Business RadioX® was live at the 2022 GEDA Annual Conference in Savannah, GA. The conference is designed to give you a glimpse of what is here now, what the future looks like and the tools to help you implement strategies and tactics now to pay off years down the road.
As founder of Hodge Consulting Services, LLC, Al Hodge brings more than 40 years of economic and community development experience to clients. Globally recognized for his achievements in the industry, Al’s vision, leadership, and deep knowledge of public policy have developed communities that thrive. His insights into business and the countless factors required for lasting success ensure that his clients are adapted for a global marketplace.
Al is chair of the Japan America Society of Georgia and serves on the board of directors for the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and the board of Georgia Northwestern Technical College. He is also an active member of the Society of International Business Fellows.
During his 41 years of Chamber work in Charleston, South Carolina, and in Rome and Augusta, Georgia, Al has served in local, state and national capacities. He was one of a group of 12 specialty external advisers to the U.S. Department of Energy and on the American Chamber of Commerce Executives Association Board. Al has also served as chair of both the Georgia Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives and the Georgia Economic Developers Association.
Al has taught economic development, leadership and democracy with the U.S. Army War College; with the University of Georgia Center for Democratic Governance in both Beijing and Xining, China; in San Francisco, California; with the Kettering Foundation of Dayton, Ohio, and in cities across the Southern United States. He has also spoken at economic development engagements in England and Germany.
Understanding that a strong community requires quality opportunities for education and a trained and developed workforce, Al has also lent his talents to this field. In addition to mentoring countless students and young professionals, Al was vice chair of the Georgia Board of Education where he served as a member for more than eight years. He was chair of the Liaison Committee for the Georgia Joint Education Boards consisting of the University System of Georgia, Technical College System of Georgia, Georgia Board of Education (K-12) and the four allied education agencies. He was also an officer and board member of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators Foundation.
A graduate of the University of Georgia and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management, Al has also completed a other state, regional and national economic and leadership development programs, including Leadership Georgia. His accomplishments have earned him numerous professional awards and highlighted his business and public policy expertise.
Al lives in Rome, Georgia, and is married to artist and Hodge Consulting Services, LLC partner Cheryl Riner Hodge. They have one daughter, a son-in-law, and two grandchildren.
Al’s ability to cultivate a driven team and build lasting communities has been proven time and again. The results Al delivers are indeed “Good stuff that!”
