Developer magazine ranks Georgia first

A graphic on Area Development's website tells the story. - photo by http://www.areadevelopment.com/

area development map — A graphic on Area Development's website tells the story. - photo by http://www.areadevelopment.com/

Special to the News

Updated: Sep 13, 2014, 6:30 PM

Published: Sep 12, 2014, 2:18 PM

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

Record April boosts Savannah's container trade at port

The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

GardenCityTerminal — The Port of Savannah moved 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units in April, an increase of 7.1 percent. - photo by Provided

Bryan County News

Updated: May 23, 2018, 1:59 AM

Published: May 23, 2018, 2:00 AM

The Georgia Ports Authority's busiest April ever pushed its fiscal year-to-date totals to more than 3.4 million 20-foot equivalent container units (TEUs), an increase of 8.8 percent, or 280,000 TEUs, compared to the first 10 months of fiscal 2017.

"We're on track to move more than 300,000 TEUs in every month of the fiscal year, which will be a first for the authority," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "We're also anticipating this to be the first fiscal year for the Port of Savannah to handle more than 4 million TEUs."

April volumes reached 356,700 20-foot equivalent container units, up 7.1 percent or 23,700 units. As the fastest growing containerport in the nation, the Port of Savannah has achieved a compound annual growth rate of more than 5 percent a year over the past decade.

"As reported in the recent economic impact study by UGA's Terry College of Business, trade through Georgia's deepwater ports translates into jobs, higher incomes and greater productivity," said GPA Board Chairman Jimmy Allgood. "In every region of Georgia, employers rely on the ports of Savannah and Brunswick to help them become more competitive on the global stage."

To strengthen the Port of Savannah's ability to support the state's future economic growth, the GPA Board approved $66 million in terminal upgrades, including $24 million for the purchase of 10 additional rubber-tired gantry cranes.

"The authority is committed to building additional capacity ahead of demand to ensure the Port of Savannah remains a trusted link in the supply chain serving Georgia and the Southeast," Lynch said.

The crane purchase will bring the fleet at Garden City Terminal to 156 RTGs. The new cranes will support three new container rows, which the board approved in March. The additional container rows will increase annual capacity at the Port of Savannah by 150,000 TEUs.

The RTGs will work over stacks that are five containers high and six deep, with a truck lane running alongside the stacks. Capable of running on electricity, the cranes will have a lift capacity of 50 metric tons.

The cranes will arrive in two batches of five in the first and second quarters of calendar year 2019.

Also at Monday's meeting, the GPA Board elected its officers, with Jimmy Allgood as chairman, Will McKnight taking the position of vice chairman and Joel Wooten elected as the next secretary/treasurer.

For more information, visit gaports.com, or contact GPA Senior Director of Corporate Communications Robert Morris at (912) 964-3855 or rmorris@gaports.com.

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