On Saturday, July 13, the National Association of County Information Officers (NACIO) announced during its annual Awards of Excellence program that Macon-Bibb County’s Office of Communications was the recipient of three awards.

• The Hub received a Meritorious Award in the E-newsletter category.
• The Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Middle Georgia Regional Airport Runway Extension received an Excellence Award in the General Informational Campaign category.
• “We are More Similar Than Not” received a Best of Category Award in the Featured Article / Editorial category.

“Good communication has been at the core of my administration, going back even before I took office, and our team never stops trying to find new, innovative, and creative ways to tell the story of our government and community,” says Mayor Lester Miller. “It takes this level of dedication and out of the box thinking to make an impression on people and help make sure they understand what we’re doing to make sure every day is a great day in Macon-Bibb.”

Each year, NACIO hosts the program to honor “the innovative, creative, and outstanding work of county government communicators and state county associations communications departments.” This year’s winners were announced at the National Association of Counties’ annual conference in Florida

“It’s an honor to be recognized on a national level for this effort,” says Public Relations Specialist Edna Adams.

“It’s truly rewarding to get honored for our unique and creative ideas to promote the work of Macon-Bibb County,” says Public Relations Specialist Olivia Walter. “I’m so proud of these awards, but I’m even prouder to be on Team Macon-Bibb.”

The Hub is the county’s weekly e-newsletter that is published every Friday by the Office of Communications. It typically includes 10-15 feature stories, public announcements, employee highlights and recognitions, and other important information about the consolidated government, partners, and community.

“The Hub is something we take pride in as it’s one of the best ways we are able to deliver consistent information about what’s happening within our community,” adds Adams.

The groundbreaking for the runway extension at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport was one that had been looked forward to for more than 30 years. That extension will allow larger planes to land at the airport and increase its ability to attract new industries while allowing current ones to expand.

The event itself had to match the scope of the project and importance to the community’s future, so it was held at the end of the runway, had planes nearby, and featured a skydiver parachuting into the event.

“The airport groundbreaking was also a lot of fun to plan, but it wouldn’t have been what it was without the support and commitment of our partners,” says Adams.

“This groundbreaking definitely set a new standard for the airport, and the level of excitement if created among the participants and audience truly matched the excitement we all felt to finally be moving this project forward,” says Airport Director Doug Faour. “It even caught the attention of our industry as we had people at a national conference asking us about it and how we pulled it off.”

“We are More Similar Than Not” is a feature article from the March session of the Men’s Mental Health Meet-Up, hosted by Macon Mental Health Matters and the Macon Violence Prevention program. The meet-ups have been happening monthly for men to have a safe place to talk \ with others about what they may be facing and to make connections. The event was selected for a feature article to help convey the level of emotions and connectivity happening and encourage more men to attend.

“The article highlighted the deep connections and emotional support being fostered at our Men’s Mental Health Meet-Ups,” said Andrea Cooke with Macon Mental Health Matters. “It’s a testament to Macon’s desire to highlight the power of shared experiences in creating a safe and supportive community, and working to make it accessible to more people.”

“Men’s mental health is issue that is rarely spoken about in this country, so we started these monthly meetings to help men around the community understand that they are not alone,” said Jeremy Grissom with Macon Violence Prevention. “By telling the story of those meetings and connections in a more personal and human way, we hope more men will see something of themselves in the experience and begin joining us.”

The Office of Communications

The Office of Communications is responsible for developing and maintaining communication strategies between the Macon-Bibb County government and the community it serves. Communications includes:

• Public & Media Relations
• Multimedia and Graphic Design Services
• Video & Photo Services
• Event Planning
• Crisis & Emergency Communications

Working together, these functions are part of a two-way communication program designed to educate the community about improvement efforts by Macon-Bibb and partner organizations and provide a way for people to provide feedback and have their questions answered and concerns addressed.

These recognitions follow nearly 30 individual, team, and project recognitions from NACIO, the City-County Communications & Marketing Association (3CMA), National Association of Government Communicators (NAGC), PR Daily, PR News, PRSA Georgia, SeeClickFix, and the Georgia chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America.

To view videos produced by the Office of Communications – including Commission Meetings, public forums, and the great work by the government and other organizations to improve the community – click here. The Office also works directly with local, regional, and national media on coverage, as well as managing social media channels, to better educate people about the newly consolidated government.

To stay informed, follow us on Facebook, X (Twitter), TikTok, Instagram, Linkedin, NextDoor, and YouTube and Vimeo. Check the News section of our website for the latest news and announcements.