Fri, March 29, 2024

EDA president says diversity keeps Augusta economy strong

Diversity is a strength when it comes to the economy of the Augusta area.

Cal Wray, President of the Augusta Economic Development Authority, recently had the opportunity to tell the rest of the country about the area’s economy on a podcast of Consultant Connect, a company that works with economic development directors.

“People think of just the Masters, but Augusta and the region are so much more than that,” Wray said on the podcast. “What people don’t know is the diversity within the economy here in Augusta. We’re one of the top 20 most diverse markets in the country.”

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The Masters tournament is a major revenue source, of course, but the area also employs 25,000 people in manufacturing and another 25,000 in health care. Wray said that gives the area balance. The Augusta area is also ranked in the top 20 in the country for engineers.

Wray has been the president of EDA for five years, and in that time, he and his staff have announced $1.7 billion in company investments in the area, most of it in manufacturing.

Augusta Economic Development Authority President, Cal Wray recently spoke on a national podcast about the area’s economy.

But while manufacturing is the traditional target of an EDA, Wray said his team is also recruiting for office, commercial and multi-residential space – almost everything, except single-family residential, but even that is impacted by their recruitment of other industries.

Wray pointed out, though, that they don’t just take any business that is interested in moving here.

“We’re not afraid to say no,” he said. “Just because someone wants to invest and they want to create jobs doesn’t mean it’s the right jobs and the right investment.

“We really look at every company that comes here and (ask), is it a good fit? Are they environmentally responsible? Is it a product that’s not going to be hazardous to the community? What kind of safeguards do they take? We look at all of that. But more than that, how does it fit within the social structure of the community? Do they want to be involved or be absentee? Are they going to be a good corporate citizen?”

For more about what Wray said, you can listen to the full interview at https://jobsteam.consultantconnect.org/2022/07/14/episode-201-the-impact-of-community/.

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