Piedmont College's effect on local economy
by Matthew Jackson
Issue date: 2/8/10 Section: Features
What does the printer paper you use at the library to run copies of your homework have in common with many of the Piedmont College vehicles you see driving around campus?
Both items were more than likely bought locally by the college.
When Dr. Ray Cleere, president, came to Piedmont, some items were purchased by the school locally; but a lot of business was done in Atlanta and with other large firms outside the area. Now, after a push by Cleere and his administration, everything from business supplies to tires for Piedmont College cars are bought locally.
Cleere says the college now makes every effort to buy locally in Habersham, Athens and surrounding counties. This means companies such as Holcombs Office Supplies in Cornelia and numerous local car repair shops are where the college does business.
He says it is not always easier to deal with local merchants. Large businesses in Atlanta are often more efficient, but it is important to try to build those relationships and put the money back into the community.
This unwritten policy, to make the effort to buy locally, now contributes to the total economic impact the college has in the area. That impact, as of 2009, stands at approximately $68 million dollars a year, according to the Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges.
"It's a ripple effect," says Cleere. "The money we spend gets turned over in the community." What that means is that the college is putting money into the community that will stay and circulate in the local economic area. That figure is called value added and it currently stands at $36 million.
"It is an investment in our community," says Dr. Tom Bowen, vice president for administration and finance. He says the impact is not just the college's buying in the area, however. Bowen says the impact also involves the jobs Piedmont brings to the area and the student dollars brought to the area by the college. "If half the boarding student body were to decide to buy a hamburger before class, then you are talking sizable numbers," he says.
Both items were more than likely bought locally by the college.
When Dr. Ray Cleere, president, came to Piedmont, some items were purchased by the school locally; but a lot of business was done in Atlanta and with other large firms outside the area. Now, after a push by Cleere and his administration, everything from business supplies to tires for Piedmont College cars are bought locally.
Cleere says the college now makes every effort to buy locally in Habersham, Athens and surrounding counties. This means companies such as Holcombs Office Supplies in Cornelia and numerous local car repair shops are where the college does business.
He says it is not always easier to deal with local merchants. Large businesses in Atlanta are often more efficient, but it is important to try to build those relationships and put the money back into the community.
This unwritten policy, to make the effort to buy locally, now contributes to the total economic impact the college has in the area. That impact, as of 2009, stands at approximately $68 million dollars a year, according to the Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges.
"It's a ripple effect," says Cleere. "The money we spend gets turned over in the community." What that means is that the college is putting money into the community that will stay and circulate in the local economic area. That figure is called value added and it currently stands at $36 million.
"It is an investment in our community," says Dr. Tom Bowen, vice president for administration and finance. He says the impact is not just the college's buying in the area, however. Bowen says the impact also involves the jobs Piedmont brings to the area and the student dollars brought to the area by the college. "If half the boarding student body were to decide to buy a hamburger before class, then you are talking sizable numbers," he says.
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