Chamber Programs                                                                                     

           The chamber is currently working on a variety of large projects, the first of which is the revitalization of Ashburn's downtown. When driving through our downtown district, it is hard to overlook the structure of many of our buildings. Original ornate brick facades decorate our buildings. Many of the original names of the buildings remain in place. However, due to different styles of different developers, our downtown has become slightly jumbled and in need of repair. Aware of this need, the chamber has applied for a grant and is currently raising money to unify our downtown�s appearance. A group of engineers from UGA is putting together a packet to show us what an unified downtown design would look like. We are currently working with shop owners to make this dream a reality. Included in this design would be new sidewalks and antique street lamps. We are very excited about this project and strongly believe that our historic homes and buildings play an important role in Turner County�s future. We have chosen the revitalization of our Old Jail as our second project. Our jail, which is listed on the National Historic Registry, was once referred to by its inmates as �Castle Turner�. We hope to once again capture that spirit. �Castle Turner� is the future home of Turner County�s Crime and Punishment Museum. Stories and artifacts are already being collected, not only from Turner County, but also from all of South Georgia. One of the most fascinating stories we have recorded is of a hanging that took place in Turner County. Reenactments will be done of the afternoon of the hanging. The paper quoted citizens as saying that they hoped "the likes may never occur in Turner County again". The Chamber also has many other programs such as a ten week Leadership Training Course which is designed to make our citizens more aware and conscientious of what is happening in their community. These are just a few of the steps that we are taking to insure that Turner County continues to grow.

Board of Directors                                                                                                We are very fortunate to have a slate of officers and directors that are actively involved with not only our chamber, but with economic development as well. Our executive committee treats its position as a full time job. Devoted to making Turner County and its businesses successful, our executive committee is instrumental in the relationship our chamber has with new and existing industries.


Shelley Zorn, President
and Economic Developer