TIFTON — The Georgia Chamber of Commerce celebrated the grand opening of its new Tifton office Monday.

“We think this office is a testament to the mission of the Georgia Chamber in partner with all our local chambers to bring growth and property to the rest of Georgia outside of Metro Atlanta,” said Bill Linginfelter, chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. “We wanted to make a strong statement about what it means to be a part of all Georgia.”

The Georgia Chamber started planning its new rural office—The Georgia Chamber Center for Rural Prosperity—a couple of years ago, according to Chris Clark, president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

“It became very clear that if we wanted to be successful, if we wanted to make a difference in Georgia, we needed to be in rural Georgia every day,” said Clark.

The chamber looked at multiple possible locations in Georgia, searching for a centrally located community that was also on I-75.

Those were two factors in Tifton’s favor, and Clark lists the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce as a third.

“When we first said we wanted an office, Brian [Marlowe, president and CEO of the TTCCC] was the first call I had,” said Clark. “He said ‘Hey man, we want you here.’”

“For them to say ‘We want you here’ makes a huge difference.”

There are a number of issues affecting rural Georgia communities Clark wants to see the new office and the state’s newly formed House Rural Development Council tackle: the opioid epidemic, rising poverty rates, racial issues, growing income inequality.

“There are racial issues in some communities that need to be addressed,” said Clark. “A growing income inequity in all of Georgia. The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, the middle class is nonexistent.”

The recruitment and retention of young Georgia residents is an issues as well.

“[If] we don’t have the young people staying here, the jobs won’t come,” said Clark. “Jobs follow talent.”

The HRDC will hold its first meeting in Tifton next week. The meeting will start 12:30—5 p.m. on May 22 at the Georgia Museum of Agriculture and then continue 8-11:30 a.m. May 23.

“Someone asked me the other day how committed we are,” said Clark, speaking before the ribbon cutting. “We bought a building and we’re moving in.”

The new office is located at 1001 Love Avenue.