Gov. Nathan Deal on Thursday announced that Area Development magazine has ranked Georgia as the No. 1 place in the nation in which to do business. Area Development is an executive magazine covering corporate site selection and relocation.
“Georgia’s success has come from dead reckoning in areas that are crucial to business locators,” Area Development staff editor Dale Buss said. “That includes the state’s welcoming and business-friendly government, to be sure. The state also enjoys a strong infrastructure, featuring Hartsfield International, one of the world’s most-efficient passenger airports; two deepwater ports; and one of the nation’s most extensive surface-transportation networks. No wonder that Georgia has been able to announce a continuing string of business expansions and relocation over the last year.”
“This is the third time in less than a year that objective judges have named Georgia the top state for businesses,” Deal said. “Since taking office, I’ve made it my top priority to make Georgia the No. 1 place in the nation to do business and create jobs. We’ve accomplished that goal three times over, and will continue working to cultivate a business environment where companies can grow and succeed. These successful policies have allowed us to create nearly 300,000 private sector jobs. That translates directly in better lives and better communities for the people of Georgia. This recognition, alongside our previous national rankings, will build on our momentum and keep the jobs engine humming.”
In addition to being the top state for business, Georgia ranked first for labor climate and second for business environment, overall infrastructure and global access. In 13 of 18 subcategories, Georgia placed in the top three, including first for cooperative state government and leading workforce development programs.
“The fact that these site consultants ranked us No. 1 for cooperative state government and for our leading workforce development programs is a testament to the governor’s leadership and the pro-business environment he has created here in Georgia,” Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner Chris Carr said. “These new rankings spotlight our overall economic-development package and solidify Georgia’s role as a leader in the global marketplace.”
Area Development’s rankings are based on the number of mentions by site consultants in three overall categories and 18 subcategories. The categories include:
• Business environment: overall cost of doing business, incentive programs, corporate-tax environment, cooperative state government, access to capital and project funding, speed of permitting, most favorable regulatory environment
• Labor climate: availability of skilled labor, competitive labor costs, labor climate for right-to-work states, labor climate for non-right-to-work states, leading workforce-development programs
• Infrastructure and global access: distribution and supply-chain hubs, rail and highway access, certified sites/shovel-ready programs, competitive utility rates, energy reliability and smart-grid deployment and water outlook, including availability and cost