ATLANTA – A Tifton business leader will lead the state’s efforts to attract more businesses to rural Georgia and expand those already there.
Gov. Brian Kemp Wednesday announced Tift County Development Authority President and CEO Brian Marlowe will join the state Department of Economic Development as deputy commissioner for rural Georgia.
In that role, Marlowe will head the Rural Strike Team, a group of economic development officials Kemp formed last year to spearhead job creation in rural parts of the state.
“Rural Georgia is ripe for investment,” the governor said. “We believe we can land big projects in rural communities across our state.”
Kemp pledged to make rural economic development a priority when he ran for governor two years ago. The Rural Strike Team aims to do that by tapping into expertise provided by Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s Rural Prosperity Center, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia and the House Rural Development Council formed by Georgia House Speaker David Ralston.
The strike team’s specific charge is to promote and market industrial sites in rural communities large enough to house projects that will benefit multiple counties.
“With more than 20 years spent working in rural economic development, Brian’s track record of locating new projects in his community, expanding existing industries, and generating opportunity in South Georgia speaks for itself,” Kemp said Wednesday. “I have every confidence that by working with leaders in the General Assembly, the business community, our universities and technical colleges, state agencies, local developers, and the world-class team at [the Department of Economic Development], Brian will help us move the needle for rural Georgia.”
Besides the development authority position, Marlowe also serves as president and CEO of the Tift County Chamber of Commerce. He also was a member of Kemp’s transition team following the 2018 gubernatorial election.