Business Buzzzzzzzz

By Blake Olmstead, SBJ Managing Editor 

July 18, 2014 - Despite tough economic times, small businesses and nonprofits throughout the United States are benefiting from the continued expansion of the ecommerce industry, according to an annual Economic Impact Report released this week by Google.

“We've all had the experience of searching on Google and finding exactly what we want, whether it's the business hours of a local coffee shop or a website with recipes for the perfect summer picnic,” said Jim Lecinski, Google’s Vice President of Customer Solutions. “Our search and advertising programs don't just connect people to useful information—they help businesses find customers, help publishers earn money from their online content and help nonprofits get donations and volunteers. In fact, millions of businesses benefit from our online tools and solutions every year across the country—making Google an engine for economic growth."

The growth is creating new opportunities for web-based companies, as well as brick-and-mortar establishments. In 2013 alone, Google helped provide $2.4 billion of economic activity for more than 54,000 Georgia businesses and nonprofits.

The Savannah Bee Company was selected by Google to serve as Georgia’s case study example of a business that is utilizing ecommerce to achieve better results with limited resources.

Beekeeper Ted Dennard founded Savannah Bee Company in 2002 with a single beehive and a mission to support regional beekeepers by selling their honey and making honey-related health and beauty products.  The company website launched in 2010 to support four brick and mortar stores.  Today, there are over 60,000 online orders per year.

For more information about Savannah Bee Company or where Georgia stands in the Google Economic Impact Report, visit here. The full 50-state report can be found atwww.google.com/economicimpact.