Economic Development Around the State
Griffin Transport: Missouri-based Prime Inc., which operates a fleet of 7,000 transport vehicles, is investing more than $160 million to establish its Southeastern regional hub in Spalding County. The new facility, which will also include space for driver development and training, equipment maintenance and comfort amenities, will create more than 120 new full-time jobs as well as positions for 50 professional drivers.
Lowndes Boats: Blue Ops Inc., a Florida-based manufacturer of sea drones for defense and national security agencies, is investing $30 million into a 155,000-square-foot facility. It will make uncrewed surface vessels in Valdosta, creating about 200 new jobs in the next several years.
ED Upgrade: Northside Hospital broke ground on a $46 million emergency department expansion in April. The multiphase project will include a two-story, 67,537-square-foot expansion, a new 17,000-square-foot parking structure, 18 treatment rooms, an entry and triage area and expanded space for emergency care teams.
The Arena at Southlake. Photo credit: thearenaatsouthlake.com
Southside Arena: The $117 million, 8,000-seat Arena at Southlake in Morrow opened in time for Clayton State University to hold its commencement ceremony there. The 268,000-square-foot multipurpose venue, formerly a Sears at Southlake Mall, created more than 230 jobs and is expected to be a tourism booster for the region.
New Medical Campus: Grady Health System is building a more than $1 billion medical center campus in Union City in partnership with Fulton County and the Fulton-DeKalb Hospital Authority to address a longtime hospital desert in South Fulton. The campus will include a medical office building slated for 2028, a 200-bed hospital to open in 2031 and a freestanding emergency department that opened this month.
Sweet Expansion: Massachusetts-based Manus Inc. unveiled a major expansion to its biomanufacturing center in Augusta in March. The location will make a stevia sweetener and eventually scale up additional products in the company’s pipeline.
HQ Relocation: Chinese appliance and TV manufacturer Hisense moved its U.S. headquarters to Alpharetta earlier this year. The company has had its offices in Georgia for more than 20 years, but the expansion will allow space to grow. 
