Pumphrey included in Georgia 500 list | local news

Elevate Douglas is a public-private partnership that creates “one voice” for district economic development, connecting the City, District and Chamber.

According to Georgia Trend’s recognition of Pumphrey, “Chris Pumphrey recently spearheaded the assembly of a 160-acre site that will result in Douglas County’s first mixed-use development, including the county’s first film studio, 200,000 square feet of Class A offices, retail and restaurants as well as 460 residential units. According to Pumphrey, the goal is to improve the county’s competitive landscape and market Douglas County as a destination for business, shopping and living as part of its first strategic plan for community and economic development in nearly 20 years.”

GT also notes that Pumphrey “…led the recruitment of companies such as ResMed, Microsoft, and Bang Energy, and the expansion of Google and Southwire Co., resulting in nearly $5 billion in capital investments and 3,000 new jobs.”

Pumphrey and Elevate Douglas were also highlighted in a previous Georgia Trend, in which he said Douglas County has national recognition as a data center location and this has helped improve the community’s prospects.

Pumphrey pointed out in the March 2021 Georgia Trend article on Douglas County that while data centers may not employ as many in any given location, they have helped improve the community’s wage profile.

GreyStone President and CEO Gary Miller also topped the GT list in Energy and Utilities.

GreyStone was based in Douglas County for most of its history until moving to Paulding early last year. The company was incorporated in Douglasville in August 1936 as the Farmers Electrical Association and eventually became Douglas County Electric Membership Corporation and then GreyStone Power.

GreyStone powers more than 125,000 members in portions of eight counties west of Atlanta, including Douglas, Paulding, Cobb, Fulton, Coweta, Fayette, Carroll and Bartow.

The GT article notes that in addition to his role at GreyStone Power, Miller has served as co-chair of the recently announced $2.5 million Elevate Douglas campaign since 1999 and also serves on the Douglas County Hospital Board and Development Board of Douglas County operates.

He has been a Trustee for Wellstar Health System since 2001 and serves on the Finance, Compensation, Executive, Audit and Governance Committees. Prior to GreyStone, Miller worked at Jackson Electric Membership Corp. in Jefferson and at Amicalola EMC in Jasper.

Miller responded via email to a request for comment on the creation of the Georgia Trend List.

“Being selected for Georgia Trend’s Most Influential Leaders is an honor, and I see it as a reflection of the impact of our dedicated team working to provide affordable, reliable, and safe power to our members,” said Miller. “GreyStone Power’s achievements are driven by our mission to improve life in the communities we serve. The hard work and dedication of our employees and board of directors, combined with this mission, has been fundamental to GreyStone’s leadership in both the electric co-operative world and among Georgia’s electric utilities.”

The President of West Georgia Technical College, Dr. Julie Post, and University of West Georgia President Dr. Brendan Kelly, were on the trend list under education. Both WGTC and UWG have offices in Douglas County.

The searchable PDF version of the Georgia Trend issue can be accessed on the magazine’s website at www.georgiatrend.com.