Publisher’s Note: As many in the Peach State and around the U.S. celebrate the first black female governor, Keisha Bottoms, it’s a good time to celebrate current Governor Brian Kemp before the torch is passed to Bottoms in January.
By making Georgia one of the strongest states for business, Brian Kemp has also made the state an economic powerhouse. In the past 7 years of Mr. Kemp’s tenure, Georgia’s economy has experienced historic investment, rapid job growth, and top-ranked business competitiveness.
This has translated into one of the nation’s lowest unemployment rates and a very manageable tax burden, which are good for all Georgians. So, before he leaves office in January, I think it is important to recognize some of the state’s business achievements during his tenure as governor and some of the important things that Governor Kemp did to make these accomplishments possible that his successor would be wise to continue.
Georgia Business/Economic Achievements:
- State Business Rankings: Georgia ranked the number one state for business by Area Development magazine for the 13th consecutive year in 2026, including each year of Governor Kemp’s tenure. Also, ranked every year of his tenure in CNBC’s “Best States for Business” top ten, including rankings of 4th, 4th, 7th, and 7th, the past four years.
- Record Business Investment: The state has repeatedly broken its annual economic development records during Governor Kemp’s second term, with business investment reaching an all-time high of $35.2 billion in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. From FY 2022 to FY 2026, Georgia attracted over $125 billion in business investment, resulting in approximately 165,000 new jobs. Much of this investment and many of the new jobs have landed outside of Metro Atlanta, targeting rural communities.
- Major Manufacturing Projects: Large-scale automotive manufacturing investments have been made by Hyundai (near Savannah, which began production in October 2024 with expansions in 2025 and 2026) and by Rivian (in Social Circle (Morgan/Walton Counties) with production scheduled to begin in late 2028). As a final masterstroke of the Kemp administration, it was announced about two weeks ago that Audi will build its first-ever U.S. manufacturing plant (in Peach County, Middle Georgia), with facility construction to begin in 2028. This continues the growth outside Atlanta and in more rural communities.
- Unemployment Rate: As of the end of the third quarter, the unemployment rate for Georgia is 3.3%, the 11th lowest of all states, and well below (approximately 25%) the national rate of 4.2%. Employment growth has averaged 2.6% over the last seven years, outpacing the national rate of 1.7%.
- Size of Economy: Georgia’s Gross State Product (GSP, the state-level equivalent of GDP) is $717 billion, the ninth-largest of all states.
Clearly, Georgia’s economy is thriving, and much of it has to do with increasing business investment in the state. Some of this business investment is coming from companies already in the state who are expanding, but clearly, many others are companies from other states and/or countries expanding or relocating into Georgia. While some of the rationale for such expansion/moves comes from attributes of Georgia such as its climate, quality of life, and location, much of the rationale has also been due to policy led by Governor Kemp and implemented by the state legislature and other government agencies. Governor Kemp’s leadership has led to much of the following business-friendly policies:
- Regulatory Reform: Early in his first term, Governor Kemp established the “Georgians First Commission” to review state regulations, policies, and procedures to streamline government and remove inefficiencies to make Georgia small business-friendly. In more recent years, he led tort and litigation reform and licensing/workforce red tape reduction.
- Active Recruitment of International Businesses: Many politicians treat trips to foreign countries more as boondoggles than anything else. This was not so with Governor Kemp. He made numerous trips abroad and, over time, these trips usually resulted in businesses in those countries expanding into Georgia. In addition to Hyundai and Audi highlighted above, examples in Augusta include Aurubis and GF Casting Solutions.
- Investment in Infrastructure: Governor Kemp has made Georgia’s infrastructure a priority during his tenure. In particular, through the Georgia Ports Authority, marine and inland port infrastructure expanded cargo-handling capacity significantly. Additionally, investment in transportation, bridges, and aviation increased the state’s logistics capability, while investment in expanding broadband to unserved rural communities made it more attractive to expanding companies.
- Education/Workforce Investment: When companies decided where to relocate/expand, the availability of a quality workforce is always near the top of the list. While Georgia has historically invested significantly in higher education, under Governor Kemp, the state has significantly increased its investment in both K-12 education and Technical Colleges, better meeting the needs of many companies. The state has committed an additional $3.7 billion in ongoing funding to K-12 education since he took office and increased teacher salaries by $9500 in that time as well. Technical College System budget was over $500 million in FY 2026.
Georgia businesses and the Georgia economy have thrived in the almost eight years since Governor Kemp took office, and much of that success has to do with active support of Kemp-led policies. If Georgia wants to maintain a vibrant economy and business environment, Bottoms should consider following his business lead.
