Business View Civil Municipal - Sept 2023

59 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 9 FI TZGERALD, GEORGIA a statewide initiative to do the same thing. As Dunn explicates, both the local and state-level competitions culminate in a “Shark Tank”-style presentation. Participating young entrepreneurs can win up to $5,000 or even as much as $10,000 dollars to put into their business efforts. What kind of businesses does Fitzgerald want to attract to its downtown and commercial corridors? Mainly entrepreneurial endeavors, says Holt. “That works best in small communities like ours,” he says, “if you look at the history of Fitzgerald and some of the entrepreneurs that have made an impact on this community.” Holt cites such business leaders as Allen Conger, the president of Protein Plus, who also heads up the Allen and Carolyn Conger Foundation, a noted local philanthropic organization. Holt also brings up Gerald Pryor, who founded the Video Warehouse chain. Today Pryor, heads up Covered Wagon Trailer company in Fitzgerald, one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of enclosed cargo trailers.