Georgia Chamber leadership — from railroads to car manufacturing

For the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, 2026 will be a year to focus on manufacturing and workforce preparedness.

Overlay that with the 2026 elections — a mega political year when most of the key statewide offices will turn over, with several constitutional officers running for higher office.

Stuart Countess, president of Kia Georgia, said that when he agreed to become chair of the Georgia Chamber a couple of years ago, he had not realized how politically significant his year would be.

But, in an interview earlier this week, Countess said he’s looking forward to being part of such a political year.

“The political side of the business [is] fascinating. To be quite honest, it’s something that’s always interested me,” Countess said. “But the way I look at it, it’s an opportunity to work with a lot of different people on how we push forward the success of the state of Georgia.”

Countess said the state’s economic success is important “no matter which side of the aisle” people are on.  

“We have a great thing going on in the state of Georgia,” he added. “We need to continue that.”

Countess officially took the gavel on Jan. 14 during the annual Eggs & Issues breakfast from Ed Elkins, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Norfolk Southern Corp.

Thousands of people attended the breakfast at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium to hear Gov. Brian Kemp, Lt. Gov. Jon Burns and House Speaker Burt Jones. Kemp is in his last year as governor, and Jones is running to succeed him.

Politics was in the air during the breakfast as candidates worked the room to connect with power brokers and business leaders.

But for Countess and Elkins, the focus was on Georgia’s business climate, economic development and workforce preparedness. Elkins was the first executive of a major railroad to chair the chamber in its 110-year history.

Georgia Chamber President Chris Clark made a point of saying Stuart Countess is the first manufacturer to lead the chamber in at least 30 years. The last manufacturer was Roy Richards Jr., former CEO of Southwire.

Clark said he was delighted that economic development will be a priority for Countess.

“He will remind people about the importance of economic development,” Clark said in a recent interview. “We’ve gotten a little complacent.”

Countess has been in manufacturing since 1998, when he worked with Hughes Aircraft Co. in LaGrange. He joined Kia in 2008, and he was named president of Kia Georgia in January 2022.

When the Korean automaker first began investing in Georgia, Countess said there was a robust workforce available because the textile industry was being phased out and people needed jobs.

Today, the job market is tighter.

Countess said that’s what has changed is “people tend to think manufacturing is not the sexiest industry to go into” compared to technology companies like Google or Microsoft.

 “The question becomes, how do you attract talent to do this type of work? And that’s where we spend an inordinate amount of time,” said Countess, who chairs the State Workforce Development Board.

Countess, however, is a big believer in Georgia as an attractive place for business investment. He cited the state’s resources, including Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the Port of Savannah, QuickStart and a friendly business environment. 

A year ago, Elkins was touting many of the same attributes as reasons why Norfolk Southern had decided to move its headquarters to Atlanta. Then came the news that Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific would be combined to “create America’s first coast-to-coast freight rail network,” subject to federal regulatory approval.

Elkins reassured attendees at Eggs & Issues that Georgia would serve as the “Eastern gateway for a unified rail corridor,” making it better positioned to benefit shippers and customers with greater efficiencies.

“Our roots here run deep. Norfolk Southern and our predecessor railroads have operated in Georgia for nearly 200 years,” Elkins said. “In the last few years alone, Norfolk Southern has invested over $1 billion in Georgia, including $200 million annually in infrastructure and $32 million in community contributions.”

But the fact remains that the corporate headquarters will move from Atlanta to Omaha.

Again, Elkins said the combined company will continue to invest and make philanthropic contributions in Georgia.

“This state is essential to the success of our coast-to-coast network, and we’re not pulling up track,” he said. “A transcontinental railroad will give all rail-served Georgia businesses a competitive edge in capturing new markets.”

Looking back on his year as chair of the Georgia Chamber, Elkins highlighted tort reform, which already is showing signs of stabilizing (or even lowering) insurance rates in the state.

“That didn’t happen by accident,” he said. “It took strong leadership and thousands of voices from the business community.”

Looking ahead, Clark said the Chamber will release a blueprint of focus areas for the next administration, which likely will include health care and transportation.

The Chamber has estimated that the state will need to spend about $84 billion in the next 20 years to move freight more effectively.

Clark said the business community will now need to focus on moving people and reducing congestion.

“That includes rail. Georgia needs it,” Clark said. “That will definitely be a major issue for the next governor.”

During his remarks at Eggs & Issues, Kemp announced that his budget would allocate $1.8 billion for adding express lanes to I-75 in Henry County. He also announced plans to spend $200 million on upgrades along Georgia 316 linking Atlanta with Athens, Kemp’s home. He did not mention any planned investments in public transit or intercity rail.

In his remarks, Clark said this was the 72nd year of Eggs & Issues. According to newspaper accounts, the first annual breakfast was “a humorous affair,” featuring then-Gov. Herman Talmadge.

“I know there wasn’t a 35-minute wait in 30-degree weather to get inside,” said Clark, referencing a major snafu of trying to get thousands of attendees to the breakfast with only one entrance open to the stadium. “For that, we apologize.”

The Georgia Chamber, however, did make history at the breakfast in a positive way.

Two women executives will follow Countess as chair of the Georgia Chamber. It’s the first time that has ever happened since the Chamber was established in 1911.

Kim Greene, president and CEO of Georgia Power, will chair the Chamber in 2027. And Beth Lowry, president and CEO of Holder Construction Co., will chair the organization in 2028.

Only two other women have chaired the Georgia Chamber: Suzanne Sitherwood, who chaired it in 2010 when she was president of Atlanta Gas Light, and Teresa White, who was chair in 2021, when she was president of Columbus-based Aflac U.S.