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2015/2016
A GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES FROM
FEATURED IN THIS EDITION:
8
6 FROM THE PUBLISHER: AN OLD, SWEET SONG
BY NEELY YOUNG
The willingness of Georgia to include all races and people as equal has
been the cornerstone of our success.
AND COOPERATIVE
8 COMPETITIVE
BY BOBBY NESBITT
Georgia finds a balance between traditional and cutting-edge,
bringing in Fortune 500 companies and international investments.
ECONOMIC YEARBOOK
16 2015
FORGING AHEAD
Georgia Trend’s annual region-by-region look at the state’s economy
reveals that we’re making the most of the growing recovery and our status
as the No. 1 state in the nation for business. Stories in this year’s
Economic Yearbook were written by Stan Awtrey, Lori Johnston,
John W. McCurry, Bobby Nesbitt, Don Sadler, David Shivers, K.K. Snyder
and Randy Southerland.
46 GETTING A HEAD START
46
BY ELLEN BERMAN
From nursing and commercial truck driving to aviation and motorsports,
the Technical College System of Georgia provides education to 240,000
people in more than 600 programs of study, while also helping businesses
find and train qualified employees across the state.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
51 GEORGIA’S
RESOURCES & CONTACTS
Interested in coming to Georgia? Consult this list of the state’s economic
developers for Georgia’s 159 counties before making the move.
ABOUT THE COVER: Curtis Foltz, executive director of the Georgia Ports
Authority, was photographed by Russ Bryant for Georgia Trend.
This edition of Business Georgia 2015/2016 is being distributed to site selectors and corporate relocation officers throughout the country.
4 I BUSINESS GEORGIA 2015/2016 I GeorgiaTrend
05_GT_BG_MAST_GT.April 9/30/15 11:46 AM Page 5
BUSINESS GEORGIA 2015/2016
Editors In Chief and Publishers
Neely Young and Ben Young
EDITORIAL STAFF
Managing Editor Christy Simo
Associate Editor Karen Kirkpatrick
Editor-At-Large Susan Percy
Dining Editor Krista Reese
DESIGN STAFF
Creative Director Penny Alligood
Art Director Clark Odom
Senior Photographer Jennifer Stalcup
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Stan Awtrey, Ellen Berman, Lori Johnston,
John W. McCurry, Bobby Nesbitt, Don Sadler,
David Shivers, K.K. Snyder, Randy Southerland
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Daemon Baizan, Rebecca Breyer, Russ Bryant,
Adam Komich, Hillary Odom, Matt Odom,
Herb Pilcher, John D. Simpson Jr., Becky Stein,
Eliot VanOtteren
PUBLISHER EMERITUS
Millard B. Grimes
ADVERTISING STAFF
Vice President Sales/Advertising Director
Amanda Patterson
770.558.8701
[email protected]
Advertising Manager/Online Sales Manager
Carolyn Gardiner
[email protected]
Account Manager Lane Henderson
[email protected]
Administrative Office Manager Me’Sha Golden
Production Manager/Exec. Assistant Gail Aronoff
Advertising Art Director Heidi Rizzi
ONLINE PUBLISHING
Ben Young
[email protected]
Carolyn Gardiner
[email protected]
DIGITAL & REPRINT ORDERS
Me’Sha Golden
[email protected]
GEORGIA TREND adheres to the best practices of business journalism.
Editorial content is prepared independently of advertising sales.
www.georgiatrend.com I BUSINESS GEORGIA 2015/2016 I 5
06_GT_BG_Neely_GT.April.016.Biz Cas 9/28/15 11:39 AM Page 6
from the publisher
by Neely Young
AN OLD, SWEET SONG
Neely Young is
Co-Editor in Chief and
Publisher of Georgia Trend.
Contact him via email at
[email protected].
The willingness
of Georgia
to include all
races and
people as equal
has been the
cornerstone of
our success.
GEORGIA ON MY MIND, our state song, lets people
from all over the world know that our state welcomes citizens of all colors and religions. This attitude has been the main reason for the explosive
economic growth in Georgia the past 60 years.
Our economic development has outstripped
by a wide margin that of our fellow Southern
states. And most of the credit for our great success goes to business leaders who stepped up
and took courageous actions during the Civil
Rights struggles of the 1950s and 1960s.
Georgia wasn’t always this way. In the early
part of the 20th century, Georgia, like other
Southern states, was known nationally as racist,
bigoted and a dangerous place for minorities. This
image was highlighted in 1913 by the Leo Frank
case, in which a Jewish man in Atlanta was tried
and convicted of raping and murdering 13-yearold Mary Phagan. When Gov. John M. Slaton commuted the sentence from death to life in prison,
people were enraged. On the night of Aug. 16,
1915, a group of citizens from Marietta, Mary
Phagan’s hometown, took Leo Frank from his cell
in Milledgeville, drove him to Marietta and
hanged him from a tree.
The lynching of Leo Frank was highly publicized and exposed the world to Georgia’s shameful treatment of minorities. Soon after, there was
a revival of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) with its
white hoods, cross burnings and lynchings of
African Americans all over the South.
Georgia finally began to change course in the
late 1950s, helped by political, business and religious leaders. When all other Southern states
were defying a Supreme Court order to integrate public schools, Georgia Gov. Ernest
Vandiver stood tall. After first pledging to defy
the court order, Vandiver was urged to change
his mind by leaders including Ivan Allen Jr.
(later mayor of Atlanta), banker Mills B. Lane,
Coca-Cola President Robert Woodruff, lawyer
Griffin Bell and many others.
Compared to Alabama’s George Wallace and
other Southern governors, Vandiver took a moderate stand when African-American students Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter entered the
University of Georgia in 1961. Vandiver appointed
a commission to help prepare the state for courtordered school desegregation. More than 1,800
Georgians appeared at the hearings. As a result of
the commission’s finding, Vandiver convinced the
General Assembly to repeal the law banning state
funding to integrated schools.
Similar acceptance of integration began to
occur all over Georgia. In Savannah, there were
nonviolent demonstrations and calls for a boycott
of white merchants. An influential “Committee
of 100” white business and community leaders
stood with African-American leaders and walked
together into Savannah’s segregated facilities,
which soon changed their policies.
In Albany, activist Frances Pauley, who was
white, worked to unite black and white leaders
in what is now known as the Albany Movement.
Atlanta’s Ivan Allen defeated arch-segregationist Lester Maddox in 1961 in his bid for
mayor, because Atlanta voters embraced Allen’s
stand for Civil Rights. He was able to put together a coalition of black and white business leaders, including the late African-American businessman Herman Russell, to help him win.
Alabama is different today in its attitude on
Civil Rights, but the brutal treatment of blacks
during the 1960s gave the state a black eye.
In the census of 1950, Birmingham, Alabama’s
largest city, and Atlanta each had about 330,000
citizens. Since then Birmingham’s population
has shrunk, while the city of Atlanta has grown
to almost 500,000. Metro Atlanta now has 4.5
million citizens – almost as many as the entire
state of Alabama – while Georgia has grown
to 10 million citizens, almost triple its 1950
population.
Georgia is the economic powerhouse that it is
today also because of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta
International Airport, ports in Savannah, major
league sports teams and the legacy of hosting
the 1996 Olympics. But the willingness of Georgia to include all races and people as equal has
been the cornerstone of our success over the
past 50 years.
In this year’s General Assembly session,
Georgia’s legislators refused to pass any bill that
targeted and punished minorities. They were
persuaded, in part, by leaders of the Georgia and
Metro Atlanta chambers of commerce. Delta Air
Lines President Richard Anderson also helped
lead the effort and deserves a Red Badge of
Courage. Georgia on My Mind still has the same
meaning for all of our state, even today.
Special thanks to historian Stan Deaton for assistance on this column.
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Record-breaking Year:
Curtis Foltz, executive director
of the Georgia Ports Authority
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Georgia finds a balance between traditional and cutting-edge,
bringing in Fortune 500 companies and international investments
BY BOBBY NESBITT
PHOTO BY RUSS BRYANT
Take a peek at the “needs list” of any company looking for a new location, and you’ll find workforce
and logistics right at the top. These are both areas in which Georgia excels, thanks to a workforce
focus that includes Georgia Quick Start and logistics giants Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta
International Airport and the ports at Savannah and Brunswick.
Georgia’s chief economic development recruiter
agrees the state ranks high in both categories, but he
also believes Georgia offers another selling point that
helps close the deal.
“Georgia’s robust business-friendly environment
plays a huge factor in bringing new businesses to
Georgia,” says Chris Carr, commissioner of the Georgia
Department of Economic Development (GDEcD).
PRO-BUSINESS CLIMATE
That business-welcoming environment can be
found throughout the state, and nowhere is it more
noticeable than in the state’s top office. From the day
he took office for his first term in 2011, Gov. Nathan
Deal has vowed “to make Georgia the No. 1 place in
the nation to do business.” It’s a promise kept,
according to growth figures and several national
business tracking organizations.
“Georgia’s workforce and pro-business climate
have been consistently recognized as among the
best in the country,” says Deal. “Georgia was named
the No. 1 state in the nation in which to do business
by three separate organizations.” CNBC and economic development trade publications Site Selection
and Area Development have all given the top rating to
Georgia.
National recognition is nice, but the primary goal
of economic development is jobs, and Georgia jobs
growth has been strong.
“Since taking office, we’ve helped create more
than 400,000 private sector jobs,” Deal says, and
the latest figures show that upward trend is continuing. For fiscal year 2015, the state reported that
329 expansions or relocations created 26,951 new
jobs and resulted in $4.75 billion of investment for
Georgia.
Balanced Business Culture: Chris Carr, commissioner of the Georgia
Department of Economic Development
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
“We had a phenomenal start to 2015 with Mercedes-Benz
USA announcing it would relocate its headquarters to Sandy
Springs,” says Deal. “In June, Stefanini, a leading global
information technology service provider based in Sao Paulo,
Brazil, announced a major expansion of their Atlanta office.
The film industry alone generated over $6 billion in the past
year, and we can expect more growth in that sector as we
continue to develop the new Georgia Film Academy.”
It takes more than just a handshake and a smile to create
a business environment ranked No. 1. To reach that goal,
Deal has implemented a number of “pro-jobs, pro-growth
reforms.” These include removing the sales tax on energy
used in manufacturing and enacting tax credits for the
state’s agriculture, film and technology sectors.
“Not only are these rankings a testament to the governor’s dedication to improving the state’s business climate,
but it also speaks to the commitment and support from
Georgia businesses, industry partners, communities and the
citizens of Georgia,” GDEcD’s Carr says.
Looking ahead, “Project activity is strong and the pipeline
continues to grow with good, quality projects. Headquarters
relocations, innovation, automotive industry and international investment from Germany and Japan are leading the
way,” Carr says.
“We are seeing interest from a variety of new and existing
industries,” he adds. “Whether it is financial technology,
innovation centers, cyber security, health IT or payment processing, global companies are seeing Georgia in a way that
WWW.JENNIFERSTALCUP.COM
Automotive Boom: Stephen Cannon, Mercedes-Benz USA president and CEO, left, and Gov. Nathan Deal at the
company’s announcement that it was moving its headquarters to Georgia
many of us have seen for a
long time – a business culture that is both competitive and cooperative, and
balanced between traditional and cutting-edge.”
Carr says MercedesBenz USA’s decision to
move its headquarters from
New Jersey to Metro Atlanta “was an incredible
victory for our state.” The
German automaker will
have up to 1,000 employees
at its new headquarters
campus, expected to be
completed in 2018.
Mercedes-Benz cemented its commitment to
Georgia by signing a 27year deal for naming rights
to the $1.4-billion Atlanta
Falcons stadium under construction in downtown
Atlanta. It’s just one of two
new stadiums coming to
the Metro Atlanta area
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“Georgia has an outstanding infrastructure, with
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and the
Georgia ports, and it’s all connected by outstanding road
systems and railroad systems,” Foltz says. “Best of all, it all
works extremely well.”
Georgia’s ports in Savannah and Brunswick have long
been important to Georgia’s economic development, but the
ports will soon take on an even bigger role in the state’s
growth. State leaders have seen their years of effort to get
federal approval and funding to deepen the Port of Savannah
pay off. Last summer, President Obama signed the Water
GEORGIA PORTS AUTHORITY
that’s giving the region an economic boost. A new home for
the Atlanta Braves, called SunTrust Park, is also under construction just north of Atlanta in Cobb County. The baseball
stadium and surrounding commercial development is a
more than $1-billion investment. Both stadiums are scheduled to be ready for the 2017 seasons.
Carr says Mercedes-Benz joins a number of companies
that have relocated their headquarters here. This includes 20
Fortune 500 companies and 33 Fortune 1000 businesses that
now have their global headquarters in Georgia. Further, 440
Fortune 500 companies have a presence in the state.
Driving Growth: Georgia’s Port of Brunswick, No. 1 in the country for new auto imports
Carr noted a few other announcements that took place last
fiscal year, including Kaiser Permanente’s 900 new jobs in
Fulton County; Acuity Brands Lighting planning 700 jobs in
Rockdale and DeKalb counties; Unisys creating 700 new jobs in
Richmond County; and Kubota Manufacturing of America
announcing an expansion that will add 650 jobs in Hall County.
UNRIVALED LOGISTICS
A business-friendly environment is a big plus, but companies checking out a new location want to know how they’ll
fill their jobs and how they’ll deliver their products, and fortunately Georgia shines in both areas.
“Our logistics infrastructure is unrivaled, making it easy
for businesses to connect with their clients and customers,”
Carr says. “We are home to a 21st-century workforce that is
attractive to innovating, growing companies, and Georgia
Quick Start is the No. 1-ranked workforce training program
in the U.S.”
As executive director of the Georgia Ports Authority,
Curtis Foltz knows exactly how the state’s transportation
network functions, and “No state does it better than
Georgia,” he says.
Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 authorizing
the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project (SHEP), and a 2015
appropriations bill included $1.52 million in funding to keep
the project moving forward.
The feds also classified the deepening as “ongoing construction,” a critical step that allows for additional federal
funding. More federal funding will be needed to complete
the project, Deal says, “But for now, this funding, along with
the state’s investment of $266 million, will allow the port
deepening to move along as scheduled.”
And move along it has, says Foltz. “It’s taken a long time,
but we are now in the construction phase,” he says. “The
Corps of Engineers has already awarded contracts for a couple of projects, including the outer harbor contract.” The
$706-million project is scheduled for completion by 2020.
The Savannah Harbor Expansion Project is such a big
deal, GDEcD’s Carr calls it “Georgia’s No. 1 economic development project.” First proposed more than 20 years ago, the
project will deepen the Savannah River and harbor to
accommodate larger container ships arriving via the expanded Panama Canal and able to carry an additional 3,600 cargo
containers per transit.
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The Port of Savannah is already the largest single container terminal in North America and the second-busiest U.S.
container exporter, and Foltz sees the deepening project as
the way to keep Georgia moving ahead in the future.
“The Georgia ports have been experiencing record
growth,” Foltz says. “We’ve enjoyed several record-breaking
years and have seen phenomenal growth over the past fiscal
year [FY 2015], and we’re still breaking records every
month.” For the year ending June 30, the ports moved a
record 3.66 million twenty-foot equivalent container units
(TEUs).
“The deepwater ports of Savannah and Brunswick are
cornerstones of Georgia’s success,” Deal says, “and major
factors in creating new jobs and prosperity across the state.”
Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals
support more than 369,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute more than $20 billion in income, more than
$84 billion in revenue and $2.3 billion in state and local taxes
to Georgia’s economy.
“The great thing about our growth is that the record numbers translate into jobs for Georgians, and what happens at
the ports affects just about every company and person in the
state,” Foltz says.
Anticipating even bigger years ahead, Georgia has
launched an inland port project that will eventually locate
terminals in six regions over the next decade. These inland
ports will have direct rail service to the Savannah port, providing better service to every section of the state and
expanding the market area of Georgia’s ports to neighboring
states and across the Southeast. Foltz says added benefits of
the inland facilities include reducing shipping costs, boosting local economic development and relieving truck traffic
on Georgia highways.
The first of the Georgia Ports Authority operated regional ports, the Appalachian Regional Port, will be located on a
42-acre site in the Northwest Georgia city of Chatsworth. Its
service area will include North Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee
and parts of Kentucky. It is scheduled to open by 2018 with an
annual capacity of 50,000 containers.
The Appalachian Regional Port will be Georgia’s second
facility of this kind. The Cordele Inland Port in South Georgia
has been providing service to the Savannah Port since 2013.
The Cordele facility handles cotton, clay, lumber and other
agribusiness exports for customers in Georgia, Alabama and
Florida.
As for the future, Foltz says he sees more record years for
the ports and for the state overall, “I expect great things for
economic development for Georgia. I’ve lived and worked in
several states, and there’s no better place to do business than
Georgia.”
“PHENOMENAL” WORKFORCE TRAINING
TECHNICAL COLLEGE SYSTEM OF GEORGIA
Georgia’s workforce training program is the most popular
Since its inception in 1967 through FY 2015, Quick Start
incentive for many prospects, especially manufacturers of
has trained more than 1.2 million Georgians through 6,765
everything from autos to bread to vaccines. The training
projects. In FY 2015 alone, Quick Start delivered 115 cusoffered by the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG)
tomized workforce training projects, helping create or save
and Georgia Quick Start have proven to be invaluable in clos10,611 jobs.
ing deals, winning enthusiastic praise from clients and earning
Of those projects, 54 percent supported new companies,
Georgia an international reputation for workforce training.
and 46 percent supported existing/expanding industries.
One of those happy clients is Savannah Machinery Works
Additionally, 71 percent of the projects were located outside of
of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas (MHPSA), a
Metro Atlanta, representing 80 percent of trainees.
2015 Georgia Manufacturer of the Year. The company, which
Gov. Deal has made a trained workforce a top priority of
manufactures the largest gas turbines in the world, located
his ongoing economic development campaign, and, says
near Savannah to be near the state’s port but also wanted an
Corbin, “his leadership has been instrumental in helping
area with a top-notch labor environment.
Georgia companies see the Technical College System of
And the company found it, according to Dave Walsh,
Georgia as their primary resource for workforce developMHPSA president and CEO. “We have an outstanding labor
ment.”
market here,” he says, offering praise to Savannah Technical
Citing a study that shows that by 2020, more than 60 perCollege and Georgia Quick Start for helping train its growing
cent of Georgia jobs will require a college certificate or degree,
workforce. “Quick Start is pheDeal has charged TCSG and the
nomenal. We’ve worked with a
University System of Georgia to
number of similar programs in
meet a goal of graduating an
other states, and Georgia Quick
additional 250,000 students by
Start has no equal.”
2020.
Those are welcome words to
Quick Start has developed
TCSG Commissioner Gretchen
training systems for a vast array
Corbin, who oversees the 22of projects, including training
college system and its Quick
workers to assemble intricate airStart program.
craft components, growing bac“One of the key components
teria to produce vaccines, manuof our mission is to support ecofacturing a wide array of plastic
nomic development,” Corbin
and metal products, processing
says. “Quick Start is a true asset
foods from cookies to sports
to Georgia’s economy by prodrinks, and fielding calls from
viding the strategic training that Custom Education: Jacopo Leonardi, left, executive
customers.
businesses need and desire to vice president for Baxalta’s immunology division, and
Quick Start also provides supbe successful in our state.”
port to growing industries in
Gretchen Corbin, right, commissioner of the Technical College
Training for Georgia’s cur- System of Georgia
large projects to train future
rent and future workforce
employees. For example, the new
begins in a TCSG classroom with hands-on experience. The
$14-million Georgia BioScience Training Center in Newton
colleges often work directly with local companies seeking speCounty east of Atlanta is a 50,000-square-foot facility dedicatcific skills, such as Savannah Tech, which partners with
ed to supporting research, technology transfer and compreGulfstream to offer courses that train workers for the needs of
hensive customized workforce training critical to the successthe aerospace industry giant; and South Georgia Tech, which
ful operations of bioscience and biomanufacturing industries.
partners with John Deere and Caterpillar.
The training center is located near the site of global bioThat same training goes beyond the walls of a classroom
pharmaceutical manufacturer Baxalta’s $1-billion facility.
with Quick Start. For more than 40 years, Quick Start has been
When it opens in 2018, the location will employ 1,500 in the
helping Georgia win new companies and support existing
production of immunoglobulin therapies for patients with
industry by providing customized training free of charge to
immune disorders and albumin products, which are used to
qualified new, expanding or existing businesses.
help critical care, trauma and burn patients.
While Quick Start has extensive experience delivering
The BioScience Training Center will be used to train not
workforce training in a broad range of industry sectors, 92
only Baxalta employees but eventually workers for similar
percent of its fiscal year 2015 projects supported Georgia
facilities as Georgia continues to grow its reputation as a life
manufacturers, a foundation of the state’s economy.
sciences hub. – Bobby Nesbitt
Better
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2015
ECONOMIC YEARBOOK
Forging
Ahead
R
eports of increasing economic activity, new jobs and businesses
– even improvements in the housing industry – show that Georgia is
continuing to make the most of the growing recovery and its status as the No.
1 state in the nation for business. Put on your seatbelts as the Peach State
moves forward. It’s going to be a wild ride.
From new stadiums to massive corporate
from high tech to agriculture to tire produc-
campuses, growing retail and an aerotropo-
tion fueling growth. East Central Georgia is
lis, the Metro Atlanta area is booming, with
focused on creating the workforce required
job growth poised to outpace the national
by an influx of industry in areas as diverse as
average.
the energy sector and cyber security.
Northwest Georgia continues to be the
In Southwest Georgia, economic develop-
country’s flooring capital, with new invest-
ers have joined together to market the region
ments by industry stalwarts, but the area is
– a decision that’s already bearing fruit. The
also seeing new activity from a variety of sec-
biggest thing in Southeast Georgia, is, of
tors and a jumpstart in tourism. In Northeast
course, construction starting on the Port of
Georgia, expansions in healthcare and a
Savannah project, but that’s just the tip of
commitment to working across county lines
the good economic news coming out of that
are yielding economic dividends throughout
region.
the region.
Stories in this year’s Economic Yearbook
In the West Central part of the state, Kia
were written and reported by Stan Awtrey, Lori
and Fort Benning continue to drive the econ-
Johnston, John W. McCurry, Bobby Nesbitt, Don
omy of the entire area. While in Central
Sadler, David Shivers, K.K. Snyder and Randy
Georgia, diversity is the key, with everything
Southerland. – Karen Kirkpatrick
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Northwest
page 24
Northeast
page 27
Metro Atlanta
page 18
East Central
page 36
West Central
page 30
Central
page 33
Southeast
page 43
Southwest
page 39
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Metro Atlanta
REBECCA BREYER
Relocations: Tom Mahaffey, president
and CEO of the Sandy Springs/Perimeter
Chamber of Commerce
On the Move
BY RANDY SOUTHERLAND
Throughout the Metro Atlanta region, you
can see the signs of economic growth. From
retail stores filling out strip centers in
Barrow County to a new Braves stadium in Cobb and sprawling corporate campuses in Perimeter, the
signs all point to an economy that
is once again on the move.
“I think it’s abundantly obvious that construction activity is
up all over the region,” says
Brian McGowan, executive vice
president and COO at the Metro
Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.
“When I came here about four
years ago, there really wasn’t much
happening at all. Now we have major
billion-dollar projects being built in different parts of the region, from Pinewood
studios to the south to Avalon in the north, a
new stadium and all the new activity around
Midtown.
“Just a few years ago things looked
pretty bad, and now they look pretty
exciting,” McGowan adds.
Companies are both hiring
and spending again, and increasingly they are putting their
money, their workers and their
operations in Metro Atlanta. The
uptick in jobs is drawing people
to the region, and that in turn is
spurring home building and
retail.
“We’re getting a lot of people
moving here from different parts of
the country because the cost of living is
really high in other parts of the country,
but also Georgia and Atlanta has a very business-friendly environment,” says McGowan.
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Metro Atlanta
“We’re the No. 1 state in the U.S. to do
business according to three different
surveys.”
If in decades past the advice was “go
west young man,” now it has become
“go south and stop in Atlanta,” according to McGowan.
“People are recognizing that the
south is really a place of economic
opportunity,” he says.
Recent data appears to back up that
sentiment. According to the U.S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Metro
Atlanta area ranks No. 2 in the nation
for job growth.
Atlanta also seems to have become
a mecca for corporate headquarters. In
the busy Central Perimeter business
district that extends across both
Fulton and DeKalb counties north of
Atlanta, several big campuses are taking shape.
There is perhaps no better example
of that business friendliness than the
decision by German luxury automaker
Mercedes-Benz to relocate its U.S.
headquarters and as many as 800 jobs
to Atlanta from New Jersey. The company plans to build a 12-acre headquarters campus at Georgia 400 and Abernathy Road in Sandy Springs.
It’s true the state offered the company more than $23 million in incentives to move south, but the win is also
an indication that the city has grown
sufficiently in sophistication and
amenities to entice the most demanding of executives.
Mercedes-Benz will be joining State
Farm Insurance Co., which is building a
2.2-million-square-foot mixed-use project in Dunwoody. It will be one of the
largest corporate office developments in
Metro Atlanta’s history and house some
3,000 employees, with that number
expected to rise to 7,000 over the next
decade.
With a direct connection to the
Dunwoody MARTA station, the development will eventually include 100,000
square feet of retail, restaurants and
entertainment, along with a 200-room
select service hotel.
“They located where they are to be
on the MARTA system,” says Tom
Mahaffey, president and CEO of the
Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of
Commerce. “They have a ramp going
into the platform of the MARTA station
in Dunwoody. We have AirWatch [an
enterprise mobility management company], which specifically located near
the Sandy Springs MARTA station so
their employees – many of whom are
millennials and live in the downtown
[area] – can commute by train to work.”
MARTA also provides a direct link to
one of the mightiest engines of development in the state – HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport.
As the busiest airport in the world with
connections to the rest of the country
and beyond, the airport is essential for
luring companies here. It’s also become
something of a destination in and of
itself with the emergence of the Atlanta
Metro Atlanta
Aerotropolis Alliance. Created by the
Atlanta Regional Commission, its job is
to foster a new level of development
with the airport at its center.
Porsche Cars North America Inc.
recently opened its new headquarters
and corporate campus adjacent to the
airport on a 26.4-acre site. The complex
includes the Porsche Technical and
Service Training Center and the
Porsche Customer Experience Center,
featuring a 1.6-mile test track and handling road course.
“[The alliance is] working together
to foster and continue to advocate the
and Harry Potter series along with several Marvel Comics superhero epics,
like Ant-Man, which opened this past
summer and was filmed here in
Georgia.
“That bodes [well] for the entire
economy, because that means lots of
hotel rooms and houses are being rented, restaurants are serving customers
and other industries are providing
services [to the movie crews],” says
Fayette County Commissioner Steve
Brown. “There’s a huge ripple effect.
They’re not just doing business in
Fayette County, they’re doing business
all over Metro Atlanta. It really is a
regional effect.”
Another factor driving development
is the region’s congeniality to entrepreneurs.
H T T P : / / D A E M O N P IC T U R E S . C O M
Ec onom ic Engine: A t l a n t a A e r o t r o p o l i s
A llia n c e b o a r d m e m b e r M ic h a e l H ig h t o w e r
appropriate growth and development
in and around Hartsfield-Jackson,”
says Michael Hightower, founder and
managing partner of real estate developer The Collaborative Firm and a
member of the Atlanta Aerotropolis
Alliance board.
The Southside of Atlanta is hot in a
way never before seen. A bevy of new
companies are expanding and relocating here, including several movie studios. The most notable of these was the
opening last year of Pinewood Atlanta
Studios in Fayette County.
The British-based film company is
best known for producing big budget
blockbusters including the James Bond
“We’re seeing a vibrant, growing
entrepreneurial ecosystem in Atlanta
where young entrepreneurs are coming here from other places because
they recognize the assets of a low cost
of living and low business regulations,” says McGowan. “It also provides this great quality of life and an
interesting place to live.”
NCR Corp. recently announced it
will be moving its headquarters,
along with more than 3,600 employees, from Duluth to Technology
Square at Georgia Tech in Midtown
Atlanta by early 2018 – a prime location for innovation-driven enterprises
seeking the kind of talent nurtured by
this nationally recognized engineering school. Kaiser Permanente also
announced it is opening an IT campus in Midtown Atlanta that will create 900 jobs. And Microsoft will put
one of its Innovation Centers in
downtown Atlanta’s iconic Flatiron
building, which is undergoing a $12million renovation.
W W W . J E N N IF E R S T A L C U P . C O M
Metro Atlanta
D raw ing Bu s ines s es : C h e r o k e e C o u n t y
C o m m is s io n C h a ir B u z z A h r e n s
Metro Atlanta’s construction trades
are working again. Look around and
you’ll see a growing number of cranes
moving materials as new buildings
come out of the ground. Among the
biggest of these efforts is the Atlanta
Falcons’ $1.2-billion football stadium
downtown.
North of the city in Cobb County,
work is also underway on SunTrust
Park, the new home for the Atlanta
Braves. It will be situated at the intersection of I-285 and I-75 in the
Cumberland Galleria district and will
be completed in time for baseball season’s opening day in 2017.
A number of mixed-use developments are poised to spring up around
the stadium in what has become the
county’s most valuable real estate.
Consider that the Cumberland Community Improvement District (CID) is
just 2 percent of Cobb’s land but contains about 40 percent of the value of
the county’s commercial zoning and
permits.
“We’ve had a lot of quiet investment
over the years, both in the form of private investment and corporations being
here,” says Malaika Rivers, executive
director of the Cumberland Community Improvement District. She can point
to major corporate headquarters for
The Home Depot, Travelport and Genuine Parts.
Almost 3,000 residential units are
planned or under construction within
the Cumberland CID, and that number
is likely to grow with the Braves’ plans
for their own mixed-use development
around the stadium. This area is also
slated to get $1 billion in new transportation projects to relieve some of the
expected traffic that a major stadium –
not to mention more full-time residents
– will bring.
These projects include new managed lanes on the I-75 corridor alongside the Braves’ new park and stretching north for 30 miles. The $840-million
system should be completed in 2018.
Secondary roads like Cobb Parkway
will also be getting widening and other
improvements as well.
When people think of Atlanta, they
are starting to include the outer counties in that idea – and with good reason.
Counties like Cherokee to the north are
becoming increasingly urban as development creeps out of the perimeter.
This sprawling, once-rural county has
experienced tremendous growth over
the past decade. From about 90,000
people in 1990, the population has
swelled to more than 225,000 today. It’s
also attracted more than its fair share of
new business.
The I-575 corridor has attracted a
number of new companies into the
3,772-acre Technology Ridge Opportunity Zone. Another opportunity zone
offering favorable tax incentives for jobs
is helping fuel business growth near I75, including a large part of the Cherokee 75 Corporate Park – one of the
state’s Georgia Ready for Accelerated
Development (GRAD) sites.
What makes Cherokee so attractive
to businesses and people?
“It’s predictability,” says Cherokee
County Commission Chairman L.B.
“Buzz” Ahrens Jr. “What you get is what
you see. But what you don’t see is even
better. You don’t see that water and
sewer quality. You don’t see the outstanding public safety, but it’s there.”
On the metro area’s outer northeast
edge, Barrow County is also experiencing a return to prosperity, according to
S P E C IA L
Metro Atlanta
Barrow C ou nt y : E c o n o m i c a n d C o m m u n i t y
D e v e lo p m e n t D ir e c t o r G u y H e r r in g
Guy Herring, economic and community development director for the county.
Building permits are on the rise,
with 330 single-family homes constructed last year.
“We see that continuing,” he says.
“We have about a year and a half of lots
left, at which time we expect raw land
development to occur again.”
Retail is also surging again. Two
major shopping centers – Barrow
Crossing and the Gateway – are filling
out once-empty stores. While they
were anchored by Target, Publix and
The Home Depot, the recession had
scared away smaller retailers. Those
bad days are now over, and business is
humming once again.
Barrow and other counties in this
region have profited from the spillover
generated by the huge Caterpillar
plant near Athens, which is fueling
growth locally. Two nearby suppliers
for the company have expanded and
added workers, he says.
All the activity and the reappearance
of construction cranes across Metro
Atlanta are a good reminder of how far
the region has come in the last few years.
24_GT_BG_NW_GT.April 9/28/15 11:49 AM Page 24
Northwest
New D ev elop m ent ,
New Rev enu e: M a r t h a
E a k e r, p r e s id e n t a n d
C E O o f th e C a to o s a
C o u n ty C h a m b e r o f
C o m m e rc e
Ramping Up
BY STAN AWTREY
Across Northwest Georgia, the flooring
industry is kicking back into gear, while
new industries and businesses are taking advantage of all the region has to
offer.
Activity in Bartow has been
through the roof over the past
year, with a number of companies locating or expanding in
Cartersville. Beaulieu International Group is constructing its
U.S. headquarters and a vinyl
manufacturing facility on 120
acres in Bartow County that will
create 350 jobs. Surya, which sells
and distributes rugs, broke ground
last year on a 1-million-square-foot
warehouse and corporate headquarters
in Cartersville, just 15 minutes down the
road from its existing location in Calhoun. The
new facility should be ready by the end of
2015 and will add 200 jobs. Italy-based
Aquafil will invest upwards of $25
million to expand its Cartersville
carpet fibers manufacturing operation, which will create 50 to 60
jobs.
In the automotive arena,
Voestalpine, an Austrian auto
parts manufacturer, opened a
new facility in Cartersville in
2014 and immediately broke
ground on an expansion. The
$70-million investment should
create about 220 jobs.
Daiki Corp., a construction equipment manufacturer that had its building wrecked by an EF-3 tornado in January
Northwest
C H A T T O O G A C O U N T Y C H A M B E R
2013, reopened its Bartow County facility. A $25-million
Chamber of Commerce, says the new developments are
investment paid for repairs and installation of the newest
expected to bring $250 million in additional tax revenue.
equipment, as well as reinforced concrete to withstand
Shaw Industries Group announced it would retool an old
future storms. Vista Metals, which produces aluminum parts
rug plant in Ringgold, which will reopen as a luxury vinyl
for the aerospace industry, expanded its building. The develflooring plant. Shaw promised to create 90 full-time jobs by
opment allowed the company to increase the capacity at its
2018 at the facility. Also in Ringgold, ground has been broken
Adairsville plant by 60 percent or an additional 40 million
on the Georgia Northwest Technical School campus, which
pounds of aluminum each year.
will open by 2016.
In healthcare, the Cartersville Medical Center finished its
Chattooga County has focused on tourism over the past
$30-million renovation and expansion, which included more
year and has seen the number of visitors increase. Ridership
rooms for cardiac care, trauma and pediatrics. The facility
has grown on the Tennessee Valley Railroad historic steam
expanded the number of spaces in the emergency room to
engine train, which starts in Chattanooga, Tenn., and ends in
30, added new X-ray equipment, a CT scanner and a $1-milSummerville, with many trips completely sold out. Sylvia
lion interventional radiology suite.
Keziah, executive director of the Chattooga County Chamber
In Walker County, Pennsylvania-based plastics manufacof Commerce, says the next focus will be revitalization and
turer Audia International is expected to
beautification of downtown Summerville.
open its new $50-million, 240,000-squareDade County has a 200-acre site that
foot facility this fall. Audia will hire around
was certified ready for accelerated devel100 people to start, with more expected.
opment and is actively seeking a business
“Companies find we have a pro-busipartner.
ness atmosphere in Walker County,” says
Rome and Floyd County have seen a
Larry Brooks, executive director of the
$31-million investment from carpet manuWalker County Development Authority.
facturer Mohawk Industries and $30 mil“It’s a great incubator for people to make
lion from the Bekaert Corp., a manufacturan investment and continue to grow.”
er and supplier of steel wire products, to
Euclid Chemicals, parent company of
modernize its facility, which will lead to the
PSI Fibers, purchased the former 200,000retention of 120 jobs.
square-foot Imperial Cup building in
Wright Metal Products Crates, which
LaFayette. The company, which makes synmakes steel products in the lawn and garthetic fibers used in a variety of concrete
den and power sports industries, will creapplications, had been working out of a
ate 50 jobs with its $1-million modernizanearby smaller facility.
tion of a building in the Floyd County
Unique Fabricating, which makes a variIndustrial Park. Increased sales enabled
ety of die-cut and molded automotive
Neaton, an automotive supplier, to
parts, constructed a 75,000-square-foot
announce its fifth expansion at its Rome
building across from its existing facility in
facility. The company invested $8 million,
LaFayette that will add another 75 new D ow nt ow n Beau t if ic at ion: S y l v i a
which will create 50 new jobs.
jobs.
Floyd Medical Center began an $18-milK e z ia h , e x e c u t iv e d ir e c t o r, C h a t t o o g a
Roper Corp., an appliance manufactur- C o u n t y C h a m b e r
lion renovation of its 1956 hospital in Rome
er, spent an additional $50 million to
that includes consolidating the intensive
expand its range and cooktop fabricating facility in LaFayette
care unit and the coronary care unit into one location to
that opened in 2013.
make room for another observation area, along with
The Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority,
upgrades to the hospital kitchen, neonatal intensive care unit
which includes Walker, Catoosa, Chattooga and Dade counand the ER.
ties, expects to see continued growth in the automotive
“With a solid educated workforce and with available sites,
fields.
manufacturers have found a place where they can be com“As far as floor coverings, we hope to see jobs continue to
petitive,” says Al Hodge, president and CEO of the Greater
come back,” says Keith Barclift, project manager for the
Rome Chamber of Commerce.
Northwest Georgia JDA.
Dalton and Whitfield County are showing increased
Catoosa County has enjoyed growth in the commercial
recovery from the recession that damped the area’s flooring
and retail areas with the development of the new Parkway
industry.
Plaza strip shopping center in Fort Oglethorpe that opened
IVC broke ground in 2014 for a new vinyl tile manufacturthis spring. Outdoor retailer Cabela’s also opened a new
ing facility in Dalton. The $100-million investment will add
70,000-square-foot store adjacent to Costco this spring in
200 jobs. The company opened its first American production
Fort Oglethorpe, bringing about 140 new jobs.
plant in Dalton in 2011 and last spring began 24-hour proMartha Eaker, president and CEO of the Catoosa County
duction of fiberglass sheet vinyl.
BioBased Technologies, creator of a
polyol used in products ranging from
lubricants and building products to
adhesives and carpet backings, is relocating its state-of-the-art lab from
Arkansas to Dalton. The 7,500-squarefoot lab began operation in April 2014
and will eventually add up to 20 jobs,
including chemical engineers, chemists
and lab technicians.
In Polk County, the new 65,000square-foot Polk Medical Center
opened in Cedartown last year. The
$40-million, 25-bed critical care facility
is expected to create 65 new jobs. The
old facility has been converted into a
public assistance facility dubbed “One
Door Polk” that will offer a variety of
healthcare and social services and create an additional 75 jobs.
Jefferson Southern Corp., a manufacturer of automobile body components, expanded its facility in Rockmart
by 81,000 square feet to the tune of
$22.8 million, with plans to hire 40.
“We are seeing activity develop,”
G IL M E R C O U N T Y C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E
Northwest
Big Boos t : P a i g e G r e e n , p r e s i d e n t o f t h e
G ilm e r C o u n t y C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e
says Rachel Rowell, president and CEO
of the Development Authority of Polk
County. “We are extremely hopeful
with the site and rail availability that
we’ll see some business coming to Polk
County.”
Haralson County’s biggest activity
is the $245-million expansion of the
Honda Precision Parts of Georgia plant
in Tallapoosa. The new plant, which
manufactures transmissions, will double the capacity of the existing facility
and eventually create 600 new jobs.
Eric McDonald, president and CEO
of the Greater Haralson County
Chamber of Commerce, says the area is
under consideration for 18 projects
from companies from six different
countries. “Hopefully we can get one of
them to land,” McDonald says.
The Mill Town Music Hall in Bremen
continues to fuel tourism in the area
thanks to acts like Travis Tritt, Loretta
Lynn and the Oak Ridge Boys.
Gilmer County and the municipalities of Ellijay and East Ellijay finalized a
joint development authority earlier this
year.
“This will be a big boost to our ability to recruit and retain jobs,” says
Paige Green, president of the Gilmer
County Chamber of Commerce.
With manufacturing limited because half the county is public land,
Gilmer continues to emphasize small
niche businesses. Two new wineries
opened in 2014, and there is continued
growth in the agritourism sector.
In Murray County, PolyTech Fibers
is building a $12-million plant in
Chatsworth to manufacture polyester
fibers. The plant will have 114 workers
and be capable of producing 80 million
pounds of fibers each year.
But the big news out of Murray
County was this summer’s announcement of an inland port. When it opens
in 2018, the Appalachian Regional Port
will serve North Georgia, Alabama,
Tennessee and part of Kentucky and
provide a direct rail link to the Port of
Savannah’s Garden City Terminal.
Gordon County will enjoy improved
access off Interstate 75 with a $17-million Union Grove exit that will provide
access for suppliers in the area, says
Kathy Johnson, president of the Gordon
County Chamber of Commerce.
The biggest jobs news came when
LG Hausys announced it was investing
$40 million to build its third plant in the
area. The new auto skin plant is expected to be online by the end of the year
and will create 50 jobs.
27_GT_BG_NE_GT.April 9/28/15 12:02 PM Page 27
Northeast
H ealt h c are:
T h e G re a te r
H a l l C h a m b e r ’s
T im E v a n s
Reinvention and Teamwork
BY K.K. SNYDER
In an area challenged by mountainous
topography, limited traditional assets and
lack of much interstate access, the
counties of Northeast Georgia continue to find value in teaming up to
attract new industry to the region.
From the North Georgia Network to a network of wineries to
suppliers networking with big
industry to send goods and
employees across county lines,
Northeast Georgia is reinventing itself one opportunity at a
time.
Last year brought a great deal
of growth across the Northeast
region of the state, with Hall, Hart and
Jackson counties taking a big lead. In
Hall County, 24 economic development
projects were announced in 2014, bringing
1,300 new jobs and $150 million in investments over the next 18 months. Investing companies include Kubota,
King’s Hawaiian, Jinsung TEC,
Georgia Chair, Big Creek Foods
and Innobots.
The growing healthcare services sector added the Northeast
Georgia Health System Customer Service Center in Oakwood and the 100-bed Northeast Georgia Medical Center
Braselton that opened in the
spring. “Healthcare services account
for 14 percent of all employment in
Gainesville-Hall County,” says Tim
Evans, vice president of economic development for the Greater Hall Chamber of
27_GT_BG_NE_GT.April 9/29/15 1:32 PM Page 28
Northeast
Commerce and chairman of the Georgia
“They’re investing millions in hopes
Economic Developers Association.
of attracting tenants. That’s how much
Haering Precision USA LP anconfidence they have in Jackson
nounced plans in 2014 to construct its
County,” says Fenn, adding that the
first manufacturing facility and U.S.
growth was recently acknowledged by
headquarters in Hart County’s Gateway
CBRE’s 2014 4th Quarter Atlanta
II Industrial Park off I-85, bringing a $54Industrial Report. It places Jackson
million investment and 400 full-time
ahead of all Metro Atlanta counties in
jobs within five years. An additional 400
new industrial speculative construcfull-time positions are projected within
tion, accounting for approximately 30
10 years. The German company fabripercent of the total.
cates precision automotive parts and
Next door in Athens-Clarke County,
plans to construct an onsite “academy”
Ethicon Inc., a surgical suture manufor workforce training and development.
facturer, is opening a $185-million facilAlso in Hart County, Lake Foods’
ity and creating 75 jobs. Equipment is
$4.5-million expansion will add 120
being installed, and the facility should
full-time positions.
be up and running and fully staffed by
In Jackson County, completion of a
2017, says Ryan Moore, director of the
$14.6-million distribution center for
Athens-Clarke County Economic
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet resulted in 175
Development Department. The Caternew jobs, and another 100 came from
pillar plant that opened in 2013 has
consolidation by Hitachi Koki in
increased from 350 employees to more
Braselton, says Josh Fenn, president, M anu f ac t u ring: J a c k s o n C o u n t y ’ s J o s h F e n n
than 800.
CEO and economic development direcMuch to the delight of many in
tor for the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. DSC
Athens, Southern Brewing Co. opened a brewery with a
Logistics, a third-party logistics firm, built a 380,000-squaretourism component and outdoor event space in May 2015.
foot facility that will bring in 75 jobs.
“The beer industry in Athens has really flourished,” says
A lot of spec building construction was announced, includMoore, who’s excited about new legislation passed this year
ing an 840,000-square-foot project by IDI Gazeley and a 1.1that allows breweries to “give away” more beer than before
million-square-foot spec building by Ridgeline Property
as part of paid tours of their facilities.
Group in partnership with Hillwood Investment. TPA Group
Other counties in the region also saw significant growth,
began construction this year on a 614,000-square-foot buildincluding Oconee County, where SpringHill Suites became
ing and Pattillo Industrial Real Estate plans a 459,000-squarethe first major hotel there, providing about $100,000 in addifoot spec building in McClure Industrial Park.
tional tax revenue annually. Single-family home-building permits and sales of both existing and spec
homes have also jumped significantly.
In Rabun County, where tourism is the
biggest mainstay, an expansion is in store
for one of two manufacturers in the industrial business park. Parkdale Mills is renovating a 750,000-square-foot textile factory
to house what they say will be the world’s
largest, most modern yarn manufacturing
facility in the world. The expansion brings
an $85-million investment and 210 jobs to
the county.
In Banks County, Wincorp International, a Jamaican-owned agribusiness,
started construction on a multimilliondollar refrigeration and distribution building. The county’s biggest deal of 2014 was
the sale of Chimney Oaks Golf Club and
the planned construction of 200 homes on
the site that will increase the total residential tax base there by 33 percent.
Brew ing Beer Indu s t ry : A t h e n s - C l a r k e C o u n t y ’ s R y a n M o o r e
About 60 new jobs were created when
28
I
BUSINESS GEORGIA 2015/2016 I
GeorgiaTrend
27_GT_BG_NE_GT.April 9/28/15 11:55 AM Page 29
Northeast
toward an airport expansion, including
space for new hangars and a parallel
taxiway.
In Elbert County, downtown Elberton is seeing the renovation of the
Elberton Arts Centre as well as a $3.6-
Factory Direct Wholesale, an Internet
sales company, moved into Banks last
year.
Towns County continues to benefit
from the presence of Young Harris
College, which last year added the $44million Rollins Campus Center, which
provides housing space for student
organizations, new dining and banquet
facilities, the Zell and Shirley Miller
Library, a Chick-fil-A and Starbucks. The
center was built with a focus on the environment and anticipates receiving
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification.
Expansions in Jackson County by
Toyota and Kubota last year created
additional jobs for residents of neighboring Madison County. This year, a
number of smaller businesses will create an additional 100 jobs or more. The
new companies include Entourage, a
ladies clothing and gift distribution
center, and SML Composites LLC, a
manufacturer of components for automobiles and aircraft.
Wine and weddings are spurring
the economy in Lumpkin County, says
Steve Gooch, executive director of the
development authority. “Our tourism
is really increasing – the vineyards and
wineries and weddings. That’s been a
super fast-growing industry for us.”
In addition, The Louver Shop
announced a 2015 expansion that will
include 70,000 square feet and 30 to 40
jobs. The completion this year of a $55million expansion by ball-bearing
manufacturer Koyo will result in 50 to
60 jobs.
Arcadia, an aluminum awning manufacturer, recently committed to lease
a spec building that is still under construction, says Gooch. Chelsey Park
Health & Rehabilitation opened its
$10-million facility in the spring, bringing 100 jobs. It’s the only facility of its
kind in Georgia, says Gooch, and will
serve patients suffering from severe
strokes and ALS, also known as Lou
Gehrig’s Disease.
Habersham County voters passed a
Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax
(SPLOST) last November, $2 million of
which will be used to improve an
industrial park, while $700,000 will go
New P rojec t s : S t e p h e n s C o u n t y
D e v e l o p m e n t A u t h o r i t y ’s T i m M a r t i n
million renovation of the 1920s-era
Samuel Elbert Hotel, which will reopen
as an upscale hotel.
An increasing tax base and decreasing unemployment illustrate
continued growth in Dawson County,
where unemployment was 5.5 percent
in July 2015, down from 10 to 11 percent in 2010. Metal fabricator Impulse
Manufacturing and SleeveCo., which
makes labels for consumer products,
each added equipment and employees in 2014 to handle new contracts. A
2015 commitment to build in Dawson
was made by MESH Engineering,
drawn to the county by the availability of the North Georgia Network, a
fiber optic system completed in 2013.
Also, two large retail projects are
planned, including a 350,000-square-
foot facility by Blanchard Real Estate
Capital.
Stephens County boasts an impressive list for 2014, including the opening
of the new $3.2-million Currahee
Campus healthcare wing at North
Georgia Technical College and the
completion of the $998,000 Phase 1 fiber
optic system across a 70-mile stretch
between Stephens, Franklin and Hart
counties. GEM Southeast, which manufactures a variety of restroom accessories, broke ground in December for
an expansion at its ASI Plastics facility,
investing $10 million and creating 30
new jobs, says Tim Martin, executive
director of the Stephens County
Development Authority.
Kautex of Georgia Inc. added
125,000 square feet and 80 jobs to its
Lavonia facility, says Frank Ginn, director of the Franklin County Industrial
Building Authority. Patterson Pump
invested $5.2 million in the county last
year. Coats and Clark, a textile manufacturer, is gaining $25 million in new
business and will add 5 to 6 new jobs to
meet demands. This year brings continuation of the $66-million Georgia
Department of Transportation project
to widen Georgia Highway 17 between
Toccoa and I-85. Completion is set for
spring 2016.
Mitch Griggs, executive director of
the Development Authority of Union
County, expects the planned construction of a casino 18 miles away in
Murphy, N.C., to have an impact on the
county, as it will bring some 600 to 800
new jobs to the area. He anticipates
increased tourism as well, bringing
more people from Atlanta through
Union County.
Downtown revitalization in Blairsville continues, spurred by improvements made by property owners that
have brought in new tenants. Changes
in regulations have freed up a 6.5-acre
downtown property owned by the city,
and development there this year will
entice more people off the highway. In
addition, two more solar generating
facilities will be online shortly.
Despite the challenges of the past
few years, business is looking up in
Northeast Georgia.
30_GT_BG_WC_GT.April 9/28/15 3:48 PM Page 30
West Central
p h y ,
r
th e
r
W W W . B E C K Y S T E IN P H O T O G R A P H Y . C O M
Of f and Ru nning: B i l l M u r
e x e c u t iv e v ic e p r e s id e n t fo
e c o n o m ic d e v e lo p m e n t fo r
V a lle y P a r t n e r s h ip a n d t h e
G r e a t e r C o lu m b u s C h a m b e
o f C o m m e rc e
Pole Position
BY DAVID SHIVERS
With a number of new announcements and
millions of dollars of investment coming
into the region, the economic engines of
West Central Georgia are off to a good
start this year.
The primary economic hubs of
the region – Americus, Columbus
and LaGrange – have garnered
significant gains post-recession
in jobs and capital investment,
and smaller communities are
reporting advances as well.
Bill Murphy, executive vice
president for economic development for the Valley Partnership
and the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, says that most of
the activity has been in Muscogee
County and at the Northwest Harris
Business Park in West Point. The Harris park
gained Hyundai Glovus, a supplier for Kia’s West
Point plant, with a $14-million investment
into a new facility that is expected to add
190 jobs over the next five years.
Already underway at Northwest
Harris is a $15-million, 100,000square-foot plant for Korean auto
parts supplier Kopla that will
employ 150.
Fort Benning, with it’s $5.5billion annual economic impact,
remains a dominant economic
partner for the region despite
the announcement this summer
of cuts of 3,400 soldier positions
by 2017.
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Georgia
plans to invest $62 million in a new
state-of-the-art campus in the Muscogee
Technology Park. Meanwhile, Eastman Kodak
West Central
Contact Center, a shared space in
Baldwin Park to house three companies: PharmaCentra, ConCentra Solutions and PetCareRx, for a combined
140 jobs. Finally, in October it was
revealed that Australian boat-builder
H2O Sports Manufacturing would
locate in Ted Baldwin Park, bringing 30
new jobs.
Barbara Grogan, executive director
of the Americus-Sumter Payroll
Development Authority, says Sumter’s
success was possible due to public-private partnership and “because they
know we have the good worker base
and the skill system.”
In Schley County, the January opening of a Walmart Neighborhood Market brought excitement – and 30 new
jobs. Schley County administrator Bill
Sawyer believes Ellaville may be one of
ects that Taylor County Chamber of
Commerce Executive Director Lesley
McNary says will bring some $40 million in revenue to the county. Last year
also saw healthcare expand with the
opening of a Butler office for Southwest
Georgia Health Care offering family
practice and internal medicine.
Marion County officials expect
activity at the Pasaquan art site to paint
a brighter tourism future. Wisconsinbased Kohler Foundation, dedicated to
the preservation of art sites, purchased
Pasaquan, seven acres and six buildings of colorful folk art created six
decades ago by Eddie Owens Martin,
known as St. EOM. The two-year
restoration process began in 2014, after
which the site will be donated to
Columbus State University for use as
event space, programming, educational
W W W . H E R B P IL C H E R . C O M
is expanding its Columbus plate-manufacturing facility, which will become
the sole manufacturer of all its SONORA printing plates sold in the Americas. The $28-million investment will
create 240 jobs.
Aircraft engine builder Pratt and
Whitney expanded into a nearly 106,000square-foot building at Muscogee
Technology Park, adding 45 jobs.
Murphy expects the upward trend
to continue. “The recent announcements by Blue Cross/Blue Shield,
Hyundai Glovus and Kodak, among
others, point to a very strong 2015.
Greater Columbus and the Valley
Region expect to see continued growth
in manufacturing as well as new
investments in the commercial and
retail sectors over the next 12 months,”
he predicts.
In Troup County, South Koreabased Hanil E Hwa Interior Systems
Georgia Inc., a Kia Motors parts
source, unveiled plans for a $5.5-million expansion of its LaGrange
Industrial Park plant, adding 80 jobs.
In addition to Hanil E Hwa,
Yasufuku, a supplier of custom-molded
rubber and plastic parts, added 35 jobs
and an $8-million investment; a new
Badcock and More distribution center
is scheduled to open this fall, with 100
jobs and $22 million invested; and a
$25-million expansion for Caterpillar
Forestry Products will add 50 new jobs.
In May, CSX Corp. designated
LaGrange’s Callaway South Industrial
Park a “CSX Select Site,” which the
company certifies as an ideal railserved site for industrial development
and expansion. It is one of only two in
Georgia.
Sumter County saw four major
newcomers or expansions last year:
Caravelle Powerboats celebrated its
rise from the recession, announcing it
would add 60 new jobs. Golden
Gourmet, a producer of prepackaged
meals, announced it would invest $4
million in a 48,000-square-foot facility
in the Ted Baldwin Business and
Technology Park to employ 65. Last
September, the Americus-Sumter Payroll Development Authority held a ribbon-cutting for expansion of the
P u b lic -p riv at e P art ners h ip : B a r b a r a G r o g a n , e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r o f t h e A m e r i c u s - S u m t e r
P a y r o ll D e v e lo p m e n t A u t h o r it y
the smallest communities selected for
the global retailer’s new-concept grocery stores. He also thinks the new
store will result in more competitive
prices at other stores and draw additional retail businesses – both positives
for area shoppers.
“We know we can’t be stagnant, we
can’t just sit still. We can’t just depend
on the state,” says Sawyer, although
Schley officials will continue working
with the state to attract more business,
he adds.
The economic sun is shining on
Taylor County with a total investment
of $770 million in five solar power proj-
activities and tours. According to
Marion County, Georgia Chamber of
Commerce President Debby Ford, the
foundation is putting millions of dollars into the project. Ford said top state
tourism officials have prioritized the
attraction potential of Pasaquan, the
Five Points Berries blueberry wine distillery and historic sites in the county.
In other economic news, Oakcrest
Lumber is expanding its operations,
and in Buena Vista plans were
announced for a new retail/office center to be anchored by a supermarket.
“There’s a lot stirring right now. It’s
a good feeling,” says Ford. “This is all
West Central
Springs Bottling Co. invested $1 million
in producing mineral-rich bottled water
under the registered name Allqua, and
Prolific Coaches, a final-assembly point
for buses, is adding up to 50 new jobs.
The county’s proximity to the Kia
Motors plant and Hartsfield-Jackson
Atlanta International Airport continues
to draw interest from potential Kia suppliers. According to Meriwether County
Development Authority Executive
Director Jane Fryer, the county’s taxcredit ranking by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs has been
upgraded from Tier 1 to Tier 2, resulting
in a competitive edge.
Pike County continues on the
upswing with its fully ready business
park, according to County Manager
John Hanson. The U.S. Highway 19
park – equipped with fiber optics,
water and sewer – hosts four small- to
S P E C IA L
so exciting for our quiet little area of
the state.”
Meriwether County joined the green
energy movement with announcements
of two solar plants last year. Origis
Energy is producing 3 megawatts on a
30-acre site in Woodbury from a $5.4million investment, and Hannah Solar
invested $1.85 million in a 1-megawatt
plant. Elsewhere, Meriwether White
Tou ris m D ollars : D e b b y F o r d , p r e s i d e n t ,
M a r io n C o u n t y , G e o r g ia C h a m b e r o f C o m m e r c e
mid-size companies. Across the highway is Tencate, where 125 workers produce fire-retardant fabrics.
Zebulon is home to Touchstone
Embroidery, located in a former sewing
plant, and the services center for a
growing United Bank occupies one
side of a town square that has undergone numerous improvements over
the last few years. The county rezoned
as commercial a 64-acre tract on fourlane Highway 341 in northeast Pike, a
corridor that includes truck-body
maker Supreme Corp., General Machine Diecron and Caterpillar supplier
Yancey Engineered Solutions.
“Our community has a pro-business
leadership team in place,” says John
Edwards, Development Authority of
Pike County chair. “The development
authority is bringing the key stakeholders together to create a long-term
strategy to develop our properties and
attract positive economic development
for our community.”
33_GT_BG_Central_GT.April 9/28/15 3:49 PM Page 33
Central
Ec onom ic Boos t : A s h l e y M o r r i s ,
F it z g e r a ld -B e n H ill D e v e lo p m e n t A u t h o r it y
On a Hot Streak
BY JOHN W. McCURRY
Georgia’s Central region has one of the
state’s most diverse economies, from
high-tech firms in the north to agrelated industry on the south end of
the region. Over the past year, several counties have landed major
projects, including expansions in
food processing and life sciences. Expect that momentum
to continue with several counties announcing major job-creating industrial site decisions this
year.
The economy is rolling along
nicely in Bibb County, spurred by
the long-awaited start of construction of the nearly 1-million-square-foot
Kumho Tire plant, a project announced in
2008 but delayed due to the recession. The
$400-million investment by the Korean
conglomerate will result in the
employment of 450 when it
becomes operational in early
2016. The plant has made its initial hires and is sending key
personnel to Korea for training.
This project is likely to pay further dividends if suppliers
locate in the area as expected.
“We’ve already met with
one supplier, and Kumho has
mentioned that there are other
suppliers they will introduce us
to,” says Pat Topping, senior vice
president of the Macon Economic
Development Commission.
W W W .M A T T O D O M P H O T O G R A P H Y .C O M
Central
spend $110 million this year to
expand its processing plant in
Vienna. The project will add 500plus jobs and 100,000 square feet to
a facility that already employs 700 –
making Tyson the county’s largest
employer by far.
“This is pretty important for
us,” says Bob Jeter, director of the
Dooly County Economic Development Council. “We’re a rural
county, and most of our businesses
are not this large.”
Brad Lofton believes Dublin is
one of the emerging hot spots in the
state. Lofton, president of the
Dublin-Laurens County Development Authority, says 2014 was one of
the best years for the county in
recent memory, continuing a hot
streak over the last three years.
Dublin’s economy has evolved considerably since the days it was a cenM ajor M anu f ac t u ring: T h e M a c o n E c o n o m i c D e v e l o p m e n t C o m m i s s i o n ’ s P a t T o p p i n g a t t h e K u m h o
ter of textile manufacturing.
T ir e fa c ilit y u n d e r c o n s t r u c t io n in B ib b C o u n t y
“We have a tremendous amount
Existing businesses are expanding, too. Geico, which
of activity in the pipeline,” Lofton says.
Topping says has had a presence in Macon for 40 years, is
Foreign investment has been strong. Recent projects
growing its employment to nearly 6,000 at its two call centers.
include plans by Germany’s AWEBA Group to establish its
Forest products pace the economy of Fitzgerald and Ben
first North American headquarters in Dublin, investing $6
Hill County, and that sector received a nice boost in late 2014
million into a die-making facility that will create more than
when Choice Wood, a wood processing and
manufacturing start-up, began operations.
Choice Wood leased a 200,000-square-foot
building and plans to eventually create 50
jobs by producing processed wood bundles, which are prevalent at the entrances to
supermarkets and other retailers during
winter months. Choice Wood is a sister
company to Enviro-Log, the third-largest
producer of manufactured fire logs in the
U.S.
“That’s our big thing for 2014,” says
Ashley Morris, executive director of the
Fitzgerald-Ben Hill Development Authority.
“The Development Authority is also working on a strategic planning process to assist
our community in competing statewide in
terms of economic development.”
Morris says growth in forest products
and in food processing have helped the
county’s jobless rate drop into single digits
for the first time in several years.
Dooly County’s economy revolves
around agriculture and food processing,
and the county’s biggest recent expansion H ot Sp ot : D u b l i n - L a u r e n s C o u n t y D e v e l o p m e n t A u t h o r i t y P r e s i d e n t B r a d L o f t o n a t t h e
combines the two. Tyson Foods plans to V a l m i e r a G l a s s s i t e
Central
S P E C IA L
50 jobs. The largest foreign direct investment project,
employee-wise, is a 150-job, $20-million plant that Valmiera
Glass announced for Dublin last year. The Latvia-based
company will locate on 40 acres in an industrial park near
Interstate 16 and will produce fiberglass products for the
North American market. End uses include thermal insulation, smoke and fire protection, composites and building
products. YKK AP America, one of the county’s biggest
employers, recently invested $20 million in new equipment.
Lofton says Laurens County’s international culture gets a
boost from the Carl Vinson Veterans Administration Medical
Center, which employs many international physicians.
The big news in Jasper County continues to be Norton Packaging’s plant in
the Monticello Industrial Park. Norton,
which produces food-grade containers
for restaurants and restaurant suppliers,
opened a 45,000-square-foot facility last
year and employs more than 40. David
Dyer, director of the Development
Authority of Jasper County, says the
company plans to double those figures
within two years.
“We built a rail spur for them, and
they’ve done a marvelous job of hiring
local people,” Dyer says. “We’re very
pleased with Norton.”
Dyer says the county continues to
broaden its relationship with Mercer
University. The development authority
has been working with representatives
of the Mercer University School of
Engineering to develop a long-range L if e Sc ienc es : T e r r y S c h
economic blueprint for the county.
d e v e lo p m e n t d ir e c t o r fo
“This is one of the things I am very D e v e l o p m e n t A u t h o r i t y
excited about,” Dyer says. “We were able
to learn about the kind of growth that interests our citizens.”
Another important project underway is construction of a
hospice facility. Dyer expects the hospice to create 40 jobs
when it opens next year.
Putnam County’s largest recent economic development
win figures to boost its standing as a life sciences cluster in
the state. Aalto Scientific, a manufacturer in the medical
diagnostics industry, is moving its manufacturing and corporate headquarters from Carlsbad, Calif., and is the first
occupant of Rock Eagle Technology Park in Eatonton. The
company, a privately held business founded in 1979, says the
new location will improve its logistics and turn-around
time.
Aalto brought production online in January and expected to be fully staffed this past summer, says Terry
Schwindler, economic development director for the Putnam
Development Authority. “They are slowly moving equipment from their San Diego site. They already have plans for
expansion. Within three to five years, they will double both
their footprint and their number of employees.”
Schwindler says companies hoping to serve as suppliers
to the huge Baxalta (recently spun off of parent company
Baxter International) plasma products facility in development 35 miles away in Covington are looking at potential
sites in Putnam County. “We had a couple of companies
looking here, and we are hopeful. We have 130 acres available in our technology park.”
Other recent job generators include the Harbor at
Harmony Crossing, a memory care and assisted living center that opened last October and employs 25.
Another target sector is IT and software. Vizitech USA, a
developer of 3-D learning software, opened an office in
Eatonton in January 2014 and now
employs 18.
Judy Sherling, executive director of
the Development Authority of Jeffersonville-Twiggs County, is hopeful
that the Richland Solar Center, owned
by Dominion Resources out of
Richmond, Va., will begin generating
electricity this year. The solar panel
project would cover 200 acres.
“We have a tremendous opportunity to land some new business here,”
Sherling says. “We think we can land
some businesses due to the port
expansion, and we want to invite
them to look at our industrial park.”
Twiggs County targets the logistics
sector as its top priority, with its location about 145 miles from the Port of
Savannah a big advantage, she says.
Industrial prospect activity is pickw in d le r, e c o n o m ic
ing
up in Lamar County, says Missy
r th e P u tn a m
Kendrick, executive director of the
Barnesville-Lamar County Industrial
Development Authority. She says the county stayed relatively robust economically during the recession.
Continental Tire is the largest employer, and Lamar
also has a small cluster of aviation-related companies.
There have been expansions at Ranew’s, a Caterpillar supplier, and at Jordan Forest Products, a lumber company.
“We have weathered it pretty well,” Kendrick says.
“Many of the surrounding counties lost business and
industries, but fortunately we have remained strong.”
Wilkinson County welcomed Zschimmer & Schwarz
when the chemical company broke ground on a $15-million
facility in Ivey this summer. Otherwise, the theme has been
expanding businesses, including Rescar Industries, a railcar refurbishing firm, which recently added 20 employees.
“We have taken steps to better position ourselves for
projects and have been focusing on our six rail-served,
pad-ready sites,” says Jonathan Jackson, economic development director for the Wilkinson County Development
Authority. “Our story has been business retention and
expansion.”
36_GT_BG_EC_GT.April 9/28/15 12:07 PM Page 36
East Central
e St ory
t B e n n e
o f th e D
o f C o lu
C ont inu es :
t t , e x e c u t iv e
e v e lo p m e n t
m b ia C o u n t y
W W W . H IL L A R Y O D O M . C O M
Th
R o b e r
d ir e c t o r
A u t h o r it y
Reinvigorating Business
BY LORI JOHNSTON
The adage, “you have to spend money to
make money,” could describe Georgia’s East Central region, with millions being invested in new facilities, roads and jobs.
A $500,000 grant – awarded by
the OneGeorgia Authority in
late 2014 – is funding new workforce development and business innovation efforts by the
Development Authority of Bulloch County, Georgia Southern
University and Ogeechee Technical College. The grant will be
split to fund equipment for
Georgia Southern’s Innovation
Incubator and Fabrication Laboratory
(FabLab) that will create startup businesses and products, and to support Ogeechee Tech’s new Industrial Maintenance and Advanced Manufacturing
Skills Training Program.
“One of the biggest issues for
businesses to expand or relocate
in the community has to do with
the workforce,” says Benjy
Thompson, CEO of the Development Authority of Bulloch
County. “My sense is that
OneGeorgia saw this as a community-wide effort to address the
elephant-in-the-room topic.”
That elephant in the room is jobs,
or specifically that there are not
J O H N D . S IM P S O N J R .
East Central
H L L A R Y O D O M
Millions of taxpayer dollars are being directed to
transportation projects in the region, through the
one-cent T-SPLOST that voters passed in 2012.
Economic development leaders hope new and
expanded roadways will make towns and counties
more accessible. In 2013 and 2014, $123.8 million
was raised in the 13 counties that comprise the
Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) Regional
Commission, says Andy Crosson, executive director. Out of 84 planned regional projects, 10 were
under construction in early 2015.
Thanks to jobs created by big names such as
Starbucks as well as smaller homegrown businesses, the region is experiencing a drop in unemployment, particularly in sectors such as manufacturing,
technology, healthcare, retail and back office operations. The CSRA’s unemployment rate ranges from
a low of 5.8 percent in Columbia County to 11.2 perP os it iv e Ou t look : M a n d y U n d e r w o o d , e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r o f t h e M i l l e n / J e n k i n s
cent in Hancock County for July 2015, with only two
C o u n t y C h a m b e r a n d D e v e lo p m e n t A u t h o r it y
counties in the double digits, down from 2013.
“Things are getting better in the rural areas, not just in the
enough qualified people to fill those potential jobs when
urban centers,” he says.
businesses expand or move to the area. Region-wide, howIn Jenkins County, Carbo Ceramics finished half of its
ever, concerted efforts are being made to train people and
proposed $200-million project and plans to expand further,
provide the specific skillsets required by new industry.
with two additional production lines, says Mandy UnderRichmond and Columbia counties – in partnership with
wood, executive director of the Millen/Jenkins County
three South Carolina counties – are conducting a regional
Chamber of Commerce and Jenkins County Development
workforce study that will look at primary industries and
Authority. And aluminum extrusion company MI Metals is
their job needs and training requirements.
expanding, investing $2 million and adding 100 jobs.
One evolving sector is information technology, fueled by
Solar farms are also gaining ground in this sunny region
the relocation of the U.S. Army Cyber Command headquarters to Fort Gordon in Augusta. Initially,
1,500 jobs are expected to be added.
When the relocation is complete by 2019,
more than 2,600 military plus 900 civilian
and 200 contractor jobs will have been
created. More jobs – estimates say up to
7,000 – could be generated by support
companies and commercial and residential construction around the base. Unisys
announced in November 2014, for example, that it plans to add 700 jobs in downtown Augusta over the next five years as
it provides services to the Army.
“We’re seeing a lot of cyber security
contractors moving to Augusta,” says
Walter C. Sprouse Jr., executive director
of the Augusta Economic Development
Authority of Richmond County. “We
have a very smart workforce in Augusta.
What’s happening is that so many companies are seeing that if they have anything to do with information technology
jobs, they need to be in the Southeast
somewhere. And if they need a low cost
of living and they don’t want traffic, then Sm art W ork f orc e: W a l t e r C . S p r o u s e J r . , e x e c u t i v e d i r e c t o r o f t h e A u g u s t a E c o n o m i c
D e v e lo p m e n t A u t h o r it y o f R ic h m o n d C o u n t y
here we are.”
East Central
C H R IS T IN A R A IN E Y
of the state. A 10-acre solar farm that generates 1 MW
“I’ve been fielding tons of requests from prospects,” says
opened last year, adding $1 million to the tax digest,
Tiffany Rainey, director of economic development for
Underwood says, and Hecate Energy recently announced
Washington-Wilkes Payroll Development Authority. “You get
plans to build a 65,000-panel solar farm.
the sense that things are really picking back up in the state as
New businesses are also expanding. Asama Coldwater
a whole, and even for rural communities.”
Manufacturing moved into Warren County in 2014 and hired
Some counties are being reinvigorated by the expansion
80 workers, exceeding expectations. Asama, based in
of existing companies or the return of businesses that haltMichigan, then announced a $12ed operations or moved during
million expansion that will add 40
the recession. Viracon, an archimore jobs.
tectural glass fabricator in StatesCompanies have a more posiboro in Bulloch County, added
tive outlook than in years past,
125 net employees as part of a $2says O.B. McCorkle, executive
million investment. The compadirector of the Development
ny, in the community since 1998,
Authority of Warren County.
had halted local operations for a
Development authorities have
period.
acquired land for industrial parks
Washington County’s workand corporate centers, which is
force grew by 100 jobs when
paying off in some areas. StarTrojan Battery, headquartered in
bucks’s first Georgia manufacturCalifornia, reopened its Sandersing plant in Augusta is creating
ville facility in 2014. The company,
more than 140 direct jobs and
which has 130 employees, plans
hundreds of indirect transportato expand by 135,000 square feet
tion, construction, supply chain
and add another 125 jobs.
and other jobs, according to the
“We were delighted to see
Augusta Economic Development
them come back,” says Charles
Authority. Augusta Renewable
Lee, executive director of the DeEnergy is spending $20 million to
velopment Authority of Washingbuild its first anaerobic digestion
ton County.
facility, which is expected to use
In Columbia County, GIW
the coffee grounds from the
Industries is undertaking a $40Starbucks facility as its main
million expansion of its manufacenergy source.
turing plant in Grovetown that
Hollander Sleep Products –
will add 50 jobs.
the nation’s largest bedding com“It’s a continuation of a story
pany – is creating 220 jobs at a
that I think we’re seeing across
208,000-square-foot manufacturthe region – new growth and
ing and distribution center in
expansion of existing industries,”
Thomson that was expected to
says Robert F. Bennett, executive
open in the second quarter of F ielding P ros p ec t s : T i f f a n y R a i n e y , d i r e c t o r o f e c o n o m i c
director of the Development
2015. Hollander’s decision to d e v e l o p m e n t f o r t h e W a s h i n g t o n - W i l k e s P a y r o l l
Authority of Columbia County.
locate in Stone Business Park D e v e l o p m e n t A u t h o r i t y
Some communities, like Washshould create momentum at the
ington, recognize that their hisGeorgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) certitoric character attracts more than tourists and could bring in
fied-site, says Ralph C. Staffins III, former executive director
new businesses. In downtown Statesboro, voters passed a
of Forward McDuffie. Hollander is using 40 acres in the 420redevelopment powers law and a tax allocation district in late
acre property.
2014 to support business development in the “Blue Mile,”
Also near I-20, the $30-million University Hospital
which links the county courthouse to the main entrance to
McDuffie opened last December. The 25-bed facility will
Georgia Southern and its 20,500 students.
employ 190 workers and create a domino effect with doctors’
Development authority officials are hunting for more
offices and other support services locating around it. In
sites, knowing it could help them edge out the competition.
Columbia County, Georgia Regents Medical Center was
“There are not many other large, large pieces of land in
awarded a Certificate of Need in 2014 to open a new hospital.
Georgia,” McCorkle says. “Some large projects come
Economic development leaders are seeing an increase in
through that we would like to take advantage of. Because we
U.S. and international businesses interested in their facilities
are a rural county, that’s one thing we have that other people
and land.
don’t have. We have land.”
38
I
GeorgiaTrend
39_GT_BG_SW_GT.April 9/28/15 12:20 PM Page 39
Southwest
Regional C oop erat ion:
D a r r e ll M o o r e , c h a ir m a n o f
L o c a t e S o u t h G e o r g ia
Enjoying a New Normal
BY BOBBY NESBITT
As the bad economy slowly becomes a bad memory, the
folks who live and breathe economic development in
Southwest Georgia are finally able to talk about
the local economy with words not often used
in recent years.
Good words, like “definitely better” and “prospects at an all-time
high,” that have gone mostly
unused since before the Great
Recession have once again
become a regular part of the
conversation.
“We’ve all been through
some bad years, but the economy is looking much, much better,” says Shelley Zorn, executive
director of the Thomasville-Thomas County Economic Development
Authority. “A good economy is looking like the new normal.”
From Thomasville to Tifton, Albany to Valdosta, economic
development leaders are seeing reasons to believe the future
does look brighter. To help ensure growth, they
have banded together to market the entire
region as a good place to do business.
There’s “a lot of excitement that this
will help all of us,” says Darrell
Moore, of the organization Locate
South Georgia, which is a collaboration of South Georgia communities to encourage economic
development in the region.
“That makes us stronger to
market the region as a whole,”
Moore says. “Each of us wants to
attract new business to our own
county, but we also know
that a new business in one
county also benefits all the
neighboring counties.”
Southwest
Moore, president of the Moultrieannounced last year by the city of Albany
Colquitt County Chamber of Commerce
and the economic development commisand the Development Authority, says the
sion. The first project through the fund is
goal of Locate South Georgia is to bring
a $200,000 grant for agricultural aircraft
awareness to what the region has to
manufacturer Thrush Aircraft to expand
offer, from tax abatements and low-cost
production at its Southwest Georgia
utilities to tax credits for creating jobs.
Regional Airport facility.
“We will have events to bring project
“They’ll be creating over 100 new jobs
managers here, and we’ll go to Atlanta
as they expand their production line so
and elsewhere for events,” he says.
they can build larger aircraft,” Strickland
For his own community, Moore says,
says.
“I feel good where we are right now. We
“I am very bullish on the Tifton econjust held our own last year, with some
omy and prospects for growth in the
gains and some losses, but 2015 is off to
coming year,” says Brian Marlowe, presa good start. Agriculture, our mainstay,
ident and CEO of the Tift County
is strong, we have several industries Bes t Y ear Y et : S h e l l e y Z o r n , e x e c u t i v e
Development Authority and the Tiftonplanning or considering expansions and d i r e c t o r , T h o m a s v i l l e - T h o m a s C o u n t y
Tift County Chamber of Commerce.
E c o n o m ic D e v e lo p m e n t A u t h o r it y
we have some good prospects.”
“Our existing industries continue to add
Thomasville’s Zorn has a lot of expejobs and expand. Furthermore, our
rience in the economic development business. That makes it
prospect activity is at an all-time high, and plans are underworth noting when she says, “2014 was the best year I’ve
way for a new spec building in our new industrial park.”
seen in the 15 years I’ve been in economic development, and
this year looks even better. We already have 13 existing
industries expanding in 2015, adding 700 new jobs. We love
new industry, but the key to our growth is our existing
industries and fortunately they are doing well. You can most
definitely tell the economy is getting better.”
With 120 existing industries of all types, Thomas County
enjoys a more diverse economy than many of its Southwest
Georgia neighbors. “Agriculture is really big here, and it has
done well in recent years,” says Zorn, “but we also have a
variety of companies in a variety of sizes, all the way from a
three-person manufacturer to baking giant Flowers Foods,
which has its headquarters and a bakery right here in
Thomasville.”
In addition to its growing existing industry, Zorn says
she’s excited to have a new 293-acre industrial park to help
lure new business. “I’ve already got four really good
prospects interested in sites in the park,” she says.
Others in the region are reporting similar good news.
With a deal-closing fund in hand and a rebranding campaign underway, Albany’s Justin Strickland is looking forward to a busy future.
“We have a great pipeline of projects,” says Strickland,
president of the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development
Commission. “We’ve been busy laying the groundwork for a
productive 2015 and are already starting to see retail coming
back.”
Strickland says the first phase of a community-wide
rebranding campaign has been completed, and “we have
seen some very positive traction in trying to make everyone
who lives here an economic developer.” He says the campaign’s goal is to encourage residents to have pride in their
community, thereby making them part of the team selling
Albany as a good place to live and do business.
Reb randing: J u s t i n S t r i c k l a n d , p r e s i d e n t , A l b a n y - D o u g h e r t y E c o n o m i c
D e v e lo p m e n t C o m m is s io n
A key tool for recruitment is the job investment fund
Marlowe says 2014 was “a banner
year” for Tifton and Tift County. “We
celebrated the opening of American
Textile Company’s new 200,000square-foot manufacturing facility and
were also fortunate to locate Rush
Truck [Center], Tire Distributors of
Georgia and Lanter Delivery Systems
to Tifton in 2014.”
In Lowndes, Andrea Schruijer, executive director of the Valdosta-Lowndes
County Development Authority, says,
“We’re seeing more activity than in a
long time, and the good news is it’s
coming from both existing and new
industry. We’ve had some growth during the past couple of years, but much
of it came from our existing industry
expanding. [Now] we’re seeing more
interest from new prospects.”
Schruijer is expecting especially
strong growth in retail and hospitality.
“We have eight exits off I-75, so we
attract shoppers from throughout the
region plus all the travelers looking for
accommodations and food,” she says.
Southwest
Grou ndw ork f or Grow t h : L i s a C o l l i n s ,
C o o k C o u n t y E c o n o m ic D e v e lo p m e n t
C o m m is s io n d ir e c t o r
Schruijer says Valdosta-Lowndes has
plenty to offer prospects, including
three industrial parks “with some 500
acres completely ready.”
Lowndes’ neighbor, Cook County,
started 2015 on a high note.
“We’re excited about the remainder
of 2015, as the first quarter brought us
two great announcements,” says Lisa
Collins, director of economic development for the Cook County Economic
Development Commission.
From Blue Sky Biomass Georgia
came word that it is investing $30 million and creating 90 jobs in a facility in
Adel to manufacture wood pellets, primarily for power producers in Europe.
And peanut combine manufacturer
Colombo North America announced
plans to expand, investing $1.5 million
in a new, larger facility in Adel on a 10acre site on Interstate 75. The expansion
will create up to 10 new jobs.
Collins says the county has been laying the groundwork for growth, completing a $5-million improvement proj-
Southwest
ect at the local airport and making
infrastructure improvements at the
county's 3,000-acre megasite industrial
park. The megasite runs parallel to I-75,
with a portion “ready to develop.”
“We are currently working with
three large manufacturing prospects
and are seeing a steady pipeline of
other inquiries,” Collins says.
Companies are attracted to Crisp
County by the Cordele Intermodal
Center, an inland port that serves as a
staging area for container cargo going
to and from the Port of Savannah.
Companies can bring their cargo to
the Cordele facility, where it is
shipped by rail car to Savannah and
loaded directly onto a ship. Local leaders are optimistic for growth as work
begins on the Savannah Harbor
Deepening Project.
Lee County has had good success in
recent years attracting commercial
projects, and it looks like that trend is
continuing, says Winston Oxford, executive director of the Lee County
Development Authority and president
of the chamber of commerce.
“We ended 2014 with more than $12
million in new commercial completed
or under construction, and we have
two more $3-million projects breaking
ground this year,” he says. “I’ve also
got a handful of good prospects looking at us. … It’s looking like a good
year.”
Karen Rackley, president and CEO
of the Sylvester-Worth County Chamber of Commerce, is also expecting a
good year.
“We added 150 new jobs last year,
and our unemployment rate has been
steadily dropping,” she says. “We have
a new Walmart open, we’ve added a
number of new small businesses and
our largest company, ConAgra Foods’
Peter Pan Peanut Butter plant, is
expanding and has added 45 new jobs.”
Local community leaders “have
been working really hard to be ready to
welcome new industry,” Rackley says.
“We have a new 196-acre industrial
park that is shovel ready for tenants.
The economy is looking better, optimism is up and it looks like it’s all starting to come together.”
43_GT_BG_SE_GT.April 9/28/15 12:21 PM Page 43
Southeast
Agric u lt u re F oc u s ed:
A p p l i n g C o u n t y ’s
D a le A t k in s
Coastal Abundance
BY DON SADLER
At the end of last year, the news finally arrived that many
Georgia businesses and politicians – especially those in
Southeast Georgia – had been waiting two decades
to hear: The Savannah Harbor Expansion
Project was approved. Dredging began in
September to deepen the Savannah
River and harbor by five feet to
expand the Port of Savannah’s
capacity to accommodate everlarger container ships arriving
from Asia via the expanded
Panama Canal.
This is the most critical
infrastructure
development
project in Georgia in decades,
with Gov. Nathan Deal calling
the project “vitally important for
economic development and job
creation not only in the Southeast,
but nationally as well.” Forty-one
miles of the Savannah River will be dredged from the
Garden City Terminal into the Atlantic Ocean to
deepen the river from 42 to 47 feet.
Though the total cost of the project is pegged
at $706 million, it’s estimated that each dollar
spent will result in $5.50 in economic benefits, or $174 million each year. “This is
an almost unheard of cost-to-benefit
ratio for a project of this magnitude,”
says Georgia Ports Authority (GPA)
Executive Director Curtis Foltz.
The long-awaited Savannah
River deepening project aside, the
ports in Savannah and Brunswick
continue to move record volumes in
terms of total tonnage and container
traffic, due in part to a 2.7-millionsquare-foot industrial expansion that
resulted in the creation of nearly 2,000
new jobs in 2014.
Southeast
G E O R G IA P O R T S A U T H O R IT Y
“Our strong performance not
only aided the addition of more than
1,900 new port-related jobs, but it also
created additional positions throughout
the transportation and logistics chain, as
well as supported more than 350,000
jobs across the state,” says Foltz.
According to the University of Georgia,
the ports of Savannah and Brunswick
contribute $39 billion a year to the
Georgia economy, and 100,000 jobs in
Metro Atlanta alone are related to the
ports.
A little farther down the coast,
Georgia could have its own Cape
Canaveral in just a few years if plans for
a commercial spaceport in Camden
County come to fruition. According to
Camden County Administrator Steve
Howard, things are moving forward in
the development of a commercial spaceport along the Southeast Georgia coast. Big H au l: A r e c o r d y e a r f o r G e o r g i a ’ s p o r t s
“Our goal is to create a world-class
Davis County, Hazelhurst and Denton, says that Jeff Davis
spaceport here,” he says, and it could happen within the
County is a great location for any business that wants access
next five years.
to the Savannah and Brunswick ports, “since we’re equal disThe area is ideal for launching satellites into space due to
tance from both of them.” Though the county’s unemploythe parcel’s large size and its closeness to the Atlantic Ocean
ment rate remains slightly higher than the statewide rate,
and the equator, making for an easier and safer launch.
Copeland says jobs are being created. “And we’re helping
Between the facility itself and potential private satellite manprepare a trained workforce for future opportunities in the
ufacturers and educational campuses locating nearby, the
high-tech global economy.”
project could bring an estimated 2,500 jobs to the area.
Next door in Appling County, economic development
Howard says discussions are underway for Camden
continues to “hang its hat on agriculture,” says the
County to purchase the property, and FAA approval has
Development Authority of Appling
been secured to proceed with an enviCounty’s Executive Director Dale
ronmental impact statement. “The
Atkins. “This remains our primary
University [System] of Georgia has one
industry, along with timber and poulof the strongest aerospace programs in
try, which is really growing in importhe country, so this would provide an
tance.”
opportunity for these highly skilled
Atkins says that Claxton Poultry,
graduates to stay in Georgia.”
which supplies chicken to KFC and
In fact, this spaceport would anchor
Chick-fil-A, is building a new $20-milone end of what is being referred to as
lion feed mill and 200 more poultry
an “aerospace corridor” stretching from
houses for a capital investment of more
Jacksonville to Charleston. A little farthan $40 million. Also, agricultural
ther up the coast in Chatham County,
company Southeastern Gin & Peanut is
Gulfstream Aerospace is continuing its
spending $2 million to build three new
rapid expansion, building a new 400,000warehouses in Appling County, he
square-foot state-of-the-art distribution
adds.
center on 32 acres in the NorthPort
In Liberty County, Fort Stewart
Industrial Park in Savannah. Gulfstream
remains the area’s largest employer
is just one of more than 500 aerospace
with more than 4,000 total employees.
companies located in Georgia, employBut right behind it is chemical manufacing 86,000 workers and generating $50
turer SNF Floquip, which announced
billion in economic impact.
plans to double the size of its Midway
Illya Copeland, executive director of W ood P ellet s : W a y c r o s s - W a r e C o u n t y
Industrial Park facility to 160,000 square
the Joint Development Authority of Jeff D e v e l o p m e n t A u t h o r i t y ’ s B o b H e r e f o r d
Southeast
and operated by Georgia Biomass. But
according to Waycross-Ware County
Development Authority Executive
Director Bob Hereford, the biggest economic development news in Ware
County last year was the redirection by
referendum of SPLOST money that
had been earmarked for a spec building to instead be used for purchasing
land and industrial park improvements.
The county is also working closely
with CSX Railroad, one of the area’s
largest employers, to help area businesses capitalize on the presence of its
switching hub, which is the largest
such hub in the eastern U.S. “Not only
does this benefit businesses already
located here that ship goods by rail, but
it can also help us attract new industry
to Ware County,” says Hereford.
“We see a bright future for economic development in Ware County as we
continue to capitalize on our natural
resources, land and transportation assets,” he adds.
Due to Wayne County’s location in
the heart of the “fiber belt,” pulp and
pellet manufacturing remain the county’s dominant industry, and pulp manufacturer Rayonier is its largest
employer. But the county is looking to
grow with a Georgia Ready for
Accelerated Development (GRAD) site
certified this year.
“This takes you from being one of
hundreds of potential sites to one of
around just 14 sites in Georgia if you
also have rail like this site does,” says
John Riddle, president and CEO of the
Wayne County Industrial Development
Authority.
He adds that Domtar Personal Care,
an international company that manufactures adult incontinence products,
recently broke ground on an expansion
at its Jesup facility that will create 25
new jobs this year.
W W W . E L IO T V A N O T T E R E N . C O M
feet and increase total employment by
up to 30 percent, according to Liberty
County Development Authority CEO
Ron Tolley.
“Employment in the manufacturing
and distribution sectors continues to
increase here in Liberty County,” says
Tolley. For example, aerospace component manufacturer Firth Rixson was
acquired in 2014 by Alcoa, Tolley notes,
and plans to hire an additional 100
employees. “We view this as a very pos-
F ib er Belt : W a y n e C o u n t y ’ s J o h n R i d d l e
itive development for Liberty County
since the business is now aligned with
a much larger international company
that is headquartered here in the U.S.”
Tolley is also excited about the
Liberty County Manufacturing Collaboration, which was launched by several
of the county’s major manufacturers in
cooperation with the Liberty College
and Career Academy and Savannah
Technical College. He says a new
internship program will help provide
the kind of advanced training needed
for the 21st-century manufacturing
workforce. “This bodes well for the
future of Liberty County,” he says.
Ware County is home to the largest
wood pellet processing plant in North
America, a $160-million facility owned
46_GT_BG_TechColleges_GT.April 9/29/15 2:10 PM Page 46
From nursing and commercial truck driving to aviation and
motorsports, the Technical College System of Georgia provides
education to 240,000 people in more than 600 programs of study,
while also helping businesses find and train qualified employees
across the state. BY ELLEN BERMAN • PHOTO BY ADAM KOMICH
W
hen companies are looking for a headquarters site, want to open
a branch office or expand their operations, they need assurance that people – well-trained, professional people with skills that are pertinent to
their business – are on hand as willing, ready employees. That s when they turn to
the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG).
With a $1.2-billion impact on Georgia’s
economy, the TCSG works with businesses
across the state to find and train people to
fill positions – often ones that are highly
specialized requiring specific skills.
At the same time, thousands of people in
Georgia are looking to further their education, change careers or quickly get into the
job market and are enrolling in classes at
one of the TCSG’s 22 colleges.
TCSG Commissioner Gretchen Corbin
is well-versed in the panoply of programs
that promote Georgia’s economic develop-
ment. The Cedartown native spent a year as
the commissioner of the Department of
Community Affairs before joining the
TCSG in early 2015, and since 1998 she has
held positions at the Georgia Department
of Economic Development, where she most
recently served as the deputy commissioner for Global Commerce. Her dedication to
assuring an educated workforce and promoting an environment that maximizes
corporate growth and increases employment is matched by her pride in making it
happen.
Edu c at ed W
C o m m is s io n
T r a in in g C e n
s u p p o rt B a x
ork f orc e, C
e r G re tc h e n
t e r, w h ic h r e
a l t a ’s n e w f a
orp orat
C o r b in a
c e n t ly o
c ilit y in
e Grow
t th e B
p e n e d
N e w to
t h:
io S c ie n c e
to
n C o u n ty
Relev ant C ou rs ew ork : L a n i e r T e c h n i c a l C o l l e g e P r e s i d e n t R a y P e r r e n
“We take care of every student as a full human being and
whoever they want to become in Georgia’s great economic fabric. Whether they are in dual enrollment during high school,
completing a core curriculum before transferring to a fouryear university, advancing in a specialized technical field or
earning a GED as an adult so they can enter the job market, we
have learning ready when they are ready, at any stage of life.”
From acute care nurse aide to wireless engineering technology, TCSG’s several hundred programs of study lead students to associate degrees, certificates and diplomas signifying their readiness for work. Since courses are designed to
adapt to the evolving workforce needs of Georgia businesses, TCSG has established a reputation for nimbleness in
keeping pace with emerging technologies. For instance, a
“world-class labs” modernization project was recently initiated in response to a company that required their workforce
be trained on specific lab equipment.
The symbiotic relationship between business and education nourishes TCSG’s growth at the local and regional level.
48
I
GeorgiaTrend
Lanier Technical College, with campuses in Banks, Barrow,
Dawson, Forsyth, Hall, Jackson and Lumpkin counties,
where several racing firms are located, has the state’s only
motorsports vehicle technology diploma program. Lanier
Tech is also moving forward with a new commercial truckdriving program to help ease a nationwide shortage of truck
drivers, thanks to the help of equipment donated by local
trucking firms. While at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College
in Valdosta, an associate of science in nursing degree program was funded in part by a foundation at nearby South
Georgia Medical Center.
“We feel our partnerships keep our coursework relevant,
and that relevancy is one of the reasons we provide such a
strong, well-prepared workforce,” says Lanier Tech President
Ray Perren. For the future, Perren envisions a new program
that will train students in the study of the Internet of Things,
or IoT, a subject encompassing the interconnectivity of
devices and a range of applications, from smart thermostat
systems to transponders in farm animals.
ENCOURAGING ENTREPRENEURS
HOPE scholarships to eligible technical college students and
approved an additional $5 million to pay the difference
between HOPE’s coverage and full tuition in select highdemand fields. Strategic workforce grants are now in place
for students majoring in healthcare, welding, diesel mechanics, information technology, commercial trucking, early
childhood education and nursing, and starting with the fall
2015 semester, certified engineer assistant, movie production/set design, precision manufacturing and additional
computer technology majors also received funding.
He is also committed to plans for a Georgia Film
Academy to help train Georgians for the state’s burgeoning
$5.1-billion film industry. The academy is a partnership
between TCSG and the University System of Georgia, both
of which already have film-related courses at several schools
to meet the growing demand. Jeffrey Stepakoff, a 28-year veteran in the film and television industry, was recently named
the academy’s inaugural executive director.
If the nearly 150,000 students currently enrolled in TCSG
are not enough to attract investment to the state and promote job
creation, TCSG’s internationally
acclaimed Georgia Quick Start
program will. Quick Start, with an
annual budget of about $12 million, designs customized training
programs to fulfill the specific
workforce needs of qualified
businesses. From multinational
corporations to the single-person
startup, businesses collaborate
with Quick Start to obtain
employees in a range of industries from biotech to manufacturing to warehousing and more.
This summer, the $14-million
BioScience Training Center opened
in Newton County to support
Baxalta’s new $1-billion facility
nearby. Quick Start will operate
the facility, which is also
equipped to accommodate the
training needs of other life sciences companies that may choose
F it t ing a Need: T C S G g r a d a n d e n t r e p r e n e u r S t u a r t G r e g o r y
to locate or expand in Georgia.
HIGH-DEMAND FIELDS
Looking ahead, Commissioner
Since 1967, Quick Start has
Corbin would like to expand
trained more than 1.2 million
online learning opportunities, joint enrollment and dual
Georgians through 6,650 projects. In fiscal year 2015:
enrollment. “We have the opportunity to mold students in
• 10,611 jobs were created or maintained through Quick
certain fields of study, such as precision manufacturing,
Start.
advanced automation and the biosciences.” Graduates in
• 92 percent of Quick Start projects supported advanced
these areas now work throughout the state for companies
manufacturing operations.
such as Baxalta (formerly a part of Baxter International),
• 115 customized workforce training programs were
Gulfstream Aerospace and Kia Motors.
delivered.
Gov. Nathan Deal has been a fervent supporter of TCSG.
• 54 percent of projects were new; 46 percent were conIn April 2014, he signed HB 697 to provide $11 million in
tinuations of existing projects.
As many as 85 percent of TCSG graduates find a job in
their field or a related field, and some, like 31-year-old Stuart
Gregory, start their own business. During computer information system and computer support classes at Ogeechee
Technical Institute in Statesboro, he corralled a couple of fellow students to start Dynamic Solutions, a computer consulting business. Just two years after opening its doors, the
company is operating in the black, which Gregory attributes
to his education. In particular, he points to computer information systems professor Terry Hand, who inspired him
along the way.
“Computers are boring, and working on them is more
boring,” confesses Gregory. “But the way Professor Hand
instructed made it interesting. He is one of the reasons I
decided to take both programs, because I knew I could learn
and absorb information from him more than anywhere else.
What really sticks out is his passion and love of teaching.”
Earlier in his educational career, Gregory took classes at
Georgia Southern University, but
when he decided to go back to
school, his needs had changed. “I
was 26 years old when I went back
to school, and I needed a job. I didn’t have time to sit in a four-year
institution. I knew if I went to
Ogeechee, I would be motivated
by people who had worked with
these skills in the field rather than
just taught them. Rather than just
sharing a book, they shared their
experiences with me,” he says. “It
put me on the path to where I am
today.”
Since he’s started his business,
he has hired interns from technical colleges as well. “Their program is geared for someone who
wants to get on-the-job training at
a big company, but as a graduate
of Ogeechee Tech you walk out the
door with a bunch of skills that are
immediately valuable.”
• 42 percent of Quick Start projects were delivered to international companies from 15 countries.
The Quick Start program is one of the reasons TCSG plays such
a huge role in the state’s economic future. To help fund this program and provide education to all of its students, the system
receives about 44 percent of its funding from state appropriations.
Corbin is confident in the state’s continued financial support. “I
have not met one member of the legislature who has not said education is one of the most important things we do in Georgia.”
Quick Start was critical to the success of Norcross-based
Suniva, America’s leading manufacturer of high-efficiency PV
solar cells and modules. In 2008, the then two-person firm joined
the Advanced Technology Development Center (ATDC), a Georgia
Tech-based business incubator, to get off the ground. As the company began to grow, it announced a $75-million facility in
Gwinnett County. The company would need 100 new employees,
and fast. So it contacted the Quick Start program.
“We were blown away with their capabilities,” says John
Baumstark, Suniva’s chairman and CEO. “They undersold us. And
we’ve been tremendous partners ever since.”
Through the Quick Start program, Suniva partnered with
Gwinnett Tech to provide customized training for its new employees. The program also managed the nitty-gritty of Suniva’s initial
recruitment and onboarding services, developing interview and
evaluation procedures, creating specialized employee training and
safety programs, and producing instructional videos to ensure
employees were fully ready to perform the precise functions
Suniva required to get off the ground.
Quick Start put a full-time engineer on board with Suniva during its startup phase and also provided conference and meeting
space. Gwinnett Tech also lent free use of facilities in lieu of a hotel
conference room.
“After we had our first 50 employees, our facilities in place and
some experience under our belts, we were flying on our own,” says
Paul Schneider, Suniva’s plant manager. “As long as you are
adding jobs, Quick Start is here to help.”
Companies as large as Caterpillar and Baxalta have tapped into
the huge list of ready-made workforce training courses offered by
Quick Start, named by Expansion Management magazine for the
10th straight year as the nation’s top U.S. workforce training program.
Schneider notes that Quick Start’s adaptability is one of its key
strengths. “Without Quick Start, we would have had delays with
our factory startup, it would have been very expensive and I would
have to do it all myself. Once we began to trust the engineer, we’d
give him a little direction and he’d be off and running. It was a load
off my mind to deal with professionals with so much experience.”
Today, the number of employees at Suniva is inching toward 300
with the opening of a facility in Michigan, and the company
recently announced another expansion with a $96-million investment that will add up to 500 more jobs. The company will be partnering with Quick Start once again.
“Don’t discount Quick Start because it’s free; believe the hype,”
says Baumstark. “They treated us like they were our employee and
cared about our success. They were in the trenches with us. We are
partners.”
51_GT_BG_Eco Dev list_GT.April 9/28/15 12:32 PM Page 51
Interested in coming to Georgia? Consult this list of the state’s economic developers for
Georgia’s 159 counties before making the move.
ALBANY-DOUGHERTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
CANDLER COUNTY INDUSTRIAL AUTHORITY
ALMA/BACON COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
CARROLL TOMORROW
AMERICUS SUMTER PAYROLL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
CARTERSVILLE-BARTOW COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
www.choosealbany.com
Justin Strickland, President
[email protected]
www.almaone.com
Cherry Rewis, Executive Assistant
[email protected]
www.aspda.com
Barbara Grogan, Executive Director
[email protected]
AUGUSTA ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.augustaeda.org
Walter Sprouse, Executive Director
[email protected]
BARNESVILLE LAMAR COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
AUTHORITY
www.blcida.com
Missy Kendrick, Executive Director
[email protected]
BARROW COUNTY
www.choosebarrow.com
Guy Herring, Economic Development Director
[email protected]
BERRIEN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE &
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.berrienchamber.com
Crissy Staley, Executive Director
[email protected]
BRANTLEY COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.bcdaga.com
Richard Thornton, Executive Director
[email protected]
BROOKS COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.brookscoda.com
Tina Herring, Executive Director
[email protected]
BRUNSWICK & GLYNN COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.georgiasgoldenopportunity.com
Mel Baxter, Interim Director
[email protected]
CAMDEN COUNTY JOINT DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.ccjda.com
James Coughlin, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.selectcandler.com
Hannah Mullins, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.carrolltomorrow.com
Andy Camp, VP Economic Development
[email protected]
www.locationofchoice.com
Melinda Lemmon, Executive Director
[email protected]
CATOOSA COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.catoosa.com
Katie Thomason, Economic Development Assistant
[email protected]
CHEROKEE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
www.cherokeega.org
Misti Martin, President
[email protected]
CLAYTON COUNTY OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT &
FILM OFFICE
www.investclayton.com
Courtney Pogue, Director
[email protected]
CLINCH COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.growclinch.com
ReKasa Hart, Executive Director
[email protected]
COBB CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.selectcobb.com
Brooks Mathis, Senior Vice President,
Economic Development
[email protected]
COCHRAN-BLECKLEY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.cochran-bleckleyidachamber.com
Nicole Ward, President/CEO
[email protected]
COLQUITT/MILLER COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.colquitt-georgia.com
KaCee Holt, Executive Director
[email protected]
CONYERS ROCKDALE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
www.credcga.org
Marty Jones, Executive Director
[email protected]
COOK COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF BUTTS COUNTY
CORDELE-CRISP COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF COLUMBIA COUNTY
COWETA COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF DAWSON COUNTY
CRAWFORD COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF DEKALB COUNTY
CUMMING-FORSYTH COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF FULTON COUNTY
www.cookcountyedc.com
Lisa Collins, Director of Economic Development
[email protected]
www.crispidc.com
Grant Buckley, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.developcoweta.com
Greg Wright, President
[email protected]
www.crawforddevelopment.net
Stacy Ladson, Economic Development Director
[email protected]
www.cummingforsythchamber.org
Kerry Campbell, Interim Vice President,
[email protected]
DADE COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.developingdadega.com
Peter Cervelli, Executive Director
[email protected]
DALTON-WHITFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.daltonchamber.org
Carl Campbell, Vice President, Economic Development
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF APPLING COUNTY
www.baxley.org/development-authority
Dale Atkins, Executive Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF BAINBRIDGE
AND DECATUR COUNTY
www.bainbridgedecaturga.com
Rick McCaskill, Executive Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF BANKS COUNTY
www.co.banks.ga.us/dept-economic-development-2.html
Brad Day, Development Authority Executive
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF BRYAN COUNTY
www.bryancountyga.com
Anna Chafin, CEO
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF BULLOCH COUNTY
www.advantagebulloch.com
Benjy Thompson, CEO
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF BURKE COUNTY
www burkecounty-ga.gov
Jessica Hood, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.buttscountyida.com
Laura Hale Sistrunk, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.developcolumbiacounty.com
Robert Bennett, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.developdawson.org
Charlie Auvermann, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.decidedekalb.com
Ray Gilley, President
[email protected]
www.developfultoncounty.com
Al Nash, Executive Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY
www.jeffersoncounty.org
Greg Sellars, Executive Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF JOHNSON COUNTY
www.wrightsville-johnsoncounty.com
George Milligan, Executive Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF LUMPKIN COUNTY
www.picklumpkincounty.org
Steve Gooch, Executive Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF MACON COUNTY
www.maconcountyga.gov
Gerald Beckum, Executive Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF PEACH COUNTY
www.peachcountydevelopment.com
Charles Sims, Executive Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF POLK COUNTY
www.polkgeorgia.com
Rachel Rowell, President/CEO
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF RABUN COUNTY
www.darcga.com
Ray Coulombe, Executive Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY
www.randolphcountychamber.org/Economic-Development
Walter Mattox, Vice Chair
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF FOLKSTON AND
CHARLTON COUNTY
www.folkston.com
Dawn Malin, Executive Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF MILLEDGEVILLEBALDWIN COUNTY
www.developmilledgeville.com
Matthew Poyner, Executive Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF TWIGGS COUNTY AND
THE CITY OF JEFFERSONVILLE
www.twiggschamber.com
Judith Sherling, Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF WALTON COUNTY
www.choosewalton.com
Shane Short, Executive Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF WARREN COUNTY
www.warrencountyga.com
O.B. McCorkle, Executive Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY
www.washingtoncountyga.com
Charles Lee, Executive Director
[email protected]
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF WILKINSON COUNTY
www.wilcodevauthority.com
Jonathan Jackson, Director
[email protected]
DODGE COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.eastman-georgia.com
Judy Madden, Executive Director
[email protected]
DOUGLAS COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.developdouglas.com
Chris Pumphrey, Executive Director
[email protected]
DOUGLAS-COFFEE COUNTY CHAMBER &
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.douglasga.org
JoAnne Lewis, Executive Director
[email protected]
DUBLIN-LAURENS COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.dublinlaurensgeorgia.com
Brad Lofton, President
[email protected]
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF CLAXTON &
EVANS COUNTY
www.claxtonevanseda.com
Michelle Pfeffer, Director
[email protected]
EFFINGHAM COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.effinghamindustry.com
John Henry, CEO
[email protected]
FANNIN COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.fannindevelopment.com
Stephanie Scearce, Executive Director
[email protected]
FAYETTE COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.fayettega.org
FITZGERALD-BEN HILL COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.fitzgeraldchamber.org
Neesa Williams, Executive Director
[email protected]
FORSYTH-MONROE CHAMBER/DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF
MONROE COUNTY
www.forsyth-monroechamber.com
Tiffany Andrews, CEO/Executive Director
[email protected]
FORWARD MCDUFFIE
www.forwardmcduffie.com
Riley Stamey, Chairman
[email protected]
FRANKLIN COUNTY INDUSTRIAL BUILDING AUTHORITY
www.franklin-county.com
Frank Ginn, Director
[email protected]
GLASCOCK DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.glascockcountyga.com
Lori Boyen, County Commissioner
[email protected]
GORDON COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.gordonchamber.org
Kathy Johnson, President
[email protected]
GRADY COUNTY JOINT DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
cairogachamber.com
Chadd Mathis, Executive Director
[email protected]
GREATER COLUMBUS GEORGIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.thevalleypartnership.com
William Murphy, Executive Vice President,
[email protected]
GREATER HALL CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.greaterhallchamber.com
Tim Evans, Vice President, Economic Development
[email protected]
GREATER HARALSON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.haralson.org
Eric McDonald, President/CEO
[email protected]
GREATER ROME CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
LAGRANGE-TROUP COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
GREENE COUNTY
LEE COUNTY CHAMBER & DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
GRIFFIN-SPALDING DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
LIBERTY COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
GWINNETT CHAMBER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
LINCOLN COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.romega.com
Heather Seckman, Director, Economic Development
[email protected]
www.greenecountyga.gov
Valerie Duvall, Director, Economic Development
[email protected]
www.gsda.net
David Luckie, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.gwinnettchamber.org
Nick Masino, Senior Vice President,
[email protected]
HANCOCK COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.lagrangechamber.com
Page Estes, President
[email protected]
www.leechamber.net
Winston Oxford, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.lcda.com
Ronald Tolley, CEO
[email protected]
www.lincolncountyga.org
John Stone, Director
[email protected]
MACON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
Allen Haywood, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.maconworks.com
Patrick Topping, Senior Vice President
[email protected]
HART COUNTY INDUSTRIAL BUILDING AUTHORITY
MADISON-MORGAN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
HEARD COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
MCINTOSH COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
HENRY COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
MERIWETHER COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
HOUSTON COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
MITCHELL COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
JACKSON COUNTY AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
MOULTRIE-COLQUITT COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
JENKINS COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
NEWTON/COVINGTON OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
JOINT DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF JEFF DAVIS COUNTY,
HAZELHURST AND DENTON
NORTHWEST GEORGIA JOINT DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Illya Copeland, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.northwestgeorgia.us
Jeff Mullis, Executive Director
[email protected]
JONES COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
OCONEE COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICE
www.hartiba.com
Dwayne Dye, Director, Economic Development
[email protected]
www.heardgeorgia.org
Julie Pope, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.choosehenry.com
Charlie Moseley, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.houstoncountyga.net
Angie Gheesling, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.jacksoncountyga.com
Josh Fenn, President/CEO
[email protected]
www.jenkinscountyga.com
Mandy Underwood, Executive Director
[email protected]
William Mathews, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.madisonga.org
Bob Hughes, President & Economic Development Director
[email protected]
www.mcintoshga.com
Wally Orrel, President/CEO
[email protected]
www.meriwetherida.com
Jane Fryer, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.growmitchell.com
Paige Gilchrist, Executive Director
[email protected]
www.moultriechamber.com
Darrell Moore, President
[email protected]
www.selectnewton.com
David Bernd, Vice President, Economic Development
[email protected]
www.businessinoconee.com
J.R. Charles, Economic Development Director
[email protected]
OGLETHORPE COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.oglethorpecofc.org
Cary Fordyce, President &
Economic Development Director
[email protected]
PICKENS COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.pickenschamber.com
Gerry Nechvatal, Community Economic Development
Director
[email protected]
PIERCE COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.pcgeorgia.com
Matt Carter, Executive Director
[email protected]
PUTNAM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.putnamdevelopmentauthority.com
Terry Schwindler, Economic Development Director
[email protected]
SAVANNAH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.seda.org
Trip Tollison, President/CEO
[email protected]
SCREVEN COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.screvencountydevelopmentauthority.com
Dorie Bacon, Executive Director
[email protected]
STEPHENS COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.scda.biz
Tim Martin, Executive Director
[email protected]
SWAINSBORO-EMANUEL COUNTY
JOINT DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.goemanuel.org
Jackson Bareford, President
[email protected]
TALIAFERRO COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.taliaferrocountyga.org
Jackie Butts, Chairman
taliaferrofc@nu-znet
TAYLOR COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.taylorga.us
Lesley McNary, Director
[email protected]
TELFAIR COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
www.telfairco.org
Paula Anderson, President
[email protected]
THOMAS COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.developthomas.com
Shelley Zorn, Executive Director
[email protected]
THOMASTON-UPSON INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.thomastonupsonida.com
Kyle Fletcher, Executive Director
[email protected]
TIFTON-TIFT COUNTY CHAMBER & DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.tiftonchamber.org
Brian Marlowe, President/CEO
[email protected]
TOOMBS COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.toombsconnect.com
Bill Mitchell, Executive Director
[email protected]
TURNER COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.turnerchamber.com
Stephanie Thompson, Director
[email protected]
UNION COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.ucda.net
Mitch Griggs, Executive Director
[email protected]
UNITED PULASKI
www.unitedpulaski.org
Lee Slade, President
[email protected]
VALDOSTA-LOWNDES DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.buildlowndes.com
Andrea Schruijer, Executive Director
[email protected]
WALKER COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.walkergada.us
Larry Brooks, Executive Director
[email protected]
WAYCROSS WARE COUNTY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.wwda.us
Bob Hereford, Executive Director
[email protected]
WAYNE COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.connectinwayne.com
John Riddle, President/CEO
[email protected]
WHITE COUNTY COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
www.whitecounty.net
Thomas O'Bryant, Director
[email protected]
WILKES COUNTY PAYROLL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Tiffany Rainey, Director of Economic Development
[email protected]
WORTH COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
www.worthcountyeda.com
Karen Rackley, Executive Director
[email protected]
Source: Georgia Department of Economic Development
Cover-to-Cover ad.BizGa-15:Cover-to-Cover ad-2/05
9/29/15
2:05 PM
Page 1
Cover-to-Cover Business
For 30 Years
For advertising information please call 770.931.9410,
or visit our website at georgiatrend.com
special sponsored section
If you’re looking to relocate
or expand in Georgia, you’ve
already made a good decision.
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
SHOWCASE
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
SHOWCASE
Photos: Georgia Department of Economic Development
Now you just need to pinpoint the perfect location. From
bustling metropolitan areas like Atlanta to quiet rural areas,
from the north Georgia mountains to the state’s coastal region,
the state of Georgia more than likely has what you need. Inside this
special sponsored section, economic development organizations from
throughout the state tell what their areas have to offer.
Business Georgia 2015 / 2016
BizGa.2.indd 57
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Economic
Development
Showcase
College Park, The Future Of Business
In Georgia!
College Park is a proud city of 14,000 residents and
home to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
It’s a proven fact that airports fuel regional economies.
College Park embraces this economic truism, but has also
overcome its share of seemingly insurmountable challenges. With a daytime population that swells to 300,000
visitors, College Park is carving an economic pathway with
direction from its Destination Marketing Organization, or
DMO, to assist visitors and world travelers alike. The DMO’s
role is that of a traveler’s liaison…by matching visitors
with hotels, potential conventioneers with the Georgia
International Convention Center (GICC), or
directing visitors to the vast selection of topnotch dining facilities in the area. Simply, the
DMO aims to please, and its success in doing
so promotes economic benefit for the region.
The issues facing College Park are not
unique, but they are more complicated than
employment numbers and infrastructure.
The city is small in permanent population,
but large in its aspirations. It has also seen its
share of victories…including the birth, growth
and expansion of the GICC, which boasts the
second largest ballroom in the state of Georgia.
Event bookings have steadily increased, and new leadership recognizes the contributions of adjacent hotels - the
Gateway Center Marriott Hotel and the SpringHill Suites.
Also next door is a four-story Class “A” office building serving as the home office of Magic Johnson’s ASPIRE Network,
and UP (Uplifting Television) Network.
Challenges continue to transpire, as do subsequent victories. In the fall of 2014, the City of College Park lost one of
its most valued voices for economic development. Long-time
Ward IV Councilman Charles E. Phillips, Sr. passed away, leaving a void in the City Council. Phillips’ wisdom and intuition
offered valuable insights toward policy recommendations
in and about the region. Additionally, his legal mindset contributed to the financing and development of the GICC, and
consequently, the Gateway Center. A true visionary, Phillips
prompted College Park to meticulously scope its economic
vision, then execute its master plan.
In early 2015, the City of College Park resumed its economic plan by holding town hall meetings to scope out
downtown redevelopment possibilities. Elections were held
to fill Councilman Phillips’ Ward IV seat, and two potentially
important economic development tools were put to vote:
(1) the consideration for annexation in south Fulton County,
58
and (2) the adoption of the Freeport Tax Exemption. Both
considerations were unanimously adopted, and voters in
Ward IV elected Roderick Gay in a runoff.
Groundbreaking
for ThePad
on Harvard,
opening
August 2016
College Park’s Economic Development Director Artie
Jones, III. is poised to leverage the economic growth of
the city through the following development projects:
ThePad on Harvard, a 109-unit mixed use apartment
complex currently under construction next to the Federal
Aviation Administration building on Columbia Avenue.
Coincidently, the FAA is undergoing an expansion project,
and will house an additional 400 employees at the College
Park location - the second largest FAA facility in the country. These two construction/expansion projects are within
a half-mile walk of Metropolitan Atlanta’s Rapid Transit
Authority (MARTA) station in College Park.
Groundbreaking for the Renaissance Hotel at the
Gateway Center will renew the relationship with Grove
Street Partners, who also arranged financing for earlier
Gateway Center development. Construction at Wally Park
is underway at Herschel Road and Camp Creek Parkway.
Upon completion, the former airport park/ride/shuttle
system will feature two hotels, a fueling station, dining
establishments, a pharmacy and newly crafted parking
for those last-minute airport travelers. Economists believe
the project will bring nearly 400 jobs and nearly $117.5 million dollar impact to the region.
BizGa.2.indd 58
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Economic
Development
Showcase
North Fulton Atlanta
From an economic perspective, North Fulton Atlanta
is a powerhouse. Known as the state’s “Golden Corridor”
because of the broad spectrum of industries and corporations that call the Georgia 400 corridor home, North
Fulton Atlanta consistently ranks as one of the fastest
growing areas in the country. This strong business community is the fiber-optic backbone of the East Coast. Our
healthcare access surpasses many other large cities, with
five major hospitals and specialists in neonatology, neurology, cardiology, and other areas.
The economic landscape of North Fulton Atlanta
consists of six distinct cities, 40+ mission-critical data centers, numerous Fortune 500 companies, and top-ranked
schools. All of this combines to make North Fulton Atlanta
one of the best places in the country to do business.
Nowhere is the metro area’s popularity more evident
than in North Fulton Atlanta. Six core business sectors
drive the area’s economy – technology, healthcare, finance,
telecommunications, logistics, and business services.
North Fulton Atlanta is headquarters to three Fortune
500 companies: First Data, Newell Rubbermaid, and UPS.
With a business climate that is renowned for its available,
affordable buildings and developable sites, well-educated
workforce, and wide-ranging array of business services and
benefits, North Fulton Atlanta has attracted businesses
that range from international conglomerates, industry,
high-tech research firms and financial ventures, to energetic local entrepreneurs. North Fulton Atlanta possesses
a strong and proven reputation for economic success.
This success can be attributed to several factors; one
of which is the dedicated business community in the
North Fulton Atlanta area. The North Fulton Community
Improvement District (NFCID) is an organization made
up of these commercial community leaders who are
dedicated to investing in the area’s infrastructure to meet
future needs. These property owners voluntarily pay additional taxes to the NFCID who then use the money toward
important infrastructure improvements. The NFCID has
invested approximately $18 Million since its inception in
2003 and has brought over $90 Million of investment to
the North Fulton Atlanta area.
Business-ready, meticulously-landscaped business
parks that offer an impressive array of spaces at competitive leasing rates are plentiful in our area. The Greater
North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, its economic development initiative, Progress Partners of North Fulton
Atlanta & our city economic development partners can
facilitate the identification of available land, buildings,
and other resources to accommodate any need for new
facility locations or the expansion of existing facilities.
If you have any questions or would like to meet with
us to discuss your business needs, please contact us. To
learn more about our successes, goals and objectives, visit
www.ProgressPartnersAtlanta.com.
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Economic
Development
Showcase
Georgia Southern: Impacting
Georgia’s Future One Student at a Time
At Georgia Southern University, we understand that
our future is entwined with Georgia’s future. As the
state generates economic growth and development, our
University thrives; and as the University prepares qualified graduates for the workforce, Georgia thrives as well.
It’s a symbiotic relationship, and for the University,
student success is at the heart of it.
“Student success is our true North at Georgia
Southern,” said Interim President Jean E. Bartels, Ph.D.,
RN. “We want to send successful, engaged graduates
into careers that energize their passions and truly make
an impact on the world. That’s not just good for Georgia
Southern. That’s good for Georgia.”
Since its humble founding as an agricultural school in
1906, Georgia Southern has grown into the largest higher
education institution in Southeast Georgia, and one of
the fastest growing comprehensive research institutions
in the state. The University currently enrolls more than
20,500 students from 48 states and 88 countries.
As this student population continues to grow, the
facilities, infrastructure and personnel required to help
them succeed grow as well. And each year of University
growth directly impacts the Statesboro-Bulloch County
area in which it resides. In 2014, Georgia Southern’s economic impact on the area exceeded $846 million. The
University is the largest employer in the Statesboro area,
and continues to expand its partnerships with business
and industry in the Southeast.
While the University prides itself on the direct economic role it plays in Georgia, we find even more pride
in the graduates we send into the workforce. “Eagle
60
graduates are among the best and brightest in Georgia,”
said Wendell Tompkins, Jr., senior director of Alumni
Relations and Annual Giving. “They excel in their fields
and provide innovation and leadership wherever they
serve, and they’re active in civic organizations on the local,
state and national level.”
While Georgia Southern boasts a student body from
across the nation and many parts of the world, the overwhelming majority of its students hail from Georgia
— 92 percent, in fact. While enrolled at the University,
students pursue research, scholarship and creative work
in a first-rate academic environment with world-class
faculty, many of whom lead in groundbreaking teaching,
innovation and research. And because of the culture of
mentorship at Georgia Southern, our students receive the
hands-on experience they’ll need in the real world.
For the majority of our graduates, the “real world”
lies in Georgia. Of the University’s 79,136 alumni, almost
65,000 live and work in Georgia, serving in a wide range of
industries. They are an integral part of the state economy.
“GS alumni understand the importance of job creation and economic prosperity,” said Chris Clark, Georgia
Southern alumnus and president and CEO of the Georgia
Chamber of Commerce. “They’re running chambers of
commerce, development agencies and small businesses
— and rising through the ranks of large multinational
companies. Combined they’re both recruiting new jobs to
Georgia and creating wealth in every corner of the state.”
Georgia Southern takes its partnership with the State
of Georgia seriously — seriously enough to invest in
Georgia’s future one student at a time.
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Economic
Development
Showcase
Georgia’s Transaction Alley
In a world transitioning from the conventional use
of cash and checks to automated monetary exchanges
consisting of third-party entities, the financial services
industry has transformed dramatically to include, and rely
heavily upon, the Financial Technologies (FinTech) sector.
To put this progression in perspective, global investment in FinTech related fields tripled from $4 billion in
2013 to $12.2 billion in 2014, a 200 percent growth compared to a 63 percent increase in overall venture-capital
investments. In Georgia, we have seen more than $208
million in investments and 1570 jobs created in the FinTech
sector since 2013.
One of the largest sub-sectors of the FinTech industry
is the global payment processing (merchant acquiring)
industry, which generates $50 billion annually and is projected to grow to $71 billion by the end of this year. Over
the past few years, Georgia has met market demands
head-on becoming the epicenter of this industry sector.
Georgia now ranks third in the nation—just behind New
York and California in terms of revenue—and generates
annual economic contributions surpassing $34 billion.
In fact, 70 percent of all financial transactions that
occur in the United States are processed through systems operated by Georgia-based FinTech corporations. To
break this percentage down, this represents more than
85 billion transactions annually. What’s more, there are
currently more than 80 FinTech companies in Georgia,
making up 60 percent of the global market. All of these
companies operate within one or more of the following
FinTech categories:
• Card processing
• Trade and payment
• Electronic billing and presentation
• Retail banking solutions
• Prepaid and loyalty point systems
• Capital markets
• Identity and risk analysis
• Gateways or alternative payments
Specifically in Metro Atlanta, payment processing
companies employ nearly 40,000 workers with more than
250,000 people working in finance-related occupations,
and, there are an additional 105,000 people around the
world on the payroll of these Georgia companies, giving
way to the nickname “Transaction Alley.” Among these are
companies like Fiserv, First Data, TSYS (headquartered in
Columbus), FIS Global, Inc. and WorldPay—who recently
relocated their world headquarters to Atlantic Station creating 595 jobs and investing well over $9 million.
Another leading industry sector in Georgia is Cyber
Security. The state of Georgia leads the nation in the
Information Security industry, with research, talent and
a number of data centers. Georgia is now home to more
than 115 information security companies, which generate more than 25 percent of the worldwide security
revenue market.
Georgia is home to an amalgamation of a highly-skilled
workforce and a sophisticated technology infrastructure,
including the largest fiber optic intersection in the nation.
Along with a culture of collaboration that exists between
business and government, and it becomes clear why several outlets have ranked Georgia as the number one state
in the U.S. to do business.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development
(GDEcD) is located in the heart of “Tech-Square,” a strategic hub that breeds public-private partnership. Tech
Square also houses the Technical College System of
Georgia’s (TCSG) workforce training program, Quick Start,
which offers customized training (free-of-charge) to businesses in Georgia. In addition, Governor Deal recently
launched a High Demand Career Initiative to put GDEcD,
The University System of Georgia, TCSG and businesses
in conversation to ensure that FinTech and all workforce
demands are met by a quality supply of labor.
Payment processing and cyber security will continue
to be a fast, complex and ever-evolving industry that is
imperative for any company’s long-term success, and it
will be Georgia that helps these companies remain competitive and innovative.
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Economic
Development
Showcase
Building A Successful Future In Gwinnett
Gwinnett County is planning, investing and building at
a record-breaking pace. Communities are actively investing
in walkable, mixed-use settings to grow with our changing
demographics and times.
One of the fastest growing, dynamic metropolitan communities in metro Atlanta, Gwinnett is recognized for its
world-class primary education system, colleges, award-winning parks and arts, proactive environmental stewardship
and cultural diversity. Gwinnett was ranked on CNN Money’s
list of Fastest Growing Counties in the U.S., but what may
be more striking is the County’s cost-competitiveness, with
one of the lowest costs of doing business within the region.
Gwinnett County offers an ideal location for businesses to
effectively operate while capitalizing on geographic advantages, market growth and leaning on the support of our pro
business local government.
An example of Gwinnett’s growth and development is
Atlanta Media Campus and Studios. Under development
near Jimmy Carter Boulevard, this project will produce the
Southeast’s largest movie studio campus once completed.
Close to $250 Million in development is coming to the
Sugarloaf Corridor, including three hotels near Gwinnett
Center. Embassy Suites, with 166 rooms, broke ground in
August, a full-service Marriott with 300 rooms is expected
to break ground in 2016 and a
Courtyard by Marriott hotel will be
open by year’s end. The Gwinnett
Center’s Master plan also includes
an entertainment district, dining,
outdoor lawns and walking trails.
Public art and entertainment
plans are adding character to
city centers in Suwanee, Lilburn,
Duluth and Norcross through
public art master plans and the
installation of privately funded
works. The EpiCenter in Sugar Hill
62
will consist of a sports gym and community theatre
wrapped with commercial space for restaurants, retail
and offices.
The City of Peachtree Corners’ development plans
range from the construction of a pedestrian bridge and
a high-profile technology startup incubator program
to new restaurants, urban-style housing and greenspace options.
Sugarloaf Marketplace, a Fuqua Development project expected to be complete in spring 2016 at Sugarloaf
Parkway and Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, will add
330 apartments and a Sprouts Farmers Market. A
mixed-use development with 625 homes and nearly
450,000 square feet of retail is planned in Grayson.
Additionally, literally hundreds of millions of dollars
have been devoted to transportation improvements
throughout the County.
Through a progressive growth and development
strategy, Gwinnett communities are proving that there
is indeed something for everyone. The commitment to
inviting business and residents to share in the great
spirit of Gwinnett County is evident. Success Builds Here.
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Economic
Development
Showcase
Your Search For Workers Starts Here
Wondering where your future workforce will come from?
The 22 colleges of the Technical College System of Georgia
(TCSG), which served more than 240,000 students in both
For TCSG students like Daniel Davis of Augusta, other
kinds of financial assistance are available as well. A federal Pell Grant and a Kiwanis scholarship helped Daniel
to complete his associate’s degree in mechanical engineering at Augusta Technical College, which led to a
job as an estimator at a local iron and steel plant and
encouraged him to pursue a bachelor’s degree in civil
engineering technology.
Creating affordable career pathways
The Technical College System is investing in a worldclass workforce for Georgia by providing free tuition
for Georgia’s students in certain high-demand areas
(see sidebar). Through the Strategic Industry Workforce
Development Grant (SIWDG) program, more than 12,000
students are already receiving free tuition in disciplines
ranging from computer programming to nursing to film
set design.
A Savannah Technical College student in the training program
In addition, the new Move On When Ready Act
for Gulfstream Aerospace company. Precision manufacturing
passed by the 2015 General Assembly streamlines the
is one of the industries for which free tuition is provided in
dual enrollment process for high school students,
the state’s technical colleges through the Strategic Industries
giving them free tuition to take college courses and
Workforce Development grants.
move more quickly towards their career goals. With
more than 11,000 students already earning college-level
technical and adult education last year, are Georgia’s top
credits, TCSG is accelerating these young Georgians’
resource for skilled workers. TCSG offers world-class training
entry into the workforce.
in 600 associate degree, diploma and certificate programs to
Georgia’s Technical College System is a rich resource
students trained on state-of-the-art
for the workforce our companies need.
equipment by instructors who are “Going back to college at one Find us on Facebook or Twitter, or just
experts in their field.
of Georgia’s technical colleges visit www.tcsg.edu to connect with the
Each college can easily flex to the was one of the best decisions college nearest you.
needs of its community in order to
I’ve ever made in my life.”
provide local businesses a pipeline of
– Daniel Davis
trained workers. In fact, some technical certificates can be earned in as
Programs eligible for
little as one year, equipping students with the skills they need
to fill local jobs.
Strategic Industry Workforce
Technical college graduates are highly employable and
Development Grants:
ready to join Georgia’s workforce. Today, 85 percent of TCSG
graduates are employed in their field or a closely related
• certified engineer assistant
one. When graduates who continue their education or are
• commercial truck driving
employed in an unrelated field are added, the successful tran• computer technology
sition rate is 98 percent.
• diesel equipment technology
• early childhood care and education
Delivering high quality at low cost
• health science
Governor Deal and the Georgia General Assembly are
• movie production/set design
leading the way in making it easier for students to get the
• practical nursing
education needed to fill the state’s skills gap. Our technical
• precision manufacturing
colleges cost as little as $89 per credit hour, among the lowest
• welding and joining technology
college costs in the Southeast. For students using HOPE Grants,
TCSG is the least expensive college system in the Southeast.
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Economic
Development
Showcase
City Of Hapeville
Hapeville is centrally located south of Atlanta, Georgia
between I-75 and I-85. This small (population 6,500, 2.5
sq. miles) but progressive City has the distinct advantage
of being located in close proximity to Hartsfield-Jackson
International Atlanta Airport. The City is proud to serve
on the board of the Atlanta Aerotropolis Alliance work
ing together to leverage the economic potential created
by the Airport. Hapeville is home to the original Dwarf
House Chick-fil-A, Delta Reservation Center, Wells Fargo
Processing Center and numerous hotels.
With city government focused on planning, Hapeville
has experienced significant revitalization. Porsche Cars
North America (PCNA), was the first business to commit
to the Aerotropolis-Atlanta site, a Jacoby Development,
Inc. project, building its U.S. headquarters, a $100M project—just on the City’s doorstep.
In 2013, the Atlanta Regional Commission sited Hapeville
as an “Emerging” Walkable Urban Place community! The
recently completed Depot Transportation Enhancement
Project, an $800K project, included the renovation of a
historic Depot and addition of a plaza. The North Central
Avenue LCI Streetscape Project construction is underway
and Hapeville has been awarded a $2.97M Federal Grant for
improvements along the Norfolk Southern Railroad right of
way—projects that will immensely enhance downtown.
Through its own investment, and partnerships with
other organizations, the arts are alive in Hapeville. The
City has invested in a Performing Arts Center and offers
vibrant public art and cultural activities for residents
and visitors alike. To schedule a tour and to learn more
about Hapeville, contact the Economic Development
Department at (404) 669-8269 or www.hapeville.org
Small Business Makes Big Impact In Roswell
Opening a small business in any city is an investment
in the community. Roswell, GA recognizes that small businesses are important to the economy and provide quality
jobs. The City of Roswell offers great resources for entrepreneurs starting or expanding a small business. One
unique resource for businesses is Roswell Inc. Roswell Inc
promotes economic development through a public private partnership with the City of Roswell.
Roswell Inc works with business owners to grow and
expedite success. Roswell Inc and the City of Roswell
realize that opening a business is a significant undertaking. Roswell Inc, in partnership with the City of Roswell,
64
provides new businesses the tools they need to be successful. These tools include assistance with permitting
and licensing, support for owners looking for a place
for their company to open, educational workshops and
connections to qualified employees, other professionals
and business experts. This wide array of programs and
initiatives support small business growth and help entrepreneurs maximize their investments. Regardless of the
size or phase of business, Roswell Inc supports entrepreneurs. Roswell Inc is at the forefront of the City of Roswell’s
effort to provide direct assistance to business owners on
a variety of levels.
Small businesses are at the core of Roswell’s economy
in every industry – from culinary arts, to design, technology, medical and more. Roswell is a community where
entrepreneurs looking to expand or open a business feel
welcome, appreciated and are given the tools and assistance to succeed. Roswell, GA is committed to encouraging
the continuous growth of small businesses, ensuring their
success and positioning them for future growth.
Contact Roswell Inc to learn more about how your
small business makes a big impact in Roswell, GA!
www.roswellinc.org • [email protected] • 678.823.4004
617 Atlanta Street • Suite 100 • Roswell, GA 30075
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Economic
Development
Showcase
Announcing ExportGA 2016
ExportGA is a nationally recognized, award-winning business training program focusing on bottom line results: Export
Sales
A team of International Trade Consultants from The University of Georgia SBDC and other experts in the field work
with participants in between sessions to help customize and
implement the lessons learned. Highlights of the program
include
• Identification of potential markets
• Development of effective entry strategies
• Enhancement of communication tactics when working
with prospects
• Negotiation with international clients
The Spring 2016 program is specifically targeting Georgia
manufacturers and will be held at The University of Georgia Gwinnett Campus: March 25th, April 15th and April 29th. The
Spring 2016 program is partially sponsored by the Manufacturing Extension Partnership of the Georgia Tech Enterprise
Innovation Institute and United Parcel Service (UPS).
Manufacturers committed to entering international markets or expanding their
worldwide presence will benefit from this practical path to realizing both market and
profit potential.
For more information, visit our website: www.georgiasbdc.org/exportga/
Dunwoody Is Building
Its Economic Future on Connectivity
The City of Dunwoody has become a recognized hot
spot for new business investment in the Metro Atlanta
area. With a large population base, an educated workforce,
sought after executive housing, efficient transportation access, and a diverse portfolio of real estate options,
Dunwoody offers an unmatched combination of assets
for business success.
Dunwoody’s central location is one of its biggest business advantages. Located at the crossroads of Metro Atlanta
with three MARTA stations that complement easy highway
access to Interstate 285 and Georgia 400, Dunwoody is
quickly becoming the geographic nexus where employment, transportation and quality of life converge.
The City of Dunwoody makes up half of the Perimeter
business district, the region’s largest employment district
and one of the largest Class A office markets in the southeast. The Perimeter center office market is Metro Atlanta’s
largest contiguous submarket with more than 100,000
employees, 28 million square feet of office space, and six
million square feet of retail. The perimeter business district is home to many firms including First Data, Global
Payments, Newell Rubbermaid, Popeye’s, State Farm,
Mercedes Benz USA, Elekta, InterContinental Hotels Group,
Krystal and Ventyx.
To continue its growth and success, the City works with
its many public and private partners to implement sustainable economic development strategies that stimulate a
stable and growing economy for residents and businesses,
strengthen existing and future industry clusters, and diversify Dunwoody’s economic base. This includes a unique
partnership with the Perimeter Community Improvement
Districts to expedite improvements in transportation,
pedestrian access, green space, and urban amenities that
will improve the community’s long-term viability.
With appealing and available Class A office space,
lower tax rates than surrounding areas, and a convenient,
accessible location, Dunwoody gives companies a real
business advantage.
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Economic
Development
Showcase
Economic
Development:
Georgia’s Most
Misunderstood
Public Program
Possibly the most misunderstood
governmental program is tax incentives for economic development.
Governments use tax incentives
to encourage positive economic outcomes. For instance, the homestead
exemption is government’s recognition that homeownership costs more
than renting. So, government gives
a tax “incentive” – the homestead
exemption – to help residents offset
that added cost of homeownership.
Business incentives work exactly
the same way. However, unlike the
homestead exemption, business
incentives disappear over time as
the new operation stabilizes.
Any fiscal or economic analysis
shows that well-managed incentive
programs are in a community’s longterm interest. Almost invariably we
find that even a significant upfront
tax reduction produces more revenue over time than if the business
entity does not expand or goes
somewhere else. It’s the old adage:
50 percent of something is better
than 100 percent of nothing!
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Ga Chamber ad:Layout 1
12/17/14
8:36 AM
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the PDF - Georgia Trend Magazine

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