Economic Development & Awards

The City of Marietta was awarded first place in the prestigious 2024 Digital Cities Survey by the Center for Digital Government (CDG) for its innovative technology standards and services. Marietta is the only city or county in Georgia to have ever received this recognition.

MollerTech, a globally recognized developer of of specialized plastic components for automotives, invested $20 million to expand its operations in the City of Elberton.

Salacoa, a residential water park community in Calhoun, recently celebrated its grand opening. The community blends three to five bedroom homes with resort-style amenities including a water park complete with waterslides, pickleball courts, a lakeside amphitheater and a dog park.

Greyland Farms, a 150 lot, single-family residential development, is now under construction and will add 900 kW of new electric load to Grantville’s system.

ADS, a leading provider of innovative water solutions, will invest $30 million to expand its existing facility to 117,000 sq. ft. creating 50 new jobs.

The City of Acworth was named the top healthiest employer for medium companies in Georgia in the 2025 Atlanta Business Chronicle Book of Lists.

Hills and Dales Estate, located in LaGrange, GA was named one of the 25 best places to visit the South in 2025 by Southern Living magazine.

Fort Valley-based bus maker Blue Bird is receiving $80 million from the federal government as part of a $1.7 billion effort to convert former auto factories into EV manufacturing and assembly plants. The investment is expected to create 428 manufacturing jobs and 250 construction jobs in Fort Valley.

Hirano Tecseed Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese manufacturer of coating machines, will open its first U.S. office in Norcross. The company manufactures advanced coating machines used in a variety of industries including electronics, medical, and aerospace.

Spring, a New American restaurant near Marietta Square, has been awarded a coveted Michelin star, joining an exclusive list of top restaurants. Spring was one of four Georgia restaurants to receive the distinction during the most recent Michelin Guide Awards.

Newnan

High-end kitchen brand L’Atelier Paris Haute Design will bring its flagship headquarters, showroom and North American factory to Newnan later this fall. L’Atelier Paris creates custom kitchens and ranges that can start around $20,000 and go upwards of $1 million. Currently, the brand has showrooms in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and Bordeaux, France.

Fairburn

Bohannon Road Venture, LLC has announced plans to develop approximately 1.2 million sq. ft. of data center space tabbed as Fairburn Technology Center. The Fairburn project, which would consist of three warehouses, is estimated to be complete by 2028.

LaGrange

Lee Kum Kee Sauce Group, a global name in Asian sauces and condiments, will invest up to $288 million in a new manufacturing facility in LaGrange, creating up to 267 jobs in Troup County over the next several years. The facility will produce Asian sauces and condiments to support the company’s future growth in the Americas.

Thomaston

Brightmark plans to invest nearly $1 billion to build a 2.5 million sq. ft. facility in Thomaston that will take used plastic and turn it into the building blocks to make new plastics, while diverting 400,000 tons per year of plastic from ending up in landfills, incinerators or left floating in waterways. Brightmark will employ 200 workers.

Fort Valley

Italian electric car manufacturer Imola Automotive USA is establishing a manufacturing plant on 195 acres in Fort Valley. It will employ 7,500 people.

Calhoun

Creative Flooring Solutions announced plans for a $151 million expansion to its Calhoun campus. The company plans to increase its footprint to more than 1.4 million square feet and employ about 500 people within the next five years.

Covington

Covington received a Visionary Cities Award from the Georgia Municipal Association (GMA) and Georgia Trend for projects that “create positive change through effective civic engagement and teamwork.” GMA lauded city leaders for creating a strategic plan to expand community engagement, resulting in an 81 percent year-over-year growth in the number of municipal-hosted events.

Sandersville

Marriott is constructing a new Fairfield by Marriott hotel in downtown Sandersville to be completed in 2024. The company is investing $20 million in the development, which will offer 80 guest rooms with the potential for future expansion on the site. The facility will add much needed hotel space in the downtown area.

Griffin

The Fire Maker Brewing Company announced its 2nd taproom, to be located in downtown Griffin. This project involves renovating a 114-year-old building and is targeted to open in the summer of 2024. The City of Griffin is excited to have #2 Voted Best New Brewery by USA Today.

Commerce

The Commerce Civic Center top floor will become the central location for City Hall, Planning & Zoning, HR and Downtown Development. The main floor will be the location for City Court and City Council. Mayor Clark Hill says $12 million will be invested in the municipal building. Completion is targeted for 2025.

Newnan

Hyundai Industrial will invest more than $24 million in a new manufacturing facility in Coweta County. Hyundai Industrial has purchased an existing building in Coweta County. The building will be retrofitted to produce arm and head rests for OEMs, including Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America.

Cartersville

Hanwha Advanced Materials Georgia Inc., a supplier of solar panel giant Qcells, will invest $147 million in a new Cartersville manufacturing facility, creating 160 jobs. The factory will support Qcells’ planned 3.3-gigawatt plant in Cartersville, the first in the U.S. to build silicon solar panels from raw materials.

Albany

Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital broke ground in January 2023 on a Trauma & Critical Care Tower and Living & Learning Community building with a $250 million investment.

Sylvania

Idea Nuova, Inc., through its subsidiary American Home Manufacturing, will invest more than $19 million in a new manufacturing and distribution facility in Sylvania, creating an estimated 80 new jobs.

Cartersville

Q Cells Co. Ltd. has opened a solar panel manufacturing plant in Cartersville. The factory produces 16,000 solar panels a day, or enough to generate 3.3 gigawatts of power. Combined with its other plant in Dalton, Q Cells’ investment tops $2.5 billion and employs 4,000 Georgians.

Thomaston

The Department of Energy announced that it is awarding an $80 million grant to AVAPCO LLC, a biofuel, biochemical and biomaterials company that currently operates a refinery in Thomaston that turns wood chips into jet fuel. The new federal money will be used to fund construction of a larger plant capable of producing 1.2 million gallons of jet fuel annually, plus sustainable material for the rubber industry.

Cartersville

Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) and SK On have selected a site in Cartersville for a new electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing facility that will supply Hyundai Motor Group’s plants in the U.S. Stakeholders estimate it will create more than 3,500 new jobs through approximately $4-5 billion of investment in Bartow County.

Thomaston

Green Georgia LLC, a sustainable building materials manufacturing company, will create over 170 jobs at the company’s new headquarters in Thomaston and invest $59 million in the facility. Green Georgia LLC will design and manufacture low-carbon materials used to create prefabricated buildings for a variety of structures, including sustainable factories.

Monroe

Walton County YMCA broke ground on a 36,000-square-foot facility with an 8-lane indoor pool, warm water therapy pool, wellness center, aerobics room, afterschool/summer camp rooms, nursery, meeting room/chapel, and outdoor soccer fields and archery range.

Thomasville

Troy Acoustics Corporation (TAC) will invest almost $40 million in a new manufacturing facility in Thomas County, adding 88 new jobs while retaining the 17 positions it currently supports. TAC engineers sound-wall systems used in numerous industries.

Commerce

PepsiCo Beverages North America, a division of PepsiCo, will invest $8.5 million in a new 172,000-square-foot warehouse and distribution facility, creating 50 new jobs for the region.

Thomasville

Mimecri, USA, LLC will invest $6 million, create 30 jobs and establish its new U.S. headquarters in Thomasville. Their Spanish parent company is Ecrimesa Group. They develop and manufacture efficient steel and aluminum parts with investment casting, MIM and machining.

Lawrenceville

Northside Gwinnett is expanding in Lawrenceville, including a new 10-story, 162-bed inpatient tower and medical office building that will house outpatient imaging, ambulatory surgery and various physician practices.

Covington

80 Acres Farms, an industry-leading vertical farming company, will create 150 new jobs in Covington. The $120 million investment will help the company meet growing consumer demand for local, fresh produce.

Marietta

BIOLYTE, maker of “the first recovery drink to contain the same amount of electrolytes as an IV bag,” announced that it will relocate to a new warehouse in Marietta, investing $60,000 in the new facility while adding 13 new jobs to its existing 25-person workforce.

Buford

Okabashi Brands, Inc., a Buford-based shoe company, will create approximately 340 new jobs as they reinvest in their existing facility making comfort footwear that is 100 percent recyclable and contains on average 25 percent of recycled content.

Jackson

Procter & Gamble Distributing, LLC, an American multinational consumer goods corporation, is planning to invest $205 million in a new distribution facility in Jackson. This new location for the company will create 350 new jobs in Butts County.

Adel

Houston-based Renewable Biomass Group will construct a $95-million wood pellet facility in Adel, initially creating 60 new jobs.

Albany

Outdoor Network (ODN), a dealer for marine and power sports equipment for Honda, Mercury, Evinrude, OXE Marine Diesel Outboards and other globally recognized companies, will invest nearly $22 million and add 92 jobs.

Buford

Catalyst Nutraceuticals, a dietary supplement manufacturer, announced it will relocate its headquarters from Alpharetta to Buford.

Cartersville

Anheuser-Busch will invest $85 million to expand an existing building, which will allow the brewery to boost its brewing capacity and operations, adding 12 new jobs.

Covington

Three Ring Studios in Covington announced an expansion that will include eight new stages and an additional 72,800 square feet of flexible space, upon its completion in 2023. The 90-acre, $144 million facility will be one of the largest film studios in the country when complete.

Covington

Battery Resourcers will invest $43 million to build the largest battery recycling plant in North America. The lithium-ion battery recycling and engineered materials startup announced they will open their first commercial-scale battery recycling plant in the Covington area and create 150 jobs.

Covington

SKC, a subsidiary of SK Group and a major polyester films producer in North America, announced it will invest more than $473 million in Newton County to manufacture glass-based substrates for semiconductor chips and create over 400 new jobs in Newton County.

East Point

Mynd Match Development Group of Atlanta, LLC, and the East Point City Council voted to enter into a development agreement to revitalize the Downtown Commons. The
$111 million development will sit on approximately 9 acres and include commercial, retail, residential, greenspace and public art, and is projected to create over 1,500 jobs.

East Point

Microsoft Corp. will develop the East Point Data Center, a 250,000-square-foot facility situated on a 125-acre site located within Southmeadow Business Park. The value of the project is an estimated $420 million.

Griffin

Ecopol, an Italian company that manufactures water-soluble and biodegradable film used to wrap everyday products such as detergents, agrochemicals, cosmetics, and other consumer goods, will invest more than $38 million and create 130 new jobs at the company’s first North American facility in Griffin.

LaFayette

Roper Corporation, a subsidiary of GE Appliances and Walker County’s largest employer, will invest $118 million in expanding its manufacturing operations, creating an additional 600 jobs in LaFayette.

LaGrange

Remington Firearms is moving its global headquarters along with a new advanced manufacturing operation and research & development center. RemArms will invest $100 million and create 865 jobs in Troup County over a 5-year period.

Newnan

HelloFresh, the largest meal kit provider in the U.S., will establish its first distribution center in Newnan in a 208,930-square-foot facility. The move could bring more than 750 jobs. The German company will offer jobs working with meal distribution, assembly lines, and associate, lead, supervisor, and management opportunities.

Norcross

Gwinnett County and the city of Norcross are collaborating to build a new Norcross branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library at Buford Highway (U.S. 23) and Britt Avenue. The new 22,000-square-foot facility will be about double the size of the current library branch in Norcross.