you. We want what’s best for our clients.”

In 2007 the firm took its expertise across the river and opened a second office in Bluffton. That office, which recently moved to a bigger location, is led by Duncan Wilkes, who has been named Best Public Accountant by Hilton Head Monthly for the last three years.

“There’s a lot of business going on over there... We had a number of clients (in Bluffton) and we got the opportunity and it just made sense,” Fonseca said of the expansion, which managed to grow even as the country entered an economic recession. We put about 19 percent growth on top of 21 percent growth. When our clients are going through the storm of a bad economy, that’s when they can really utilize us and that’s where the experience of what we have comes in.”

Now with three decades behind them, Fonseca said, he’s ready to take the ball and help lead the firm and their clients for the next 30 years while maintaining the close relationships and dedication to clients that helped build the company into what it is today.

“We’re happy as hell that we’ve been in business for 30 years, and I think that’s a testament to Gary Sadowski. He’s a phenomenal business advisor,” Fonseca said. “We’ve been serving this community for 30 years, and we’re going to zip through another 30. You’re in great hands if you’re a client or are going to be a client of Sadowski and Company.”

More information

For more information about Sadowski & Company, go to www.sadowskico.com or call 912-232-2211.

What comes to mind when you think about tourism? Is it restaurant to retail or attractions to accommodations? I would say all of the above and so much more.

When we think through the number of how tourism performs in Savannah, we often look at the 26,000 workers who directly work in tourism or the $2.5 billion in outside spending to the businesses that serve the guests, but we don’t often look at the ripple effect.

The ripple effect is this: When you drop something into the water, ripples expand from that center outward. Tourism has a positive ripple effect in Savannah.

New money is dropped into the area, including Pooler, Tybee, and Richmond Hill, when visitors come from out of town to spend money here. Just like in the water, there are ripples of indirect effect on this economic development. Those ripples are kind of like the supply chain’s supply chain.

A lot of different industries benefit from tourism.

Let me use the example of a new hotel.

First, the architects who design the building and the contractors who build it receive benefit by the ripple effect.

Furniture, fixtures and equipment all must be purchased — from the beds the guests sleep on to the ice machines in the hall — and all of that equipment needs to be repaired from time to time, which requires maintenance services.

The photographers who take pictures, the printers who print collateral, the website companies that build a website and the marketing firms that create ads all have a stake in tourism.

Even law offices provide services for zoning, contracts, real estate and human resource law.

The power companies provide power. The gas companies provide gas. The cable companies provide data. The phone companies provide phones. They all are a part of the ripple effect.

In order to hire the people, the hotel needs job-posting companies. When the workers are hired, they need uniforms.

The hotel may buy a fleet of shuttles or contract with transportation companies.

When the doors open and the hotel starts to offer a food and beverage program, that means farmers and food suppliers have more customers, coffee companies roast more coffee and florists provide more flowers for each table.

A lot must be purchased to keep the hotel running properly. There are cleaning supplies, linens, toiletries and robes. There are sodas, beer, wine and spirits. There are batteries, coffee makers and alarm clocks.

The ripple effect keeps going. Each of these contributions has multiplier effects.

Workers who now have a job as a result of that hotel opening have money to spend in the community. And, all of this is economic development.

This example is certainly not inclusive of all the ripple effects of tourism. With every restaurant, retail shop, attraction, or tour company that is in business here, there are those who support the tourism community and find great economic benefit.

Tourism activity creates jobs, builds infrastructure, generates tax revenues and offers a variety of products and services to all of us who call Savannah home. So, tourism makes a big splash in Savannah.

Michael Owens is president/CEO of the Tourism Leadership Council, the largest non-profit trade organization that supports and represents the tourism community. Contact Owens at michael@tourismleadershipcouncil.com or by calling 912-232-1223.

By Michael Owens

Enmarket and Healthy Savannah have announced the lineup for the 2016 Encourage Health Education series, marking the third year for the program that highlights experts in the fields of health, wellness, exercise and nutrition.

The series will feature four presentations throughout the year, including:

• Tuesday, April 19

Kevin Klinkenberg, executive director of the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority and author of “Why I Walk: Taking a Step in the Right Direction,” presents “Going Old School: Walk Your Way to Better Health.”

• Tuesday, June 21

Dr. Ellen Blossman, co-founder of Blue Heron Holistic Healing, presents “Eat Well and Boost Your Energy with Phytochemicals.” This presentation highlights the role of phytochemicals in the food we eat. These natural compounds are plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties.

• Tuesday, Aug. 30

Denise Grabowski, president and CEO of Symbioscity, presents “10 Ways Buildings Affect Your Mission to Healthy Life.” This session introduces the idea of the WELL Building Standard, which is based around seven main factors: air, water, nourishment, light, fitness, comfort and mind.

• Tuesday, Oct. 25

Bauer Coslick, the owner of Vitality Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine, presents “10 Ways to Reduce Inflammation in the Body to Improve Longevity Through Acupuncture Practices.”

This presentation explores issues with chronic inflammation, the role it plays in disease and ways to address it with acupuncture, herbs and nutrition.

The series will be held in the Savannah Morning News Auditorium, 1375 Chatham Parkway. Events start at 11:30 a.m. and go to 1 p.m.

It’s sponsored by Enmarket, Healthy Savannah, Savannah Morning News, Savannah Magazine and GPB Savannah – WSVH 91.1/WWIO 89.9.

Savannah-based Enmarket operates 61 stores in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.

American Cancer Society, Kroger raise awareness

Kroger’s Atlanta Division, including 11 stores in the Savannah area, and the American Cancer Society will become partners for an in-store campaign from today through Feb. 27 to raise awareness and money to help fight cancer.

During the two-week fundraiser, Kroger stores in the region will encourage customers to donate to the cancer society by purchasing $1 “footprint” icons at Kroger checkouts as an extension of the society’s signature fundraising event, Relay For Life. Kroger’s goal is to raise $200,000.

“With more than 1.5 million new cancer cases diagnosed each year, Kroger is committed to raising awareness and support for those whose lives have been changed by this disease,” said spokesman Glynn Jenkins.

For more information, go to www.cancer.org and go to www.relayforlife.org for information on Relay For Life or to find a Relay near you.

Second Annual Hoops for Horizons scheduled for March

Horizons of Savannah will have its Second Annual Louise Lauretti Hoops for Horizons Basketball Championship Tournament at 9 a.m. Saturday, March 5, at Savannah Country Day School.

All proceeds from the event benefit Horizons, a summer program designed to help students from low-income families achieve academic success.

The 3-on-3 event is open to boys and girls grades 5 through adult. Teams are guaranteed three refereed games, playing in age and affinity divisions.

New this year is a free throw contest sponsored by Critz Auto Group. The qualifying event for all ages will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 20 at Critz BMW, 7009 Abercorn St.

Horizons is seeking businesses for sponsorships for the fundraiser. For more information, call 912-961-8854. To register a team, visit horizonssavannah.org.

Dance school to open new studio on Whitemarsh Island

The Gretchen Greene School of Dance, 51 Johnny Mercer Blvd., has announced it will build a new 5,000-square-foot studio at 1007 Bryan Woods Loop on Whitemarsh Island with the DeWitt Tilton Group expected to complete construction this summer.

“We had been continually expanding over the past few years but had simply run out of space,” said dance school co-owner Trina Dodd. “We currently have three dance rooms, and the new facility will have four larger rooms to accommodate more students.”

The dance school was established in 1969 and is one of the longest running businesses on Wilmington Island.

“What will make the new dance studio stand out is not only the flow and function of the building but the curb appeal,” said Kim Thomas, director of operations at Dewitt Tilton Group.

Queensborough National Bank & Trust Company recently opened an office at 322 East Broughton St. That’s at the northwest corner of Broughton and Habersham streets.

The new office of the privately held bank focuses on business and professional banking, commercial lending and wealth management services, but the story of the new branch runs much deeper than those simple facts suggest.

The new Queensborough office is in the basement of the Berrien House, which is one of the most historically and architecturally significant buildings on the Georgia coast. And Queensborough itself played a vital role in preserving the structure.

The Berrien House was built in the late 18th century by Maj. John Berrien, a Revolutionary War officer who fought at Valley Forge and later served as collector of the port of Savannah.

After that, Berrien became state treasurer when the Georgia capital was in Louisville, a small town about 120 miles northwest of Savannah.

Interestingly, Queensborough National Bank & Trust was founded in Louisville in 1902 by the great-grandfather of Bill Easterlin, the current CEO and president.

The Berrien House was eventually owned by John Macpherson Berrien, who served as a state legislator, U.S. senator and U.S. attorney general under President Andrew Jackson.

During his 1844 run for president, Henry Clay gave a speech from the porch of the Berrien House.

The importance of the Berrien House faded in the latter half of the 19th century. By the late 20th century, the historic home was literally crumbling. Diehard preservationists remembered and defended the building’s relevance, but time was not on their side.

The carriage house facing Habersham Street was in rough shape by that time, too, although it was still in use in the late 1990s as a cramped antique store. Today, the carriage house is home to Savannah Bike Tours.

With the real estate boom turning to bust, Queensborough took ownership of the Berrien House in 2008 when development plans stalled. The Historic Savannah Foundation had a façade easement on the property but was not in a position to buy the building outright.

The historic foundation did, however, use its innovative revolving fund to purchase the carriage house, and the organization remained active in trying to preserve the main house.

I chatted about some of this history last week with Queensborough senior vice president Mike English at the new Broughton Street office. Some of you know English from his less formal gig as front man for the band Missionary Blues.

Some community banks were, of course, deeply wounded by the financial crisis in 2008 and the woes of the real estate market, but, according to English, Queensborough was fairly well diversified and had limited real estate exposure.

“Sometimes you have a project where the numbers don’t work,” English said. “So then you ask, ‘What is the story that works?’”

The numbers certainly didn’t work for the Berrien House in 2008, but Queensborough decided to hold onto the property and look for the right buyer. The bank spent “tens of thousands of dollars” on critical structural needs, according to English, with no clear idea whether they would ever recoup their investment.

As the economy began to recover, Queensborough was able to sell the building at “a fair price,” according to English, to the current owner, Andrew Berrien Jones. I have written about Jones before. He’s a descendant of the Berrien family who owned the house in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In late 2015, Jones gave me a tour of the renovation now in progress. It’s overwhelming to see a historic building get such focused attention and investment after so many decades of neglect. English aptly described Jones’ work as a “forensic restoration.”

At the time of that tour, the basement was still being built out and looked nothing like the sleek, surprisingly bright office for Queensborough that you’ll find there today. I frankly assumed that the office would feel somewhat cramped, especially since Jones had the upper stories lowered to restore the home’s original proportions, but the basement is filled with light.

In 2009, the Berrien House was placed on the list of “places in peril” by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, but English said he always imagined that Queensborough might use the space for the bank’s first downtown office.

“Sometimes patience does pay off,” English said.

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

The State of Small Business, presented by SCORE and Wells Fargo, will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 4, at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center.

During the conference, reports will be issued by 10 area experts who will have three minutes each to present their information relating to Savannah’s small business community.

Lunch will be at 11 a.m., and presentations begin at 11:20 a.m. This event is free, but RSVPs are required. To reserve a seat, RSVP to SCORE at 912-652-4335.

Speakers and their topics:

• Marshall Tuck, corporate small business officer at Gulfstream Aerospace, Gulfstream Aerospace and Small Businesses

• Brian Davis, manager of the Savannah Career Center at the Department of Labor, local labor statistics

• Tony O’Reilly, president of the Small Business Assistance Corporation, small business access to capital in the Savannah region

• Rhett Mouchet, associate broker, Colliers International Savannah, commercial real estate trends

• Bea Wray, executive director at The Creative Coast, high tech start ups

• Cindy Landolt, revenue director, city of Savannah, local tax revenue trends

• Cristy Lawrence, development services liaison, city of Savannah, local growth in construction

• Charles Bowen, corporate / entertainment attorney at The Bowen Law Group, the film industry in Savannah

• Michael Toma, director of the Center for Regional Analysis at Armstrong State University, and Dennis Barber III, director, Armstrong Small Business Institute, Armstrong State of Small Business survey results

• Confidence index survey: audience participation — Toma and Barber will ask questions to the audience with instant responses displayed on a screen via clickers.

About SCORE:

SCORE is a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), dedicated to helping the small business community through no-fee mentoring and small business counseling. SCORE members volunteer their time and expertise to help coach the next generation of entrepreneurs. SCORE boasts 370 chapters and 13,000 members nationwide. The SCORE office is located at 111 Liberty Street. Website, www.savannah.score.org. 912-652-4335.

About WELLS FARGO:

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC), with $1.8 trillion in assets, was founded in 1852 and is headquartered in San Francisco with 8,700 locations and offices in 36 countries. With about 265,000 employees, Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States and was ranked No. 30 on Fortune’s 2015 rankings of America’s largest corporations. Wells Fargo perspectives are also available at Wells Fargo Blogs: https://blogs.wf.com/ and Wells Fargo Stories: http://stories.wellsfargobank.com

A solar farm is coming to Jasper County.

A New York-based energy development company has been working with state and county officials on turning an 80-acre site into a cluster of solar panels that sell power to utilities.

“We’re getting a lot of support from the county and community and local utility. We’re hoping to make a success of it, but it’s still a work in progress,” said Bill Moore, one of the founders of Hudson Energy Development on Friday.

He said they are planning some half-dozen solar projects around South Carolina, but the Jasper County solar farm is the furthest along.

“We’re working mostly on what you’d call utility scale solar, as distinct from rooftop solar, so we build larger projects that can reach a lower cost of energy.”

Moore said part of the task is to “convince the local community that we can be good neighbors” and to work with local utilities.

“We’re doing both things at once, and we’ve made a lot of progress on our project in Jasper County.”

State environmental regulators received correspondence this month listing Adger Solar, an affiliate of Hudson, as the applicant for a coastal zone approval of a project called Ridgeland Solar Farm. The proposed 80-acre site is described as east of the end of Captain John Graham Road in Ridgeland. The start date of the work is listed as mid-June.

Locally, there have been murmurs of concern, even as a solar farm one state north drew outright distrust.

In December, the Woodland Town Council in North Carolina rejected a rezoning to accommodate a solar farm. Residents had reportedly objected to adding a new solar farm to an area that had others already. Some had worried the panels would hurt property values, deprive area vegetation of sunshine, and harm the job market.

Ashley Edwards, community outreach manager for SmartPower/www.SolarizeSC.com pointed to a list of advantages of having a solar farm in the neighborhood.

“Solar farms supply clean energy to the power grid and can make use of land that would otherwise be ignored,” he said Friday.

Among the advantages of a solar farm: economies of scale and the ability to leave residential aesthetics untouched.

“Many times solar farms allow community members to access solar energy for their residence without having to purchase and install their own system. Shared solar is often a great solution for renters and those on a fixed income and is very successful in other parts of the country.”

Edwards also pointed to the jobs that accompany solar farms. The topic of employment is a vexing one for rural Jasper County, where residents have a notoriously long work commute, often across the Georgia line into Chatham County or into neighboring Beaufort County.

“Building the farms provides jobs, purchasing the equipment and labor generates revenue for local economies and the power itself protects natural resources ultimately making for healthier communities,” he said.

When asked about the Adger Solar proposal for Ridgeland, Jasper County administrator Andrew Fulghum was barred from confirming or denying the presence of the project, because of economic development restrictions.

But the county provided a copy of the inducement resolution Jasper County officials approved in December for “Project Gatherer,” which references a $100 million investment.

On Thursday, Fulghum said the officials had not yet adopted any other ordinances or approved any other agreements for the project.
In December the Jasper County Sun Times reported that two locations were involved with Project Gatherer, and that one was slated for the county’s Pocotaligo Township. Councilman Henry Etheridge had said at the time that residents of the township had brought up concerns about the addition of the future business.

County leaders had approved a tax cut for the prospective business, a flat tax fee for 30 years based on the total value of the ad valorem tax reduced from 10 percent to 6 percent.

Average retail gasoline prices in Savannah have fallen 5.6 cents a gallon in the past week to $1.68 a gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 262 gas outlets in Savannah.

The national average has fallen 3.9 cents a gallon in the last week to $1.69, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Prices Sunday in the Savannah area were 46.3 cents a gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 20.6 cents a gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has decreased 23.0 cents a gallon during the last month and stands 55.5 cents lower than one year ago.

According to GasBuddy historical data, gasoline prices on Feb. 15 in Savannah have ranged widely over the last five years:

• $2.15 a gallon in 2015;

• $3.28 a gallon in 2014;

• $3.56 a gallon in 2013;

• $3.56 a gallon in 2012 and

• $3.07 a gallon in 2011.

Gas prices in the region include:

• Jacksonville — $1.68 a gallon, down 4.0 cents from last week’s $1.72.

• Augusta — $1.60 a gallon, down 4.0 cents from last week’s $1.64.

• South Carolina — $1.52 a gallon, down 3.7 cents from last week’s $1.56.

“We are mid-February and 45 out of 50 states have a state gas average below $2 and the national average is at a multi-year low. Sadly, these incredibly low gas prices won’t be here forever, as refineries talk of production cuts with crude oil at a 13-year low,” said Jeff Pelton, a GasBuddy.com senior petroleum analyst.

Spring turnarounds and the changeover to summer spec gasoline also loom on the horizon, Pelton said.

“The sooner the refineries can complete their maintenance and start producing gasoline again the better for drivers everywhere,” he said.

For LIVE fuel price averages, visit http://media.gasbuddy.com.

Gas prices down again in Savannah area

Average retail gasoline prices in Savannah have fallen 5.6 cents a gallon in the past week to $1.68 a gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 262 gas outlets in Savannah.

The national average has fallen 3.9 cents a gallon in the last week to $1.69, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Prices Sunday in the Savannah area were 46.3 cents a gallon lower than the same day one year ago. The national average stands 55.5 cents lower than one year ago.

According to GasBuddy historical data, gasoline prices on Feb. 15 in Savannah have ranged widely over the last five years:

• $2.15 a gallon in 2015;

• $3.28 a gallon in 2014;

• $3.56 a gallon in 2013;

• $3.56 a gallon in 2012 and

• $3.07 a gallon in 2011.

Gas prices in the region include:

• Jacksonville — $1.68 a gallon, down 4.0 cents from last week’s $1.72.

• Augusta — $1.60 a gallon, down 4.0 cents from last week’s $1.64.

• South Carolina — $1.52 a gallon, down 3.7 cents from last week’s $1.56.

Business after hours in Richmond Hill

The Richmond Hill/Bryan County Chamber of Commerce will host its February Business After Hours from 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday at South State Bank, 9971 Ford Ave. The event is co-sponsored by Re/Max Accent.

Chamber members and their guests are invited to an evening of networking, music by Roger Widener, oyster roast, chili bar and beverages along with door prizes and a chance at the Chamber’s 50/50 cash drawing.

Business professionals who are interested in joining the Chamber or learning more about the organization also are invited.

For more information, go to www.RHBCchamber.org or contact the chamber at 912-756-3444 or info@rhbcchamber.org.

Construction firm gives city anti-litter grant

JE Dunn Construction has donated $5,000 to “Keep Savannah Clean,” a public-private partnership trying to cut Savannah’s litter in half through a strategic education and social media outreach initiative.

“JE Dunn’s mission is much more than just constructing great buildings; we see ourselves as a community builder,” said Ryan Price, the firm’s vice president and division manager. “Savannah is our home, and we are pleased to contribute toward keeping her beautiful.”

As part of the Keep Savannah Clean initiative citizens may win weekly prizes by uploading photos of litter pickup efforts or photos of those breaking litter laws, to www.keepsavannahclean.com or by using social media and tagging photos with #littercrew.

The ongoing battle between Georgia breweries and the Georgia Department of Revenue seemingly came to a compromise in late January when lawmakers announced a deal had been reached on the regulations surrounding State Bill 63, better known as the Beer Jobs Bill.

The agreement allows breweries to again start offering tours at variable prices based on what type of beer is offered, something that originally began in July when the bill first went into effect but was later taken away in September when the revenue department released a bulletin reinterpreting the laws.

Carly Wiggins, marketing director and co-founder of Savannah’s Southbound Brewing Co., said the bill — signed in April and put into effect July 1 — was a stripped down version of what the brewery industry had hoped for. Still, they were happy they were no longer required to give away free samples of their products, which the law previously dictated.

“The (April) bill was completely re-written on the floor and turned into the convoluted mess that got us into this situation in the first place. Brew pubs were stripped from the bill and direct sales were taken off the table,” she said.

The solution that went into effect July 1 allowed breweries to sell tours and categorize beer as a souvenir. Breweries could have variable tour pricing and customers could have up to 36 ounces of a “souvenir”on site and then take up to 72 ounces to go, but that was all reinterpreted in September.

Wiggins said the September news of the tightened regulations was devastating. They stated that the volume of alcohol couldn’t dictate the price of the tour — meaning the price of the tour had to be the same regardless of whether a patron wanted a to-go souvenir.

“All of that time and money each brewery put in just to have it taken away. We begged for help and were given none. We tried for months without being able to have anything done,” Wiggins said of the September changes.

“Legislators were outraged because it wasn’t their intent, but that’s what happens when you have to twist the language to make the legislation more palatable to those opposing it.”

So Wiggins and other Georgia brewery representatives worked with the Georgia Craft Brewers Guild to draft a bill designed to shed light on the issues small breweries are facing and had hoped to introduce it to lawmakers in January.

“The only true way to ensure that we would be able to move forward with a sound understanding of intent would be to have it clarified in legislation. Specific rules and regulations with no more gray area,” she said.

But the opportunity to introduce the bill never arose as the newly reached deal came just before the guild’s bill was to be released, which was met with Wiggins’ skepticism.

“If the (revenue department) can make interpretations and change them at will, then who was to say they wouldn’t change them again?” she said.

The deal was a take-it or leave-it situation, according to Wiggins. Currently Mississippi and Georgia are the only two states in which breweries are not allowed to sell their product directly to a consumer, so opening a brewery here can be a huge gamble, she said.

“We were strongly advised that this was the deal, the only deal. That any legislation we put into play would never even make it to the floor for a vote because of our opposition. Not only that, but if we didn’t accept this compromise we could guarantee that we’d be burning bridges with the leaders that put the deal together and therefore nothing would be passed for many years to come,” she said.

Wiggins said she hopes the regulations can come back before lawmakers next year for clarification, but in the meantime, it’s too risky to start making any big staffing or equipment changes at Southbound.

“I admit, for those who don’t know much about what is going on it may seem that I’m being ungrateful. You have to understand that in no way shape or form does the (revenue department) even have to move forward with this agreement. There is no set time line. We have no idea if or when it will be implemented and the brew pubs in the state remain left off the docket again. Even if it does get implemented, who is to say they won’t flip flop again?” she said.

“We simply can’t afford to continue to make changes that could potentially be taken away from us at a whim. If this is implemented, we will re-evaluate at that time. I believe many of the other small breweries in the state will do the same.”

The recent decision also allows breweries, distilleries and wholesalers to use social media to advertise events, to explain where their products can be purchased and to describe the food to be sold at breweries and distilleries, something Wiggins said is simply freedom of speech.

“I’ve recently discovered that I would make an absolutely terrible politician. Apparently, I have more of an activist mind-set, but am I really an activist because I believe we should have the same abilities our competitors do? That we just want a fair chance in the market to compete as our neighbors do? Honestly, that we just want to be able to keep the lights on?”

Savannah city leaders will soon be considering a contract with an executive search service that will play a vital role in the selection of a new city manager.

Companies have until March 1 to submit their proposals, so I’m assuming we won’t be actively advertising for Stephanie Cutter’s replacement until April or beyond.

As I’ve discussed before, there seemed to be unrealistic expectations when Savannah last did a nationwide city manager search.

The last search resulted in the hiring of Rochelle Small-Toney, whose tenure was not a success. She was already in Savannah and had some supporters within the community, but she had far less experience in some areas than three other final candidates.

Public and political sentiment even turned against a couple of candidates, including the former city manager of Kansas City, because they had had conflicts with previous employers.

Let’s not make that mistake again. An experienced bureaucrat with the chops to be our city manager will almost certainly have faced resistance from some officials in other cities.

We need a candidate who is clearly qualified for the job and is transparently honest, but there are many other qualifications we could prioritize.

We might want a new city manager with a proven record of fighting both poverty and crime, plus a history of working with diverse constituencies.

As a columnist and as a resident of a fast-changing, high-crime neighborhood, I will also be looking for candidates who seem to be keeping abreast of the issues facing smallish American cities in the 21st century.

We are still burdened with a convoluted, outdated zoning ordinance, for example. The highly qualified staff at the Metropolitan Planning Commission has been working on a new ordinance for many years, but there has been little progress under our two most recent city managers.

In his column on Sunday, Tom Barton joined the chorus who are calling for the city to take substantive action to calm traffic on streets like Whitaker and Drayton, but there is no substantive indication the current leadership takes those concerns seriously.

Instead, city officials recently decided to propose a draconian new ordinance that would force cyclists out of Forsyth Park and onto those very streets.

We simply need a city manager who will handle demonstrated problems in common sense ways that don’t take an eternity.

When a new business model becomes common across America — examples include food trucks, vacation rentals and complimentary alcohol service in retail businesses — it shouldn’t take us years to catch up with what other cities are doing.

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.

Tammy Moseley Ray is nothing if not detail-oriented.

It’s not only the name of her event-planning business — The Detail Department — it’s the reason that business has been so successful.

So it’s not surprising that, when faced with an issue that impacts her business, Ray would not rest until she found a solution. In this case, the solution spawned her latest endeavor.

“I’ve planned events in Savannah for 20 years,” Ray said. “As the number of events has grown, the planning and execution has become more complex. It’s not enough to have your event planned out perfectly; now you need to know what other events are being planned when and where.

“How many times has it happened? An event is planned, a venue scheduled and invitations at the printer before you learn another group has a competing event scheduled for the same date?

“There was a real need for a comprehensive, area-wide planning calendar — a document that could be accessed online by anyone planning an upcoming event,” she said.

The “ah ha” moment came to her, Ray said, some five years ago when she was spending a lot of time on the road between Savannah and Thomaston to be with her ill mother.

“I thought I could put together a planning calendar that would be available to everyone — from nonprofits to vendors,” she said. “But at the time I was so busy with The Detail Department.”

Still, the idea refused to go away.

“Early last year, I brought it back out on the front burner,” she said. “I started by putting together a focus group of people who are affiliated with events — nonprofits, small business owners, vendors — to talk about what kinds of functionalities such a calendar would need.”

Next, Ray put together a focus group comprised of successful event planners.

“I really wanted this to be everything people need or want,” she said.

Late last month, at a reception for those in the event-planning business, Ray unveiled the Savannah Event Network, which she describes as “the area’s only comprehensive resource for planning events of all types and sizes.”

More than a calendar

Once she started talking about the need for a planning calendar, Ray got lots of feedback, much of which she has incorporated into her new product. As a result, she said, it’s a lot more than a planning calendar.

“It’s an interactive, online document that not only allows members to see everything that’s on the calendar, it connects event organizers to service providers and offers information and tools for planning events.

Yearly memberships are available at $150 for nonprofits, $200 for corporate and $300 for vendors. Members get the following:

• Access to the planning calendar, which compiles professional, community and social events. You don’t have to be a member to post an event on the calendar, but only members have access to the complete calendar.

“Also, when a member organization submits an event, they also have the option of sending it to the calendars of the Savannah Morning News and Savannah Magazine with the same click of a mouse,” Ray said.

• A vendor directory of available services.

“Whether a member is looking for a red carpet to create a grand entrance or ideas for Savannah-themed gift bags, they’ll find an extensive listing of vendors in a variety of categories,” she said. “Vendors are listed at no charge, but member vendors get an enhanced listing.

• Request for Proposal forms.

“Instead of making multiple phone calls or emails, event organizers can use our network to request quotes from member vendors.”

Other member benefits include helpful information on event planning, Ray said.

“A lot of people planning events don’t know how to go about getting temporary alcohol or food service permits,” Ray said. “Some aren’t even aware they need them. We have those answers.”

The network will also feature a newsletter that includes such things as vendors’ new products, businesses receiving awards, businesses that have job openings, announcements and updates.

A blog for members will provide a forum for sharing ideas and tips.

Above all, the network will be anything but static, Ray said.

“It’s evolving as I talk to people about what they need,” she said

“It won’t be any good if it’s just what I want it to be. It has to be what people in the event-planning industry need it to be. If we do that, we’ll be successful.”

ON THE WEB

To learn more about The Detail Department, go to www.thedetaildepartment.com/savannah-event-network.