Southwest Georgia: Brimming with Opportunities

“There is a tremendous amount of activity going on, which is great,” says Rick McCaskill, executive director of the Bainbridge-Decatur County Development Authority. “We’ve got a lot going on in retail and housing, but one thing that’s gotten a lot of attention is a new Publix just opened, along with six other stores.”

“We also have a new hotel on the [Flint] River,” McCaskill says. “It’s three stories of rooms, over 100. … It’s the first hotel on the river and our first high-rise hotel, so it’s a pretty big deal.”

Construction of the Marriott property, Element, is expected to be completed by the end of the year, according to McCaskill.

“We’re on the map all of a sudden,” he says. “All of this new retail has caused a lot of other retail to look at us.”

In rural Georgia, Publix, Chick-fil-A and Starbucks are three of the most coveted additions. While the nearest Starbucks locations are still over the state line in Florida, Bainbridge now has the other two: the aforementioned Publix and Chick-fil-A, which came to Bainbridge about five years ago.

“We got the Chick-fil-A right on the heels of the Taurus announcement,” McCaskill says.

In December 2020, Taurus USA held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to formally open its new $22.5 million corporate and manufacturing headquarters in Bainbridge, following its relocation from Miami. At its Bainbridge facilities, Taurus manufactures several different types of guns, including revolvers, pistols and long guns, and employs more than 300 people.

Agribusiness Merchant: Penny Newman Grain Co. Photo credit: Contributed

Bainbridge was the first inland port city in Georgia, so it also benefits from “a tremendous rail system,” McCaskill says, noting that rail was a key driver in landing a new Penny Newman Grain Co. facility. The 450-foot-long building will be used to load and tarp cottonseed bound for California, he says.

“They’ll ship 1,400 rail cars of cottonseed from here to California over the next year,” he says. “With all of the activity we’ve had in the last five years, there is a tremendous amount of energy built up in our community, and you see it everywhere.”

While a shortage of workforce housing is a challenge for many communities across the state, that’s not the case for Bainbridge, McCaskill says. The relocation of Taurus caught the attention of national homebuilders. And so did the 2022 opening of a 180,000-square-foot facility for A-1 Industries, which manufactures pre-engineered building components and EZWALL framing solutions.

“These national homebuilders are building single-family home subdivisions,” he says. “We’re very fortunate to have them come here. It’s unusual for national homebuilders to come into a small rural community.”

McCaskill estimates nearly 75 homes have been built in Bainbridge this year. That’s in addition to six new apartment complexes in the last three years and a new townhouse development that is under construction.

“We got lucky when Taurus came in and A-1 Industries expanded,” he says. “That put a spotlight on housing when builders realized these jobs were coming here.”

Innovative Solutions

One of those Georgia communities struggling to provide workforce housing is Thomasville. The community has come up with an innovative solution to tackle the problem: the Thomasville Community Development Corp.

Sizable Investments: Shelley Zorn, president and CEO of the Thomasville-Thomas County Payroll Development Authority. Photo credit: Contributed

“TCDC is a new organization that shares our office inside the chamber,” says Shelley Zorn, president and CEO of the Thomasville-Thomas County Payroll Development Authority. “Its mission is to improve quality of life and neighborhood wealth and that includes housing. Housing has been the main focus so far.”

Zorn says that in the last couple of years, a new trend is emerging in the types of projects locating in Thomas County.

“We have had, in the last year or two, different size projects than we had in the last five to 10 years,” she says. “These projects represent larger investments with fewer jobs, but the jobs are higher skilled, higher paying jobs. We’re even seeing a lot of artificial intelligence that our industries are investing in.”

One example is MimEcri USA, owned by Ecrimesa, a Spanish company that manufactures small parts for guns, medical devices and musical instruments, Zorn says.

“They are renting a building here and have invested $7 million in new advanced manufacturing equipment,” she says. “In phases, they will create 50 new jobs.”

In Thomas County, Zorn says this year’s economic development highlights include a new $25 million sawmill operation at the former Hood Industries site in Metcalfe that will create 100 jobs in 2026, and organic dog and cat treats company Wild Meadow Farms, which purchased a building for $1.6 million and created 25 jobs.

Creating Jobs: Mimecri USA is part of Ecrimesa Group, a Spanish company that manufactures small parts for guns, medical devices and musical instruments. Photo credit: Contributed

Good Growth

About 85 miles north of Thomasville, Cordele and Crisp County are also seeing an expanding industrial base, new retail and a growing housing market.

“Across the various categories of the economy – industrial, housing, retail – we’ve had good steady growth,” says Grant Buckley, executive director of the Cordele-Crisp County Industrial Development Council. “I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s true.”

A $30 million addition to the Advanced Drainage Systems recycling facility in Cordele will increase the facility’s total size to 117,000 square feet. The groundbreaking occurred in January, and the addition is expected to be completed by early 2026 and to add 50 new jobs, Buckley says.

“They make and recycle plastic pellets that are molded into municipal pipes for water and drainage type applications,” he says. “This expansion is a big step for them and it’s being driven by one of the same fundamentals across the board for all our [industries]: Southeast population growth and construction growth.”

Buckley says the expansion of the publicly traded company is a success story not only for the dozen employees on site today, but for the community as well. “They have facilities all over the country, so they could have done this expansion anywhere,” he says. Meanwhile, Buckley adds,“What’s keeping us busy right now is [development of] a data center campus.”

According to Buckley, the project is in the early stages and the 600 acres that would be home to the data center is undergoing rezoning. He says there has been some opposition to the project, primarily from neighboring homes and businesses. Though the proverbial dotted line hasn’t been signed yet, Buckley anticipates the deal will close by the end of the year.

Success Story: Grant Buckley, executive director of the Cordele-Crisp County Industrial Development Authority, outside Advanced Drainage Systems construction site. Photo credit: David Parks

“No construction has started yet, but we’re hopeful and very optimistic that it will come to pass,” he says. “Build-out would be six buildings over approximately 2 million square feet. Most data centers have located in Metro Atlanta, but if we can get it across the finish line, it’s going to make a statement somewhat that you don’t have to be in Metro Atlanta; you can be in Middle or South Georgia, basically a somewhat rural environment.”

On the housing front, Buckley says Gillespie Gardens, a 53-unit, income-based housing development, opened in April. The $16 million project includes the adaptive reuse of four of Cordele’s most historic buildings; each is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A newly constructed three-story building on the property is designed to complement the existing historic buildings and neighborhood.

Located directly on Interstate 75, Cordele has attracted new truck stops over the last few years. That may not sound exciting, Buckley says, but it brings more jobs and more travelers to town.

A thriving healthcare environment and a growing portfolio of programs at a satellite campus of South Georgia Technical College are also contributing to the city’s success.

“Historically, our average unemployment rate has tracked above the state average,” he says. “But over the last 12 months, the unemployment rate has been between 3% and 4%, tracking at or less than the state average.”

Adaptive Reuse Project: Gillespie Gardens, a 53-unit, income-based housing development, opened in April. Photo credit: Contributed

Thriving Communities

Tifton and Valdosta are also capitalizing on the advantages of being located directly on I-75.

Empowering Entrepreneurs: Melody Cowart, president and CEO of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce. Photo credit: David Parks

“Everything is going great here in Tifton,” says Melody Cowart, president and CEO of the Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce. “Our community is thriving as a whole.”

With a membership roster of “well over 600,” Cowart says the chamber is actively growing its programs and strategically promoting the next generation of entrepreneurs. The chamber kicked off “She Means Business,” a series of quarterly events to support and empower women in business earlier this year. Meanwhile, at the youth level, Tifton is a Georgia FLEX (Foundational Leadership and Entrepreneurship Experience) community. The Tifton-Tift County FLEX program teaches local high school students to create and run their own businesses.

“For us as a chamber, we try to offer something for everyone,” she says. “At least 55% of our entrepreneurs are local business owners. Small, locally owned businesses are just as important as our industries.”

The Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority is focused on building “an inclusive and vibrant community where families and individuals thrive,” according to Niki Ogletree, president of the authority.

Exciting Plans: Niki Ogletree, president of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority, outside the Walmart milk plant. Photo credit: David Parks

“We do that by bringing in not just jobs, but quality, high-paying jobs,” she says.

For example, Walmart is opening a $350 million milk processing facility in Valdosta in 2026, creating 400 jobs. Those jobs include “anything from plant manager to industrial maintenance to different types of engineering jobs, all of which have a very specific skill set,” Ogletree says.

“We’re in a milk hub here,” she says. “North Florida has a significant number of dairies as well that the plant will pull from. We have a large local dairy here, Brooks Dairy, and this facility will play a significant role in the expansion of that dairy.”

Earlier this year, P&B Cold Storage opened a 200,000-square-foot cold storage facility, the first of its kind in the area, Ogletree says.

“There’s no other cold storage facilities here,” she says, “so we’re very excited about that. The facility will house only ice cream, and very high-end ice cream like Häagen-Dazs, which will be distributed to Publix stores in our area.”

First of Its Kind: Earlier this year, P&B Cold Storage opened a 200,000-square-foot facility in Valdosta. Photo credit: Contributed

Workforce development is also an important focus, Ogletree says, noting the authority seeks out initiatives and partnerships that fuel meaningful careers, including playing an active role in the creation of a new Workforce Innovation Network college and career academy.

“This is a partnership between the high schools and Wiregrass Technical College,” she says. “It’s a partnership between six different school systems: Berrien, Cook, Echols, Lanier and Clinch counties and Valdosta City Schools. The purpose of it is to ensure that our students, not only in Valdosta and Lowndes County but in our region, have a pathway to develop the skill sets needed to be employable in our different industries.”

Plans call for the academy to open in fall of 2027, Ogletree says.

Fueling Careers: Wired for Workforce is a collaborative effort with Wiregrass Technical College and the Valdosta-Lowndes County Development Authority that provides high school seniors with industry skills. Photo credit: Contributed

Expanding From Within

In Colquitt County, the 2025-2026 school year marked the opening of a new 9th-grade wing at Colquitt County High School. Previously, the high school only housed grades 10 through 12. To make room for the more than 600 freshmen, a 16-room classroom addition was constructed.

On the commercial side, in June Moultrie welcomed Só Dança, a global dancewear company that relocated from Florida. Amy Johnson, executive director of the Moultrie-Colquitt County Development Authority, says the company retrofitted an existing warehouse and has approximately 30 employees. Meanwhile, EnergyTek Corp. plans to invest at least $275 million in new manufacturing operations in Moultrie. The company, which makes renewable energy components, expects to create 1,300 jobs when fully operational.

Cause for Celebration: In June, Só Dança, a global dancewear company that relocated from Florida, opened in Moultrie. Photo credit: Alyse Fitch Photography

“Moultrie and Colquitt County [are] strong right now, and what I mean by that is community strong,” Johnson says. “We’re growing from within, with existing businesses expanding, new businesses coming into the community, and downtown has grown by leaps and bounds with new restaurants and businesses.”

As testament to the growth in Lee County, Lisa Davis, president of the Lee County Chamber of Commerce says this year the county sold the last lot in its Oakland Meadows Business Park. The 11.5-acre site was sold to an existing tenant for an expansion, she says.

“We’re also growing on the retail side,” Davis says, citing the recent opening of a Wawa gas station and convenience store, which is expected to employ around 35 people. “The food they offer in there is really good, and it’s a very nice-looking facility. It’s a big deal,” says Davis.

People are also excited about the construction of Golden Donut, a family-owned shop based in Columbus, she adds. The new shop will be located next to a new Take 5 Oil Change, and three doors down from SevenBrew Coffee.

Southwest Georgia is a region brimming with opportunities.