Rising to the Occasion: Effingham County Joins Regional Partners to Tackle Workforce Development and Economic Growth

February 12, 2025

RISE Delegation Visits Bowling Green, KY to Learn Best Practices

The Effingham County Industrial Development Authority (ECIDA) has a new partner in supporting local industry and talent in the area: Regional Industry Support Enterprise (RISE). RISE was founded as a result of a regional workforce study commissioned by the Savannah Harbor-I-16 Corridor Joint Development Authority in preparation for the arrival of the Hyundai Metaplant in Bryan County. The goal of the study was to provide data and a comprehensive plan to manage the region’s upcoming job growth.

“We knew there would be Hyundai suppliers that would announce in the region and beyond. We also had other industries–manufacturing, distribution and assembly companies–that were either locating new operations or expanding existing operations in the area,” says Anna Chafin, president and CEO of RISE. “RISE’s goal is to bring everyone together and implement long-term workforce development plans.”

The study identified an impending shortage of workers to fill technical and production roles and recommended the creation of a regional workforce development organization. RISE was created in January 2024 and initially funded by the Savannah Economic Development Authority. In 2025, funding will come from contributions from economic development authorities within the organization’s eight-county service area of Bryan, Bulloch, Candler, Chatham, Liberty, Evans, Screven and Effingham counties.

RISE works on focus areas including education, military, underrepresented, housing, transportation, and childcare, as well as marketing the greater Savannah area as a place where people can thrive.  RISE has also partnered with development authorities in its member counties to either create new or provide programming for existing employer forums. The forums provide the opportunity for area industries to come together for networking and discussions of best-practices on topics such as employee recruitment and retention.

Learning from the Successes of Others

To develop long-term plans, RISE has learned from the successes and challenges of other communities. A group of delegates from RISE’s eight counties recently traveled to Bowling Green, Kentucky to learn from the community’s economic development, housing and workforce development programs. Todd Wall, CEO of Effingham College and Career Academy (ECCA) and Brandt Herndon, CEO of ECIDA represented Effingham County on the trip.

“Bowling Green was chosen because they've had strong collaboration between their K-12 schools and their higher education system with their business and industry community,” says Chafin. “They have also had similar types of growth.”

Schools in Bowling Green have implemented an eighth-grade experience where local employers engage the students in hands-on activities that teach them about what each company does. The delegation also toured Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College, which has implemented training programs that allow students to learn advanced manufacturing techniques, perform paid work for local manufacturing companies and the potential to earn an associate’s degree without incurring student loan debt.

“Bowling Green has implemented some great programs to help their residents find meaningful careers and educational opportunities, and we were honored to learn from them,” says Herndon.

An additional trip to learn about best practices utilized in another community is in the works for 2025.

Educational Partnerships

Effingham County has forged strong partnerships between existing industries and the school system, as witnessed in programs like Workforce PhD, which allows high school seniors interested in entering the workforce after graduation to polish their resumes, tour local industries and learn about potential career options. The Workforce PhD program has become an example of a workforce best practice that RISE has shared with other communities in the region.

Other educational programs that RISE plans to explore include a teacher externship program, where educators would spend a week in the summer gaining firsthand experience with area employers and gaining perspective on what it’s like to work there: knowledge they can share with their students. RISE is also collaborating with the ECCA, ECIDA, and the Georgia Department of Education to revamp and pilot a new manufacturing pathway. The ECCA will open the pathway for enrollment in fall of 2025.

“We asked employers about their current open positions, what technical skills are needed for their most in-demand open positions and what credentials they required. We also asked them to rank employability skills: the thing that ranked at the top was work ethic, followed by communication, teamwork, time management, problem-solving and decision-making,” says Chafin. “We’ll take that feedback, compare it to the existing pathway and see if there are any modifications that can be made to better fit what our regional employers need.”

Connecting Industry with Resources

As mentioned above, RISE has also partnered with ECIDA and other area development authorities to provide educational panels for industry partners. The topics have included employee retention strategies and integrating new sources of talent into the workforce.

A popular panel discussed the legal considerations and educational opportunities that could be provided by hiring students under the age of 18 as part of a work-based learning program. Another panel covered finding untapped talent, providing opportunities for justice impacted, homeless or unhoused,  or those who have overcome addiction  to reenter the workforce.

In October 2024, RISE organized a military community hiring event to match military families and exiting soldiers with careers that utilize their skills. Several Effingham County employers participated, including Aertssen Logistics, Georgia-Pacific, and AeroDynamic Aviation.

Building a Brighter Future

A new pilot program, called Industry Insiders, will soon launch in Effingham County and across the region, will deploy young professionals between the ages of 18 and 35 as ambassadors to middle and high school students. These influencers will inspire the next generation by sharing their career stories, showcasing the exciting possibilities in industry like manufacturing, logistics, engineering, and assembly, and highlighting the incredible opportunities available right here in our region. 

“The young professionals can best articulate what it’s really like to work in a manufacturing or distribution center and connect with students because they have more recently been in their place,” says Chafin.

The program will start with eight to ten ambassadors, but Chafin hopes it will grow to 30 or more by the end of 2025.

RISE will continue to organize, advocate and have a seat at the table at regional meetings on workforce development to represent the eight counties that support it.

“We look forward to a continued partnership with RISE as we tackle the challenges and opportunities ahead to create a brighter future for everyone who lives in Effingham County and the surrounding areas,” says Herndon