Development authority presented Silver Award for Project Synergy

The Houston County Development Authority met Wednesday for its regular monthly meeting, and Executive Director Angie Gheesling shared with those in attendance that the authority was awarded the 2020 International Economic Development Council Silver Award. Gheesling shared they received the award for their efforts through partnerships with educational institutions in recognition of Project Synergy.

Earlier this year in March, the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex (WR-ALC) at Robins Air Force Base, announced that they would be moving about 150 members of the 402nd Software Engineering Group, particularly the 580th Software Engineering Squadron, into a new software engineering, 9,000-square-foot lab space facility. The project is a partnership among WR-ALC, the Houston County Board of Commissioners, the Houston County Development Authority and Houston County Board of Education.

They will perform mission planning and operational flight programs for Air Force Special Operations Command aircraft, primarily fixed wing C-130 workloads. Additional workloads from other squadrons will be geared toward cloud-based applications. There are also as many as 250 new jobs planned for the future software operations. Team Robins employees will work with the Houston County Career Academy as a part of an educational partnership with the Houston County Board of Education.

At the announcement of Project Synergy back in March, Chief Operating Officer of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Bert Brantley stated that Houston County is leading the way in creating the pipeline of workforce development. “You guys are putting into action in much bigger ways than others across the state. On behalf of Governor Brian Kemp and Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan, we thank you all.”

The week after the announcement of Project Synergy on March 5, 2020, operations in renovating the facility were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gheesling said Wednesday that it’s starting to pick back up again and that it’s looking great.

“We are so grateful to receive this award, and we want to truly express our appreciation to all who were/are involved,” Gheesling said. “This project will not only benefit Robins Air Force Base, but our community as a whole and even our region. And so really, this award is not just for us, it’s for all who have partnered with us in this.”

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