Featured Projects for OneGeorgia Authority

Southeast Georgia JDA - Railroad Passing Siding

info@georgiainnovation.org — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 15:28:31 GMT

In June 2008, the OneGeorgia Authority awarded Equity loan funds of $1,000,000 to assist with the construction of a 12,600 linear foot railroad passing siding in Odum alongside the 182-mile Norfolk Southern (NS) Macon to Brunswick line to increase the capacity and efficiency of the Macon to Brunswick line. Total project cost is $4,198,634, which includes a USDA loan of $1,040,000, Joint Development Authority commitment of $1,108,634 and Georgia Department of Transportation commitment of $1,050,000.
On July 22, 2009, Governor Sonny Perdue switched the tracks in Odum to mark the opening of the 2 ½ mile passing siding. The siding has more than doubled the capacity of the track between Brunswick and Macon saving multiple hours of waiting train time. The siding allows one train to pass another, thus increasing the number of trains using this line. The project is increasing import and export capacity and efficiency to support the Brunswick Port and economic development opportunities in the Region.
On Monday, January 11, 2010, Mercedes-Benz USA opened its doors on the Port of Brunswick’s newest vehicle processing center just in time to receive its first shipment of 1,600 vehicles. MBUSA’s 70,000-square-foot facility consolidates MBUSA’s Southeastern shipping operations and makes the Port of Brunswick MBUSA’s South Atlantic hub. The facility will import more than 40,000 Mercedes-Benz vehicles into the port annually increasing the overall total units at Colonel’s Island Terminal by more than 16 percent in 2010. The vehicles processed at the center will be shipped via high capacity rail to Mercedes-Benz dealers throughout the Southeast and to Texas and Oklahoma. The Port of Brunswick is one of the nation’s top seven auto ports. It is anticipated that the additional automobiles through Brunswick will create 122 new jobs (78 direct and 44 indirect), generate $1.5 million in state and local taxes and add $5.5 million to Georgia’s gross state product.
(The Brunswick News contributed to this article)

City of Thomasville

info@georgiainnovation.org — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 15:37:49 GMT

In May 2004 OneGeorgia awarded an Equity grant of $451,733 to assist with the construction of a new airport terminal building at the Thomasville Municipal Airport, a level III Regional Airport. The Regional Airport, often seen as the “gateway to the region” did not have adequate facilities or meeting space for visiting corporate executives of existing industries, industrial prospects or tourists visiting the surrounding areas. The beautiful new 3,650 SF terminal building includes computerized flight planning, wall mounted aircraft tracking and weather monitors, a flight planning room and a conference room. The new terminal also houses a pilot’s lounge with full restroom and shower as well as a quiet room for pilots.

Rockmart Development Authority

info@georgiainnovation.org — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:25:15 GMT

In May 2008, the Rockmart Development Authority was awarded $200,000 in OneGeorgia EDGE grant funds to assist with the building construction costs in support of the expansion of Engineered Fabrics Corporation, an aircraft equipment manufacturer located in Rockmart, Polk County. EFC’s former parent company, K&F Industries Holdings, Inc., was acquired by Meggitt-USA, Inc., which is a subsidiary of Meggitt, PLC, a United Kingdom-based aerospace and defense contractor that designs and manufactures equipment, sensors and systems for the aerospace and defense industries. The Rockmart facility represents the third largest employer in Polk County and at the time of the award employed 514 people. A U.S. Department of Defense contract award of $37.6 million to provide fuel cells for military aircraft enabled EFC to construct a 60,000 square foot building located on an 18-acre tract adjacent to the current 564,000 square foot facility. The expansion supports production lines for de-icing equipment and helicopter interior upholstery manufacturing allowing for the necessary space in the main facility for the increase in fuel cell production. The expansion has had a regional impact by attracting employees from five northwest Georgia counties into the Polk County labor market. The project retained 670 employees and projected creation of 200 new jobs. UPDATE: As of September 2009, the original building construction is complete along with a 66,000 square foot expansion taking the Rockmart facility to 722,000 square feet of production and manufacturing space. EFC has almost doubled its new job creation estimates. There are currently 374 new jobs as well as the 670 retained. EFC has also been awarded a US Air Force follow-on contract for additional fuel tanks. The contract is expected to take five years to fulfill. According to Eric McDonald of the Polk County Chamber and Commerce and Development Authority, “Meggitt (EFC) is truly a bright spot for our region. They continue to create jobs and provide opportunity. With the help of OneGeorgia we retained and expanded an excellent industry and community partner.”

Joint Development Authority of Jeff Davis County, Hazlehurst and Denton

info@georgiainnovation.org — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:45:34 GMT

In June 2007, the Joint Development Authority of Jeff Davis County, Hazlehurst and Denton was awarded $500,000 in OneGeorgia Equity loan funds to assist with the acquisition of a 140,000 SF industrial/commercial building located on 4 acres in Hazlehurst to support the relocation and expansion of McPherson Manufacturing Corporation. The company, committing to investing $500,000 and creating 100 new jobs, would move their existing Alamo, Denton and Hazlehurst operations into one of five buildings located on a 4-acre lot within an 11-acre industrial site owned by the Joint Development Authority.

In addition to supporting the expansion of McPherson, the project also provides an opportunity to revitalize a Brownfield site (formerly operated by Alco Controls) that has been vacant for a number of years.

McPherson Manufacturing Corporation is a family-owned die cut and stamped parts fabricator in business since 1979. The company specializes in die cut electrical insulation and contract assembly. They make electronic controls for the HVAC industry and provide die cut parts for Original Equipment Manufactures (OEMs). McPherson is a recognized Underwriters Laboratories (UL) sub-contractor for the electrical industry. Customers include many Fortune 500 Companies. UPDATE: As of July 2009, the building acquisition and construction are complete. McPherson has increased its projections of jobs by fifty percent by creating 150 new jobs and more than doubled its expected private investment to $1,024,200.

According to Keith Carter, the Executive Director of the Joint Development Authority of Jeff Davis County, Hazlehurst and Denton, “McPherson Manufacturing Corporation is a valuable contributor to the economic productivity of our community and continues to seek growth opportunities while providing jobs for the local area.”

Joint Development Authority of Winder-Barrow County – Chico’s

info@georgiainnovation.org — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:57:39 GMT

In April 2006, the Joint Development Authority of Winder-Barrow County was awarded $200,000 in OneGeorgia EDGE funds to assist with the acquisition of a 49,765 square-foot building located on 19.22 acres in support of the location of a customer service center for Chico’s FAS, Inc. This facility is adjacent to Chico’s 235,000 square-foot distribution center in Barrow County.

Chico’s, headquartered in Fort Myers, Florida, is a specialty retailer of private label clothing and accessories for women. The company, in business since 1983, operates over 672 stores throughout the U.S., the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The call center, located in Barrow County, handles internet and catalogue sales generated by the Chico’s, White House/Black Market and Soma Intimates brands. With private investment exceeding $10 million, the call center has regional impact with the company hiring 134 employees from Barrow, Jackson, Gwinnett, and Madison counties. A study conducted by the University of Georgia indicated this project will have a seven year economic impact of more than $10.4 million.

In early June 2009, Chico’s announced its third expansion to its Barrow County site. With the $15 million purchase of the former Hagemeyer building, Chico’s will expand the distribution center and hire an additional 189 full-time and 61 part-time employees. According to a second study conducted by UGA, the impact of economic activity will exceed $19 million due to this third expansion alone. When the new site becomes fully operational, Chico’s will employ approximately 450 workers from the Northeast Georgia region.

“We are pleased that Chico’s continues to exhibit their belief in the State of Georgia and Barrow County. How sweet it is to partner with this quality company and to share a commitment of investment and job creation in triplicate. With the third expansion, Chico’s has an even stronger presence in Barrow Industrial Park along the University Parkway corridor.” – Linda Moore, VP of Barrow County Economic Development Council

Southeast Georgia RDA– building expansion

info@georgiainnovation.org — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:27:16 GMT

On June 1, 2007, OneGeorgia awarded an Equity loan of $488,541 to the Southeast Georgia Regional Development Authority to support the expansion of the Michigan Blueberry Growers processing facility in Alma. The Equity loan was used for building construction of a pre-cooler building, dry storage room and office space. The expansion will provide much needed cooling space to support the continued growth of blueberries in Georgia.

In 1983, a member-owned blueberry marketing cooperative, founded in 1936 and known as Michigan Blueberry Growers Association, expanded into South Georgia. Now operating as MBG Marketing-The Blueberry People, the cooperative has approximately 300 member-growers in multiple states, with one third of those from an 18-county footprint in Southeast Georgia, representing over 2,500 acres of blueberry production. Along with those 100 members, another 65 local Georgia blueberry producers, the majority of whom are former tobacco growers, are marketing with MBG in 2009, anticipating a membership opportunity next year.

MBG’s Georgia production base has increased dramatically since that first crop in 1983. Georgia members have invested more than $1.5 million in the co-op, helping to finance two major facility developments in the heart of Southeast Georgia. In partnership with the City of Alma, the Southeast Georgia Regional Development Center (RDC), and of course the Southeast Georgia Regional Development Authority (SEGaRDA), the co-op’s Georgia members now have a state-of-the-art fresh blueberry receiving, cooling, storage, and distribution center. After the harvest of 2006, MBG realized it had already outgrown the plant that was built just ten years before. Anticipating increased production from within its membership, and expecting others to shift their agricultural resources to the fastest growing healthy food item in the grocery aisle, the co-op began developing plans for a facility expansion. With local authorities assisting, MBG members took their blueberry success story to the local RDC and SEGaRDA. Fortunately, both were there to help: $200,000 in equipment financing was provided by RDC, and the OneGeorgia Authority Board approved equity loan funds to SEGaRDA for a nearly $500,000 building loan to MBG. Together with local funding, MBG constructed a new facility for a total project cost of $800,000, creating refrigerated storage of 20,000 square feet with over 800 pallet spaces, 4 forced air pre-cooling chambers and dry storage of 12,000 square feet – making this a long-lasting investment in the local community.

Based on estimates at the start of the project, MBG thought its fresh blueberry production would double in 4 years and increase on-farm and co-op facility employment by 61% during the same timeframe. After a devastating Easter freeze in 2007 where the state lost more than 50% of its blueberry crop and MBG’s growers about 70%, some felt those goals would not be achieved. In 2008, blessed with excellent harvest conditions, the crop came back strong with post-season reports from 144 farms indicating a 72% increase in production after only two years along with a corresponding 45% increase in FTE’s. They are well on their way to surpassing the 4-year projections made! Georgia’s annual blueberry production of just 21.5 million pounds in 2006 may reach an excess of 35 million pounds this 2009 season.

MBG Marketing-The Blueberry People, representing over 50% of the state’s production, is now planning yet another Alma expansion. Having recently secured adjacent real estate to nearly double its property holdings, MBG will begin another round of construction after the 2010 harvest. This new project is anticipated to require an additional investment exceeding one-half million dollars, creating additional local construction opportunity as well as long-term employment growth.

Recent retail data indicates that, for the first time ever, berries – with blueberries leading the pack, have topped all other fruits in grocery dollar value in the most recent 52-week period. The Georgia members of MBG Marketing-The Blueberry People are excited to be bringing these consumer shopping dollars home to their local Georgia farms and communities.

Joint Development Authority of Franklin, Hart and Stephens Counties – concrete canopies

info@georgiainnovation.org — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:44:02 GMT

With its natural beauty and convenient location, the City of Toccoa was once known as the “most progressive city in Northeast Georgia.” But over the years, the downtown was becoming ugly, stark, cold and increasingly vacant: a once popular construction project was actually hampering the recovery of the downtown district. The crumbling concrete canopies, erected in the early 1970’s through urban renewal, had covered the architectural beauty of downtown buildings and closed off vehicular traffic to create a “mall,” but the mall businesses were either closing or struggling, and the canopy needed to be removed. After previous attempts to begin the process in 1996 and 2001, the Joint Development Authority of Franklin, Hart and Stephens Counties turned to the OneGeorgia Authority in June 2006 for financial assistance. The OneGeorgia Authority awarded the JDA a grant of $339,409 and partnered with five other state agencies (CDBG, ARC, USDA, DCA, and DOT) to provide $1.8 million along with local funding of $552,000 for the project. During the project, private interest in downtown increased. Thirty-three storefronts were renovated (under the guidance of the GA Mountains RDC Historic Preservation Planner), 11 new business located in downtown, 17 new full-time jobs and 28 part-time jobs were created. Private investment in downtown during this time was $3.5 million. Toccoa’s main street, Doyle Street, has now been open to vehicular traffic since May 2008, and the change in downtown is stunning. Property values are increasing, and more people are showing interest in restoring neglected buildings in the historic district. New jobs are being created, and tourists and locals alike are visiting downtown Toccoa. Efforts that contributed to the community support for the project were community surveys conducted county-wide, a University of Georgia (UGA) design charrette, renderings of individual buildings without the canopies provided by the GA Trust for Historic Preservation and UGA Community Design, Planning and Preservation. Thanks to these efforts, Toccoa is once again recognized as a progressive city. A dramatic change has occurred in a relatively short time in Toccoa’s now “local historic district.”

Macon Bibb County Industrial Authority-Bass Pro Shops

info@georgiainnovation.org — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:59:29 GMT

In April 2005 OneGeorgia awarded a $1,500,000 EDGE grant to the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority to assist with the location of a new 450,000 SF distribution center in Bibb County on behalf of Bass Pro Shops, Inc. The project was estimated to cost $53,000,000 and would create approximately 270 new jobs.

In three short years, the project is complete, within the original budget and has exceeded job creation. The distribution center opened in April 2006, and the retail store opened for business in October 2006. As of November 2008, there are 404 employees, a 49% increase over expectations. Bibb County’s sales tax revenue increased by $345,000 in Bass Pro Shop’s first full year of operation

The facility, situated on a 60-acre site adjacent to Interstate 75 on Bass Road, is the Company’s first regional distribution center outside the Springfield, Missouri, headquarters and serves 17 stores. In addition, Bass Pro Shops constructed a 120,000 SF retail store on the site. A unique feature about this project includes a common wall shared by the distribution center and retail store. This wall contains windows that allow visitors to watch the operation of an automated merchandising distribution center.

Bass Pro Shops, named the #1 outdoor retailer in America by Sporting Goods Business Magazine, is known for combining retail with entertainment, conservation and outdoor education. In January of 2008 Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris was recognized as the “Retail Innovator of the Year” by the National Retail Federation for the companies’ unique store concepts and designs. Starting with just eight feet of retail space in a small store in Springfield, Missouri back in 1971, Bass Pro Shops began by offering a selection of the latest gear from the fledgling bass tournament fishing trail. Today, the name Bass Pro Shops is world renowned.

Bass Pro Shops stores are much more than just retail stores. The sights and sounds of the outdoors are brought indoors through museum-quality wildlife dioramas, huge murals and chandeliers depicting outdoor scenes, massive log and rock work, waterfalls and other water features and aquariums stocked with native fish species. The attention to the finest detail from wildlife tracks in the concrete, to wildlife carvings on logs and rafters is what helps add to the uniqueness of a Bass Pro Shops store.

A local theme can be felt throughout all Bass Pro Shops stores with use of artifacts and memorabilia from the area as well as historic photos of local outdoor enthusiast that pay tribute to the great outdoor heritage of the region. Laser galleries, climbing walls, archery ranges, and more add to the family entertainment.

ESB: Sumter Bank & Trust - Cafe Campesino

info@georgiainnovation.org — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:29:32 GMT

In August 2006 OneGeorgia awarded Sumter Bank & Trust of Americus a $25,000 loan guarantee through the Entrepreneur and Small Business Development Loan Guarantee Program for machinery and equipment in support of the purchase and expansion of Café Campesino. Café Campesino is a 10-year old existing coffee roaster and retailer/wholesaler of coffee products in Americus. The ESB loan allowed William Harris and Tripp Pomeroy to purchase the business, buy a new, larger roaster and expand the facilities. They buy raw coffee beans through a fair trade coffee cooperative, roast it on-site and sell both wholesale and retail.

In 2007, Café Campesino saw a 20% increase in roasting capacity and more than doubled employment to 7 full-time jobs. They saw a substantial increase in business utilizing technology via internet sales. Café Campesino’s producer partners are in Columbia, East Timor, Ethiopia, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico, Sumatra & Nicaragua

In 2008: Due to local demand, Café Campesino opened a retail coffee shop adjacent to their roasting facility selling coffees and accessories in Americus as well as worldwide via the web. www.cafecampesino.com

DA of Columbus Georgia - Road America

info@georgiainnovation.org — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:45:35 GMT

In April 2006 OneGeorgia awarded a grant of $336,000 to assist with site preparation costs in support of the location of Road America, a full service wholesale and retail provider of motor club plans. Road America is part of the MAPFRE Group, a mutual insurance conglomerate based in Madrid, Spain. The Company plans to construct a 25,000 square-foot call center on a 3.73-acre site on Victory Drive in Columbus. Road America currently services over 150 corporate clients including ALLTELL, Harley-Davidson, GEICO, and over 13 million members. This project has regional support from Chattahoochee and Talbot counties. Company officials estimate 100 new jobs will be created in the first year of operations. The total Project Cost is estimated at $5,581,960 with Private Investment at $4,188,460.

UPDATE: In October 2006 Road America began operations in the new 25,000 square foot facility containing 285 workstations using cutting edge technology with the capacity to handle over 685,000 calls each month for roadside assistance. In January 2008, Road America in Columbus hosted MAPFRE ASISTENCIA’s second commercial global meeting of senior management, directors and executives for the international offices with 80 participants. Road America’s facility in Columbus is the model for call centers. The company has been very cooperative in sharing its positive experiences with prospective call center companies considering locating in the Columbus region. As of August 2008, the company has invested $4.5M, and the current employment is at 181, almost double the expected number of jobs.