The Greater Vidalia® Chamber and the Toombs County Development Authority are pleased to announce Mandy Britt will be joining our team as Director of Entrepreneur Development for the Greater Vidalia® Regional Center for Rural Entrepreneurship. Mandy’s educational qualifications include a Master of Public Administration degree which included courses in environmental policy, performance analysis, public sector planning, quantitative research methods, grant writing, and human resource management, among others. Mandy was employed with the Heart of Georgia Altamaha Regional Commission for the past five years. Her roles as Regional Planner and then Planning Director allowed her to develop relationships among key representatives in a 17-county region which includes the Toombs-Montgomery area. Mandy specialized in project management such as comprehensive plans, downtown master plans, and applications for Rural Zone designation – including the recent City of Vidalia’s successful Rural Zone designation. Her endeavors required community involvement, implementation of effective public outreach methods, and meeting coordination and facilitation. She has a well-established understanding of rural Southeast Georgia and its economic development needs. Her experience in small businesses involved planning, compliance, project and document management, financial reporting, marketing, and more.
When accepting the position of Director of Entrepreneur Development, Mandy stated, “I have a sincere passion and mission for growing rural, Southeast Georgia in a sustainable manner. Healthy and consistent business development is key to growing a vibrant local economy, and I am ready to assist in making realities of local entrepreneurial visions. As a native of Vidalia, Georgia, it is an honor to serve the region and community where I grew up and now live.”
Mandy will assume her new role on January 2, 2024. During the estimated six-month period to complete construction on the Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, she will spend time benchmarking regional incubation and innovation centers, developing training programs, implementing a mentoring network, developing management systems for entrepreneurial tenants, and developing a marketing plan for public outreach. The Greater Vidalia® Chamber and the Toombs County Development Authority expect to take occupancy in the Greater Vidalia® Regional Center for Rural Entrepreneurship in June of 2024.
