As Goodwill of Middle Georgia celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2025, the organization remains dedicated to expanding career education and applied learning community-based enterprises with the planned Helms Farm development in Putnam County.
“Since our Macon founding in 1975, Goodwill of Middle Georgia has been dedicated to helping individuals achieve career advancement and helping businesses and industries to have job-ready talent,” said Jim Stiff, president and CEO of the local nonprofit. “Our planned campus in Putnam County will inspire new human and economic energy in the county and beyond.”
In 2021, Goodwill purchased 71 acres on Harmony Road and worked with the county to rezone the property as a Commercial Planned Unit Development (C-PUD) to fulfill its vision of an innovative mixed-use Helms Farm community that blends education, agritourism, hospitality, and attainable workforce housing for the Lake Country.
In alignment with its original vision, Goodwill has partnered with Southeastern Real Estate Group to develop the residential component of the Helms Farm community. The development will feature a mix of single-family homes, duplexes, townhomes, and mansion flats, offering a combination of market-rate and attainable housing options to support the Lake Country’s growing workforce.
Additionally, Goodwill’s planned commercial village development features remain central to the project and include a Goodwill retail training store with a donation drive-through feature, a Goodwill Career Center, an Edgar’s Bakehouse Café to serve as a community hub featuring fresh baked goods and farm-fresh produce while offering real-world learning opportunities for Helms College School of Hospitality students, an Agritourism and Hospitality Center to showcase sustainable farming techniques, and a Lake Country campus of Helms College as a future satellite facility offering career-credentialing programs in hospitality, health services, and skilled trades.
“This is within the guidelines of what was already approved,” Stiff said. “If you look at the original drawing, there are three apartment complexes up front. Those apartment complexes are much less professional and sophisticated than the residential single units and mansion homes and all the kind stuff that’s going to be part of Southeastern’s development.
“So, we’re going to have a much more upscale residential component to this campus than what was in the original plan. There will be less commercial, and there will be more of an agritourism element up the road. So, it won’t be so congested like a big commercial development. It’ll be more of a gentle village that you go through to get to the residential area with all the parks and green spaces.”
Stiff further explained that Goodwill hopes to sell 52 of the original 71 acres it received to Southeastern for approximately $3 million, which will go toward building the nearby Goodwill Village.
“We’ll call it Edgar’s Acres Village up by the road. So, for us to do what we’ve discussed since 2021, we can’t do that unless that sale takes place,” Stiff said.
He also said Goodwill and its people will remain directly involved in the new Southeastern- built community.
“We’ll be doing the housekeeping; we’ll be doing some facilities management; so, Goodwill won’t own the 275 upscale mix of rental and for sale properties, but we will be very much collaborating with the residents and with the owners of those properties to be able to educate and train people and to put on hospitality events,” Stiff said.
To help move the project forward, Stiff said the Putnam County Board of Commissioners will vote this Friday on a Memorandum of Understanding for a tax abatement to allow Southeastern Real Estate Group to build a residential community that supports Goodwill’s mission.
He hopes the vote on Friday will enable Southeastern Real Estate Group to purchase the designated acreage from Goodwill for the residential portion of the Helms Farm development and provide Goodwill with the necessary funds to launch the first construction phase on Edgar’s Acres Village.
“This is more than just a land sale; this partnership ensures the residential community will play a vital role in supporting Edgar’s Acres, its businesses, and workforce training initiatives. The development will create built-in demand for Edgar’s Bakehouse and Market and retail operations, helping to sustain and grow these enterprises,” Stiff said. “Additionally, Goodwill and Southeastern will collaborate on events, workforce training, and mission-aligned initiatives, including environmental services and hospitality training programs, ensuring a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship that strengthens the entire development.”
To learn more about Goodwill of Middle Georgia, visit goodwillworks.org. For information about Southeastern Real Estate Group, visit southeastern.company.