International Dignitaries visit Athens
On March 20, 2014, 29 officials of the Atlanta Consular Corps
stopped in Athens as part of their 2014 International VIP Tour. The
Atlanta Consular Corps is an association of officials appointed by
foreign governments to represent their country in Georgia. Their
duties are to assist their nationals living and visiting the Southeast
and to promote economic, commercial, scientific, and cultural
relations between the country they represent and their host region.
The consular offices and/or trade representation from 70 nations
comprise the Atlanta Consular Corps. The International VIP Tour
exposes the guests to communities they may be unfamiliar with and
broadens their knowledge of what Georgia has to offer international
businesses.
The Athens-Clarke County Economic Development Department
coordinated with the University of Georgia to host this group’s visit.
Their first stop was to enjoy a sampling of coffee at Jittery Joe’s. Coowners, Michael Ripps and Bob Googe, welcomed the guests and
shared their personal stories of expanding this community coffee to
a nationally recognized brew. Master roaster, Charlie Mustard,
described the roasting process and allowed the group to experience
the olfactory journey the coffee beans venture through before their
final stop in your cup. The group participated in a taste test of three
different coffee blends. Votes were cast using a single coffee bean
per vote. The winning blend would become the Economic
Development Department’s new co-branded Jittery Joe’s Coffee
blend. The brew with the most beans was a blend of beans from
Columbia and Huehuetenango, Guatemala to be called AthenaInternational Blend.
Jittery Joe’s co-owners, Bob Googe and Michael Ripps welcome our
guests to the Roaster.
"It was wonderful to welcome the Consular Corps to Jittery Joe's,”
shares Ripps. “It was a great opportunity to show that Athens is a
terrific place to live and work. The fact that these ambassadors
participated in choosing the new EDD Athena blend was the
highlight, helping create another Athens product to share with
visitors from around the globe."
After a dinner hosted by UGA at the Special Collections Library which
included a welcome by Mayor Denson, remarks from UGA President
Morehead, Georgia Department of Economic Development
Commissioner Chris Carr, and Consul General Steve Brereton , the
group concluded their evening with the opportunity to experience
Athens’ infamous night life on the rooftop of the Georgia Theatre.
Famous locals including Georgia Theatre owner, Wilmont Greene;
artist and sculptor, Stan Mullins; ACC Commissioners, Mike Hamby,
Kathy Hoard, Jerry NeSmith, Jared Bailey, Kelly Girtz; ACC Assistant
Manager, Blaine Williams, shared their love for Athens and the
opportunities it presents.
“This has been a remarkable opportunity for Athens
to share its appeal to this distinguished group of
international leaders,” says Economic Development
Department Director, Ryan Moore.
“Our
department is proud to have been part of the VIP
Tour and continues to position Athens as a world
class destination for Foreign Direct Investment.”
Master Roaster, Charlie Mustard, shows the group the coffee roasting process.
The Atlanta Consular Corps had 28 different countries represented
during their 2014 VIP Tour.
To view more of the VIP Tour, join the
conversation on Twitter: #GAVIPTOUR
12 12
12
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT www.AthensBusiness.org 706-613-3233