Today’s moderator: Rick Badie

Rick Badie joined The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as an education reporter in 1997. A South Georgia native, he’s covered the region’s immigrant communities, was a feature obituary writer and opinion columnist for the AJC’s Gwinnett edition.

» Join the discussion online today: Weigh in below with your thoughts and opinions.

Georgia businesses are successfully exporting goods and services to the world, so much so they accounted for a state record in the first half of this year when compared to the same period in 2012. Merchandise exports increased 4 percent, from $17.8 billion to $18.5 billion. Today’s guest writers note the economic importance of the respectable gain.

Guest columnists:

Exports set record by Don Nay

Robust trade in Georgia by Kathe Falls

Response to recent conversation from our readers