Bobcats by the Sea: Georgia’s ports are driving economic growth with help from GCSU alumni

By Amanda Respess

G eorgia's ports are among the busiest in the world in both size and volume. The ports have a multi-billion-dollar economic impact, accounting for one out of every nine jobs in Georgia.

Behind the cargo containers in Savannah and Brunswick, specifically, Bobcat alumni are at the helm.

Savannah: A World Leader

The Port of Savannah is the largest single container terminal in the Western Hemisphere and one of the fastest-growing ports in the world, currently the third busiest in the U.S.

Across from the teeming main entrance to the Port of Savannah is the Savannah Logistics Group warehouse. Alumnus Gavin Holloway ('23) is an asset manager for SLG. Holloway majored in marketing with a minor in logistics from the J. Whitney Bunting College of Business & Technology, which prepared him to join the company as a recruiter just days after graduation.

"I took logistics classes at Georgia College, so I had a good foundation," Holloway said. "I was familiar with the terminology and core concepts, so diving into the driver recruiting role allowed me to really learn the industry."

Holloway quickly moved up within SLG, becoming fluent in the regulations that keep the freight industry moving.

"Now I oversee the 110-truck fleet," he said. "Our local team take the containers to the drop yard. Our regional drivers pick them up and run them anywhere in the southeast. When the drivers take the freight to those locations, they bring the empty back and return that container to the port. So, it starts with the port, and it ends with the port for us."

SLG is investing in AI technology to increase the company's efficiency for logging the essential details required by state and federal authorities. Holloway says AI-enabled devices installed in the SLG fleet lets the company track thousands of data points in real time while allowing the drivers to stay focused on safety.

Brunswick: Keep Rollin'

The Port of Brunswick is No. 1 in the nation for Ro/Ro - which is cargo speak for "roll on, roll off" inventory.

"Anything that has wheels goes through that port," said Ralph Staffins, III ('08), president and CEO of the Brunswick Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce.

With more than 20 major auto manufacturers relying on the port for imports and exports, the facility is managed by the Georgia Ports Authority. This is a departure from how ports operate in most states, where they are city-run and compete with each other.

"GPA decided that Savannah was where we needed to grow our container imports and exports, and Brunswick is where we should grow our roll on, roll off," Staffins explained.

With years of economic development experience in Georgia, Staffins has seen the steady growth of Georgia's ports system firsthand.

"The biggest example I can give is [Wallenius Wilhelmsen]," Staffins said. "They had a presence here, but they have grown tremendously because they consolidated all of their assets from Jacksonville, the Port of Jacksonville and the Port of Savannah."

The impact of this type of growth extends far beyond port-based job-creation.

"There certainly has been a ripple effect," said Staffins. "Our workforce development efforts aren't just around the jobs that are being created, they're around the ancillary jobs too. …. It's that many more EMS workers, firefighters, police officers, teachers and more."

As Georgia ports succeed, so does the quality of life for Georgia residents, he added, citing higher-paying jobs and more robust city services.

Staffins' career stands a testament to the level of impact one can make with a GCSU degree after graduation, and he hopes current students look to Georgia's coastal communities for job opportunities when it's their turn to walk the commencement stage.

"I think that business, public administration, those types of degrees are great for community and economic development professionals," Staffins said. "We are actively trying to work against the brain drain. We don't want young people to feel like they've got to go to Atlanta or Jacksonville, wherever the case may be, to find a good job."

Header Images: Gavin Holloway ('23) near a berth at the Port of Savannah where cargo is being unloaded and with trucks from the SLG fleet at the Savannah Logistics Group warehouse. (Photos: Anna Gay Leavitt)