SBDC, BIG veteran business consultant prepared to lead on Sardis City Council 

Steve Trussell, a veteran consultant with the University of Georgia’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Georgia Southern University, recently accepted an appointment to the Sardis City Council. 

Trussell’s arrival in the rural Georgia council comes at a critical time for the city, as vacant buildings outnumber the occupied ones. But where many see a fading memory of a once-thriving town, Trussell sees untapped potential. He credits his time with Georgia Southern’s Business Innovation Group (BIG) for preparing him to address the town’s needs. 

“Being a part of the SBDC and BIG has given me up-close access to how businesses grow and succeed,” he explained. “It’s that expertise and my background in supply chain management that gives me faith to accomplish the goals I have in Sardis.”

This includes a complete overhaul of the city’s resources to ensure the infrastructure can support businesses interested in setting up shop.

“We need to continue to make substantial improvements,” said Trussell. “We need upgrades for the city water and other utilities, as well as other infrastructure to attract businesses and residents again. But these investments in the town will set it up for success down the road. There’s already a core group of residents trying to lead these initiatives, and I want to help build on their actions to improve the future outcome for all residents.”

Despite the work ahead, Trussell firmly believes in his dream of a revitalized Sardis. 

“I want to help this city thrive,” he explained. “There’s some incredible history in this town, which started as a stop for coal trains traveling between Savannah and Augusta in the early 1900’s. I want this town to have an identity again.”

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Georgia Southern University’s Business Innovation Group is building an ecosystem throughout the State of Georgia to help entrepreneurs create, incubate and accelerate their for-profit business enterprises. 

The University of Georgia’s Small Business Development Center works to enhance the economic well-being of Georgians by providing a wide range of educational services for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs.