Jackson County is complicated. It has nine incorporated towns, three different school systems, around 10 rural fire departments that set their own tax rates, dozens of small agencies and is part of a number of regional groups that plan for everything from agriculture to trash.
Add to that the large geographic size of the county and its transitional nature, which falls somewhere between rural and suburban, and you have one complicated recipe. If Jackson County were soup, it would be goulash.
So it takes some special efforts from the various leaders in the county to forge anything close to a united relationship. At times, that relationship has been closer than at others. Petty infighting, jealousy and turf-protecting always threaten to untie the political and social fabric of such a complex county.
But over the last couple of years, the fights have been less and the sense of unanimity stronger.
That has been in large part due to one man who has, in a very short time, become a major uniting influence on the county’s otherwise fractious political landscape.
From hard work and his sheer force of personality, Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce President Shane Short has knitted together a variety of competing interests at a time when the financial pressure of the recession might have otherwise sent deep political and economic fault lines across the county.
For his work in helping keep Jackson County united during difficult economic times and his high profile leadership role in 2010, Short is The Herald’s Newsmaker of the Year.
SHANE SHORT
Newsmaker of the Year: Shane Short
Short landed in Jackson County in September 2007, just in time for the worst economic downturn since the Depression. What had been one of the nation’s fastest growing counties and an economic power in Northeast Georgia during the boom years was suddenly a bleeding victim of the housing bust. Massive foreclosures, bank failures, declining property values and high unemployment became common — many would argue that there’s no light at the end of that dark economic tunnel even today.
All of that might have been discouraging to a chamber leader whose lifeblood is economic development and growth. But the downturn apparently didn’t hit Short like that. Perhaps that was because he came to Jackson County from the Henry and Clayton county areas, where the housing bust hit even harder.
Or more likely, it’s because Short is ignoring the short run (pun intended) and looking ahead to a time when the economy returns to a more normal condition — and the potential Jackson County has for the long run.
There are several things Short has done well in his tenure in Jackson County that led to the success he had in 2010.
FINDING SUCCESS
First, he held a tight rein on the Chamber’s internal management. As the economy tanked early in his tenure, Short didn’t whine to local governments for more tax money. As early as 2008, he cut internal Chamber spending and put at least one unfilled position on ice until the economy turned around. He even canceled the Chamber’s cleaning service and he and his staff emptied their own trash.
As a result of cutting spending and despite the recession, which for a time hammered membership, the Chamber finished 2009 in the black and has grown membership even as many local businesses struggled or failed. Even now, the Chamber continues to re-evaluate its programs with an eye on both service and costs. Good management of the Chamber’s internal finances and membership development allowed Short and the Chamber to continue to focus outward without getting caught up in unproductive financial navel-gazing over its own problems.
Second, Short didn’t shirk responsibility by playing a game of “let’s blame the recession” for the local economic development slowdown.
Obviously, the recession impacted the area’s economic development, but Short didn’t just cast the Chamber’s fate into the jaws of the larger economy; he kept showing prospects local facilities (45 in 2010) even when he knew they were just kicking tires and not really serious about doing anything short-term.
Finally, Short used the recession slowdown to raise the Chamber’s profile not just to outside prospects, but also within Jackson County itself. As one observer said, Short “put down a lot of footprints” within Jackson County bringing a new sense of visibility to the Chamber. That also served to connect the Chamber not just to the business and political communities, but also to many individuals and organizations that generally don’t get involved in Chamber business.
All of that led to 2010 being a strong year for Short and the Chamber. In economic development, the Chamber held several special events and it was able to add a new position of “director of economic development,” a position that had earlier been put on hold.
But mainly, the Chamber and other county officials helped bring in five new industries and create around 750 new jobs in 2010.
In perhaps his highest profile role in 2010, Short led the effort of local governments for the renewal of the SPLOST tax, which was approved by voters by 57 percent in November. Short sold the plan without little help or support from the local governments and was often a one-man-band at the dozens of events he attended to sell the plan.
The economic boom that defined Jackson County in the last decade is long gone as the housing market, which was the area’s main economic engine, continues to struggle. Unemployment remains high and other economic sectors are sputtering.
Still, there is a sense of optimism in Jackson County as 2010 ends. That’s largely due to the tone set by Short during these tough times, a tone that has brought a sense of greater unanimity to a county where that is a difficult and rare commodity.
In 2010, Short proved the old saying: “Put the right person in the right place at the right time and great things can happen.”
All of that might have been discouraging to a chamber leader whose lifeblood is economic development and growth. But the downturn apparently didn’t hit Short like that. Perhaps that was because he came to Jackson County from the Henry and Clayton county areas, where the housing bust hit even harder.
Or more likely, it’s because Short is ignoring the short run (pun intended) and looking ahead to a time when the economy returns to a more normal condition — and the potential Jackson County has for the long run.
There are several things Short has done well in his tenure in Jackson County that led to the success he had in 2010.
FINDING SUCCESS
First, he held a tight rein on the Chamber’s internal management. As the economy tanked early in his tenure, Short didn’t whine to local governments for more tax money. As early as 2008, he cut internal Chamber spending and put at least one unfilled position on ice until the economy turned around. He even canceled the Chamber’s cleaning service and he and his staff emptied their own trash.
As a result of cutting spending and despite the recession, which for a time hammered membership, the Chamber finished 2009 in the black and has grown membership even as many local businesses struggled or failed. Even now, the Chamber continues to re-evaluate its programs with an eye on both service and costs. Good management of the Chamber’s internal finances and membership development allowed Short and the Chamber to continue to focus outward without getting caught up in unproductive financial navel-gazing over its own problems.
Second, Short didn’t shirk responsibility by playing a game of “let’s blame the recession” for the local economic development slowdown.
Obviously, the recession impacted the area’s economic development, but Short didn’t just cast the Chamber’s fate into the jaws of the larger economy; he kept showing prospects local facilities (45 in 2010) even when he knew they were just kicking tires and not really serious about doing anything short-term.
Finally, Short used the recession slowdown to raise the Chamber’s profile not just to outside prospects, but also within Jackson County itself. As one observer said, Short “put down a lot of footprints” within Jackson County bringing a new sense of visibility to the Chamber. That also served to connect the Chamber not just to the business and political communities, but also to many individuals and organizations that generally don’t get involved in Chamber business.
All of that led to 2010 being a strong year for Short and the Chamber. In economic development, the Chamber held several special events and it was able to add a new position of “director of economic development,” a position that had earlier been put on hold.
But mainly, the Chamber and other county officials helped bring in five new industries and create around 750 new jobs in 2010.
In perhaps his highest profile role in 2010, Short led the effort of local governments for the renewal of the SPLOST tax, which was approved by voters by 57 percent in November. Short sold the plan without little help or support from the local governments and was often a one-man-band at the dozens of events he attended to sell the plan.
The economic boom that defined Jackson County in the last decade is long gone as the housing market, which was the area’s main economic engine, continues to struggle. Unemployment remains high and other economic sectors are sputtering.
Still, there is a sense of optimism in Jackson County as 2010 ends. That’s largely due to the tone set by Short during these tough times, a tone that has brought a sense of greater unanimity to a county where that is a difficult and rare commodity.
In 2010, Short proved the old saying: “Put the right person in the right place at the right time and great things can happen.”
Trackbacks
Trackback specific URI for this entry
No Trackbacks
