When Steve Weathers resigned abruptly in September after two years as president of the Savannah Economic Development Authority, the SEDA board didn’t have to look far to find a new leader.
Trip Tollison, former vice president and chief operating officer for the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce and Visit Savannah, had played a critical role in helping SEDA with various economic development projects, including both phases of major Gulfstream expansions.
He negotiated a resolution between the state, county, Georgia Ports Authority and Caterpillar related to ad valorum taxes on Caterpillar goods-in-transit through GPA – the last issue to resolve before the company’s announcement of a major new facility near Athens and substantial exports through the Port of Savannah.
And he has worked with Georgia Ports staff for the past decade, representing the business community’s support of the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project in both Atlanta and Washington, D.C.
With Weathers’ departure, his appointment as interim president and CEO of SEDA was immediate and unanimous.
“We are fortunate to have Trip on board during what we expect to be a very smooth transition for SEDA,” said David Paddison, SEDA board chairman.
Board vice chairman Bob James agreed.
“Trip has been involved in nearly all of the major economic development initiatives in Chatham County in the last decade and has worked closely with SEDA staff for many years,” the longtime Savannah business leader and president of Carver State Bank said.
Perhaps the most tangible evidence of the SEDA board’s confidence in its new hire is that no search for a permanent replacement is under way.
Tollison, who was officially appointed at SEDA’s October board meeting, recently sat down with the Morning News and Savannahnow.com to talk about his new role.
Q. Steve Weathers came in and took SEDA in some very different directions, such as establishing a World Trade Center and looking at the need for venture capital. Do you plan to continue in that direction, or do you have a different view of what SEDA should be going forward?
A. “What Steve has been able to do in the last two years is put into place many of the tools we’ll need to address the future of economic development. It’s no secret, for example, that Savannah has become more international in scope. In just the few weeks I’ve been on board, we’ve had visits from several international companies.
“With the World Trade Center Savannah, we’re better positioned than ever before to interact with the rest of the world. I’m really excited about having this tool in our toolbox and only see the role of the World Trade Center increasing as we attract new international business and help our businesses here develop their export capabilities.
“Another new idea, SEDA Innovations, addresses the issue of helping startup businesses in the region become capital-investment ready. The question now is what will that help look like? Will it be resources, money, hands-on interaction? We have some strategic decisions to make regarding SEDA’s role in innovation.”
Q. SEDA has a lot of strengths to bring to the community, including a talented staff. How will you utilize that staff and their individual talents to bring economic development and jobs to the region?
A. “The first thing we have to do is make sure we aren’t forgetting our core strategies — job retention, job creation and attracting investment. It’s like a three-legged stool. I feel like we have the staff in place now to allow us to pursue our core strategies and still look outside the box, to things like the World Trade Center and innovation.
“At the end of the day, we have one overarching priority — to bring jobs to the Savannah area.”
Q. In the past few years, it seems SEDA’s focus has shifted away from pursuing large projects. Will you return to that focus? What do you see as the state’s role in bringing major investment to our area?
A. “Since I’ve come on board, we’ve been busy on the project front and that’s definitely a good thing. Attracting investment to our area — whether it’s a new project or an expansion – is at the very heart of what we do.
“At SEDA, we don’t build anything, we don’t create products. Our skill set is in knowing how to cultivate and attract the kinds of businesses that are good for our area, that create good jobs and improve our quality of life. In my opinion, you just can’t do that in a vacuum. We need our partners — at the state and the ports and Georgia Power. We need to work with project developers and site consultants.
“One of the very first things I did when I was hired was to go to Atlanta to meet with the Georgia Department of Economic Development to make sure they know how important their relationship is to us. I think (Commissioner of the Georgia Economic Development Department ) Chris Cummisky and his staff would agree that being successful in economic development is about 25 percent knowledge and skill and 75 percent relationship building.
“One thing I can tell you for sure, when we are working on a great prospect, it will be all hands on deck. Working to get that benefit for Savannah will trump everything.”
Q. What can SEDA do to facilitate creating a larger pool of skilled workers in our area?
A. “I’m not a big study guy, but I do believe we need a comprehensive workforce development assessment — something that will tell us where we are lacking and what specific needs we should address.
“In addressing those needs, we must have a regional approach, defining workforce beyond the perimeters of Savannah. If we are going to consider a win in Effingham County a ‘local’ win — which we do — we need to be working regionally to resolve our workforce issues. The Savannah MSA — Chatham, Bryan and Effingham counties — is a good start, but we also need to embrace Bulloch, Liberty, Jasper and Beaufort.
“We need to continue to work with our schools and our businesses to identify those students who don’t plan to go to college and begin introducing them to skills training no later than (age) 16. Waiting until they graduate is too late.
“Woodville Tompkins is a great example of a school that’s working. We need to be asking ourselves ‘How can we put that program on steroids and expand it, not just in our school system, but in Richmond Hill, Guyton, Springfield?’
“I want to encourage businesses to follow the lead of JCB, which is working with Savannah Tech to offer a paid apprenticeship program that is training high school graduates in the specific skills it needs in a workforce.”
Q. How is SEDA addressing business retention?
A. “At SEDA, we realize the importance of the businesses and industries already contributing to the economy and creating jobs in the area. We have a great Business Retention Action Team in place whose program has become a model throughout the state on how economic development authorities can work with existing businesses to expand and grow right here in their own backyard.
“Enhancing this program is important, because there are still a lot of small businesses that don’t realize they have this resource. We want to get to know them and their needs.”
Q. Where would you like to see SEDA and Savannah, from an economic development perspective, five or 10 years from now?
A. “I’d like to see Savannah become more and more an international city, not just another city in Georgia that’s not Atlanta.
“I’d like to see the entire megasite filled.
“I’d like to see us develop better land resources, something I think we’re behind the curve on. We need a better inventory of potential property to show prospective projects. I’d like to see SEDA working with project developers, the government — whoever has property — to develop a portfolio that’s available to show site developers and potential businesses.
“I’d like to see a more regional approach to economic development. I hope to set up a retreat for area economic development professionals in the near future to work on defining ‘local’ as it pertains to economic development. How do we work better as a region on workforce development and how do we use regional clout to work better with the state and federal government?
“Finally, I’d like to see Savannah with a venture capital fund that gets serious attention, both from business and investors.”