A Korean-owned logistics company says it will employ up to 50 people in a distribution center it is establishing near Midway.
The Liberty County Development Authority has announced that Pactra International Co. Ltd., a global logistics company, has selected Liberty County’s Tradeport East Business Center to establish a Southeast distribution center for Hankook Tire.
Pactra has leased the 500,000-square-foot Silver LEED-certified, cross-dock spec building owned by IDI and DCT Industrial Trust, which partnered with the Liberty County Development Authority to establish Tradeport East, a news release from the authority said. Pactra plans to open full operations on Jan. 1.
The center will join Hankook’s existing American distribution centers in California, Texas, Illinois and New Jersey and will service 10 states in the Southeast market.
Hankook Tire America Corp., a subsidiary of Hankook Tire Co. Ltd., markets and distributes what the industry calls high performance and ultra-high performance passenger-vehicle tires, light-truck tires, SUV tires, as well as medium-truck and bus tires to more than 400 independent dealers through more than 10,000 retail sales locations in the United States and Canada.
Jason Yoon, chief operating officer of Pactra, said the logistics company conducted site-selection searches in Tennessee, Georgia and Florida on behalf of the tire manufacturer.
“Hankook wanted to increase its market share in the Southeast, and we felt Georgia’s central location among the Southeastern states offered a strategic advantage,” Yoon said. “Approximately 600,000 tires will be kept on hand at the facility, and they will be brought in through the Port of Savannah. Tradeport East’s location within one mile of Interstate 95 also is a very attractive feature.”
Liberty County Development Authority CEO Ron Tolley said the agreement is a positive development. The global tire company’s arrival enhances foreign direct investment in Liberty County, where 70 percent of existing industry employment is tied to companies headquartered overseas.  
“We are pleased that Pactra has selected Liberty County for its distribution center, and we welcome them to our growing industrial base,” Tolley said. “This project emphasizes the value of our proximity to the Port of Savannah, Liberty County Development Authority’s investment in Tradeport East, and the attractiveness of the Liberty County labor force.”
The company plans to open with 30 employees and expand to 50 within three months. Job seekers are encouraged to contact the Georgia Department of Labor for more information.