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…at the GTA Conference

Include your community in the conversation. Tag your conference Tweets and photos with #GAtransit2018 to showcase highlights from this year’s event.

Or, join the conversation that’s already in progress online by joining GTA’s LinkedIn group. Connect with other members, post job announcements, share your special promotions or best practices and stay up-to-date on the latest trends in Georgia’s transit world. Get up-to-date agenda details and build your own activity list. Get our event app for the 2018 Georgia Transit Association Conference.

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• Access the latest buzz and updates about the event

Start now with the link below.

2018 Georgia Transit Association Conference organizers

Click & go public wifi by choosing “Convention Guest”

Welcome On behalf of the Georgia Transit Association's (GTA) Board of Directors, I would like to welcome each of you to the Georgia Transit Association's (GTA) annual conference for 2018. The GTA is the voice for transit in the state of Georgia and the GTA works to advance the policies and priorities of its rural and urban transit entities. The GTA provides a forum for the exchange of information, ideas and experiences, and works toward securing adequate and stable funds for public transit; and promotes a positive image for transit throughout Georgia.

We have an exciting conference planned for you. Our Conference Committee has worked very hard to schedule informative and rewarding workshops and sessions for you with important topics and great speakers. All this information can be found in your conference packet. If you have any questions, comments, or need any other assistance please feel free to contact the staff at the registration booth, and they will assist you with anything that you may need.

Please be sure to visit our vendors, we have scheduled a block of time on the agenda for you to talk with them in detail, and please feel free to join other GTA members at the Welcome Reception on December 5, 2018. There is a Casino Night on Thursday night where everyone can socialize, win door prizes, and get to know one another, so please plan to join us for that event as well.

I encourage our members to keep up with GTA news and events by visiting our website http://www.gatransit.org. Also, on the GTA website you can find important GTA news and announcements, and we have a Georgia Transit Association LinkedIn professional discussion group that you can join for day to day industry updates.

Thank you all for attending, have a great conference, and a wonderful start to 2019!

Curtis Koleber President

Georgia Transit Association | 327 South 9th Street, Suite 1 | Griffin, GA 30224 | 978-603-1090 www.gatransit.org

“Empowering Georgia Communities” Jekyll Island, GA | December 5-7, 2018

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Agenda Wednesday, December 5 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. GDOT Financial Management Training for Sub-recipients

(Marshside Meeting Room 9/10) Richard Garrity, National RTAP

9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Pre-conference Executive Board Meeting (Oceanside Meeting Room 2/3)

10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Registration & Information (Oceanside Registration)

12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Welcome Lunch (Oceanside Ballroom A)

Join us as we kick off the GTA 2018 annual conference with the State of Transit and the 2019 Legislative Outlook!

Welcome U.S. Representative Earl L. “Buddy” Carter, Georgia’s 1st District

Local Welcome Jones Hooks, Jekyll Island Authority

State of Transit Curtis Koleber, Chatham Area Transit / GTA President

2019 Legislative Outlook GTA Lobbying Team

Conference Co-chair: David Dantzler, Coastal Regional Commission Conference Co-chair: John Baylis, Atlanta Regional Commission Conference Host: Don Masisak, Coastal Regional Commission

1:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. Breakout Session 1A / Annual FTA Updates Session (FTA) (Oceanside Meeting Room 4/5) Join representatives from the Atlanta-based regional office of the Federal Transit Administration to hear about updates at the federal level impacting Georgia (Panelists: Keith Melton Nancy Pruitt, Holly Liles) ALL

Moderator: Curtis Koleber, Chatham Area Transit / GTA President

2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Beverage Break (Oceanside Pre-function Lobby) Gold Sponsor: TransDev

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3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Breakout Session 2A / Case Study: Aerotropolis Transit: Seeing is Believing (Aerotropolis, VHB) (Oceanside Meeting Room 2/3) Learn about the recent Atlanta-area Aerotropolis Transit Feasibility Study including recommendations and implementation strategy for transit around the “World’s Busiest Airport” (Kristen Mote, Aerotropolis; Tim Preece, VHB) U

Moderator: Harry Hosey, The Bus Center

Breakout Session 2B / Getting People to Work: Regional Commissions & Workforce Transit (Coastal Regional Commission) (Oceanside Meeting Room 4/5) Learn what’s going on around the state in terms of creative solutions to rural and small urban transit challenges for developing workforces (Don Masisak, Coastal Regional Commission) SU, R

Moderator: Ben Limmer, MARTA

4:00 p.m. Hotel Check-in

5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Welcome Reception (Oceanside Ben Porter Salon Room 6) Emcee: David Dantzler, Coastal Regional Commission

New Member / 1st Time Attendee Orientation (Pre-function Lobby – Porte Cochere Side)

6:30 p.m. Island Dine Around (On your own)Explore Jekyll Island and enjoy dinner at one of the delectable eateries on the Island

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Thursday, December 6

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Registration & Information (Oceanside Registration)

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Jekyll Continental Breakfast (Oceanside Ballroom A) Opens at 7:45 a.m. for GDOT Sub-recipients to pick up on way to training Sponsor: Bus Center Atlanta

8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. GDOT Financial Management Training for Sub-recipients (Marshside Meeting Room 9/10) Richard Garrity, National RTAP

9:15 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Breakout Session 1A / Fostering Behavior Change in Transit (Georgia Commute Options, Commute Smart Consultants) (Oceanside Meeting Room 2/3) Review strategies being used in Georgia and elsewhere to drive change in commuter behavior (Jill Goldberg and Malika Reed Wilkins, Atlanta Regional Commission; Anne Galamb and Katherine Molin, City of Raleigh, NC) ALL

Moderator: David Dantzler, Coastal Regional Commission

Breakout Session 1B / Micro-Transit Workshop: Micro-Transit –An Introduction & What We Have Learned So Far (Oceanside Meeting Room 4/5) With the wave of micro-transit options (e.g., Uber, Lyft, etc.) sweeping the nation, come to this session to learn about the pros and cons of this industry disruptor (Karen Winger, Gwinnett County DOT; Phillipa Lewis Moss, Hall Area Transit; Janea Futrell, Civic Sphere & Complex Cities; Andrea Foard, Cobb County) ALL

Moderator: Phillippa Moss, Hall Area Transit

GDOT Open House (Marshside Meeting Room 7/8)

10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Refreshment Break (Oceanside Pre-function Lobby) Gold Sponsor: TransDev

10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Breakout Session 2A / Assessing Planning Based on Critical Review and Long-Range Prediction (CAT, Gwinnett County DOT) (Oceanside Meeting Room 2/3) Growing and maintaining ridership is of paramount performance to any transit system; hear experts from different areas of the state discuss ways their systems have tackled this issue through focused planning and technical system review (Grant Sparks, Chatham Area Transit; Karen Winger, Gwinnett County DOT) ALL

Moderator: Malika Wilkins, Atlanta Regional Commission

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Breakout Session 2B / Expanding Transit in Metro Atlanta: MORE MARTA & Bus Rapid Transit (MARTA, HNTB, WSP) (Oceanside Meeting Room 4/5) MARTA passed a half-penny sales tax increase for expansion of high-capacity options inside the Atlanta city limits in 2016; hear how the agency is progressing with planning for this new revenue and hear an in-depth discussion on bus-rapid-transit, an integral component of MARTA’s expansion plans both inside and outside the city of Atlanta (Ben Limmer and Chris Silveira, MARTA; Cara Vojdani, HNTB; Gail Franklin, SRTA) U

Moderator: Emily Ritzler, WSP

GDOT Open House (Marshside Meeting Room 7/8)

11:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Jekyll Island Southern Lunch (Oceanside Ballroom A)

Keynote Speaker State Representative Rev. Carl Wayne Gilliard, Garden City District 162 Bio on page 10

Awards and Recognitions

GTA Hall of Fame Curtis Koleber, Chatham Area Transit / GTA President

GTA President’s Award Curtis Koleber, Chatham Area Transit / GTA President

GTA Innovation Award Don Masisak, Coastal Regional Commission / GTA Vice President and Awards Chair

GDOT Frank Hill Award, RTAP Board and RTAP Scholarship Recipient Recognitions Leigh Ann Trainer, GDOT Transit Program

GTA Give Back Curtis Koleber, Chatham Area Transit / GTA President Kalista Morton, America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia

1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Breakout Session 3A / Regionalism Panel Discussion featuring Athens Transit, Chatham Area Transit and Gwinnett Transit (Oceanside Meeting Room 2/3) This session will provide an overview of metro growth trends along with unique perspectives from three different areas of the state of varying population size (Butch McDuffie, Athens Transit; Curtis Koleber, Chatham Area Transit; Karen Winger, Gwinnett County DOT) ALL

Moderator: Rachel Hatcher, RS&H

Breakout Session 3B / Funding Trends: Moving to New Funding Designations Based on Population Trends/Changes (GATECH, Hall Area Transit, GDOT) (Oceanside Meeting Room 4/5) GTA’s annual discussion of changes in federal designations will focus on, particularly, FTA 5311 and 5307 funding streams and where populations changes in the state will impact that support the most (Laurie Garrow and Douglas Douthat, GA Tech; Sara Douglas, Arcadis; Phillipa Lewis Moss, Hall Area Transit; Nancy Cobb, GDOT). ALL

Moderator: Don Masisak, Coastal Regional Commission

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GDOT Open House (Marshside Meeting Room 7/8)

2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Breakout Session 4A / Updating Dispatching Software in Rural Areas GDOT) (Oceanside Meeting Room 2/3) GDOT is in the process of completing a statewide transition and upgrade or its dispatching software; hear an update on the new software features, route optimization, tablets and geo-coding capabilities (Nancy Cobb and Troy Green, GDOT; Ortex Gude, Citri) R, SU

Moderator: John Bayalis, Atlanta Regional Commission

Breakout Session 4B / Smarter Transit: Consolidation, Cost Savings, Smart Transit and Smart Parking (Transit Commute Solutions, Passio Technologies) (Oceanside Meeting Room 4/5) Learn about trends in smart transit and parking, along with cost savings measures being employed today in Georgia that work to optimize regional transit funding (Justin Rison, Transit Commute Solutions; Mitch Skyer, Passio Technologies) ALL

Moderator: Maggie Maddox, HNTB

GDOT Open House (Marshside Meeting Room 7/8)

3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Refreshment Break (Marshside Ballroom CDEFGH) Silver Sponsor: RouteMatch

3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. Trade Show (Marshside Ballroom CDEFGH)

6:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Casino Night and Down on the Bayou Dinner Buffet (Marshside Ballroom CDEFGH) Emcee: David Dantzler Platinum Sponsor: Creative Bus Sales

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Keynote Speaker

Rev. Carl Wayne Gilliard State Representative Garden City District 162

Rev. Carl Wayne Scott Gilliard was born in Savannah, Georgia. Rev. Gilliard was raised in the Chatham County Schools where he attended A.E. Beach High School. He later attended Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. It was here that his community career began working as the national youth coordinator for then Presidential candidate, the Rev. Jesse Jackson. During this time, he met his “mentor for life,” Rev. Dr. Hosea Williams. While working with Rev. Williams, he had the opportunity at a

young age to work with national leadership such as the late Rev. Dr. Ralph Abernathy, Rev. Joseph Lowery, NBA Hall of Famer Walt Bellamy, former wrestler Thunderbolt Patterson and the late Mrs. Coretta Scott King.

Under the direction of his mentor Rev. Hosea Williams and after the loss of two friends to senseless murders, Rev. Gilliard returned to Savannah to take action against the violence that was plaguing the city. Rev. Gilliard knows how to relate to today’s generation because he formed one of the first positive rap groups in the nation entitled “Candylove.” Candylove toured nationally and became the first rap group to render public service announcements for the United Negro College Fund, Coca Cola, the Georgia Department of Family Services, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Nelson Mandela and the National Stop the Violence Campaign with Tommy Lasorda of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Continuing his work in Savannah, Rev. Gilliard was responsible for forming the largest youth organization of its time - Project L.O.V.E. Inc. He was also the founder of the Chatham County Youth Commission, the Saturday Morning Academy and theanointed Savannah Drama Club. Rev. Gilliard led several anti-crime initiatives, including prayer vigils, after school programs and the campaign for life. In 1991, more than 800 citizens elected him as Chairman of a citizens’ roundtable called “Unity In ourCommunity,” and in 1996, Rev. Gilliard was appointed to the Children’s Task Force on Violence. Rev. Gilliard believes in theteachings of another pastor, the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when he talks about the “Drum Major Instinct”. Rev. Gilliardwas the first African American writer for Connect Savannah, and he has also written four national gospel plays. He has hostedthe number one talk radio show in Savannah for ten years on WSOK’s “Tell It Like It Is” in addition to hosting television showson Cable 7’s “The Savannah Edition” for ten years and programmed Gospel Inspirations on UPN on 103.9 FM and on AM 1400for five years. In 1995 Rev. Gilliard, accepted the “Call of Ministry” and was ordained to walk with the highest form of leadership for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He later served as pastor of The Miracle Christian Life Center for six years until he wasrecently appointed by the National Office of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference to be the current President of theGeorgia Coastal SCLC.

In 2009, he and his family sponsored a citywide Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless and working poor. After seeing the overwhelming response from the community, it became apparent that attending to the needs of the poor and homeless only once a month was not enough. He founded Feed the Hungry Inc., a non-profit 501(c)3 state corporation whose mission is to feed, aid and restore dignity to the working poor and homeless by moving individuals and families toward self-sufficiency. Since 2009, Feed the Hungry has served over 450, 000 servings of hot meals and fresh produce.

In 2011, Rev. Gilliard opened the doors of the Family Life Center which has had a powerful impact on the community by providing after school programs, re-entry programs, weekly food giveaways, nutrition cooking classes, emergency food giveaways, free furniture to needy families, weekly worship services and conferences. The family Life Center is now one church with three locations.

In 2012, Rev. Gilliard launched a multimedia communication company called Urban Media and also established the Gilliard Foundation. This is a media company and foundation that produces documentaries and television specials on history. Rev. Gilliard has received numerous local and national awards including more recently being named one of the Top 100 Most Influential Men in Georgia in 2009 and the SCLC Drum Major Award. Rev. Gilliard currently is featured every week on the Magic Morning show with his highly rated “Word Up Segment”. He also has a weekly broadcast entitled the “FLC Encounter” on three FM stations and one AM station. He recently received a Doctrine of Divinity from the New Generation School of Seminary, and his organization, Feed the Hungry, now serves 10 cities in Georgia and four in South Carolina. In August, he will release a book entitled “Giving poverty an eviction notice!”512-

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Friday, December 7 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Registration & Information

(Oceanside Registration)

8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. Georgia on My Mind Breakfast Buffet (Oceanside Ballroom A)

Sponsor: Apollo Video Technology

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. 2018-2020 Board of Directors Election (Oceanside Ballroom A)

9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Breakout Session 1A / Advancing Transit Technology: Solar, On-board Data, Autonomous Vehicles and Data Roadmaps (Civic Sphere, Gresham Smith, Connexionz) (Oceanside Meeting Room 2/3) Maximizing the use of technology with state-of-the-art planning is an important component of transit success in the 21st Century; hear how these variables intermix across different areas of the country, including our own Gwinnett County (Brian Garrett, Connexionz; Ben Guriel, Urban Solar; Karl Smith and Mega Young, Gresham Smith; Tim Preece, VHB; Janae Futrell, Civic Sphere) ALL

Moderator: Justin Rison, Transitions Commute Solutions

Breakout Session 1B / A Roadmap for the Future: Statewide Transit Plan (GDOT) (Oceanside Meeting Room 4/5) With GDOT embarking on its first-ever Statewide Transit Plan, this session will inform attendees of the effort itself (and all that it entails) as well as serve as a great opportunity to gather input on the direction of the plan’s vision, goals and priorities (Kaycee Mertz and Nancy Cobb, GDOT; Brian Smart, AECOM) ALL

Moderator: Jarrod McCarthy, River Valley Regional Commission

GDOT Open House (Marshside Meeting Room 7/8)

10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Beverage Break (Oceanside Pre-function Lobby)

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10:45 a.m. - 11:45 p.m. Breakout Session 2A / Marketing Transit: Stories from Across the State (Gwinnett County) (Oceanside Meeting Room 2/3) Marketing transit can often give an agency the edge in gaining and maintaining ridership and establishing a system as an integral partner in the community it serves; hear some unique perspectives on what’s being done across the state (Destiny O’Loughlin, Gwinnet County; Phillipa Lewis Moss, Hall Area Transit) ALL

Moderator: Audra Rojek, WSP

Breakout Session 2B / Exploring Transit Benefits through Innovative Accessibility Tools (Oceanside Meeting Room 4/5) Measuring the benefits of public transit and translating those results into digestible results for decision makers, planning staff and the public is a big challenge; hear how the Atlanta Regional Commission is approaching this most important component of success (Shayna Pollock and Alleen Daney, Atlanta Regional Commission) ALL

Moderator: John Bayalis, Atlanta Regional Commission

GDOT Open House (Marshside Meeting Room 7/8)

11:45 p.m. American Deli Boxed Lunch (Oceanside Pre-function Lobby) Grab lunch on your way out. Enjoy it on the island or on the go – Safe travels. See you next December 4-6 right back here! Gold Sponsor: Gillig

12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. GTA Executive Board Meeting (Oceanside Meeting Room 2/3)

Complete your online conference evaluation to get early access to the 2018 Conference photos. Photos will otherwise be posted to the website on December 28. Go to www.gatransit.org, select Education and Events tab. Click on 2018 GTA Conference Evaluation (closes Dec 28). The link to the 2018 Conference photos will appear at the end of the survey.

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Georgia Transit Association and

Georgia Department of Transportation Awards

GTA recognizes individuals and transit systems with outstanding achievements

GTA Hall of Fame President Curtis Koleber will recognize the first member of the Georgia Transit Association Hall of Fame for extraordinary leadership, accomplishments and impact on transit in the state of Georgia. The recipient receives a lifetime honorary membership in GTA and the recipient’s name is added to the GTA Hall of Fame legacy plaque that hangs in GTA’s office.

GTA Innovation Award An organization/agency award honoring a Georgia transit system who has demonstrated improvement in the performance of the system that may include ridership customer service, and service expansion.

GTA President’s Award President Curtis Koleber will recognize two individuals for their demonstrated leadership and commitment to the advancement of public transportation in the state of Georgia.

GDOT recognizes the state’s transit systems for exceptional hard work and commitment

Frank Hill Award The GDOT Intermodal Division – Transit Section will select and recognize the rural transit system who exemplified excellence this past year. The “Frank Hill, Jr.” Award will be given to the rural transit system that represents a most improved rural transit system, coordination, cooperation and/or overall excellence in service delivery.

RTAP Recognitions

Awards will be presented during Thursday’s luncheon

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Save the Date…

2019 GTA Conference Jekyll Island Convention Center

December 4-6, 2019

Watch your inbox for the link to the 2018 GTA Conference evaluation. See page 11 for early access to Conference photos.

Your feedback ensures a quality conference!

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Jekyll Island Convention Center

   

Kidde Technologies 

Kirk's Automotive, Inc. 

Luminator Technology Group 

Mobile Climate Control 

Motor Coach Industries

Para Flex Mobility Systems 

Passio Technologies 

PC Tans 

Q'Straint/Sure‐Lok 

Alexander Dennis Inc. 

ALTRO, USA 

American Seating 

Angel Trax 

Apollo Video Technology 

Avail Technologies, Inc.  

BAE Systems 

BraunAbility 

Bus Center Atlanta 

Clever Devices 

Complete Coach Works

Connexionz Limited 

Creative Bus Sales 

Double Map, Inc. 

Ecolane USA, Inc  EMP ‐ 

Busstuf 

ETA Transit Systems 

Freedman Seating Co. 

Gerflor USA 

Gillig, LLC 

Heavy Duty Lift & Equip  REI 

Rosco, Inc. 

Routematch 

Safe Fleet Bus & Rail 

Thermo King 

TransDev

United States Seating 

URBAN SOLAR 

Valeo Thermal Commercial 

Vapor/Ricon 

Zen‐tinel, Inc. 

THANK YOU TO OUR HOST

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

THANK YOU TO OUR EXHIBTORS