It's all about jobs.

While Georgia's effective unemployment rate continues to rage in double digits, creating good, sustainable jobs has to be our top priority. That's why we've created Progress Partners North Fulton Atlanta, a new and vibrant private sector initiative of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce (GNFCC).

Progress Partners, funded by private donations from the local business community, is the new job creation arm of the GNFCC.

We can no longer wait for the government to solve our employment crisis. While sound state and local government polices like targeted tax incentives, Opportunity Zones, less red tape and fixing the Metro's ailing transportation infrastructure can create a conducive environment for job creation, it's the private sector that must be the engine of opportunity.

Certainly, we're proud of our Chamber's 10-year track record of recruiting more than 10,000 new jobs to our market area, which we define as the Golden Corridor -- from Sandy Springs in the south to Milton in the north, and encompassing Roswell, Mountain Park, Alpharetta and Johns Creek.

But frankly, it's not enough.

We can't just sit around and wait -- hoping things get better. Hope rings eternal, but it's not a strategy.

Think of Progress Partners as the GNFCC's job creation strategy -- on steroids.

We have a compelling story to tell, and our market is the world.

The more companies who see what our area can do for them and their associates, the more will choose our corridor's footprint. Progress Partners is exclusively designed to position the Golden Corridor as one of the top corporate destinations in Atlanta for long-term economic growth and superior quality of life, serving both legacy companies seeking to locate and emerging enterprises striving to launch.

With over 350,000 residents, we have a powerful proposition to market.

We refer to our region's differentiators as the "Magnificent Seven." These include: affordable power and fiber optics, innovation and education, healthcare, telecommunications, financial and insurance services, technology and superior lifestyle.

North Fulton is the mission critical fiber-optic data and power grid center of the southeast, now home to over 30 of the biggest call, data and information centers in the country.

Our Golden Corridor consistently ranks among the top academic echelon of both of public and private education in the country, and with a new technical college, we'll be providing companies with an abundance of skilled workers across multiple disciplines.

We're home to 5,100 physicians, five major hospitals and the only Level-Two Trauma Center along Georgia 400.

Both Verizon and AT&T have situated some of their largest activity centers in North Fulton, making it attractive to other companies who serve the telecommunications industry.

With over 2,000,000 square feet of financial and insurance dominated office space now leased, North Fulton is the new crown jewel of the financial services industry.

As major international logistic and general companies locate their corporate headquarters here -- like UPS, Rubbermaid and Ryder Truck -- the region has quickly transformed into a top choice for many of the nation's most dynamic and  growth oriented businesses.

With great affordable housing that meets every taste, the best combined city park systems in the southeast, 23 acclaimed golf courses, low crime rates and walking and bicycle paths that rival anything east of the Rockies, North Fulton is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live, work and play in America.

We all know that.

Soon, the world will know it, too.

At Progress Partners North Fulton Atlanta, creating jobs -- is job one.

Brandon Beach is the CEO of The Greater North Chamber of Commerce

For additional information: progresspartnersatlanta.com