On the Road Again

Each fall, a group of University of Georgia PROPEL Rural Scholars travels to participating PROPEL communities to meet with local leaders and see first-hand the program’s impact in rural Georgia. This year’s trip included stops in Crisp and Pulaski counties.

PROPEL, or Planning Rural Opportunities for Prosperity and Economic Leadership, is a nationally recognized program that supports rural communities’ economic and community development through expert coaching and connection to resources. Working with UGA faculty, staff and students, key stakeholders identify and execute a long-term vision for their community’s economic future. The UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government, a unit of UGA Public Service and Outreach, leads the program.

Hawkinsville-Pulaski County Economic Development Director Jamie McDonald led the PROPEL Rural Scholars on a walking tour of downtown Hawkinsville. The tour focused on economic development and featured meetings with local business owners, discussions about community branding, and examples of downtown revitalization projects. Pulaski County was one of the first PROPEL communities in 2022, but the community has partnered with the University of Georgia for years. Hawkinsville is a UGA Archway Community and has also engaged the UGA Institute of Government for both community branding in 2019 and the Renaissance Strategic Visioning and Planning Process (RSVP) for downtown Hawkinsville in 2021. The community’s distinctive logo, featuring the cupola of the historic Pulaski County Courthouse, can be seen all over Hawkinsville, including on street banners.

Marvair Director of Quality Gerry Nipper leads a tour for PROPEL Rural Scholars at the company’s facility in Cordele. Marvair manufactures HVAC units designed for telecommunications buildings, schools, commercial structures and more. The scholars learned about rural communities’ industries and opportunities by visiting manufacturing plants in Crisp and Pulaski Counties as part of their fall trip.

PROPEL Rural Scholars talk to restaurant owner Amy Bryant, right, at Heritage in downtown Hawkinsville. Bryant and her husband, Chris, opened the farm-to-table restaurant last year in the Fair Building, a restored downtown building that also houses loft apartments. The building, owned and restored by Ken Clark, received the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2025 Excellence in Rehabilitation award. As part of the 2021 Hawkinsville RSVP strategic visioning process, cleaning up vacant buildings and storefronts was identified as the most critical issue facing downtown Hawkinsville.

Plant operator Jamie Still, left, shares a laugh with PROPEL Rural Scholars Amiyah Elam and Jacob Harper during a tour of the Crisp County Power Dam on Lake Blackshear. “What stood out to me most was the genuine happiness each person found in their work,” Elam said. “Whether it was Monica [Simmons] from the Chamber of Commerce or Jamie from Crisp Electric, the joy and pride they shared in describing their day-to-day roles were inspiring. They showed us that successful community development requires not only diverse industries, but also passionate people who love what they do.”

Railhouse Tavern owner Adam White, left, talks to the PROPEL Rural Scholars about his experiences as a downtown Cordele business owner. White uses interstate billboards and search engine optimization to attract customers passing through the county. The students visited several local businesses in both Cordele and Hawkinsville to learn about economic development efforts.

Crisp County Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent Jack Quayle, left, speaks with PROPEL Rural Scholars about Georgia’s peanut industry. In a state where agriculture is big business, Georgia farmers produced half of the United States’ peanuts last year. Quayle showed the students how peanuts are washed and sorted after harvest, giving students a hands-on look at the process.

Ricky Fultz, right, talks to the PROPEL Rural Scholars about peanut farming at Crenshaw Farms in Crisp County. Fultz had just finished harvesting peanuts for the day before speaking to the students about his work.

PROPEL Rural Scholars visit Veterans Memorial Park in Hawkinsville with Hawkinsville-Pulaski County Economic Development Director Jamie McDonald, center. Landscape architecture student Daniel Bonner, right, said the downtown walking tour was a highlight. “The trip through Cordele and Hawkinsville allowed me to witness firsthand the impact of parks and community space on economic development,” he said. “The streetscapes, pocket parks and recently revitalized murals exude so much character and are the exact type of project I hope to be a part of after I graduate.”

Quality and Medical Staff Coordinator Amanda Blalock, right, leads the PROPEL Rural Scholars on a tour of Crisp Regional Hospital in Cordele. With more than 800 employees, the hospital is the largest employer in the region.

PROPEL Rural Scholars A’Miracle Rhodes, foreground, and Mollie Beth Johnson explore a collection of watermelon memorabilia at the Cordele-Crisp Chamber of Commerce. The students visited the chamber to learn about tourism and local businesses. Cordele, which hosts an annual watermelon festival each summer, is known as the “Watermelon Capital of the World.” The chamber recently received a donation of a large collection of “melonabilia.”

PROPEL Rural Scholars Thomas Griner, left, and Wyatt Williams watch a train pass Railway Park in downtown Cordele. Cordele’s unique diamond railroad crossing, where three lines cross each other, is one of the busiest in the Southeast and draws train enthusiasts from near and far.

PROPEL, the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government's award-winning rural development program, engages students and makes a difference across Georgia. The UGA Institute of Government is proud to provide opportunities like the PROPEL Rural Scholars program to University of Georgia undergraduates.