A small Georgia Tech office resides on Riverside Drive, and we were just curious about what they do in Central Georgia.

The office is part of the Enterprise Innovation Institute at Georgia Tech.

There are 100 people in the organization, but project manager Paul Todd is the sole person working in the Macon Regional Office.

“We are an economic development organization within Georgia Tech. I work for companies around the state helping them get better at whatever they do,” Todd said.

The Macon office is one of 10 offices located across the state, according to Todd. There is also an office in Dublin, which has four people.

The office works with a variety of companies and industries.

“Everything from airplanes to barbeque sauce, from school buses to diapers and ceiling tiles —everything you can think of has to come from somewhere,” Todd said. “So, over the years we’ve worked with just about everybody in this part of the state and across the state as well.”

Todd said getting the resources of Georgia Tech out into the state is a priority.

“In addition to the typical roles of the university of education and research, our form of service in this case is to help communities, companies, and entrepreneurs grow their businesses and provide for the prosperity of the region,” Todd said.

They also help people get in contact with the right associates at Georgia Tech.

“[Georgia Tech] is an organization of about 7,000 people; it can be difficult to find the right professor, the right research lab, the right resource of some kind. So that’s where we come in,” Todd said.

The Enterprise Innovation Institute was established 1961, but has been in Central Georgia since the late 1960s, Todd said.

They also work closely with the University of Georgia’s Business Development Center, also located on Riverside Drive.

“We like to think that although there aren’t many things more important than college football, when it comes to economic development, we’re all on the same team,” Todd said

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