GCSU alumni re-invest in city

Fame and fortune- perhaps not all at once- may come to those who stick around. Jonathan “Bob” Ewing and Jon Joiner have found their jackpot at Amici Italian Café located in downtown Milledgeville among their old college stomping grounds.

It became official on Jan. 1- Amici Italian Café was no longer a corporate tentacle but an individually owned restaurant.

According to Institutional Research and Enrollment Management, GCSU churns out approximately 1,200 undergraduate and graduate students into the nation’s job pool each May. As history has it, most GCSU alums relocate to metro areas, including Atlanta, where an abundance of job opportunities await them.

There are incentives, however, for those who stay close to their alma mater. Downtown Milledgeville, for example, is considered an enterprise or opportunity zone where business owners may qualify for certain tax-incentive programs.

“Milledgeville has benefited by the plethora of government jobs,” Scott Wood, city manager, said. “They have provided the community with a base and stability. However, this has not exactly encouraged entrepreneurship. The GCSU alumni who acquired Amici have created their own professional asset instead of stepping into the pre-disposed job vacuum.”

For the two GCSU alums and newly-found entrepreneurs- Ewing and Joiner- the small college town of Milledgeville has offered them the opportunity of a lifetime.

“We’re excited about being here everyday and excited about having the ability to work with and listen to students and the community,” Ewing said. “We have the power to change things and tweak them until our customers are happy.”

Ewing graduated from GCSU in 2005, majoring in biology.
Ewing and Joiner became apart of the Amici family in 2001, and after a few years had gotten their hands on literally everything.

“We moved our way up,” said Jon Joiner who studied music at GCSU, “from line cook to bartender, to manager, to assistant General Manager and now owner.”

Joiner also helped in opening up the Amici in Athens, Ga.
The two young men now perched atop the Amici totem poll, and have already filled some of the community’s needs by offering their own version of an economic stimulus package-an “Xpress Lunch” for students in between classes or workers on the run, and a “Penny Pincher Menu” featuring meals under $5.

With the help of Jon Joiner’s brother, Philip Joiner, now the marketing and advertising director for Amici-who also coined the slogan “There’s always something going on at Amici.” The new crew is also getting involved with the community, including local charities such as the Make a Wish Foundation.

Amici is proud to be a renowned local music hotspot. Local bands and artists visit Amici weekly to perform and entertain. Now Amici has a new offer to bring to the table-something that sets it apart from other downtown entertainment.

“There is now officially no cover charge,” said Ewing.

You heard right, no cover charge.

“We wanted to adapt to college students. Sometimes it can be tough to pay a cash cover charge and buy drinks as well. So now, we pay the bands instead of our customers, so everyone is happy,” Ewing said.

And thanks to Jon and Bob, Amici now boasts three brand new 42-inch flat screen televisions.

The nation’s current economic strain coupled with some stock-market-logic has put Amici as a leader in the evolution of Milledgeville.

“I encourage people to take advantage of the current economic situation,” said Wood. “When prices are low- buy!”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Feb 20 2009. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry