{"693603":{"#nid":"693603","#data":{"type":"news","title":"U.S. Department of Commerce to Invest $7.4M  to Support Georgia Timber Manufacturing Industry","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EATLANTA \u2014 \u003C\/strong\u003EInitiated and overseen by Georgia Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/innovate.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEnterprise Innovation Institute\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(EI\u00b2), ReGEN Ag is a collaboration of Tech\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/renewablebioproducts.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERenewable Bioproducts Institute\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(RBI) and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scl.gatech.edu\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESupply Chain and Logistics Institute\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(SCL). Together, the groups will help South Georgia\u0027s timber and agriculture producers recover from 2024\u2019s Hurricane Helene and strengthen the region\u2019s resilience to future disasters.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EU.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said, \u201cHurricane Helene left Georgia growers with damaged timber and exposed weaknesses in their supply chains. With this federal funding, backed by $24 million in private investment, Georgia Tech is exploring how to turn that timber into valuable ag-nutrients and testing ways to keep supply chains moving even when storms hit.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe ReGEN Ag project funding is part of a larger initiative, the EDA Fiscal Year 2025 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program. The ReGEN Ag award supports two initiatives that will be implemented over an 18-month period.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EResilient Routes, headed by SCL, will incorporate modeling with live mapping of critical infrastructure and routes to create cooperative logistics hubs. \u201cFor decades, SCL has led applied supply chain research that solves real problems for industry,\u201d said SCL Managing Director Chris Gaffney. \u201cPartnering with RBI on ReGEN Ag lets us put that experience to work for Georgia\u0027s forestry sector, building cooperative logistics that connect South Georgia\u0027s timber to new, higher-value products and markets.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EReWOOD, led by the RBI-associated\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/renewablebioproducts.gatech.edu\/research\/center-for-renewables-based-economy-from-wood\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECenter for a Renewables-Based Economy From Wood\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(ReWOOD) aims to turn low-grade timber and wood waste into value-added chemicals and bioproducts. \u201cThe ReWOOD initiative builds on RBI\u2019s tremendous strength in wood-based products to create additional revenue sources for Georgia\u2019s forestry industry by developing processes and products to benefit human and animal health and well-being, including new materials, animal feed, care products, and many other applications,\u201d said Andreas Bommarius, ReWOOD co-director.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETimber and its related industries play a significant role in Georgia\u2019s economy. According to the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/gfagrow.org\/about\/numberone\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Forestry Association\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E, the sector contributes $41.3 billion a year to the state\u2019s economy and supports nearly 144,000 direct and indirect jobs.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEI\u00b2 Vice President David Bridges said the ReGEN Ag project complements the unit\u2019s broader commitment to supporting socioeconomic development across the entirety of Georgia. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhen EI\u00b2 conducted a listening tour of the state, we heard specifically from timber industry owners and companies in South Georgia about the need for finding and developing value-added products,\u201d Bridges said. \u201cThis funding provides a chance to explore some of those pathways, while building resilience and boosting prosperity in the southern part of the state.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe award also allows Georgia Tech to work closely with two of its educational partners, South Georgia State College and Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, to build workforce opportunities in forestry, agriculture, biomanufacturing, and supply chain management.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cEDA\u2019s investment, along with significant private industry and local partner commitments, gives us a real opportunity to help rural communities recover from storms and grow stronger,\u201d said Betsy McGriff, EI\u00b2 program manager. \u201cWe\u2019re grateful to EDA and to the partners across South Georgia who came together to make this possible, and we\u2019re excited to get started.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe U.S. Department of Commerce\u2019s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $7.4 million in disaster supplemental funding to the Resilient Growth Through Enabling Next Generation Agriculture (ReGEN Ag) coalition.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The award comes from the Economic Development Administration\u2019s (EDA)  Disaster supplemental funding and is supported by $24 million in private investment. "}],"uid":"28137","created_gmt":"2026-10-28 21:49:38","changed_gmt":"2026-10-30 15:36:35","author":"P\u00e9ralte Paul","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-10-29T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-10-29T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"681601":{"id":"681601","type":"image","title":"ReGen Leads","body":"\u003Cp\u003EAndreas Bommarius (left) is co-director of Georgia Tech\u0027s Center for a Renewables-Based Economy From Wood and Chris Gaffney is managing director of the Supply Chain and Logistics Institute.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1793308293","gmt_created":"2026-10-29 21:11:33","changed":"1793373507","gmt_changed":"2026-10-30 15:18:27","alt":"Headshots of Andreas Bommarius and Chris Gaffney","file":{"fid":"266028","name":"Profs-3.png","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/29\/Profs-3.png","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/10\/29\/Profs-3.png","mime":"image\/png","size":1815634,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/10\/29\/Profs-3.png?itok=uLJ9JsrU"}}},"media_ids":["681601"],"groups":[{"id":"1278","name":"College of Sciences"},{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"},{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"},{"id":"85951","name":"School of Chemistry and Biochemistry"}],"categories":[{"id":"138","name":"Biotechnology, Health, Bioengineering, Genetics"},{"id":"139","name":"Business"},{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"},{"id":"144","name":"Energy"},{"id":"154","name":"Environment"},{"id":"194609","name":"Industry"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"},{"id":"194836","name":"Sustainability"}],"keywords":[{"id":"195316","name":"timber"},{"id":"85491","name":"wood"},{"id":"3671","name":"Enterprise Innovation Institute"},{"id":"170912","name":"supply chain logistics institute"},{"id":"93791","name":"Renewable Bioproducts Institute"},{"id":"128391","name":"U.S. Department of Commerce"},{"id":"195317","name":"ReWood"},{"id":"171659","name":"EDA"},{"id":"195318","name":"ReGEN"},{"id":"9423","name":"Andreas Bommarius"},{"id":"12548","name":"Chris Gaffney"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39441","name":"Bioengineering and Bioscience"},{"id":"193654","name":"Enterprise Innovation Institute"},{"id":"39461","name":"Manufacturing, Trade, and Logistics"},{"id":"39491","name":"Renewable Bioproducts"}],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"106361","name":"Business and Economic Development"},{"id":"71881","name":"Science and Technology"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEve Tolpa\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003Eeve.tolpa@innovate.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["eve.tolpa@innovate.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}