Business View Civil and Municipal | April/May 2022

75 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 3 STATESBORO, GEORGI A University shares his thoughts on the valuable relationship between Statesboro and the University, noting: “Statesboro is indeed a special place... because of the people and community leaders like Mayor McCollar and Benjy Thompson. “From the perspectives of economic development and quality-of-life, the relationship between Statesboro and Georgia Southern University is interdependent – we simply cannot thrive without each other. As one of the county’s largest employers, we treasure our relationship with Statesboro and work diligently to build up the communities we serve and operate. Whether through the research we do, which is focused on public impact or through the cultural and educational opportunities we provide – all of which I believe contribute to the area’s ability to attract as well as retain residents and businesses. We are truly committed to needed to ensure that individuals living around there have free internet access.” Looking ahead three to five years, Mayor McCollar wants to identify downtown’s destination location and begin construction, so the project can be brought to fruition. Thompson adds, “People are recognizing Statesboro as a great place to live and raise children. The Savannah metropolitan area continues to expand in this direction. We must prepare for that. We’ve been a rural community for a long time, which allowed us to make deliberative decisions. But that’s starting to change. It’s a great position to be in as a community because we don’t have to beg, borrow, or steal. Statesboro is already doing great things, so we just need to prepare for the future.” Thriving through partnership Dr. Kyle Marrero, President of Georgia Southern Photo Courtesy of Statesboro Convention Visitors Bureau