Look What’s Happening Around the Robins Region

Chamber celebrates 75th anniversary, Miss Georgia hails from Warner Robins, and Center Park draws development.

By Livability on July 14, 2023

Robins Regional Chamber

The Robins Regional Chamber is about to celebrate its 75th anniversary – the diamond anniversary – as the organization continues to serve as the region’s premier business resource. The 75th year of Chamber service will kick off Dec. 7, 2023, at the Chamber’s Annual Meeting, followed throughout 2024 with a variety of celebratory experiences.

“We won’t be patting ourselves on the back during 2024, but we will point out some of the milestones that the entire Robins Region has accomplished over the years,” says April Bragg, president and CEO of the Robins Regional Chamber.

The Chamber has changed the way it operates in several ways since forming in 1949, Bragg says. “Up until around 2000, people joined the Chamber because it was the right thing to do. It was a place to get a phone book or directions or a map,” she says. “But with the arrival of Google and the internet, it changed the way we interact and engage with our members as well as the whole community and visitors.”

Bragg has been with the Robins Regional Chamber for nine years, and the organization still schedules networking events like dinners, breakfasts, luncheons, golf tournaments and sponsored events. However, the current-day Chamber is much more.

“Yes, we always provide resources, programming and business news to our members and the region, but we are also a catalyst for positive changes in our community,” she says. “One of our most recent positive contributions is our Robins To-Go Facebook page, which we launched just days before the COVID-19 shutdown in March 2020.”

Robins To-Go started as a way for residents to support local businesses during COVID and has grown into a major marketing tool that now boasts over 40,000 members and receives 60 to 100 posts each day.

“Today, Robins To-Go is a positive local online site managed by the Chamber staff to connect people with local businesses, job openings, charitable needs and community events,” Bragg says. “In addition, the Robins Region is largely a military community, so whenever a new military member locates here, the Chamber informs them about the Facebook page and all its benefits. About 200 new people are being added each week.”

Bragg adds that another positive aspect of the Robins To-Go page is raising awareness to important issues.

“For instance, this past winter the mayor pulled together a group of community leaders and service providers to address how homelessness is impacting our community,” Bragg says. “The Table Warming Center was opened, and the Chamber was able to solicit our members and spread the word through Robins To-Go, which resulted in us being able to fully furnish the center through donations.”

She reached out to local furniture stores and was able to secure a deal for 33 bedframes and 66 mattresses.

“I then contacted businesses to see if they would cover the cost  of a unit or more than one. All 33 units were committed by local businesses and business leaders in our community within 18 hours,” she says. “This is a prime example of what the Robins Regional Chamber is all about. We connect people and resources, and those connections change people’s lives for the better.”

Warner Robins Native Makes Impact as Miss Georgia

Warner Robins native Kelsey Hollis was crowned Miss Georgia in 2022. She shares about her role as Miss Georgia, her work to promote autism awareness and what makes the Robins Region a great place to live.

What does it mean to you to represent Warner Robins and Georgia?
I was born and raised in Warner Robins, but for the past four years, I’ve been away at college at the University of Tennessee.

I moved back home to continue my reign as Miss Georgia. Representing my city and my state is such an incredible honor.

Growing up here, I was aware of how special Georgia is just because of its history, but throughout this year as I’ve traveled across the state, I’ve been able to recognize that another reason Georgia is so special is because of the people.

What makes Warner Robins and the Robins Region a great place to live?
I would say the people. Warner Robins is growing, but what makes it special is it still has that small-town feel. Everyone is so kind – I think because it’s a military town as well – and we welcome people from across the country and across the world. That puts us in a position to know how to interact with people from all walks of life. Those values have carried over into my adulthood. The best thing about Warner Robins is the character of the people.

Why did you choose autism awareness as your Miss Georgia platform?
My older brother was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder when he was 5. We are about 22 months apart in age, but I didn’t realize our differences until we were older. I recognize the need to not only educate people on what autism is, but also how they can support their family and friends who are diagnosed.

I want to create a safe space for families to be able to talk. Last year, I worked on an education initiative called A Cubed. It walks people through the steps of what I believe it takes to create cohesive environments for those who are diagnosed with autism – whether it’s in the community, in the home, in the workplace or in the schools.

What else do you hope to accomplish as Miss Georgia?
My job as Miss Georgia is to be a public servant and to serve our community and our state. I think the best way to do that is to be as genuine and real and as kind as I possibly can be.

Chris Dunn

Center Park Draws Development

Centerville’s Center Park was unveiled in late 2020, and with its playground and splash pad, it quickly became a popular spot and host to events like food truck rallies, a farmers market, summer concerts and seasonal festivals.

Thanks to the park’s amenities, Centerville Councilman Justin Wright estimates thousands of people from around the region, including Warner Robins and Perry, visit the park on a nice Saturday.

“Our Fourth of July Festival doubles the population of Centerville for a couple of hours,” he says with a laugh.

And because the green space is so popular, Centerville is making moves to develop the surrounding area, too. Currently, says Wright, the streets around the park are underdeveloped and populated with rental homes dating back to the late 1950s.

“One of our strengths is that because the land is underdeveloped, (developers) don’t have to spend so much money to restore it. They don’t have the expenses of fixing up historic buildings,” he says.

The city is now in the process of designating the area a downtown district and setting design standards, and it’s encouraging diversity of businesses by placing a temporary moratorium on certain types of businesses, like storage units, that are already overrepresented there.

Already, new housing developments are popping up. Less than a mile from the park, the 58-unit apartment building Abbington at Galleria Mall opened in February 2023. Plans for a second phase of the project, which would add 80 more units, are underway.