Gainsville | Hall County: A Front Porch For All

In July, the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Council was presented with a Site Selection Mac Conway Award for Excellence in Economic Development, an honor bestowed annually by the magazine upon the top 20 regional economic development agencies in the U.S. In the fiscal year ending in June, 11 new and expanded businesses invested a cumulative $211 million and created 773 jobs, says chamber President and CEO Tim Evans. “We remain an advanced manufacturing center with U.S. and global headquarters combined with many of those facilities,” Evans said in an email. “Companies often have R&D, marketing and senior corporate management all in one place, which creates a pipeline for local talent, from the production floor to the C-suite.”

The Gainesville-Inland Port became fully operational in early May and has been a game changer for logistics and regional commerce. Sitting on 104 acres, the terminal supports import and export cargo movement across six tracks, each 3,000 feet long, and has the capacity to move 200,000 containers a year. “Removing trucks from the highway enables us to bring manufactured and retail products closer to distribution via railways with greater efficiency,” says Georgia Ports Authority General Manager of Inland Operations Wesley Barrell, noting that this particularly benefits agricultural concerns requiring cold storage. A 2025 study conducted by the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia found that port users and port-impacted employers in Hall and nine surrounding counties support 84,000 full- and part-time jobs.

A year after opening its North American corporate headquarters in Flowery Branch, Japanese large format and 3-D printer manufacturer Mimaki USA has grown its initial footprint from 65,000 to 107,000 square feet and consolidated its operations, warehousing and showroom spaces into two buildings. The company also teamed up with Lanier Technical College’s Supervisor and Industry Leadership (SAIL) program this year to provide training for some of its key managers. “We’re so impressed by the caliber of the SAIL curriculum and the incredible welcome we’ve received from the community,” says Senior Vice President Ken VanHorn.

Area’s Largest Employer: Dr. Matt Hanley is the president and CEO of the Northeast Georgia Health System. Photo credit: Eric Sun

King’s Hawaiian is near completion on its $54 million manufacturing expansion. The first product from its single-serve snack product line debuted in June and by early 2027 will be extended to include additional flavors. “This facility will enable us to hire additional employees, introduce customers to new product formats, and extend the reach of our brand,” says Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Joe Leonardo. Sixteen years after situating its East Coast operations in Oakwood, the company still finds the climate to be among the most positive for business of anywhere in the country. “No matter who you interact with in Hall County, the focus is on making the community stronger,” he says.

Northeast Georgia Health System (NGHS), recognized in 2026 by U.S. News & World Report as Georgia’s 10th best regional hospital, continues to offer state-of-the-art clinical care while growing its overall presence in the region. Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton – one of only two organizations in Georgia and Florida to receive the 2026 Oglethorpe Quality Standards Award – completed its campus expansion project in July with the opening of its enlarged Emergency Department. The expanded hospital features additional inpatient care rooms and operating rooms, a dedicated stroke assessment room and 200 new parking spaces.

Increased Presence: Community leaders, healthcare professionals and Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce members celebrated the ribbon cutting of Northeast Georgia Medical Center Braselton’s expansion in July. Photo credit: Contributed

In February, NGHS acquired Longstreet Clinic, welcoming 700 staff members and 150 physicians for a total of around 13,000 employees, including 1,600 providers systemwide, making it Hall County’s largest employer. Total economic impact grew in 2026 to a record $7.8 billion. “All of that growth means we can care for more people closer to home,” says Dr. Matt Hanley, president and CEO. “We’re offering complex services typically available only at larger systems in major metro areas with a goal of being the best place to give and receive care in the state.”

Alex Wayne, incoming chair of NGHS’ Board of Trustees, is pleased with the direction of the system under Hanley’s tenure. “Our leadership team’s passion for excellence and investment in our staff is paying off. We couldn’t be more excited about the future.”

Experiential Learning

Colleges and universities in Hall County are nurturing strong affiliations with public and private partners to cultivate local workforce development. Gainesville is known as the poultry capital of the world, so it’s fitting that the University of North Georgia’s poultry science program on the Gainesville campus broke ground in August on a state-of-the-art laboratory space, which will provide students with hands-on exposure to the latest in poultry house management.

State-of-the-Art Lab: Industry leaders and elected officials were among those at the groundbreaking of the University of North Georgia’s Bob Lathem Poultry Instructional Center Complex and Abit Massey Poultry Instructional Center, above, that will look like the rendering below when complete. Photo credits: Contributed

“This lab will see us working directly with the companies who build the technologies our students will learn to use,” says UNG President Michael Shannon. “They’ll gain an understanding of the whole ecosystem and be well-positioned for jobs here after they graduate.”

Addressing the Teacher Shortage: Brenau University President David Barnett. Photo credit: Brandon Clifton

Brenau University is another example of the power of collaboration not only with local industry but across the state’s public education system. TigerTEACH, a program at Brenau’s Carole Ann Daniel College of Education, offers a 45% tuition discount on initial certification programs for school district employees. Launching in 2025 as a partnership with four school districts, it now has 13 cooperating school districts and will see its first cohort graduate with either a bachelor’s or master’s degree in the spring of 2027. “We’re addressing the teacher shortage by allowing people working in noninstructional positions to complete this program online while fully employed and helping districts identify candidates they already know and trust for open classroom positions,” explains President David Barnett.

In addition to taking steps to combat the teacher shortage, Brenau is also helping tackle the nursing shortage. In March, it signed an agreement with Lanier Technical College to launch a pathway for students or working nurses with associate degrees in nursing to earn Bachelor of Science degrees in as little as 18 months. In August Brenau signed a systemwide agreement with the entire Technical College System of Georgia. “This program will permit nurses to be promoted within the healthcare system without sitting for another licensing exam,” Barnett says. “We’re able to provide competency-based credit in acknowledgement of the skills they’ve already attained and accelerate the credentialing process.”

In the fall of 2025, Brenau’s first-year class of 345 students was the largest in the university’s history. The school had not released its final data for the fall 2026 as of this writing, but in July, 313 students were registered for the fall semester.

Lanier Technical College is also seeing some growth.

Vocational Careers: Lanier Technical College is building a new facility for its Commercial Truck Driving program. Photo credit: Contributed

“We’re excited to get our Commercial Truck Driving building constructed,” says Lanier Technical College President Tim McDonald. He says the facility, slated to break ground this fall, will provide office space for the Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Division of the Georgia Department of Public Safety. Since 2019, Lanier Tech has seen a 38% increase in enrollment, a development McDonald attributes to the overall growth of Hall County, increased interest in vocational careers and industry demand for skilled tradespeople.

Thanks to a more than $1 million donation from the Melvin Douglas and Victoria K. Ivester Foundation in late 2025, Lanier Tech can use $500,000 to hire additional instructors in the nurse aide, automotive, diesel equipment and welding technology dual enrollment programs. The donation’s other $525,000 endowed a new Tim McDonald Scholarship Fund, named after the school’s president, to award up to $1,000 annually to students who have a tuition, supply, book or fee balance due to the college.

Municipal Pride

Higher education isn’t the only area thriving in Hall County. The cities are seeing some changes as well. Gainesville Mayor Zack Thompson took office in January and hit the ground running. “My goals are to keep Gainesville moving forward, manage our growth responsibly and keep our citizens safe,” he says. Tourism in Gainesville reached a record $40.5 million in Fiscal Year 2026, which ended on June 30. That amounted to an increase of $4 million in just one year. ParkGVL, a paid-parking initiative to improve accessibility and turnover around the historic downtown square, rolled out successfully in May. The city has also expanded water quality efforts in January by deploying three LG Sonic buoys near the Riverside Water Treatment Plant to provide ultrasonic algae control technology in that area of Lake Lanier.

Growing Hospitality: Capstone Property Group is planning to develop a 130-room Tempo by Hilton hotel in downtown Gainesville. Photo credit: Contributed

Capstone Property Group is working to increase hospitality and commercial occupancy in downtown Gainesville. A 130-room Tempo by Hilton is in the development phase, and a 99-room extended stay Residence Inn by Marriott off Limestone Parkway is expected to complete construction in early 2027. The company’s proposed luxury resort on Lake Lanier with as many as 177 rooms, 21 private residences, 15,000 square feet of conference space, a spa, restaurants and walking trails has received county approval and could break ground in 2027 with a target completion date of 2029. Wayne Cannon, the general manager of Capstone’s Courtyard by Marriott in Gainesville that opened in 2023, received the Courtyard Diamond General Manager and General Manager of the Year awards in 2025. “We’re thrilled to celebrate the excellence of our staff and eager to move forward on these projects,” says Capstone Chair Jeff Payne.

Like Gainesville, Flowery Branch also inaugurated a new leader in 2026: Mayor Oliver McClellan, who came to office after serving on City Council with an eye toward unifying its development code and keeping downtown revitalization plans on track. “Residents are telling us they want to see more restaurants, so we’re exploring mixed-use projects on Main Street that would expand retail opportunities,” he says. Director of Fun Renee Carden reports an increase of 30% in turnout at community events designed to bring residents of all ages together, such as the “Noon” Year’s Eve Party and the Little Buds Club, which launched in May, drawing 120 children and their families. “Kids are the future of our town,” she says. “Our job is to keep creating ways for our citizens to experience Flowery Branch as a place to build enjoyable, happy lives.”

The Hall County Board of Commissioners has a similar philosophy. “Quality of life in Hall County is one of our top priorities,” says Board Chair David Gibbs. Another priority is having top-tier community resources like the Hall County Library System, which was named the Georgia Public Library of the Year in 2025. It opened the newly constructed East Hall Branch in August, 15 years after its original location closed in 2011 due to budget cuts.

Quality of Life: Hall County Board of Commissioners Chair David Gibbs at the new East Hall location of the county’s award-winning library system. Photo credit: Brandon Clifton

The county’s location along Lake Lanier offers prime access to parks with waterfront views. But some parks, which had been managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, were having staffing problems that made it hard to keep them open year-round. After entering into a Cooperative Management Agreement with the Corps of Engineers in 2023, Hall County Parks and Leisure agreed to take over the day-to-day operations of three federal parks along the lake’s shorelines. And this year the county added 11 additional Corps parks to the list. “Lake Lanier welcomes 14 million visitors a year, and these co-management agreements ensure continued public access while allowing us to enhance services to the community by bringing these parks up to county standards,” Gibbs says.

Downtown Charm, Lakefront Bliss

When Discover Lake Lanier was looking for a site to relocate its visitor information center, the staff looked no further than downtown Flowery Branch. But the 100-year-old building at 5603 Main Street, which had previously housed a succession of retailers, would turn out to be much more than a tourist information stop. The Porch on Main has become a community gathering spot. Opened in November 2025, the building hosts several vendors, including a butcher shop, café and bakery, and wine tasting room. “This unique setting promotes area tourism while serving as an incubator for local small businesses,” explains Discover Lake Lanier Vice President Madison Mahoney. “Our visitor count has increased by 380% since we took over the space. It’s a place where both residents and tourists can tap into that down-home feel.”

Gathering Spot: The Porch on Main hosts several vendors, including a butcher shop, wine tasting room and café and bakery. Photo credit: Contributed

Lanier Islands Resort is another popular destination. It sustains an estimated annual economic impact of around $100 million and offers its guests a wide range of amenities including accommodations, restaurants, event spaces and indoor and outdoor recreation. The resort celebrated the grand opening of two new golf amenities in July: The Mike Williams Golf Center is a clubhouse named in honor of President Matthew Bowling’s uncle and the resort’s former CEO, who lost his battle with brain cancer in 2024. And The Six, a nighttime six-hole, par-3 golf course that is fully lighted, adds another dimension to the resort’s existing 18 holes.

Hall County’s commitment to sustainable growth through collaboration continues to pay dividends as it attracts a steady yet manageable stream of new residents and industry partners who contribute to the community’s profile. “We tend to see challenges as opportunities,” says Lanier Tech’s McDonald, who finished his one-year term as chair of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce in June. “That approach is truly what we’re all about.”