NEWS

The Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its 218th Annual Meeting in late December, highlighting an extraordinary year of achievements and recognizing outstanding contributions from its members. Over 200 Chamber members gathered as Board Chairman Brad Harmon (Hunter Maclean) and President and CEO Bert Brantley recapped 2024’s milestones and set the tone for a promising year ahead.

The meeting showcased a year of advocacy victories, a successful legislative session, and the transition of a comprehensive 5-year strategic plan for homelessness into actionable implementation.

“This year, we recruited nearly 400 new members, with a third identifying as minority or women-owned businesses—or both—while retaining 94 percent of our existing members,” said Brantley. “That retention rate far exceeds the national average of 80–85 percent. I’m so proud of our membership team, not only for these remarkable statistics but also for embodying the mission and vision of our Chamber.”

Among the highlights of 2024:

• Events: Over 60 events were held with more than 6,000 attendees, including small networking groups, Savannah Chatham Day in Atlanta, and 42 small business-focused gatherings that welcomed nearly 2,200 attendees.
• Leadership Savannah: The program continued its impactful work with 45 new graduates, and next year’s cohort has already been selected and is preparing to go to work early in 2025.
• Regional Collaboration: The Coastal Chamber Collaborative grew to include seven counties, including two in South Carolina, emphasizing regional solutions to shared challenges.
• Small Business Forum: The inaugural event during Small Business Week, created in partnership with the City of Savannah, Black and Hispanic Chambers, and the Downtown Business Association, spotlighted Savannah’s small business community as the economic backbone of the region.
• Visit Savannah: Innovative marketing and sales efforts, including the Surprisingly Savannah Trolley Tour and the Saks 5^th Avenue New York promotion, led to a successful and profitable year for Savannah, Tybee Island and Chatham County.

The evening, emceed by Rabbi Robert Haas of Congregation Mickve Israel, helped honored individuals and organizations that made significant contributions to the community:

• Chamber Ambassador of the Year: Mahogany Bowers, YBar presented by Ambassador Sponsor RJ Young.
• Leadership Savannah Appreciation Award: Margaret Mary Russell, Retiring after 33 years of service to the Leadership Savannah Board
• Dr. Joe Buck Legacy of Leadership Award: Austin Hill, Austin Hill Realty, wins the first ever Legacy of Leadership Award, named for former school board president Dr. Joe Buck. View the video HERE.

The Chamber’s highest honor, the James Oglethorpe Leadership Award, was presented posthumously to Kevin “Catfish” Jackson of Envirovac, a Chamber Board member whose enduring contributions to Savannah’s economic and civic success were celebrated. The award was accepted on his behalf by the Jackson family, and an emotional video including comments by Gov. Brian Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp, Georgia Football Head Coach Kirby Smart, and Catfish’s friends and co-workers was shared with the membership. View the video HERE.

The Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce looks forward to building on the momentum of 2024 to achieve even greater success in the coming year.