SLW - Thirteen students from three counties joined representatives from the Sumter Development Authority, South Georgia Technical College, the state of Georgia, the Department of Community Affairs, and the city of Americus during today's Flint Energies EMPOWER Youth Leadership program.

The event successfully brought together junior and senior students to explore the government and business world in Sumter County. Various organizations and industry hosts interacted with the students through talks, visuals, a walking tour of Americus projects, and lunch.

The tour concluded at Caravelle/Recreation Unlimited, which graciously opened its business for a personal tour by Austin Cors. Austin says the company can produce 2-3 recreation vehicles daily. The group witnessed the patented technology used to assemble recreation vehicles. One of the RVs was solar-powered. The students were particularly interested in learning more about Sumter County's future plans for solar power everything.

According to Flint Energies Community Connections Specialist Natalie Bradley, "This is really to give the students a better understanding of economic development, tourism marketing, and all of the behind-the-scenes work that it takes to make a city and community successful, create jobs, and quality of life."

All the Flint Energies event hosts interacted with the thirteen future regional entrepreneurs, future retail owners, and many other possible careers; everyone was in awe regarding student communication skills. In a mini-survey conducted during lunch, students shared their career aspirations, which included becoming an athletic director/lawyer/politician (one person), a finance leader, a nurse/or a radiologist. When Natalie Bradley from Flint Energies asked about what was learned from the day, students thought Americus was "bigger" than they imagined with so many businesses they never knew about and that they now understand businesses "create proceeds to the community."