business in savannah - seda.org center/business-in... · savannah is also a vibrant, progressive,...
TRANSCRIPT
B U S I N E S S I N S AVA N N A H
By the Numbers
Savannah embraces our history while looking to the future. The
inventions of the past have, today, been transformed into ideas
for sustainability, innovation and smart technology. Whether
appealing to an environmental calling or to fostering a win-win
relationship with today’s hottest industries, the possibilities for
continued growth and prosperity are endless.
Built on the foundation of a diverse economy, which includes
manufacturing, tourism, port-related operations, healthcare
and government/military, Savannah is committed to nurturing
these mainstays while cultivating a growing number of creative
and technical businesses. These efforts have consistently made
Savannah’s economy one of the most stable in Georgia.
Savannah: Propelling Business
Even in its infancy, Savannah was an emerging center of innovation and prosperity, the first designed city in the nation. From the invention of the cotton gin to the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean in 1819, the desire to create and foster innovation has formed a solid foundation upon which our community thrives to this very day.
You’ll find businesses and the people who run them are
welcomed here with open arms. Smart, sincere people who care
about the community are encouraged and embraced. Love our
hometown, and you’ll not only rub elbows with local leaders,
you could easily become one of them.
With SEDA’s in-depth knowledge and experience, we are
committed to helping companies take advantage of everything
Savannah has to offer. From assisting in the process of securing
property to maximizing vital state and local resources to helping
build a stellar workforce, we are with them every step of the
way. But our commitment doesn’t end there. The sustainabil-
ity and growth of companies in the Savannah region is a top
priority for SEDA, and we work hard to keep businesses apprised
of any incentive, saving or workforce program that could be of
help to them. Our dedication to helping businesses thrive shows
in everything we do.
There is a synergy in Savannah that is hard to ignore. It’s the cooperation and energy that brings together the Savannah Economic Development Authority and our partners including the City of Savannah, Chatham County,
the Georgia Department of Economic Development and so many others to help propel business in our region.
SAVANNAH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Making it Happen
Advanced manufacturing represents 10 percent of the workforce
in the Savannah MSA, contributing to a payroll of more than
$1.1 billion. Savannah’s broad advanced manufacturing base
includes 245 manufacturers, employing more than 15,000 and
creating a $2.4 billion output in 2012.
Advanced manufacturers in the Savannah area also benefit
from the city’s superior infrastructure, which includes the Port
of Savannah. The Port of Savannah, the second largest on the
East and Gulf coasts and the fastest growing in the nation,
features two deepwater terminals and gives companies access
to 44 percent of the U.S. and 80 percent of U.S. consumers
within two days. The city also features two Class 1 railroads,
easy and immediate access to major highway systems, and an
international airport.
In 2009, Mitsubishi Power Systems, now Mitsubishi Hitachi Power
Systems, chose Savannah to produce its giant and steam gas
turbines. In 2012, they marked the first shipment of the first
commercial gas turbine rolled Today, the $325 million dollar
plant employs 340 today and will eventually employ 500.
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems
Advanced Manufacturing
Savannah’s workforce is another major draw for the advanced
manufacturing sector. The Savannah area has a 14-county labor
draw with a labor pool of more than 438,000. The area’s talent
pipeline includes 18 area colleges and universities that have
more than 60,000 students, graduating 11,000 students each
year.
Many advanced manufacturers in the Savannah area have
benefited from Herty Advanced Materials Development Center,
a part of Georgia Southern University. The world-class research
and development facility, which supports the non-wovens, pulp
and paper, and bio-based materials industries, has produced
materials for Fortune 500 chemicals and materials companies
such as DuPont.
Aerospace manufacturing has been a key industry in Savannah
since Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, planted roots here in
1967. Today Gulfstream is the industry leader, producing the
world’s premier and most technologically advanced business-jet
aircraft.
As the largest aerospace manufacturer in the Southeast, Gulfst-
ream employs more than 10,000 workers locally, but they aren’t
the only ones calling Savannah home. More than 30 aero-
space-related companies are located in Savannah, making the
area a true aerospace supplier cluster.
Savannah is strategically located within 100 miles of Boeing in
Charleston, S.C., 140 miles of Embraer in Jacksonville, Fla. and
500 miles of Airbus in Mobile, Ala., making it the ideal hub
as an aerospace supplier. Savannah’s central location enables
convenient just-in-time part deliveries and same-day, round-trip
service.
Savannah’s workforce talent pipeline includes a wide variety
of job seekers and skilled laborers. Savannah has 10 times the
national average of aerospace engineers and was ranked 5th by
PricewaterhouseCoopers for aviation manufacturing talent.
With the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army
Airfield, as well other military bases in the area, 37,300 total
active duty military personnel are located within 45 miles of
Savannah, with more than 350 trained and disciplined “Heroes
for Hire” leaving the military each month.
Aerospace
As SEDA President and CEO Trip Tollison once said, “Gulfstream
Aerospace is one hell of a story.” The largest aerospace supplier
in the Southeast, Gulfstream employs 10,000 people and has a
backlog of G650 until 2016.
In September 2014, they announced plans to build a new $33
million, 72,000 square foot, state-of-the-art aircraft paint facility.
The facility will be located near the company’s 679,199-sq-ft
Savannah Service Center, which is the largest business aviation
maintenance facility in the world and can accommodate up to 36
aircraft at a time. The paint hangar will support the company’s
growing refurbishment work, especially now that the worldwide
Gulfstream fleet has surpassed 2,300 aircraft.
Construction is planned to start later this year, with completion
expected by the middle of next year. The facility will support 100
new jobs.
Gulfstream Aerospace
Fueled by the Port of Savannah, the distribution sector of Savan-
nah’s economy is booming. The world’s largest distributors, from
manufacturers to large-scale retailers, have facilities in Savannah
including The Home Depot, IKEA, Dollar Tree, Target and more.
The Port of Savannah is the fastest-growing port in the nation,
the second largest on the East and Gulf coasts, and not surpris-
ingly, a major economic development engine for the entire state
of Georgia. The port serves as a major distribution hub to and
from a 26-state region – with 80 percent of the U.S. population
within a two-day reach from Savannah.
When Dollar Tree first announced its plans for expansion in
January 2011, it included an investment of $18 million and the
creation of 68 jobs. In July 2012, with expansion complete, the
final investment totaled $19.8 million and 182 additional jobs,
adding to the 135 jobs that existed prior to expansion. The
600,000 square-foot distribution center grew by 400,000 square
feet allowing the company to bring in more than 12,000 contain-
ers in 2012 through the Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City
Terminal at the Port of Savannah.
Logistics & Distribution
Dollar Tree
In fiscal year 2014, Savannah’s port shipped more than three
million TEUs. Additionally, the port has gained worldwide recog-
nition as a major regional cargo hub, and it provides deepwater
access to one of the East Coast’s largest available mega sites.
More than 4 million square feet of distribution center space is
available within a 30-mile radius of the port.
In 2014, the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project was authorized to
begin construction to deepen the harbor to 47 feet through the
Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014. Completion
is expected in early 2018. In addition, the Port of Savannah has
planned investments of the next decade of $1.4 billion.
“We chose to expand our facility in Savannah, Georgia for a
variety of reasons, including the friendly and supportive business
environment; the Georgia Ports Authority’s commitment to
customer service and operating efficiency supported by a large
carrier base; and the excellent logistics infrastructure made up of
the port, the interstate system and the airport,” said Bob Sasser,
president and CEO of Dollar Tree.
As businesses like Dollar Tree grow, so does the attractiveness of
our region to other companies poised to benefit from Savan-
nah’s place as a logistics hub that provides global access to
customers in markets throughout the world.
Paragon Design Group is a multi-disciplined creative agency
with specialties including motion graphics and animation,
brand development, web design and development and print
design. Founded in Savannah in 2001 by graduates for the
Savannah College of Art and Design, this boutique studio creates
compelling communications across multiple media for clients of
all sizes, from Fortune 500 companies to early stage start-ups.
In recent years Paragon has garnered numerous accolades
for their work and have been featured in publications like
Fast Company, HOW Magazine, Layers Magazine, American
Corporate ID, Graphic Design USA and Hofstra University Press.
In early 2014, two of their animations were featured among
2013’s Best Infographic Movies.
Creative Design & Tech
With a creative talent pipeline, operating costs that are 30
percent less than competitors and an infrastructure that enables
young companies to grow, it’s no wonder that many companies
focused on creative production and technology are planting
roots in Savannah.
One clear advantage to Savannah is the 8,000 Savannah College
of Art and Design students who major in programs such as
interactive design and game development, industrial design, film
and television, animation and more. SCAD graduates have gone
on to work for companies such as Epic Games, Zynga, Electronic
Arts, Disney, Pixar Animation Studios, Microsoft, Google, and
more in addition to being Oscar, Grammy and Emmy award
winners. And many graduates choose to stay or come back to
Savannah to work after graduation.
Many movie productions have chosen to film in Savannah includ-
ing Forrest Gump, The Conspirator, The Last Song, Midnight in
the Garden of Good and Evil, Forces of Nature and the soon-to-
be-released SpongeBob SquarePants 2. In 2013 there were 84
productions that filmed in Savannah.
Savannah’s network of investors and entrepreneurs include The
Creative Coast, Technology Association of Georgia, SLAAM Ven-
tures, Ariel Southeast Angel Partners, ThincSavnanah, the Geor-
gia Center of Innovation for Logistics, Georgia Tech’s Advanced
Technology Development Center and more.
Savannah has a variety of office space available and boasts oper-
ating expenses that are 30 percent less than other cities such as
New Orleans, Raleigh, Austin and more.
Paragon Design Group
In 2014, The Creative Coast and SEDA announced the estab-
lishment of the Creators’ Foundry, a 16,000-square-foot facility
that serves as a vibrant, innovative epicenter of entrepreneurial
activity. The facility offers office rental space, incubator space,
co-working space, and an auditorium for lectures, festivals,
workshops and events. ThincSavannah is also available as a
shared workspace.
International Business
Savannah is also a vibrant, progressive, diverse, forward-thinking
business community and home to many international businesses
including Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems and the North
American headquarters of JCB, Inc.
Savannah is home to the fourth-largest and fastest-growing
port in the nation, connected to the most extensive surface
transportation network in the United States, and includes
the Savannah Hilton Head International Airport, which has
seven direct flights to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Airport, the world’s busiest and most efficient passenger airport.
Announced in 1998, British corporation JCB’s North American
Headquarters in Savannah sits on over 1,000 pristine acres facing
one of the nations’ busiest highways, I-95. From the 500,000
square foot state of the art facility, JCB headquarters supports
a network of over 100 dealers in the United States, Canada and
Mexico, providing parts, training and expertise. Founded and
based in the United Kingdom, the Savannah location employs
more than 550 employees.
Under the same roof, the Savannah manufacturing floor is proud
to be the worldwide production facility for all 18 models of the
world’s safest skid steer and compact track loader as well as the
home of the HMEE (High Mobility Engineer Excavator) designed
and manufactured for the US Army and other allied nations.
JCB
The state of Georgia is also home to 42 bi-national chambers
of commerce and more than 25 foreign governments have
operations in Georgia.
In Savannah, SEDA works with our partners, which include
World Trade Center Savannah (licensed by SEDA), the City
of Savannah, Chatham County, the Georgia Department of
Economic Development, Georgia Power and others, to promote
and actively locate international businesses to Savannah as well
as facilitate the transition to locating, hiring employees and
opening a business in Savannah.
Want to learn more?
Savannah Economic Development Authority
Angela Hendrix
Director of Marketing and Public Relations
912.447.8450
912.856.7329
www.seda.org
This year, Georgia has been named by CNBC, Area Development
magazine and Site Selection magazine as the No. 1 state for
doing business. And nowhere is that more evident than in
Savannah, Georgia where businesses are thriving on a global
scale. As Bob Jepson of Jepson Associates puts it, “Savannah is red
hot in terms of where it is going and the progress it is making.”
The Savannah Economic Development Authority public relations
office is here to assist you in meeting your deadlines with story
ideas, economic development statistics, press releases, images
and more. We can also assist with fact checking, interviews,
individual press trips and other special media requests. To learn
more about our diverse economy contact us today.
www.seda.org