horizons april 2014

HorizonsA publication of the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce

April 2014

Prestige Members

Northside Hospital-Forsyth Premier Corporate Sponsor

Taubman

Forsyth County Government

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Inspiring Smiles

Alpharetta Children’s Dentistry

Kaiser Permanente

jTech NetworksThe City of Cumming

Georgia PowerDeKalb Office

Smithfield Farmland

Michael Williams

Lou Sobh Honda

N ext month presents the business community with an important opportunity— the annual

State of the County Lunch on May 1, 2014 at 11:30 a.m., located in the Forsyth Conference Center. This event is a great networking opportunity with the business and civic leadership of Forsyth County. The Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce and the Council for Quality Growth jointly host the luncheon, sponsored by Northside Hospital-Forsyth and other supporting sponsors. Featured speakers include Forsyth County School Board Chair, Darla Light and Forsyth County Board of Commissioners Chairman R.J. (Pete) Amos. Given both the challenges and opportunities facing Forsyth County, this event is important for everyone in the community.

“I certainly look forward to having the opportunity to provide an update at this year’s event on the many projects and initiatives taking place within our county,” Amos said. “As a community, there are so many reasons Forsyth County is a great place to call home. I am honored to have the chance to speak about some of those reasons and to share an update on the state of our county.”

“The State of the County luncheon is an event that we look forward to annually. So many things change in a year, especially in public education. Forsyth

County Schools has an excellent working relationship with the Forsyth County government, and appreciate the Chamber of Commerce organizing an event for citizens and business members to attend to receive an annual review of accomplishments and future plans,” stated Light.

Guests must register to attend. Tickets are $45 for Chamber Members and $65 for Non-Members. Please visit www.cummingforsythchamber.org early to reserve your seat for this historically sold out event!

Light, Amos to Speak atState of the County Luncheon

2 HORIZONS April 2014

Member Spotlight

HORIZONS April 2014 3

Partners in Education

Automation Direct Receives Don Hendricks AwardT h e D o n H e n d r i c k s

Partnership Award is the highest honor that a Partner in Education can receive. The Hendricks family established this award in 2002 after the passing of Don Hendricks, a longtime member o f t he Boa rd o f Education. The recipient of this award is one who best exemplifies the mission of the Partners in E d u c a t i o n p r o g r a m a n d demonstrates loyalty to the school

system and the community.The recipient of the 2014 Don

Hendricks Partnership Award is Automation Direct! Their core values drive not only the success of their business but a lso encourage their employees to participate in community service opportunities. They have donated thousands of dollars to schools’ national award winning robotics programs and have provided countless man hours to assist the

school teams and at local competitions. Automation Direct has been an integral part of establishing and growing the state award winning STEM Academy at Forsyth Central High, and have worked tirelessly on the county’s Wo r k f o r c e D e v e l o p m e n t curriculum. Lastly, they also support the district’s Special Olympics and have donated hundreds of iPads to special needs students.

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In-Depth

Tax Changes Ahead for 2014

By: Becky Brown, OwnerNorth Georgia Acccounting Consultants

A re you aware of the tax changes for 2014? There are quite a few changes coming in 2014

and most of them are not in your favor. In this article I will hit some of the highlights for individuals as well as businesses.

For Individuals:Underwater homeowners will be hit hard. The

Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2007, offered an exception to the rule that forgiven debt would be treated as taxable income. If at the result of a short sale or foreclosure on a primary residence the forgiven debt would not be taxable. Now, as of January 1, 2014, that debt will be reportable as taxable income.

The Tuition and Fees deduction which was an ‘above the line deduction’ has expired. However, the Lifetime Earning Credit and the American Opportunity Credit are both still available. The Lifetime Earning Credit has a maximum of $2,000 and the American Opportunity Credit has a maximum of $2,500.

Qualified Education Expense Credit is a credit for a contribution made to a school of choice. The contribution must be pre-approved by the state by the end of the calendar year. The contribution limits are $2,500 for individuals, six percent of Georgia taxable income for LLC’s, S-Corps and P’ships and 75 percent of Georgia tax liability for C-corps.

Forms IT-QEE-SS01 and IT-QEE-TP2 need to be attached to your return to claim credit. The only stipulation is that the contribution must not designate a particular individual.

The Energy-efficient Home Improvement Tax credits for the installation of qualified insulation, windows, doors and roofs as well as certain water heaters and heating and air conditioning systems are no longer available as of December 31, 2013. However, the credit for solar hot water heaters, solar electric equipment and wind turbines are still in effect.

The Gift Tax Annual Exclusion remains at $14,000 for 2014. This means that you can gift up to $14,000 per year to an individual without having to report it on a Form 709 Gift Tax Return. However, there is now a lifetime exclusion in the amount of 5.34 million. So it will be very unlikely that you will have to pay Gift Tax but do not forget to report it!

For Business Owners:The maximum Section 179 deduction has dropped

from $500,000 to $25,000. No, that’s not a typo! Bonus depreciation is no more – you can no longer take 50 percent or 100 percent of assets purchased in the first year unless qualifying section 179 property.

The bottom line is with all the tax changes (and this is just a few of them) staying informed is the best way to plan and make the most beneficial decisions for you and your business. If you would like more information on any of these tax matters, please contact me at North Georgia Accounting Consultants, Inc. (770) 888-7700 or via e-mail at [email protected].


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Month in Review

Representatives from Event Supporting Sponsor, the Norton Agency, show off their informative booth.

The 2014 Business Showcase

Marie’s Italian Deli served up delicious cuisine from their menu.

Kelly Sloan shares information from Georgia United Credit Union with event guests.

2014 Business Showcase


Month in Review

L to R: Evelynn Eller, Betsy Wynkoop and Lea Anne Edwards L to R: Greg Singh and Eric Caldwell

Harry Priddle gave hotel room tours to guests. L to R: Doug Clayton, Greg Bump and Scott Morrison

Business After Hours hosted by


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Economic Development

Industrial SectorManufactures Strong Economy

SBSC

A ccording to the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce’s five-year economic

development plan, Forsyth County’s homeowners on average pay $1,441.00 in property taxes and use $2,904.00 of services. This creates an average gap of approximately $1,463.00.

In January of 2014 the Chamber of Commerce announced plans to address this issue by growing the commercial segment of Forsyth County’s tax digest from its current level of 20 percent to 25 percent over the next five years. By doing so, the community will gain $870 million in new capital investment. The plan, which is entitled “Business First,” places a specific focus upon attracting manufacturing companies to our community.

Many experts report that the United States is beginning to see a renaissance in manufacturing. According to the IMF’s February 2014 Working Paper entitled The US Manufacturing Recover: Uptick or Renaissance the nation’s resurgence in manufacturing is attributable to several factors, including:

• A reduction in domestic energy prices• A decrease in the relative price of labor in the US• Stabilization in China’s share in global

manufacturingForsyth County remains at the forefront of this

resurgence. According to a recent report published by The Nielsen Company’s claritas database, Forsyth County is home to more than 350 manufacturing companies. The community’s manufacturing sector was built upon the strength of such food processing giants as Tyson and Smithfield. However, since the dawn of the new millennium the community has

emerged as a hub for advanced manufacturing. Advanced manufacturers are unique because they use highly developed forms of technology to create, assemble and distribute products.

In 2013, the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce created The Manufacturing Society of Forsyth County to address the needs of the community’s manufacturers.

“The Manufacturing Society provides our community’s manufacturers with a forum to learn from one another, and to communicate the value of our industry to our community’s youth,” stated Bruce Hagenau, the President of metal fabricator, Metcam Inc. and the chair of the Manufacturing Society of Forsyth County.

In February of 2014 the organization partnered with Next Generation Manufacturing to celebrate the expansion of lottery ticket manufacturer, Scientific Games. The celebration entailed a tour of the company’s new Alpha P-7 printing technology. The technology is projected to attract several million dollars in new capital investment, as well as 40 new jobs.

Recently members of the Manufacturing Society partnered with Forsyth County Schools to create The Pipeline for Workforce Development – a new initiative that will provide the community’s students with the opportunity to take part in extensive corporate internships in such manufacturing-oriented fields as science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

For more information about the Manufacturing Society of Forsyth County, or the Business First Campaign contact the Chamber at 770-887-6461.

AwardingOutstanding Businesses

The Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce will hold its annual Business Awards Breakfast, presented by BB&T, on Wednesday, April 30, 2014. The Awards program will be held at the Forsyth Conference Center located at 3410 Ronald Reagan Blvd. Cumming, GA 30041 from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

The Awards program offers well-deserved recognition to local businesses for their achievements and contributions to the community by providing an opportunity to showcase their company, share their story and be rewarded for their efforts.

The Chamber will be joined by keynote speaker Jackie Martin. Jackie is a facilitator, speaker and trainer for companies and organizations across the country. She provides customized training and presentations designed to inspire individuals to realize their full potential. In addition, she is a certified trainer and coach for the John Maxwell Group.

The 2014 Business Awards Breakfast costs $15.00 for Chamber members and $30.00 for non-chamber members. To register visit www.cummingforsythchamber.org or call the Chamber office at 770-887-6461. In addition, the Chamber would like to thank all of our sponsors, BB&T, Georgia Power and JTECH Networks for making this event possible.

For questions about this event please contact Jason Mock at 770-887-6461 or via e-mail at [email protected].


T he beautiful Georgia Model Aviators Airfield on the historic

Old Federal Road in Forsyth County will once again be the site of the annual SAE Aero Design competition, April 11-13th of this year.

This is an aircraft research, design, build, presentation and successful f l i g h t c o m p e t i t i o n b e t w e e n i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o l l e g i a t e teams. Sponsored by Lockheed Martin and in its 28th year, SAE Aero Design East 2014 will consist of 75 University teams of aeronautics and engineering students from the USA, Canada, Brazil, Poland, Mexico, Bangladesh, India and Egypt.

The compe t i t i on cha l l enges engineering students to conceive, design, fabricate and present a radio controlled aircraft that can take off and land while carrying the maximum weight cargo. The SAE Aero Design competition has been designed to provide exposure to the kinds of situations that engineers face in their real-life work environment. The students follow a design process much like what is used across the engineering industry.

The GMA Airfield is the primary practice airspace of the Georgia T e c h t e a m s o f competitors. Georgia Tech looks to grab first

place for the third straight year and they are registered to compete in all three classes. The annual Aero Design competition is actually a sophisticated hiring fair. Several graduating students will possibly be hired as a result of the competition for a career with Lockheed Martin and Gulfstream, just to name a few. Join the Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce in welcoming Lockheed Mart in and a l l the competitors to our community! For more information please visit http://gmarc.com.

TourismHCA

New 10K Run in 2014

Aero DesignEast 2014

April 11-13By: David Roberts

T he 2014 Boulder Dash will mark the fifth year the Healthcare

Association of Forsyth County has held this race. Over the last four years the Boulder Dash has had more than 6,000 participants and has donated more than $30,000 to the Forsyth County Parks Foundation.

This year’s race will make history with the addition of a 10k option for runners. This year’s course will once again start at Northside Hospital-Forsyth and wind its way through the working quarry at Bluegrass Materials Company and finish at the Bluegrass Spring Fling.

Adding the 10k to this year’s race will attract runners from all over north Georgia and the metro Atlanta area to run in one of the most unique courses anywhere in the region. The Boulder Dash is one of only two races run in a working, hard-rock quarry in the nation.

To r eg i s t e r a n d g e t m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n v i s i t w w w .RunBoulderDash.com

Top left: Students from Escola de Eng de Sao Carlos Brazil discuss plans for their next flight.Above: West Point cadet carrying an entry.

Warsaw University of Technology aeronautics students ensure a wing is proper for another strong flight.


Thank You toOur Celebration

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Member News

I t all began 25 years ago when Dr. George MacMaster (aka “Dr. Mac”) opened a pediatric

dental office with one overall goal – a positive dental experience for all children. This same philosophy of care is still seen today at all four Alpharetta Children’s Dentistry & Orthodontics offices – now with offices l oca t ed i n A lpha re t t a , Johns Creek and Cumming. April marks the 25th year anniversary of the practice, where cozy armchairs, coffee and cappuccino bars, friendly smiles and positive experiences for both children and parents have

remained the same over the years. Today, the pediatric dentists and orthodontist at

Alpharetta Children’s Dentistry & Orthodontics share the same common core philosophy: positive pediatric dental experiences are critical, and, for virtually every child, a positive experience is achievable. The assistants work patiently to make sure the children are physically and emotionally comfortable… then, and only then, does the dentistry happen. That’s how serious the practice is about the philosophy of care.

Each having their own unique approach – whether

calming a child by blowing bubbles, or sharing stories, or even challenging them to a game of Ms. Pacman before their appointment – the dentists, hygienists and assistants go above and beyond their education and abilities to offer a more thoughtful and insightful approach to dentistry for each and every child.

Give us a call at 770-664-4936, or check out www.alpharettachildrensdentistry.com/appointments to schedule an appointment.

Big Smiles and Big

Cheers...to 25 Years!

B IS Benefits has been named to t h e To p Te n H e a l t h i e s t

Employers list of the Atlanta Business Chronicle. “Any company of any size can enjoy a well-designed wellness program,” said Jack Bruce, the chief operating officer. “We’re happy to show anyone how.” Bruce credits the firm’s wellness coordinator, Marla Mohr, with implementing the firm’s Quarterly Wellness Challenge.

This locally-owned employee benefits brokerage and consulting firm hosts “Lunch & Learns” for employees to learn about nutrition, coping with

stress, and other health topics. Break room snacks offer healthier choices; reimbursements for gym memberships and exercise classes are available; and employees are equipped to fight the spread of germs through participation in Kimberly Clark’s program, The Healthy Workplace Project.

“Marla has helped transform the culture at BIS,” said Bruce. “With the wellness challenge, we’ve made our healthy, active approach a business strategy – and our people have embraced wellness as a lifestyle.”

BIS Benefits - Top Ten Healthiest Employers

Comcast Business Launches Innovations 4 Entrepreneurs Contest

C omcast Business, with Inc. M a g a z i n e i s h o l d i n g a n

“Innovations 4 Entrepreneurs” Contest aimed at entrepreneurs that are resourcefully leveraging technology to enhance customer and employee experiences. The Contest entry period is until April 30, 2014 and is open to business owners at least 18 years of age or older that are located within the Comcast Business service area and own an independent, non-franchised business

with 50 employees or less. Based on an essay submission, entries will be judged and two winners will be selected in each of the 16 Comcast Business Regions. Each winner will be awarded a prize package worth a total approximate value of $15,000. Winners will then be eligible for the grand prize, worth up to $40,000. Entrepreneurs are encouraged to visit business.comcast.com/i4E to submit their application and essay.


Upcoming Events

• Please visit our Event’s Calendar atwww.cummingforsythchamber.org to see a full list of events, more information and registration.

Key to the events

Member Power Networking Lunch — Meets every Tuesday at noon at a different location and includes casual networking for 20-35 other business professionals.Business After Hours — Meets the second Tuesday of every month from 5-7 p.m. at a different host location every month. The purpose is networking and to experience new businesses in the community.Women Who Mean Business — Meets the first Tuesday of every month at 7:30 a.m. This is a specialized networking group of over 50 female business professionals. Join them for breakfast.

April 1Women Who Mean Business7:30 a.m., Panera Bread

April 1Member Power Networking LunchNoon, Good Grub Subs

April 8Member Power Networking LunchNoon, Mia Ristorante Italiano

April 10Business After Hours5:00 p.m., Hampton Inn Cumming

April 15Member Power Networking LunchNoon, Rick Tanner’s Bar and Grille

April 22Member Power Networking LunchNoon, Jim ‘N Nick’s BBQ

April 25Real Estate Roundtable11:00 a.m., Community & Southern Bank

April 265th Annual Boulder Dash 5k/10k and Spring Fling9:00 a.m., Northside Hospital-Forsyth

April 29Member Power Networking LunchNoon, Silk Road Asian Kitchen

April 302014 Business Awards Breakfast7:30 a.m., Forsyth Conference Center

May 1State of the Community Address11:30 a.m., Forsyth Conference Center


James McCoyPresident & CEO

Randall ToussaintVice President of Economic Development

Alex GirrbachDirector of Operations

Laura StewartDirector of Communications & Events

Jason MockDirector of Small Business Services

Anna BarlowDirector of Tourism Development

Jimmy LaneDirector of Membership Services

Jeff TweedMembership Services Executive

Maggie Schmitz, Sherri KlugAdministrative Assistants

2013 Officers Board of Directors

Nelish PatelHampton Inn

Bruce LongmoreLenny’s Sub Shop

Lynn JacksonNorthside Hospital-Forsyth

Shawn LaFaveNorth Georgia Promotions

Tracy MoonFisher & Phillips LLP

Jeff PruittForsyth Conference Center

Royce OwensMimms Enterprises

Bruce HagenauMetcam

John RasperDekalb Office Bob RussellRussell Landscape

Terry SmithA.C. Smith Poultry Co.

Connie SandersWells Fargo

Bert DurandUnited Community Bank

Ethan UnderwoodLipscomb, Johnson, Sleister, Dailey, & Smith LLP

Pete AmosChairman, Forsyth CountyBoard of Commissioners

Paul ChambersAT&T

Bill CuppAGL Resources

Darla LightChair, Forsyth County Board of Education

Dr. Buster EvansSuperintendent,Forsyth County Schools

Jay RyerseJtech Networks, LLC

Mark BondHayes, James & Associates, Inc.

H. Ford GravittMayor, City of Cumming

Blake HouseSawnee EMC

Jon McDanielForsyth County Public Library

Mary Helen McGruderSawnee Mountain Foundation

Doug DerrerForsyth County Manager

Hon. Phil SmithState Court Judge

David SeagoChair, Forsyth County Development Authority

Dr. Joanne TollesonLanier Technical College

Jen BrunoHansgrohe

Chris StockhoffAnchor Home Mortgage

Walter SearsAlpharetta Children’s Dentistry

Charles BanksPNC Bank

Daniel ShafferSnap Technology, Inc

Derek BrooksBrandywine Printing

Pam BowmanPB Consulting Services

Mike WathenKaiser Permanente

Thom SmithBB&T

Matt McClureBank of North Georgia

Carter BarrettCommunity Business Bank

Kevin GarmonBannister Creek, LLC

Drew WalkerAlliance National Bank

Rep. Mark Hamilton

Rep. Mike Dudgeon

Sen. Jack Murphy

Sen. Steve Gooch

Rep. Geoff Duncan

Rep. Kevin Tanner

Rep. Sam Moore

Ann-Margaret Johnston, Chair,Johnston & Associates

Linda Cole, Past-ChairCHOA

John Hall, First Chair-Elect,Forsyth County News

Fran Forehand, Second Chair-Elect,GA Power

Chris Ethridge, Secretary/TreasurerFrazier & Deeter, LLC

Ex-Officio Chamber Staff

Horizons

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