by Joe Domaleski | Jan 29, 2024 | Blog, Business, Columnists, Community, Front Page, News Center, Opinion, Top News
Idon’t necessarily consider myself a “prepper,” but I do like to be prepared in case of emergencies. When I was a Boy Scout, I was taught to “Be Prepared.” We often think of emergency preparedness as having supplies and plans in place for first aid, food, water, battery power, shelter, important documents, and money. Those are all good and necessary preparations, but how about communications? Instant communications with cellphones and the internet have spoiled us. What happens if those forms of communication fail? It’s admittedly old-school technology, but amateur (ham) radio works when other forms of communication fail.
Before there were cellphones, the internet, or even television, if you don’t count smoke signals and signal flags, the world’s first form of wireless communication was radio. The ability to hear voices, music, and news through thin air was (and still is to me) somewhat magical. I’ve always had a personal interest in radio. As a middle-schooler, I enjoyed building crystal radio kits that allowed me to hear distant radio stations from around the world without batteries! Shortwave radio stations allowed me to hear news and music from faraway places like London through the BBC World Service, the Soviet Union (now Russia) through Radio Moscow, and obscure Pacific islands whose primary connection to the world was radio.
Joe (KI4ASK) & Mary Catherine (KI4HHI) Domaleski at the 2023 Fayette County Amateur Radio Club field day event in Brooks, GA. Photo/Bryan Macera
Closer to home, I enjoyed listening to scanners – not the type of scanner you hook up to a computer to make copies of documents, but radio scanners that gave me the ability to listen to our police, fire, airport traffic, and more. Radio opened up a whole new world to me, and I remained fascinated with it all through high school. Yes, Radio Shack was one of my favorite stores at the mall.
My first exposure to two-way radio (meaning that I could listen and talk) was probably a set of GI Joe walkie-talkies that my brother and I got for Christmas one year. We had fun riding around the neighborhood on our bikes, talking on the radio about “secret missions.” Go watch “Stranger Things” – Dustin was me in high school (although I was a little skinnier). During the CB radio craze of the late 70s, my father put one in his truck, and I enjoyed talking to people as we traveled down the highway, saying things like, “Breaker One-Nine, this is the Little Polack.” Yes, my CB handle was “Little Polack,” and my dad was the “Georgia Polack.”
In the Army, we used radios a lot, but as an officer, I had a soldier assigned to me as my RTO (Radio Telephone Operator), so most of my radio communications went through him. While I was in the Army, I learned about something called MARS (Military Auxiliary Radio System), where a group of amateur (ham) radio operators helped relay information to/from home using radio and phone patches. Satellite phones were becoming a thing, but my dad said MARS actually helped him find out about my birth while he was in Vietnam.
The world changed dramatically on September 11, 2001. By then, cell phones were very prevalent, but it became clear to me that we had an overreliance on the internet and cell technology. I saw firsthand how many people in New York were literally cut off from the world, even as they were in the middle of the action. We knew more about what was going on by watching it on TV at home than the people directly involved in the situation. This was a wake-up call for me to become more individually prepared for communications. Remembering what I knew about the usefulness of ham radio, I decided to get my license the following year.
Jack Parks (KO4WBM) and Bryan Macera (K7CPT) operating a portable ham radio station during a club picnic. Photo/Joe Domaleski
Becoming a ham radio operator requires taking an FCC multiple-choice test administered by a group of certified Volunteer Examiners. It’s not a hard test. In fact, the questions and answers are made public. Most of the test questions pertain to some basic rules and radio knowledge. Once I got licensed, my wife Mary Catherine decided to get licensed, so she took the test. We found ham radio useful for keeping in touch around town. While she was driving the minivan around with our kids, I could talk to her on the radio and save precious cellphone minutes. Back then, you paid for cell phone calls by the minute. Ham radio was and still is free. My ham radio callsign is KI4ASK, and her callsign is KI4HHI, both of which were assigned to us by the FCC.
For the past twenty years, we’ve found ham radio to be both a fun and useful hobby. Here are some of the things we’ve done with our ham radio licenses:
- Maintaining contact with each other and friends on hiking trips, where cellphone coverage is spotty.
- Supporting local events like the Tri-PTC Triathlon, PTC Classic 15K, Run the Ridge 5K, and others with radio communications.
- Providing weather spotting assistance to the National Weather Service through their Skywarn program.
- Going on “fox hunts,” which are scavenger hunts for hidden radio transmitters.
- Talking to people around the world, which was especially fun during the sequestered COVID-era.
- Listening to what’s going on in Eastern Europe and the Middle East firsthand.
- Talking to astronauts aboard the International Space Station!
- Making friends right here in our community through the Fayette County Amateur Radio Club.
- Sending email over the radio without the internet using Winlink.
- Sending text messages over the radio without cellphones using APRS.
- Supporting our first responders with backup communications through ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service).
- Assisting Georgia Emergency Management (GEMA) / Homeland Security as volunteer auxiliary communicators through the AuxComm program.
If the grid goes down, we know what to do and how to stay in touch with each other and members of our community. In order to help people in our community learn about this fun and useful hobby, the Fayette County Amateur Radio Club and Fayette County Parks and Recreation have teamed up to offer a one-day “ham cram” class and testing session on Saturday, February 17th. I bet some of you reading this article have thought about getting a ham radio license. Now’s your chance.
For more information about the upcoming ham radio class, including registration, please go to the Parks & Rec registration site using this link.
Full disclosure – my wife Mary Catherine is the Assistant Director of Parks & Recreation. I’m a Past-President of the ham radio club. This was her idea to offer the class, but it’s one that I fully support. I’ll be one of the instructors, as will a team of others who are committed to helping you pass the test and earn your license on February 17th.
Members of the Fayette County Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES) provided support to the 2023 Tri-PTC Triathlon. Pictured here with Tri-PTC President Allen Leonard (on left). Photo/Kim Bramblett
We have a very active ham radio community here in Fayette County. There’s a network of five radio repeaters that have the ability to provide communications across the county and even link with other communities for statewide coverage. If the towers go down, we have the ability to do simplex, point-to-point communication. Lots of people in our community have their license, including our 911 Director, Katye Vogt, and the Publisher of this paper, Cal Beverly. Among the ranks of our members, we have people of all walks of life including students, first responders, educators, business people, retirees, and young adults.
So many of us, myself included, spend a lot of time on the internet. You are reading this article through a web browser, and you’re probably active on one or more social media outlets. I am as well, but what if all of that goes down? How would you get the news, find out what’s going on, or talk to your family? Ham radio is a hobby that’s both fun and useful. It’ll work when all else fails.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to comment here or contact me directly.
[Joe Domaleski, a Fayette County resident for 25 years, is the owner of Country Fried Creative – an award-winning digital marketing agency located in Peachtree City. His company was the Fayette Chamber’s 2021 Small Business of the Year. Joe is a husband, father of three grown children, and proud Army veteran. He has an MBA from Georgia State University and enjoys sharing his perspectives drawing from thirty years of business leadership experience. Sign up for the Country Fried Creative newsletter to get marketing and business articles directly in your inbox. ]
by Joe Domaleski | Jan 22, 2024 | Blog, Business, Columnists, Community, Front Page, News Center, Opinion, Top News
Our local business community needs your help. Two weeks ago, I wrote about trends facing small, local businesses in our community. Several readers reached out to me directly and asked for my thoughts on how to support the small businesses in our local community. This topic is timely, not only due to the current state of the economy but also because it’s the new year. The new year is traditionally when many of us resolve to do better with habits, resolutions, and personal goals. Consider setting a personal goal of supporting our local businesses more this year. Before listing ways you can support the local economy, let’s consider why that even matters. Please note that everything in this article applies equally well to our small, local non-profits. They need our support also.
Choosing to support local businesses is an act of community-building.
Let’s start with this newspaper. Unlike other news websites, the publisher of this online newspaper has chosen not to put up a paywall to generate revenue. In order to promote free speech and access to the news, revenue comes from advertising – unobtrusive, well-behaved, local ads that don’t pop up and block the content. Revenue is needed to help pay the staff who keep it running and the costs associated with maintaining one of the most popular websites in our community. Unlike other websites, this website is not run by robots or AI – it’s run by real people who report the news, write columns, and contribute hand-written content like this column I’m writing for all of you. Would you like to help? If you own a business, consider advertising. I advertise my own business, Country Fried Creative, on this site. I can tell you that it’s cost-effective and will be seen by more people than most of the other more traditional print and broadcast advertising. If you’re a consumer who doesn’t own a business, talk to your favorite businesses about supporting the paper by becoming an advertiser. Having a free press is vital to our community, but it needs funding in order to operate.
I recently read a short book entitled, How to Resist Amazon and Why by Danny Caine. The subtitle of the book is “The fight for local economies, data privacy, fair labor, independent bookstores, and a people-powered future.” Caine is the owner of a small, independent bookstore – Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas. I won’t summarize the book here except to say that it was a real eye-opener. Support Caine’s efforts and order a copy online to read what he has to say. Like most of you reading this, we also use Amazon – it’s fast, inexpensive, and efficient. Yet, I’m also thinking maybe some of the things I order online should be sourced locally. Caine makes a persuasive argument that supporting local businesses is critical for fostering diverse, vibrant communities. He also touches on the implications of Amazon’s dominance, such as its impact on the publishing industry and its contribution to economic inequality.
When you support a small business,
you are supporting someone’s dream.
It’s not easy running a small business, staffed by local employees. The economic odds are stacked against us. Know that every dollar you spend is going to real people in our community who are trying to support their families. I have a great team, who are underpaid. Most of my peers who own businesses feel the same way. It’s hard to compete with big companies that offer big wages because they have monopolies in their industries, get lucrative government contracts, have access to lots of funding, and obtain subsidies that us small businesses don’t get. Despite that, we’re not looking for a hand-out. We’re willing to work for it, but we would like your support. If you agree and think it’s important to support small, local businesses here are three ways you can do it (even without money).
Shop local – if you’re looking for a place to eat, buy products, or purchase services, look in your community. The well-established ones will probably have a lot of marketing and will be easy to spot. Seek out those businesses who aren’t well-known – they need your money more than those with big marketing budgets. I don’t know about you, but I always enjoy discovering a place that I didn’t know about – especially in our community. There’s one area of the county that’s become our Hollywood. I think that’s great and I’m over there a lot myself walking around the lake (if you see me, stop and say “hi”), but what about the rest of our community that’s not the focus of all of that attention? Consider shopping local with less glamorous businesses. They need your support.
Members of the Fayette County Amateur Radio Club enjoy a group dinner at the historic Olde Courthouse Tavern on the square in Fayetteville. The Tavern is a small, locally-owned family business. Photo/Joe Domaleski
Support local – it’s easier than ever to support a small business online even without money. Consider following local businesses on social media and help them expand their reach by sharing, tagging, and commenting on their posts. Leave a positive review online. Sign-up for their newsletters. Seek out businesses (and non-profits) who need more online exposure and help them with some social media love. Doing this costs nothing. It’s human nature to follow a trend and popular things. It’s disappointing to see things trending that feature bland (and AI-generated) content. Some of that is cranked out right here in our community. Unfortunately, the way the algorithms work – popularity creates popularity (and many of those numbers are fake). Look for the content that’s clearly not well-financed and appears to be more homegrown. The big media players have plenty of attention, how about your favorite restaurant that doesn’t have many followers? Help them out and it costs nothing but a quick click!
Be kind – show your appreciation to the folks in the community who’ve invested time and money to keep the local economy vibrant. Check in with small business owners and employees to see how they’re doing. Even if you have a bad experience, resist the temptation to complain about it online. One bad review can destroy a business. Instead, talk with the business owner and help them get better and improve. Have patience and understand that small businesses have fewer resources than big businesses. You’re more likely to get better in-person service with a small local business than you are with the faceless large corporate entities and national chains. Let’s work together to help our local economy thrive especially those lesser known small, local businesses who need to get more exposure and attention.
In order to help the small, local businesses in our community get more attention and better marketing, I have partnered with the publisher of this newspaper to launch the Fayette Marketing Initiative. We intend to help local businesses get the attention they need, even if they don’t have much of a marketing budget.
If you’re a small business owner, let us know – we’d love to help you. If you know of a business or non-profit that needs marketing help, perhaps you would consider sponsoring them for the program.
Last year, a person of influence contacted me to pay for my company’s services to help promote a non-profit that couldn’t afford it. Now that non-profit is doing well and all they needed was some marketing. Who else in our community needs more publicity, especially if they can’t afford it?
You can contact me using the Fayette Marketing website or directly via email.
Supporting local businesses is not about charity; it’s about choosing to invest in your community and in the people who live in it.
[Joe Domaleski, a Fayette County resident for 25 years, is the owner of Country Fried Creative – an award-winning digital marketing agency located in Peachtree City. His company was the Fayette Chamber’s 2021 Small Business of the Year. Joe is a husband, father of three grown children, and proud Army veteran. He has an MBA from Georgia State University and enjoys sharing his perspectives drawing from thirty years of business leadership experience. Sign up for the Country Fried Creative newsletter to get marketing and business articles directly in your inbox. ]
by Joe Domaleski | Jan 15, 2024 | Blog, Business, Columnists, Community, Front Page, News Center, Opinion, Top News
What is your purpose in life? I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. As a young man, I was mostly focused on getting through school. As I entered adulthood, my focus was on fulfilling my military service and getting started in life. Once I got married and started having children, my primary focus was on making money and providing for my family. These are all natural and typical American pursuits. Our family was very active in Church and we volunteered in the community, but if I’m honest our efforts in those areas were secondary to our other activities. My life’s path may be similar to yours. The first major “leap of faith” I took was starting my business twenty years ago. As I’ve shared previously, this was one way I attempted to bring together my goals of providing for my family and serving others in the local community.
Now that I’m in middle-age, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Raising a family and running a business has been my life’s work so far, but what kind of legacy do I want to leave in the final third of my working years? Is it to make a certain amount of money? Is it to have a certain headcount of employees? Is it to win some kind of award? Is it to land a certain kind of client? As I think on these things, the following quote really resonates with me.
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'”
– Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
If all goes according to plan, this article will come out on MLK Day, and many of you will have the day off from work. You may choose to spend the day at one of the many MLK Day celebrations. Perhaps you’re going to participate in some kind of community service event that honors the tradition of making this a day of service. Not everyone has the day off. It’s always seemed ironic that often times the people associated with a holiday are often the ones least likely to get the day off. As you look around the community, many businesses are still open. This is because they are open to serve their customers and because they need the money, particularly the employees. Please consider supporting those that have to work today.
During his lifetime Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a lot to say about a wide variety of subjects. Known primarily for his impact on civil rights and social justice, he also had quite a lot to say about work, professions, and community service. Here are some of my favorite MLK quotes related to work, purpose, and dignity:
- “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”
- “So often we overlook the work and the significance of those who are not in professional jobs, of those who are not in the so-called big jobs. But let me say to you tonight, that whenever you are engaged in work that serves humanity and is for the building of humanity, it has dignity, and it has worth.”
- “Do you know that most of the poor people in our country are working every day? And they are making wages so low that they cannot begin to function in the mainstream of the economic life of our nation.”
- “We must rapidly begin the shift from a ‘thing-oriented’ society to a ‘person-oriented’ society.”
- “Set out to do a good job, irrespective of race, and do it so well that nobody could do it better.”
- “If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, like Shakespeare wrote poetry, like Beethoven composed music; sweep streets so well that all the host of Heaven and earth will have to pause and say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper, who did his job well.’”
- “Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
- “If you can’t fly then run. If you can’t run then walk. If you can’t walk then crawl. But whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”
- “The time is always right to do what is right.”
- “We need leaders not in love with money but in love with justice – not in love with publicity but in love with humanity.”
Those are some powerful quotes. Dr. King was such an eloquent speaker and writer that any commentary I would offer on the above wouldn’t do them justice. Let’s let those statements stand on their own merits. If you are a business leader in our community, take pause to reflect on Dr. King’s messages to us. If you are a worker, regardless of profession, do the same.
Indeed, Dr. King also said, “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” Regardless of what your role is in our community, please take the time to consider life’s most persistent and urgent question.
In closing, I’ll add the following which Dr. King wrote from a Birmingham jail:
“We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
[Joe Domaleski, a Fayette County resident for 25 years, is the owner of Country Fried Creative – an award-winning digital marketing agency located in Peachtree City. His company was the Fayette Chamber’s 2021 Small Business of the Year. Joe is a husband, father of three grown children, and proud Army veteran. He has an MBA from Georgia State University and enjoys sharing his perspectives drawing from thirty years of business leadership experience. Sign up for the Country Fried Creative newsletter to get marketing and business articles directly in your inbox. ]
by Joe Domaleski | Jun 5, 2023 | Blog, Business, City, Columnists, Community, Fayetteville, Front Page, News Center, Opinion, Top News
Let me get straight to the point: this past weekend’s Bicentennial celebration for the City of Fayetteville, Georgia was a resounding success, regardless of how you measure it. Our community should take pride in how everyone came together to celebrate the past, present, and future of our great city on Saturday, June 3rd. We’re not perfect, and we make mistakes, but look at how far we’ve come and how bright the future looks. I’m not a journalist, nor am I writing this piece to promote an agenda. As most readers know, I’m just a private citizen and local business owner. However, I feel compelled to share some things that made our city’s 200th Birthday Bash extra special from my perspective. In a news landscape often filled with negativity, let’s highlight something positive and see what we can learn from it. Leaders, take note – some of these things might help you in the future.
Joe and Mary Catherine Domaleski with Fayetteville Police Officer Kathryn Johnson Gonzalez. Photo/Joe Domaleski
Diversity: What immediately caught my attention more than anything else was the number of families in attendance, representing a wide range of ages, races, and backgrounds. Although there were no labels or signs, I believe there was a diverse representation of faiths and political beliefs. Notably, there were no protests or actions seeking undue attention for any cause or issue. The celebration showcased one of the most diverse gatherings of people I have ever witnessed in Fayetteville, and it was truly amazing. The diversity felt genuine, proving that we can all coexist harmoniously.
Activities and venue: The celebration offered something for everyone. From history tours and food trucks to adult beverages, entertainment, live music, art, vendors, nature, playgrounds, splash pads, and an impressive fireworks show, it was clear that this event was meticulously planned to cater to a wide range of interests. Pulling off such a diverse and engaging event is no easy task. It’s worth mentioning that just a few years ago, the Fayetteville City Center served as a parking lot and bus barn for the Board of Education’s fleet of school buses. It’s incredible to see how the same spot has transformed into a grass lawn where we can now enjoy concerts and fireworks.
Safety: Hats off to Police Chief Scott Gray and Fire Chief Linda Black for their exceptional leadership in their respective departments and their coordination with supporting agencies from the county and other municipalities to ensure our safety. Public safety personnel were were everywhere, answering questions, directing traffic, providing first aid, and keeping a watchful eye on the event. I can honestly say that I have never felt safer in our city than when I was enjoying the festivities on the lawn of City Center last Saturday night. Despite the long day for the first responders, they even seemed to be enjoying the celebrations, as evidenced by some of them dancing or tapping their toes during the concert.
Start of the fireworks grand finale at the Fayetteville 200th Birthday Bash. Photo/Joe Domaleski
Sponsors: As someone who has both sponsored events and sought out sponsors, I know firsthand that an event cannot take place without their support. I want to express my gratitude to Trilith (yes, Trilith was a major sponsor), Brightmoor, Georgia Military College, Fayette FACTOR, Falcon Design, Clearwater, Walmart, Kroger, and even the Atlanta Falcons for taking a chance and supporting this fantastic event. I understand that sponsoring an event can be a significant financial commitment, but your contributions did not go unnoticed and were greatly appreciated.
Community leaders: There is much to be said about the upfront and personal leadership that I witnessed at the event. It was wonderful to see Chick-fil-A Chairman (and Trilith leader) Dan Cathy and his lovely wife Rhonda walking around, greeting people without an entourage or special security detail. They appeared to be “normal people” who exuded pride about their city. It was also great to see Peachtree City Mayor Kim Learnard and Fayette County Commissioner Chuck Oddo in attendance supporting the City of Fayetteville. While there may have been other community leaders present, these are a few I personally noticed and spoke with. I also had the pleasure of seeing several fellow business owners and peers at the event. It was truly a joy to see all of you there.
City council leaders: I believe every City Councilperson was present that night. I had the opportunity to personally speak with most of them, including Rich Hoffman (who serviced my cars for years and now serves our community on the council), Scott Stacy, and Joe Clark (who always brings so much energy). I believe I also spotted Darryl Langford (go Army!) and Dr. Niyah Glover, although I didn’t have the chance to speak with them from a distance. It was impressive to see all of them mingling with the crowd, answering questions at the City tent, and engaging with the public as true public leaders should. When is the last time your organization (or elected officials) had its full board support and attend one of its own events? Noted and appreciated City Council.
City staff: City Manager Ray Gibson, you have an excellent team, but I’m sure you’re already aware of that. Alongside the public safety personnel, I noticed many of your other department heads in attendance. It was pleasing to see that ALL of them appeared to be enjoying themselves, even as they worked tirelessly throughout the long day. It brought a smile to my face to witness the public works staff actively participating in the festivities, even while handling trash bags. Mainstreet Fayetteville, you all are amazing! I loved the t-shirts and promotions. This is government at its finest, serving the community with cheerfulness. At no point did I sense a “government attitude” from anyone. Well done, Ray, and the entire city staff.
Promotions and communications: PIO Danny Harrison, you and your team did an outstanding job. The lead-up to the event, signage, flyers, newsletters, online updates, social media presence, and especially the infographics were all well-executed. The city’s communications were immensely helpful in keeping us informed about what was happening, when events were taking place, and particularly where to park. As someone whose company has some knowledge of marketing, we recognize a job well-done when we see it. Kudos to you and your team.
Parking and traffic: Seeing is believing, and now I am believer that the city can handle traffic. The city did an excellent job designating parking areas in collaboration with adjacent organizations and ensuring that both vehicular and pedestrian traffic flowed smoothly. The county and local churches also provided much-needed parking areas. Like many others, I often worry about overcrowding and traffic in our city, but on Saturday, everything worked seamlessly, reaffirming my confidence that we can handle it well.
Risk-taking: It is important to acknowledge that organizing a first-time event like this carries significant risks. It can be challenging to predict attendance, determine the level of support required, handle emergencies effectively, and even anticipate the financial outcome. As a private citizen attending the event, I did not have access to the operational details. However, from my perspective, it appears that the event was a tremendous success for all involved. Vendors seemed to be profitable, attendees appeared satisfied, and there were no noticeable safety issues. It seems that the risk paid off, and other community organizations should take note of this success and be inspired to take similar risks. As the saying goes, “build it and they will come.”
City of Fayetteville Mayor Ed Johnson with the author, Joe Domaleski. Photo/Mary Catherine Domaleski
Mayor: Fayetteville Mayor Ed Johnson, though not one to boast about himself, deserves personal commendation from me. Mayor Johnson, a humble Navy Veteran and Pastor, clearly loves our community, and that love is evident in his actions. It is difficult to find another leader in our county who is as grounded in the present while simultaneously inspiring a vision for the future. He has achieved something that very few have been able to accomplish in our community: bringing together a racially and politically diverse group of people to achieve common goals for the betterment of all. I am taking notes, and I encourage other community leaders to do the same. Thank you, Mayor.
Was the event perfect? No. As you might expect, some people got carried away with alcohol (although I didn’t see any major problems). There were long lines at some of the vendors (to be expected on a hot June night), and some people were confused by the activities on the Square versus activities at the City Center. Also, there should have been more restrooms and more frequent cleaning of the restrooms during the event. By the evening, the restrooms were in rough shape. On the whole, it was an outstanding event. One of the best parts? We didn’t have to drive up to Atlanta to sit in traffic to see a concert and fireworks. Mary Catherine and I were home and in bed by 10:30 pm! When was the last time that happened? The party came to our home city, and we’re glad it did.
The Bicentennial celebration in Fayetteville, Georgia was a success, regardless of how it is evaluated. It is a testament to our incredible community, and we should all take pride in the way we joined forces to honor our city’s past, present, and future on Saturday night.
As we move forward, remember the spirit of this celebration. When we come together as a community, great things can be accomplished. Let these observations serve as a reminder to my fellow community leaders that embracing diversity, fostering engaging activities, prioritizing safety, nurturing strong relationships with the business community, and taking calculated risks are essential ingredients for future success. Together, let’s continue building a future for Fayetteville and the surrounding areas that shines even brighter than its storied past.
[Joe Domaleski, a Fayette County resident for 25 years, is the owner of Country Fried Creative – an award-winning digital marketing agency located in Peachtree City. His company was the Fayette Chamber’s 2021 Small Business of the Year. Joe is a husband, father of three grown children, and proud Army veteran. He has an MBA from Georgia State University and enjoys sharing his perspectives drawing from thirty years of business leadership experience. ]
