Interview with Woody Woodside, September 23, 2013

A resident of Brunswick and Glynn County since 1973, M. H. “Woody” Woodside has served as president of the Brunswick-Golden Isles Chamber of Commerce since 1985. He previously spent 11 years on the congressional staff of “Bo” Ginn and 3 years with former Congressman Lindsay Thomas in coastal Georgia where he worked closely with numerous issues related to economic development.
In this interview, Woody Woodside discusses his early life in North Carolina and working on environmental issues with U.S. Congressman Bo Ginn. He talks about Superfund sites in Glynn County such as the Hercules site and his work with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the EPD (Georgia Environmental Protection Division). He also discsusses they Glynn Environmental Coalition (GEC).
Woodside discusses the work of the Chamber of Commerce as a pro-business organization and the Chamber's policy towards environmental issues, and he talks about changes in Glynn County such as population growth, changes in flood insurance regulations, and the deepening of the Brunswick harbor. Woodside discusses the public-private partnership that resulted in the renovation of the convention center on Jekyll Island. He also discusses the 65/35 clause regarding development on Jekyll Island. Woodside talks about controversial issues such as beach renourishment and predicts that the Brunswick-Glynn County Joint Water & Sewer Commission will be a key player in future development in the area because of infrastructure issues. Woodside discusses the Chamber of Commerce's efforts to stay ahead of legislation. He also discusses the perception of Jekyll Island held by the rest of Georgia and the Georgia legislature.

2013-09-23

RBRL345GEOH-003

64 minutes