Ryan Purvis
Development Authority of Bryan County
There are no opportunities without industry.
My family has been a part of the Coastal Georgia community for many years, and I am deeply invested in the happiness, health and success of the people of Bryan County — including my loved ones, friends and neighbors. In Bryan County, we have something special, and I understand why so many want to protect it, to freeze this moment in time.
But our community has been given the chance of a lifetime — to become an epicenter of the automotive and manufacturing industry. We have the opportunity to build loving neighborhoods for our kids to set down roots right here in Coastal Georgia. Even better, we can accomplish this without dramatically changing what makes Bryan County so special and unique. Let me explain why.
Thousands of well-paying jobs are coming to our region. These jobs won’t just help us put food on the table and buy birthday gifts for our loved ones. These jobs mean our children can live and raise families in the same town as their parents. These jobs will allow for more locals to enjoy time with their friends, support their neighbor’s local business and give more generously to charities and faith-based organizations.
These opportunities are even more impactful to a family living in poverty. The average person in Pembroke made $27,000 in 2022. More than 3,000 people in Bryan County are living below the poverty rate, and they deserve better. You may not be one of them, but I would ask that you think about that number – 3,000 – the next time you drive down the street.
The average annual wage at the Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) is $58,100 plus benefits. The Metaplant site will create 8,500 of those well-paying jobs, and suppliers for the plant will create an additional 7,000 more for our region. More than 1,000 people have already been hired, over three-quarters of whom are our neighbors, living within 60 miles of the site.
A Better Bryan County
HMGMA represents an estimated $7.59 billion in investment and will economically strengthen the region. Without the additional tax revenue from these businesses, the people of Bryan County will front the tax burden as we seek to repave roads and improve the community. This revenue will build a better Bryan County by allowing us to invest in infrastructure and our children’s future career opportunities. It creates a more diverse revenue stream rather than relying so heavily on our homes for our tax base. We can preserve and grow at the same time.
The Development Authority of Bryan County is partnered with many Georgian-led groups to ensure that the community grows in a sustainable and well-thought-out way. Some of these key partners include the Joint Development Authority (JDA), the Bryan County Board of Commissioners, City of Richmond Hill, the City of Pembroke, the Bryan County Chamber of Commerce, the Bryan County Board of Education, RISE (Regional Industry Support Enterprise) and many more.
The wages at the plant will help small businesses to grow and prosper. Equipping Bryan County citizens with higher spending power will increase demand for mom-and-pop restaurants, boutiques, doctor’s offices, law practices and more.
It is easy to imagine the difference these dollars make in the short term, but the greater opportunity is generational. For decades, citizens of Bryan County have been faced with the hard decision to leave their community to find work or grow professionally. These manufacturing jobs combined with our many other great industries create an opportunity for many people in Bryan County to put down deep roots that they could not otherwise, while saving thousands of dollars per year on fuel and hundreds of hours on commutes outside the county each year. With better opportunities through HMGMA, its suppliers and our other amazing industries, our best and brightest can go to school, develop skilled careers, start families, retire and truly invest in the place they call home.
Bryan County for Life
Our team is working hard to ensure Coastal Georgia grows while staying true to and preserving Bryan County’s soul. Many of these great workers at the Metaplant and its suppliers are people you know, who care about the community the same way you do. HMGMA is a generational project that our state has never had before. Change can be scary, but your neighbors are working with our best intentions at heart for the lives and futures of our grandchildren.
There has been over $27 million, and a decade of careful research invested into the HMGMA site to improve and prepare our communities for an even brighter future. These investments will continue to be made to ensure that we protect our way of life while providing unmatched opportunities for our children and grandchildren. We don’t have to look far to witness the negative impact communities are experiencing without industry. We won’t be perfect, but we will do our best to make sure the soul of Bryan County only gets better.
HMGMA and its suppliers are a vital step in securing a bright future for every family in Bryan County – mine and yours – and I believe we can do that while preserving what we love about this great community we call home.
Ryan Purvis is the CEO of the Development Authority of Bryan County. An engineer, Purvis is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Master of Science in structural engineering. He lives in Bryan County with his wife Christy and their two children.