Kia Supplier Daehan Solution Selects Harris County

Kodak Breaks Ground in Columbus for Expansion

Valley Partnership Scoreboard

OneGeorgia Awards Valley Partnership Communities $3.7M

$3 Million Dollar Grant Presented to the Valley Partnership By
Governor Perdue's Office of Workforce Development

Group Visits the Valley Partnership to Discover Keys To Success

2008 Red Carpet Tour Rolls Visits the Valley Partnership

Valley Partnership Meets the Consultants

Valley Partnership Welcomes New Project Manager

Online Property Search

Daehan Solution announced on March 28 that it will locate a manufacturing facility in Harris County. The automotive components manufacturer is expected to create 300 jobs and invest $35 million.

Headquartered in Inchon, South Korea, Daehan Solution plans to build a 160,000-square-foot facility on 30 acres in the Northwest Harris Business Park. When operational, the facility will supply noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) system engineering and interior components for the Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia plant in West Point.

"Daehan Solution is looking forward to continuing the partnership with the state of Georgia and Harris County for mutual prosperity," said Daehan Solution Chairman Hoe-Hyun Kwon. "We are very excited about this project in the Northwest Harris Business Park and plan to begin the construction process as soon as possible."

"Harris County and the Valley Partnership are proud to welcome Daehan Solution to Harris County," said Harry Lange, Harris County Commission Chairman. "I look forward to them becoming a great corporate citizen."

Kodak broke ground on February 29 for an expansion of its plate production facility in Columbus, which will add 16,000 square feet to a 250,000 square foot facility in Corporate Ridge Business Park. Kodak plans to add a third production line to meet the digital plate supply needs of print service providers in a wide variety of markets.

Kodak's investment in the new production line totals approximately $15 million. The increased plate production capacity is expected to result in 50 new jobs, bringing the number of people employed at the facility to 300.

Kodak selected its Columbus, Georgia facility for this expansion based on several factors, including the experienced and capable workforce of technical staff and operators.

The completion of construction and the beginning of plate production is scheduled to take place in the second quarter of 2009.

At the OneGeorgia Authority board meeting on March 7, Governor Sonny Perdue announced five grant awards supported by the OneGeorgia Authority aimed at spurring economic development in the Valley Partnership.

Taylor County Airport Authority AIRGeorgia grant funds of $1,561,000 will be used to extend Butler Municipal Airport's runway from 4,000 feet to 5,000 feet. The longer runway and additional improvements will allow the airport to capitalize on the economic development activities in the region.

Development Authority of Harris County EDGE grant funds of $150,000 will be used to assist with road improvements in support of the location of Xpress Materials, LLC, a concrete manufacturer. The company selected a 47-acre site in the Northwest Harris Business Park due to its close proximity to the new Kia plant, which it intends to serve. The company expects to create 72 new jobs within two years.

Valley Partnership Joint Development Authority Equity grant funds of $1 million will be used to assist with the construction of public water and sewer improvements to the 376-acre Northwest Harris Business Park, located at the intersection of Davidson Road and GA Highway 103 in the northwest corner of Harris County. With the Kia auto assembly plant being constructed less than three miles north in West Point, other manufacturers and suppliers are interested in locating to the park.

City of West Point Equity grant funds of $500,000 will be used to assist with the construction of a one million gallon water storage tank to serve Hyundai-owned Mobis Georgia, LLC and Glovis Georgia, LLC. Both companies will serve as suppliers for Kia. By the end of 2010, both expect to create 1,300 jobs.

Development Authority of the City of Manchester: Equity loan funds of $500,000 will be used to acquire 22 acres and the 350,000 square-foot former Goody building.

Debra Lyons, Director of Governor Sonny Perdue's Office of Workforce Development, presented a check on April 16 to Harry Lange, Vice Chair of the Valley Partnership, to develop workforce for industrial construction, automotive maintenance and aerospace advanced manufacturing; and information and communication technologies. Over the next three years, the money will benefit several regional entities' workforce development efforts.

More than $1 million is slated for Columbus Technical College; more than $500,000 to Chattahoochee Valley Community College; and more than $35,000 to Columbus State University. Area high schools will also benefit from more than $70,000 available in mini workforce grants.

"Thank you Debra on behalf of the Chattahoochee Valley for allowing us to better prepare ourselves for the tremendous growth that will be impacting our Valley Partnership region," said Harry Lang, Vice Chair of the Valley Partnership. "This will assist not only with the growth at Fort Benning, but also growth due to the automotive and aerospace industries and all the subsequent growth in construction, communication and information technologies."

On April 2, a task force from Oconee Athens-Clarke (OAC) counties traveled to Columbus to learn about regional economic development and to discover the formula for the Valley Partnership's success. The 12-member task force is evaluating the feasibility of initiating a regional economic development effort initially involving OAC.

The task force is examining the mission and structure of successful regional development organizations such as the Valley Partnerhship, Hampton Roads, VA, and Research Triangle, NC, to determine if a similar model would be appropriate for OAC.

Mike Gaymon, President & CEO of the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce, explained to the group how the Valley Partnership was formed 14 years ago and provided an overview of its structure and funding sources. Becca Hardin, Executive Vice President of Economic Development, detailed staffing, marketing and goals of the organization.

"It takes time, patience and persistence to bring communities and leadership together," said Hardin. She told the group not to expect to see results overnight. "Try to achieve a few quick successes and build on that."

Following reflections from Valley Partnership past chair, Ken Clark (Marion County), a panel discussion ensued as Ken was joined by Dick Ellis (Muscogee County), Dallas Jankowski (Cusseta-Chattahoochee County), Slade Johnson (Talbot County) and Harry Lange (Harris County). The panelists shared experiences, offered insight and delivered some straight talk about working together to promote regionalism.

Columbus and Harris County rolled out the red carpet April 9-12 for 37 corporate decision makers from around the world as the 49th annual Red Carpet Tour of Georgia visited the Valley Partnership region.

The 2008 Red Carpet Tour strengthens relationships previously formed and builds new relationships while showcasing Georgia as a great place to do business.

The guests were invited to dinner with Governor Sonny Perdue and First Lady Mary Perdue at the Governor's Mansion and enjoyed VIP treatment in Augusta during the first and third rounds of golf at The Masters.

The guests flew to Columbus via Red Carpet One to learn of the many benefits of doing business in the Valley Partnership. Local Columbus business leaders and officials welcomed the guests at The Lodge & Spa at Callaway Gardens where they heard from Phil Tomlinson, Chairman & CEO of TSYS and Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle.

Recreational activities included a round of golf and simulated training exercises at Fort Benning and were followed by an elegant reception and dinner at RiverMill in Columbus.

The Georgia Chamber of Commerce sponsors the Tour, in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Allies and the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce. Members of the Georgia Allies and other hosts from businesses across Georgia travel with the contingent, serving as liaisons and teaching Tour participants about Georgia.

Robin Spratlin, General Manager of Economic Development for Georgia Power, served as 2008 Red Carpet Tour State Host Chair. Jay Alexander, President of Alexander Electric Company, served as Chair of the Columbus Region.

Members of the Valley Partnership Economic Development team were in Atlanta on March 11 cultivating new business relationships with site location professionals. The Southern Economic Development Council (SEDC) presented a day-long event called "Meet the Consultants" featuring Atlanta-area consultants and professionals in the site location field.

Becca Hardin, Brian Sillitto and Shelley Dean spent a full day increasing contacts with the Atlanta market's site location professionals, including Herron Consulting, The Staubach Company, Site Location Services, Competitive Strategies Group, Business Facility Planning Consultants, The Walker Companies, Binswanger, CB Richard Ellis, Cushman & Wakefield and Kate McEnroe Consulting.

One of the event's gold level co-sponsors was Greater Georgia, an economic development marketing effort partnered by Augusta, Columbus, Macon and Savannah. Greater Georgia hosted a booth at the event, which gave the Valley Partnership additional exposure.

At the March Valley Partnership board meeting, Becca Hardin, Executive Vice President of Economic Development, announced that Shelley Dean would be joining the economic development staff as a project manager.

Shelley is a native of Columbus, Georgia. After graduating from Valdosta State University, she worked as an account manager at The Zimmerman Agency, a public relations and advertising agency specializing in hospitality and tourism.

In the summer of 2007, Shelley returned to Columbus to accept the position of Project Manager for the Fort Benning Joint Land Use Study Project (JLUS) at the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce. She coordinated the planning process with economic, community and military installation stakeholders while administering the JLUS federal grant funding to achieve the goals and objectives of the study.

Shelley recently completed the Basic Economic Development Course held in Atlanta and is currently focused on developing existing industry initiatives aimed at retention and expansion.

The Valley Partnership's commitment to facilitating business development is seen clearly in its portfolio of available industrial buildings, properties and business parks.

The search for available buildings and sites in the Valley Partnership is always just a mouse click away at: www.thevalleypartnership.com/property.aspx.