For over 400 years, chambers of commerce around the world have been champions of free enterprise, job creation and community response. In unsteady economic times throughout history, chambers have organized the troops, raised funds for war efforts, coordinated disaster response, been the voice of progress during civil unrest, lobbied for economic relief measures and have served so many other local and regional business purposes.

Personally, I’m not surprised by Georgia businesses’ incredible acts of generosity and innovative responses to the coronavirus crisis. This might be Business’ finest hour. In Albany alone, Georgia’s COVID-19 epicenter, I’m seeing scores of businesses and volunteers working to stand up new healthcare capabilities, sourcing PPE, feeding people and relentlessly fighting this pandemic.

“It’s hard to recover from a bad past. History colors the present.”

How companies respond during the current Coronavirus pandemic will impact the way they are viewed by employees, customers and the community. That is the reminder that the leaders of goBeyondProfit want to remind Georgia companies as they try to navigate their companies through the rocky seas of COVID-19 pandemic.

ATLANTA, Mar. 30, 2020 – Today goBeyondProfit released its second annual Corporate Generosity Research Report which unveils a consistent mindset as Georgia entered the COVID-19 upheaval and provides insights to guide business leaders’ decision-making.

We are here to help – partnering with goBeyondProfit to provide resources you need as well as visibility employees and customers will see and value. As a member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, we are making goBeyondProfit benefits immediately available to you at no-cost.   

Creature Comforts Brewing Company CEO Chris Herron and his staff were presented with the goBeyondProfit Champion Award Feb.11 thanks in part to one of the initiatives they brought to Decatur.

Athens-based Creature Comforts Brewing Co. received an award this week for its efforts to give back to the community. The brewery won the Champion Award from goBeyondProfit, an alliance of Georgia business leaders that promotes local engagement.

Find businesses across Georgia who pledge to go-beyond-profit. From sole proprietors to Fortune 500, see the impressive list of those working to strengthen business and community. 

Today Gas South was named the inaugural winner of the goBeyondProfit Champion Award.  This honor is given to companies who exhibit exemplary efforts to benefit their community and company by cultivating company culture, deploying company resources and focusing on community empowerment.  Gas South was nominated for exhibiting decisive leadership and clear strategy to implement its purpose, “Be a Fuel for Good.” 

October 2019 – The Atlanta Business Chronicle announces Kevin Greiner, president and CEO of Gas South, received the inaugural goBeyondProfit Champion Award on Oct. 8.  She also flags the upcoming CEO Forum with Paul Bowers, CEO of Georgia Power plus Jenny Levison, Jerome Russell, Jill Campbell and Shane Jackson.

July 2019 – Maria Saporta highlights that we’ve surpassed 500 members and shares insights from our research report.

July 2019 – Georgia Trend spreads the word of our Champion Awards in its Latest Trends Blog.

April 2019 — Op-ed by Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus cites that American businesses are giving and doing more than ever before, like the hundreds of companies that have pledged bonuses, raises, new or expanded benefits, or price reductions since December 2018, when Congress retooled the federal tax code for the first time in 30 years. Read the full

April 2019 — Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus writes that new goBeyondProfit research suggests the public thinks business can—and should—be doing more.

April 2019 – Maria Saporta highlights that we’ve surpassed 500 members and shares insights from our research report.

June 2018 – Member Chuck Brown shares how Summer is the time of year when much of the office staff is away as families go on vacation and kids are out of school. But more and more companies are also giving employees additional time off to contribute to others in the community, or give back, so they have a purpose of more than just earning a profit.

April 2018 – The Atlanta Business Chronicle covers gBP’s 200-member milestone.  “An initiative aimed at getting businesses leaders to give back to their communities, goBeyondProfit, reached a 200-pledge milestone.”

April 2018 — More than 200 Georgia companies have pledged to contribute resources to help meet community needs through the recently formed initiative, goBeyondProfit. For one Roswell company, their gift is helping to maintain Arlington National Cemetery.

January 2018 – Gary Reedy highlights the annual outpouring of charitable donations from individuals and corporations nationwide during the 2016 holiday season totaled more than $390 billion.  He cites gBP launch and encourages participation.

December 2017 — The Atlanta Business Chronicle announces: “A new initiative by civic-minded business leaders is being launched Dec. 1 as a way to make corporate generosity more visible and encourage other companies to give back to communities.”

December 2017 — Eric Tanenblatt highlights the post-Thanksgiving “Global Day of Giving” highlighting how “Jackson Healthcare CEO Rick Jackson launched a first-of-its-kind philanthropic initiative to extol and encourage corporate generosity by encouraging local companies to take the “goBeyondProfit” pledge to invest in creative ways of giving back to the communities in which they do business.”