Jay A. Garner, CEcD, CCE, FM, HLM is the President and founder of the Competitive Strategies Group, LLC, an economic development consulting firm headquartered in Atlanta, GA. His firm has assisted clients throughout the U.S., Asia and Europe on a wide variety of projects, offering innovative, yet real world solutions to achieve success. He is a frequent lecturer and consultant on strategic planning, organizational analysis and best practice recommendations for economic development organizations and chambers of commerce. Jay often lectures and provides counsel on creating and implementing proactive global business development strategies and tactics. His firm is also busy providing assistance to corporate clients in their site selection process.

Jay Garner is a leader and innovator in the economic development industry, having served in the profession for 27 years.  He has directed award winning economic development and chamber organizations in GA, AL, NC, FL and TN. 

Jay is a graduate of West Virginia University with Bachelor of Arts and Master of Public Administration degrees.  He is also a graduate of both the Economic Development Course at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma, where he is an instructor in international prospecting. Jay has led over 25 trade and business development missions on four continents leading to the creation of thousands of jobs and over $2 billion in capital investment.  He is a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), a Fellow Member and an Honorary Life Member, the three highest professional designations awarded to those in the economic development profession by the International Economic Development Council.  He is also a Certified Chamber Executive (CCE), a professional designation awarded to Chamber professionals by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives Association.

He was selected as one of ten outstanding leaders in economic development in the United States by Site Selection magazine while leading the economic development program in Mobile, Alabama.  The same publication also recognized him for running one of the ten best development organizations in the U.S for six consecutive years. As the CEO of the Asheville, NC Chamber, the organization became the first Chamber in the U.S. to win a Quality Award by the North Carolina Quality Foundation based on the national Malcolm Baldrige criteria.  He was honored in 2002 by his alma mater, West Virginia University with the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Department of Political Science. In 2003, the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University honored him with the College Alumni Recognition Award.

Jay is a past chairman and a current member of the Board of Directors for the International Economic Development Council, the largest economic development professional trade organization in the world. He is also a past chairman of the American Economic Development Council.