Deal: Job creation, investment up in key industries

Gov. Nathan Deal today announced that the Global Commerce division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) produced an increase in the number of jobs and investment in the industries of aerospace, call centers and logistics/distribution during fiscal year 2014. Statistics from the department show its 374 company expansion or location announcements generated a total of 28,404 jobs and more than $5 billion in investment overall. Also during that time, the state was awarded three No. 1 rankings: No. 1 business climate and most competitive business climate by Site Selection magazine and the No. 1 state for business in the nation by CNBC.

“Georgia’s competitive business climate has achieved well-deserved national and global recognition,” said Deal. “We’ve worked hard to make Georgia the No. 1 state for business and will continue to cultivate an innovative, pro-business atmosphere that attracts the kind of companies that provide good jobs for our citizens and keep our state a leader in the global marketplace.”

Georgia’s aerospace industry statistics show a 25 percent increase in jobs and a 57 percent increase in investment over the previous year’s activity. The call center sector experienced a 103 percent increase in jobs and a 89 percent increase in investment over the previous year. The logistics/distribution sector showed a 152 percent increase in investment over the fiscal year 2013 in projects announced. Of the total projects, 69 percent were expansions of existing businesses in Georgia and 31 percent of the projects were from companies investing in Georgia for the first time.

Twenty percent of the new locations were by international companies establishing operations in Georgia. These international companies represented roughly 5,964 jobs and $2 billion in investment capital. Expansions of domestically owned companies created 22,439 jobs, or 79 percent, of the total job creation, and $3.6 billion in investment.

More than half of the jobs created and more than three quarters of new investment were generated outside of metro Atlanta. This investment and job creation represented 265 projects, or 68 percent, of the department’s announcements.

“The fact that we’re seeing significant growth in promising industries, both inside and outside metro Atlanta, is an indicator of the overall economic vitality of the state,” said GDEcD Commissioner Chris Carr. “Workforce was a critical component of our success in global commerce in FY14, which is why Gov. Deal launched the High Demand Career Initiative to address important workforce needs in coming years. As we continue to build upon our strong public/private partnerships across the state, we will remain the No. 1 state for business.”

GDEcD’s Global Commerce division also contributed to the growth and development of Georgia’s small businesses and entrepreneur-led ventures. The small business team served 1,313 startups and small businesses during the fiscal year 2014, providing resources on Georgia.org/smallbusiness, which has experienced a 150 percent increase in activity since May 2013.

GDEcD’s Global Commerce division led a number of events and initiatives during fiscal year 2014. Highlights include:

·     The life sciences and corporate solutions (LSCS) team presented with Georgia’s public and private universities, local economic developers, the CDC and a number of Georgia bio companies at BIO International 2014. The LSCS team also collaborated in an exhibit with eight Georgia companies, local economic developers and Georgia Tech at HIMMS (Healthcare and Information Management Systems Society) 2014. The LSCS team created several leads for new clients and prospects from these events and enhanced Georgia’s exposure and brand within these industries.

·     The aerospace, defense and advanced manufacturing (ADAM) team attended the Farnborough Air Show to develop new leads in the aerospace supply chain by meeting with growing aerospace companies as well as established Georgia companies that serve the aerospace supply chain. Several of the connections made from this tradeshow have developed into new projects.

Since taking office, the governor has led a number of international trade and investment missions to raise the overall profile of the state as an ideal place for business. International trade and investment missions during fiscal year 2014 included visits to China, Japan, Israel and Belgium. While on these missions, Deal called on potential investors and met with companies that have made major investments in Georgia, promoting the state as an ideal place  to relocate or expand.  

“This has been an exceptional year for the global commerce division,” said GDEcD Deputy Commissioner Tom Croteau. “These new jobs and investment in Georgia wouldn’t be possible without our hard-working global commerce team and our partners across the state who actively promote Georgia as an ideal place for new and existing industries.”