Local Businesses Give Presentations at GA House Rural Development Council Hearing

The Georgia House Rural Development Council met in Toccoa last Thursday and Friday and local business owners and other stakeholders in the community gave presentations.

The rural council is made up of 15-members who are touring the state through the summer and fall, asking rural communities about policies and programs the state could adopt to help rural areas thrive.

Barry Roberts, Director of Operations at ASI Southeast and Leon Osborne, owner of Osborne Wood Products presented on Friday and both expressed concerns about a lack of labor force in Stephens County.

Roberts said that ASI has a number of positions available, but no qualified applicants to fill them.

He said some reasons behind this issue include lack of infrastructure, no public transportation, lack of housing options and failure to pass drug tests.

“Large number of people failing the drug test in Stephens County and surrounding counties,” said Roberts. “We have a drug problem in Stephens County and it does impact the labor force. I think that needs to be on your radar because all the other things that we try to improve what we’re doing, if we don’t improve this one right here, we’re going to sit still.”

Roberts then shared some ideas for solutions to these problems.

“We think there needs to be more emphasis on the labor shortage,” said Roberts. “We want to see more partnerships, we have some great partnerships but we want to see more of that and think that needs to be encouraged more throughout the state. More emphasis on soft skills, leadership, team training and primary education. We think there needs to be a pathway in school for students who don’t want to go to college, they just want to go to work.”

Osborne expressed the same challenges, emphasizing the labor shortage.

“Stephens County is a county that’s starving for employees,” said Osborne. “Our unemployment rate is 4.8 percent, you would think that 4.8 percent of the community are out there looking for jobs, but that’s not the case.”

Roberts and Osborne were both optimistic about finding solutions to these problems and expressed how much they believe in Stephens County.

The rural council will continue to tour the state, hearing from other communities and considering their suggestions and feedback.