On Tuesday Lt. Governor Casey Cagle visited Valdosta, touring Martin's Famous Pastry Shoppe and attending an event hosted by the South Georgia Businesses for Economic Development at the Valdosta Country Club, to promote economic development in Valdosta.

“We visited Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe today to basically let the president of the company know how much we appreciate his business’ location in South Georgia and what an important investment that he has made in Valdosta,” said Cagle. “Valdosta and the state of Georgia will continue to yield great dividends and the investment of industries here will help continue with the success of the state.”

“We are in constant communication with businesses and industries looking at locating in the Southern end of the state,” said Cagle in reference to future business that would be visited in Valdosta and other places in South Georgia in efforts to promote and continue economic development.

“Georgia is going to continue to grow although right now, we are experiencing a downturn, but we have too many great assets in the state not to continue success, and the University and Technical schools are an intricate part of Georgia’s success,” said Cagle.

While attending the SGBED reception with local business and community leaders as well as state and local elected officials, Cagle spoke to the group about the promotion of economic development and the promotion of jobs. Representatives Amy Carter and Ellis Black, Mayor John Fretti, and Commissioner Richard Lee were among the state and local officials present at the SGBED reception in support of Valdosta and South Georgia’s economic progression.

After receiving a pro-South Georgia business introduction from SGBED president Bill Acuff, Cagle discussed bringing more awareness of economic development through the rural parts of the state.

“Jobs are how people experience the American dream. We, Georgia, have success because we’ve made good investments and lead the nation in workforce development,” said Cagle. “But we are also losing a lot in economic development, we are not in the economic development game as much as we need to be when real money is on the table.”

Cagle spoke about making proper economic investments including transportation and education. “We need to get kids on a path of educational excellence, although all will not attend school, but they need to be afforded the opportunity,” said Cagle. “We want to change people’s lives not just for today but for generations to come, we want to put them on a great path.”

During a brief open floor session, Cagle entertained questions from various business leaders with concerns about the state of Georgia’s economy. Cagle discussed the potential for a new power plant in South Georgia that is currently in its due diligence stages as well as the exploration of new avenues for energy in efforts to no longer depend on foreign energy or fuel sources.

“We are an economy that does not see boundaries,” said Cagle.

“We have some very tough decisions to make in the anticipation of a $1.6 billion deficit. My hope and desire is to continue to make Georgia's economy more efficient and successful.”