Announcing . . . Toccoa Stephens County's "Top 4"!

In this week's Toccoa Record, the Stephens County Development Authority announced our 4 new target industries for recruitment! This is the result of a recommendation made to the SCDA Board this past Tuesday by the New Attraction & Recruitment Committee, led by Geleta Hunt.

The four industries chosen are plastics, automotive, furniture & fabricated metal, and food & beverage processing.

What's the argument behind the decision? Here are a few of the reasons why the Committee chose the 4 industry sectors:

• The community's location on the I-85 corridor and proximity to domestic and international markets via Atlanta and Greenville/Spartanburg airports and Savannah, Brunswick, and Charleston seaports.

• Three fully-served industrial parks with available sites.

• A great inventory of available, existing industrial buildings including factories and warehouses.

• A superb workforce evidenced by the earned designation of Georgia Work Ready Certified Community. Furthermore, our workforce skills match those needed by the four industry targets.

• Tomorrow’s work force is being readied today by programs in our public schools and colleges and our acclaimed QuickStart program. (Eight colleges are located in close proximity.)

• Toccoa-Stephens County wage rates are competitive.

• The unionization rate in Toccoa-Stephens County is well below the Georgia or U.S. average.

• Georgia is an employment-at-will and right-to work state.

• Toccoa-Stephens County offers tax incentives and financing options for qualifying manufacturers.

• Toccoa-Stephens County is at low risk for natural disasters.

• The abundant water supply in Toccoa-Stephens County can support a variety of industry.

• Toccoa-Stephens County is a family friendly community.

• Toccoa-Stephens County has a first-rate medical community with specialized care comparable to metropolitan areas.

Now the Committee is working to identify specific companies within these 4 industry sectors which could locate in Toccoa and Stephens County.

Link to article: SCDA Targets 4 industry types

Expanded vascular laboratory at Toccoa Clinic

The Toccoa Clinic has recently expanded their vascular lab, which aids in diagnosing and treating heart disease and stroke. The latest technology in the vascular lab means better service for Toccoa-Stephens County residents and those in surrounding areas who depend on the Clinic's health care services. The lab offers radiation-free ultrasound screenings.

Source: Anderson Independent Mail, 5/7/10

North Georgia Technical College enrollment increases again

North Georgia Technical College is expected to nearly double its enrollment in just two years!

School officials announced that enrollment is up again this Spring Quarter at a rate over 20% higher than Spring 2009. Enrollment at all of NGTC's campuses now totals 2,647.

Bids awarded for Hayestone Brady Road and Sewer Projects!

Progress is being made on Hayestone Brady Business Park development. The bids were awarded at the end of April for the Hammerstone Road project and the sewer and water project. The water and sewer project was awarded to Cedar Farms & Construction; the road project was awarded to Simpson Trucking & Grading.

The Stephens County Development Authority hopes to announce a groundbreaking ceremony soon to celebrate Toccoa's newest industrial park!

Stephens County Developer Day

Thursday, April 1 was the Stephens County Development Authority's first Toccoa-Stephens County Developer Day of 2010, following a string of 6 Developer Day events in the fall and spring of 2009. Six economic development project managers from five different agencies attended the event, which took them on a development-focused tour of the county:

Drew Addison, Industrial Properties Group
John Clancy, City Commercial
Bill Dobbs, Georgia Dept. of Economic Development
Stephanie Harmon, Georgia Mountains Regional Commission
Charles Hunsaker, Georgia Dept. of Economic Development
Brooke Lucas, Georgia EMC

Geleta Hunt of McClure, Ramsay, Dickerson, Escoe LLP and Mark Ivester of North Georgia Technical College served as 'chauffeurs' for the day. 19 locals joined the group for lunch at the Straw House (Willard Kimsey Environmental Education Center). Sage Automotive Interiors' plant Manager Tim Batson and HR Manager Ruth Burdette gave the developers a tour of their facility. They also viewed available industrial buildings, Hayestone Brady Business Park, and sights such as Toccoa Falls, Paul Anderson Park, Currahee Club, and North Broad Trestle.

Drew Addison of IPG stated, "Unified governmental leadership, existing industry, and available facilities are all important factors in locating a company, and Stephens County has all three. As companies look at communities around Northeast Georgia, Toccoa-Stephens County will continue to stand out."

The next Developer Day event will be held on Thursday, May 13.

Pictured: Geleta Hunt, Stephanie Harmon, Charles Hunsaker, Ruth Burdette, Drew Addison, Mark Ivester, Bill Dobbs, Brooke Lucas, and Tim Batson.

Dick's Hill Parkway is reopened

Yesterday, local and state officials celebrated the reopening of Dick's Hill Parkway with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The majority of the road, including the truck route for Patterson Pump Company, was inaccessible for almost 7 months following major flood damage in September. The project to repair the road was covered 100% by federal funds.

New Hiring Incentives for small and medium companies in the "Hire Work Ready" Program

Stephens County Business can now take advantage of the new "Hire Work Ready" Program.

Businesses with 50 employees or less can now apply to participate in Georgia’s new “Hire Work Ready” program to gain eligibility to receive $250 per certified Work Ready individual hired. Utilizing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) support, the program is designed to provide funding to small businesses that hire Work Ready Certified people to assist with costs associated with the hiring and training of new workers. Approved business owners will be provided with information on using Georgia Work Ready in their hiring process and be given access to an exclusive database of Work Ready Certified job seekers.

Small businesses will be eligible for $250 per certified Work Ready individual hired up to $1,250. The Governor’s Office of Workforce Development estimates that Hire Work Ready will encourage the hiring of 1,000 Work Ready Certified workers by as many as 400 firms.

Below are links to the online application and a fact sheet about the program. The Governor’s Office of Workforce Development will approve participation on a first-come, first-served basis. You can fill out the short online application today to begin the process of joining the program!

Hire Work Ready application form: http://gaworkready.org/reimbursements

Hire Work Ready fact sheet: http://gaworkready.org/files/resources/url/Hire_Work_Ready_fact_sheet0.pdf

Your application will be evaluated by the Governor's Office of Workforce Development and, once approved, you will be invited to participate in a Hire Work Ready information session conference call. After completing this mandatory session, you can begin implementing Hire Work Ready in your company.

For questions regarding Hire Work Ready, please call 1-877-WRC-HIRE or e-mail HWR@gov.state.ga.us