Georgia’s business climate has received another accolade from a national publication.
A news release from Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced Georgia is the number one state for Best Business Climate. That came from Site Selection Magazine, which conducted a survey of site selection experts.
“The Peach State racked up the most votes to dethrone last year’s winner, Texas, for Best Business Climate in the nation. North Carolina finished just behind Georgia in the runner-up spot, followed by South Carolina in third and then Tennessee and Texas in a tie for fourth,” said the news release.
“Site selectors are the ones that are really interfacing the most with the local economic developers, the statewide economic development partners, utility companies,” Cheney Eldridge, Executive Director of the Columbia County Economic Development Authority (CCEDA), told ABD. “The folks that we have working in economic development across the state, they want to see things work. They want to find a solution and they’re trying to work together for everyone to prosper. That makes a big difference when you’re trying to locate a project.”
This latest ranking is separate from the magazine’s annual state rankings which use factors beyond those of site development leaders. This site-specific rating is based on responses from the individuals who help choose the location where a business may want to locate, creating capital investments and jobs.
“Georgia’s recognition as the No. 1 state for Best Business Climate by Site Selection is a testament to our partnership approach to job creation and economic growth,” said Kemp in the release. “Our world-class workforce, strategic investments in infrastructure, and business-friendly policies continue to attract companies from around the world and create opportunities for hardworking Georgians in every community.”
With Horizon South Industrial Park in Grovetown and White Oak Business Park at I-20 in Appling, Eldridge said this recognition is a valuable tool for local development authorities. It demonstrates good partnerships both at the local level and with state agencies.
“A lot of times these companies, they’re looking for somewhere they can be for a long time. Administrations change over and leadership changes over. So, their main concern is, ‘Am I going to be locating in an area where the philosophy that I’m selecting aligns with my values, my company’s values? Will that be there even after leadership changes are over?’ And what we’ve been able to see from all these years of these types of accolades is that even when people change over the business climate and the success stays the same,” she said.
States were ranked by the site selectors based on several criteria, including a business-friendly environment, workforce availability, and training programs. Tess Fay, Principal and Vice President of Location Intelligence, Global Location Strategies, Greenville, S.C., participated in the survey. She pointed to the South’s logistics and infrastructure advantages, along with financial considerations.
“Coupled with a relatively low-cost environment and relatively favorable business policies, they continue to be top of mind for many of our clients,” she answered. “From my perspective, key differentiators include economic development infrastructure and inventory availability. States like Tennessee and Georgia stand out for their state, utility, and regional economic development organizations, which foster a collaborative partnership with location advisory firms.”
That low-cost environment is something local economic leaders can use to attract businesses, particularly the lower cost of living available in metro Augusta.
“That’s one of my favorite things to share when we’re recruiting companies,” she said. “To be able to tell a company, ‘Hey, you will be able to provide a wonderful life for your employee, they’re going to want to work for you, and they’ll be able to support their family, and they’ll stay here because of that.’ We have such a unique location close to things like Atlanta or Columbia, but also close to the beach, close to the mountains, you can get just about anywhere you want from the airport we have through a connection to a larger airport.”
In addition to Georgia taking the top spot for site selection, Atlanta was named the number 3 best city for corporate headquarters.
The full report is available at www.siteselection.com/site-selectors-survey-why-site-selectors-love-the-south/
