Three 2006 Georgia manufacturing projects win national recognition

ATLANTA, April 2, 2007—Three project announcements for Georgia in 2006 have received national recognition from one of the country's leading economic development publications.
Trade Industry & Development, a premier source of information on site selection and corporate growth strategies, recognized the Kia Motors location in West Point, the Gulfstream expansion in Savannah and the Huber Engineered Woods location in Emmanuel County with 2007 Corporate Investment and Community Impact (CiCi) awards.

'The Georgia Department of Economic Development is focused on creating jobs, retaining jobs and generating economic growth in Georgia,' said Commissioner Ken Stewart. 'This recognition of corporate investment and community impact shows that we are opening doors to opportunities for our companies and our citizens.'

CiCi awards recognize companies that are investing, locating and building relationships in communities throughout North American as well as economic development organizations that have facilitated their decisions.

The awards are presented in two categories: corporate investment and community impact. Georgia is one of only five states to receive an award in both categories, which are reported in the March/April 2007 issue of Trade & Industry Development. Only one state received more CiCi awards than Georgia.

In the category of corporate investment, the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) was recognized for its announcements of Kia Motors Corporation's new location and Gulfstream Aerospace's expansion.

The Kia project, announced March 13, 2006, represents an investment of $1.2 billion and creation of approximately 2,893 jobs. When plant and supplier employment are combined with indirect jobs created due to economic activity stimulated by the plant, total job creation is expected to top 15,000.

The Gulfstream expansion, announced March 6, 2006, corresponds to an investment of $300 million and creation of 1,100 new jobs, a 25 percent increase from the previous employment level of 4,300 employees.

In the community impact category, GDEcD received a CiCi award recognizing Huber Engineered Woods, LLC's expansion in Emanuel County. The Huber expansion, announced May 8, 2006, embodies an investment of more than $200 million and creation of up to 150 jobs in one of Georgia's Tier 1 (economically disadvantaged) counties.

Trade & Industry Development, the only vertical market publication dedicated to site selection, received more than 1,000 submissions from across North America for the 30 CiCi awards it handed out this year.

The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. For more information, visit www.georgia.org.