Letters

2025 marked a truly extraordinary milestone – the Savannah Economic Development Authority’s 100^th anniversary.

For a century, this organization has stood as a pillar in the community, working alongside our partners to create economic growth and improve the quality of life for all residents of Chatham County and the Savannah region.

Reaching this moment is both a celebration of our history and a powerful reminder of the responsibility we carry for the future.

Over the past 100 years, SEDA has evolved to meet the changing needs of our region, guided by a steadfast commitment to innovation, collaboration and excellence. From supporting existing industries and attracting new companies to strengthening our workforce and advancing strategic initiatives that shape our landscape, our impact has always been rooted in building a stronger Chatham County by creating, growing and attracting new job opportunities and investment. 

In 2025, we took the next step with the adoption of our new strategic plan. This plan reflects months of thoughtful engagement, data analysis and community input. It provides a roadmap for how we will continue to serve as a catalyst for progress for our community. I extend my sincere appreciation to the Strategic Plan Steering Committee and SEDA staff whose hard work made this effort possible.

It has been a privilege to serve as Chairperson the past two years. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work alongside an exceptional board, dedicated staff and engaged partners who share a common vision for our future.

Kay Ford
Chairperson, Savannah Economic Development Authority
BankSouth

Thank you for your interest in reviewing SEDA’s 2025 Annual Report. As our region continues to be one of the fastest growing regions in the southeast, SEDA has been at the forefront of some incredible development activity.  

Once again, the year was marked with fulfilling our mission – attracting investment and job creation. We announced $2.8 billion in additional investment and more than 3,000 new job opportunities – mostly centered around another expansion at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America campus. The Savannah Economic Development Authority also completed a very successful property transaction ensuring further growth for one of the largest companies in the world. Our Savannah Regional Film Commission saw growth coming back into the marketplace as well as renewed interest in more entertainment production throughout Coastal Georgia. World Trade Center Savannah added the largest amount of new Foreign-Trade Zone 104 operators as well as an incredible amount of inbound and outbound international visits. Our newest creation, the Regional Industrial Support Enterprise (RISE) continued its early success with more service delivery and hosted the largest job fair in our county’s history. Finally, SEDA completed a new, long term strategic plan that will guide our organization’s business development efforts between now and Savannah’s 300^th birthday.

We are very thankful to have a fantastic team here at SEDA as well as a board of directors that always supports our work. Furthermore, we are always grateful for our partners and businesses that work with the SEDA family each and every day. We would like to thank everyone who made 2025 a success and wish you the best as we strive to make 2026 even better.

Hugh “Trip” Tollison
President and CEO, Savannah Economic Development Authority

They say time flies when you are having fun and that is just what it did. As we reflect on 2025 and the accomplishments of the organization, staff, the communities and companies we serve it has been another stellar year for World Trade Center Savannah (WTCSav) partners, board of directors and staff.

If Spring isn’t already exciting in the Savannah region with the temperatures starting to rise and the days getting longer, we also begin celebrating the season of St. Patrick. World Trade Center Savannah shares a formal partnership with Ireland known as TradeBridge and this year the program expanded to formally include Limerick in Southwest Ireland. We also supported the signing of the Partnership agreement between Limerick and the City of Savannah ensuring support from civic leadership as well as the business community. In March we welcomed all our TradeBridge partners to visit the Savannah region and explore business partnerships in trade, education, culture and tourism.

In addition to the delegations from Ireland, WTCSav also hosted nearly 200 business leaders from 18 countries spanning five continents, facilitating connections to foster and grow trade throughout the region. 

World Trade Centers Association hosted the 55^th Global Business Forum in Marseille, France supporting trade and business interests – a remarkable gathering of global leaders, innovators and changemakers. We took a delegation from our region who had the opportunity to connect with more than 400 business leaders from around the globe and participate in Business-to-Business meetings of their choosing.

For me, a highlight of 2025 was this year’s board retreat focused on “Trade and the Savannah River.” We had the opportunity to visit the Port of Savannah, hear from a master harbor pilot about working with the captain and crew of the various vessels and navigating the Savannah River. We also boarded and toured the vessel, Tokyo Triumph, where we had the opportunity to meet and speak with the ship’s captain and crew and join them in the dining room for a meal prepared by the ship’s culinary team. We heard firsthand from a Captain of the United States Coast Guard about the importance of the Savannah River, keeping the flow of commerce moving and protecting the coastline. We also heard from the Acting U.S. Customs and Border Protection Port Director and the trade team about their work to facilitate lawful trade and make sure products are safe.  

As I conclude my term as Chairman, I look back at the many opportunities I have experienced connecting Georgia businesses with global opportunities and supporting the staff in their efforts to expand business connections for business of all kinds and sizes throughout the region.

It has been a true pleasure serving on the WTCSav Board of Directors as Chairman and working so closely with the staff. I appreciate the Savannah Economic Development Authority Board of Directors and my fellow board members from throughout the region for their continued support and allowing me this privilege. I look forward to what is ahead and what is to come.

John Coleman
Chairperson, World Trade Center Savannah
Bonitz of Georgia