Entrepreneurs are important to this area and the Douglas-Coffee County Chamber is committed to helping our small businesses to grow and prosper. We’ll connect you to the resources your business needs.

J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development

J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, a unit of Public Service and Outreach at the University of Georgia, is dedicated to strengthening communities, organizations, and individuals through leadership development, training, and education. Among other things, the Fanning Institute partners with Locate South Georgia and the Georgia Chamber of Commerce to offer Locate South GeorgiaLEADS, a program that develops regional leaders who can elevate the awareness of regional issues of importance across South Georgia – both within their hometown communities, as well as to elected officials across the region and state.

Georgia Centers of Innovation

Georgia’s Centers of Innovation provide more than 1,500 businesses each year the technical industry expertise, collaborative research, and partnerships to help the State’s strategic industries connect, compete and grow globally. The strategic industries the Centers service are: Aerospace; Agribusiness; Energy Technology; Information Technology; Logistics; and Manufacturing.

Small Business Development Center

Coffee County is part of the Georgia Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Network. The SBDC offers entrepreneurs assistance in management training via seminars, workshops, and courses ranging from management to technical skills; no-cost one-on-one assistance to discuss and evaluate ideas for starting a new business or to receive an honest appraisal of a current business’s performance; networking and referrals to local, state, and federal agencies to answer business questions; and a variety of free reference and resource materials developed by the U.S. Small Business Administration as well as access to an on-site computer to develop a business plan or examine sample plans.. If you are interested in starting a business or growing your existing business in our community, contact Chamber Vice President Lisa Hodge, 912-384-1873, lhodge@douglasga.org.

City of Douglas Main Street Program

The City of Douglas Main Street Program strives to encourage the economic improvement and physical renovation of downtown. The Main Street Program recruits new business owners and businesses to the heart Douglas and encourages existing property owners to improve and renovate their structures.

Education

The Douglas-Coffee County Chamber offers programs such as Lunch & Learn gatherings and targeted classes to help Chamber members brush up on topics such as available tax credits, how to use social media as a business tactic, 6S foundational lean methodology in manufacturing, customer service, protecting trade secrets, and more. For more information contact the Chamber, 912-384-1873, chamber@douglasga.org.