Business View Magazine September 2018

234 235 ing through the state process to select a con- struction manager and hope to complete that process by the end of August or first of Septem- ber.We hope to secure major funding from the legislature, next winter. If we stay on schedule, we hope to have a groundbreaking about one year from now, and it will take two to three years to build, so it would open sometime in 2021, or 2022. “It will move us from 155th in size in the country to about 70th, and also put us in a different realm as far as being able to attract larger meetings and groups, which will com- plement the explosion in hotel rooms that we’re experiencing here in town. We have over a thousand hotels rooms in construction. We just had 500 additional rooms open in the last year, 1,000 rooms are under construc- tion and 1,000 rooms in the pipeline. By the time we have the expansion complete, we will have an additional 2,500 high-end hotel rooms in close proximity to the building. That will allow us to compete for the larger con- ventions.” Spinks agrees that the expansion will not only satisfy the Center’s traditional clients, but will also allow us to better compete with the large regional centers in other destina- www.southernelegancestaffing.com // 912-352-2288 Southern Elegance Staffing, Inc. is “At Your Service. We aspire to leading the hospitality indus- try by providing carefully selected and impeccably trained fine dining wait staff and beverage servers. Our exemplary staff members offer caterers, fine dining establishments and banquet facilities superb service, professional attire,respectful attitudes and warm southern hospitality. 5105 Paulsen Street Ste. C-235, Savannah, GA 31405 n Servers & Bartenders n Bar Backs n Wine Pourers n Promotional/Branding n Cashiers n Concessions n Food Prep n Kitchen Utility We take pride in these fields of service in the hospitality industry: environment inside and outside of the facility. To keep up with the demand for high speed internet the Center more than doubled the bandwidth of its circuit. So, visitors to the facility have access to that high speed internet via a world-class wireless network capable of handling such high densities. “And we’re adding charging stations for customers to charge their phones and laptops,” says Spinks. The Center is currently planning an expansion that, when complete, is expected to double the size of the facility. “Our business model supports our efforts and our customer base is demanding it,” says Smith. “We have over 50 customers who are asking for more room. So, we’re planning on doubling the size of the exhibit hall and adding a second ballroom, which would be a 40,000-sq.-ft. ballroom versus the 25,000-sq.-ft. ballroom that we have now.We’ll also be adding an additional 24,000 square feet of breakout meeting space and a 900-space parking garage.” “We have received $9.3 million in two separate appropriations from the state legislature to facil- itate the design of our expansion,” he continues. “And, since we are a state building, we are work- THE SAVANNAH INTERNATIONAL TRADE&CONVENTIONCENTER follow us on twitter like us on facebook watch us on youtube US Foods ® is one of America’s leading foodservice distributors. We offer national brands and high-quality private label items, from fresh meats and produce to prepared and frozen foods. Our 250,000 customers include independent and multi-unit restaurants, healthcare and hospitality entities, government and educational institutions. Discover more at www.usfoods.com. Proud Sponsor Of Savannah International Trade & Convention Center © 2016 US Foods, Inc. 12-2016 SPE-2016120702