Economic Development Newsletter from Georgia Power

Will 2024 break any records?

By now you may have attended an economic outlook event, or an eggs-and-issues, and learned that Georgia is poised to outperform national averages in 2024. Economists have the odds stacked in Georgia’s favor, due in part to our recent population growth, projected spending by our top industries, and a full economic development pipeline. While it’s too early to predict any records, there are trends that our team has already started to see take shape.

• Mega projects will continue to be a strong driver of growth, making site-readiness and identification of mega-sites a priority for economic developers across the state.
• Atlanta’s designation as one of the world’s Metacity Hubs will support businesses and talent looking for affordability without sacrificing global access.
• The Electric Vehicle (EV) industry is predicted to continue to flourish in Georgia, powered by substantial investment and a growing supply chain ecosystem.
• Workforce programs and industry-specific training will be essential to success since available labor and talent pipeline are still top factors for all location decisions.
• Quality of life edged back into being a significant location factor, which highlights the importance of placemaking in your community.

Rail ready in Blackshear, Georgia

While Americans became familiar with the term, “supply chain disruptions,” Georgia’s businesses and partners were busy improving the already world-class transportation network. This includes the addition of a new rail spur in Southeast Georgia at the Pierce County Industrial Park.

“We currently have 2,500 feet of rail track with the plans of adding approximately 1,200 more feet in the next three to six months,” Matt Carter, CEcD, the Executive Director for Pierce County Industrial Development Authority shared last fall about the transportation project.

This January, Southeast Georgia Regional Development Authority SGRDA hosted a “Golden Spur” event to celebrate the project’s progress, as well as promote the rail-served site as an economic development opportunity for the region. The project has been in the works since 2020.

Georgia Power Economic Development supported the joint development authority and businesses with drawings and technical documents that showed how the site could be developed. Utilizing our experienced engineers, this saved the communities and businesses time and money during the planning period.

Site Selection Tool updated with new tax credit information.

We are starting the year with updates to the job tax credit rankings and incentive zone data in the Site Selection tool and on SelectGeorgia.com. Our GIS Analyst, Jeff DeWitt utilized the annual job tax credit county tier rankings and incentive zones updates from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs to update the following data sources in our Site Selection Tool

• Job tax credits
• Military zones
• State opportunity zones
• Less developed census tracts

The job tax credit dollar amount that appears in SelectGeorgia.com for each available site or building reflects the county job tax credit amount for the county the property is in and if the property is located within a state opportunity zone, less developed census tract, or military zone, so you will get the correct job tax credit amount for each available property.

The beginning of the year is also a great time to make sure that your available properties are up to date. If you have any questions about uploading sites and buildings to the property tool, visit Submit a Property or email Jeff.

Meet Taylor Kielty, Business Recruitment Director

Last fall our team was thrilled to welcome Taylor Kielty back to Georgia as a Business Recruitment Director for Georgia Power's Economic Development team. Taylor brings a combination of local, regional, and statewide experience to her role, along with a strong background in industrial recruitment and a well-established network of site selection consultants.

Throughout her career, Taylor's work has resulted in the creation of more than 10,000 new jobs and $5B in new investment across the Southeast. She was recognized as a Top 50 Economic Developer in North America in 2021.

Taylor is a graduate of Tennessee Tech where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics. She has been a member of various community organizations, including the Georgia Economic Developers Association, Industrial Asset Management Council, and NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association.

Grab your coffee - it's brainstorming time!

You can find a great story worth sharing in every corner of Georgia. And while you don’t have to be a professional marketer to share the stories of your community, a little help never hurts. The marketing team at Georgia Power Economic Development is continuing to offer marketing chats in 2024. These hour-long brainstorming sessions are available to discuss strategies, marketing tools, and best practices so communities can reach their marketing goals and show what makes their region an essential part of the Georgia story.

Schedule a virtual meeting today.

ICYMI - In case you missed it, a round-up of updates from last quarter.

• A GEM of a partnership: Leadership development in Atlanta Georgia is a shining with the GEM Program
• University partnerships support entrepreneurs and share best practices at Innov8GA
• 4 key market trends from the Food Processing Expo 2023
• Pickleball picks up in Georgia – community building and placemaking hit the courts
• Welcome to Alma, Georgia: Blueberries and beyond
• Innovating Georgia’s Workforce Pipeline Conference recap
• Golden Isles + Georgia Power – partnerships and friendships shine on the coast.
• Workforce development in Green County
• Rao's Homemade Sauce location in Alma, GA brings together Italian food maker and Georgia's southeast farms and community
• Learn about Economic Development – what I discovered about economic development by Teresa Huckabee, Georgia Power

*Total jobs and capital investment estimates from project announcements made in partnership with the State of Georgia Department of Economic Development. These may not include all projects and are subject to change as yearly totals continue to be reported from businesses.