The Sept. 20 ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the start of operations at the Aurubis Richmond, LLC plant in south Augusta highlights the growth of new business and job opportunities.
Gov. Brian Kemp (R) attended the Friday event. It was held just over a week after Area Development Magazine named Georgia the top state to do business for the 11th year in a row.
Kemp met with reporters prior to the event. ABD used the opportunity to ask the Governor if Aurubis is an example of why Georgia continues to lead the nation in economic development and job creation.
“Even though the national economy and the world economy is ebbing and flowing a little bit right now, in Georgia, we continue to have record economic development,” Kemp replied. “Our pipeline continues to be very good, so we’re excited and bullish about the future. Working hard on workforce, even though the labor market, you know, is softened and changed a little bit, is still something we hear a lot about.”
Cal Wray, President of the Augusta Economic Development Authority (AEDA), echoed the Governor’s comments. He said Aurubis, a multi-billion dollar, international company that chose Augusta for its first U.S. facility, sends a message.
“It shows Augusta as a place you can do business, a place they trust, the place they’re willing to do business,” he told ABD. “They’ve done everything they promised in two years. Quick to construct, quick to hire employees, quick to partner with local institutions, not only on the beginning side and the volunteer side, but also on the workforce development side with Augusta Tech and Augusta University. So, they’re very much involved in workforce development.”
One of the categories where Georgia ranked among the best states is access to qualified labor. The magazine pointed to the state’s Quick Start program, coordinated by the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), which can customize workforce training for a specific company.
Kemp also cited a program started last year to streamline how high school students apply for post-secondary education.
“We rolled out the Georgia MATCH program last year, and because of the largest direct college admissions program in the country, we’re seeing our technical college enrollment up almost 10% and our university system enrollment over 6% and that’s doing exactly what we need to help companies like Aurubis be able to find the workforce that they need, not only today, but also into the future,” said the governor.
Each year, high school students receive a letter listing the TCSG and University System of Georgia (USG) institutions into which the student is eligible to enroll.
Kemp and Wray said the state’s existing businesses, like Aurubis, Gulfstream in Savannah, and Kia in west Georgia also serve as ambassadors to help sell the Peach State to other companies.
“They (potential businesses) can just talk to people that are actually operating here, doing business in Georgia, and they’re great salespeople for us to talk about the things we’re doing for the workforce, the business environment that we have, and the local and state partnerships that we have,” Kemp explained.
“They’re (Aurubis) one of our biggest cheerleaders,” agreed Wray. “The GF Casting announcement (in May). They were working with GF to explain their experience, how we followed through on the promises we told them, in the information we gave them about Augusta, and they were one of the key players in helping GF see what a great place Augusta was.”
GF Casting Solutions AG, a division of Georg Fischer AG, Schaffhausen, develops and produces parts for multiple industries, including light vehicles, trucks, and aerospace.
Site preparation is underway directly across from the Aurubis facility, preparing for construction of the $148 million GF Casting plant. It will eventually create 350 jobs.
“The site’s already been cleared. The site’s been graded. You should have foundations going in as soon as they finish their permitting with the city, and you should have a building up and ready to accept equipment by the second quarter of next year,” Wray said.
When GF Casting was announced earlier this year, it created a unique challenge for AEDA.
The company will use 147 acres in the Augusta Corporate Park off Mike Padgett Highway. That just about fills the 1,800-acre park to capacity.
“We have only two real sites left in the park. We have a 65-acre and 115-acre site left in the park. Otherwise, the park is full,” said Wray. ”We have a few small sites up Tobacco Road, Doug Barnard. We have identified a 1,000-acre site that we’re doing due diligence on. That would be for one user. But then, we’re also evaluating other 50-acre to 200-acre sites to have other options.”
AEDA has a list of developed and undeveloped sites currently available on its website under the “Site Selection” tab. www.augustaeda.org/site-selection/why-augusta/
