FORSYTH COUNTY — Two Forsyth County businessmen were part of the recent graduating class at a regional economic development training program.

Bert Durand, a vice president at Citizen’s Bank in Cumming, and Dan Boling of the University of North Georgia completed the Georgia Academy for Economic Development’s 2015 Region 2 multi-day training program.

They were among a class that represented a number of professional and non-professional economic development fields, including elected officials, public servants, business leaders, educators and social service providers from 13 counties in Region 2.

According to a new release, each graduate gained understanding of the complexities of economic and community development on the local, regional and state levels.

Corinne Thornton, director of the academy, said in a statement that one of the goals for the multi-day regional academies is “to encourage multi-county cooperation.”

“Many times the participants discover the issues facing their community are the same as those facing other communities in their region, and can then combine limited resources to address the issue,” she said.

The academy assembles a cross-section of economic development professionals and resources to provide this training in all 12 service delivery regions in Georgia.

Since its organization in 1993, it has provided training for thousands of people around the state, having been offered annually since 1998.

Georgia EMC and Georgia Power provide facilitators for the program, and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs provides staff support to this important program.