LaGrange | Troup County: Unified Community

Ask business owners, industry leaders or economic development officials, “What is your biggest challenge?” and their answer is almost always “developing a strong workforce.” For booming Troup County and its three cities – LaGrange, West Point and Hogansville – that challenge would be daunting for any one entity to handle alone, but it’s achievable when everyone in the region addresses it together. Workforce development is just one example of how unity boosts the county’s prospects as it grows into the future.

Forward Shift: Maryanne Lovejoy, executive director of the Troup Strategy Center, is working to provide diverse housing options for the community. | Photo credit: Nathan Leduc

The explosive growth in Troup County – from Kia and its suppliers in the southwest part of the county to new Hoganville residents fleeing high home prices in areas south of Atlanta – has led to some creative ways to look at workforce development. Leading a number of workforce and other initiatives around the county is the newly rechristened Troup Strategy Center (formerly the Troup County Center for Strategic Planning). The center, incorporated in 2009, launched its new strategic plan, The Shift Forward, in May 2023, with a focus on unifying leaders around “expanding infrastructure countywide; overcoming barriers to employment, which include daycare and transportation to work; supporting the public school system; … and providing diverse housing opportunities for the community,” says Maryanne Lovejoy, executive director of the center.

The Shift Forward recognizes the economic assets in the county: proximity to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, plentiful jobs from companies including Kia and its suppliers, distribution centers such as Walmart and UPS, as well as the recently announced move into the county of Remington Firearms, which will bring more than 850 jobs to its advanced manufacturing and research and development center. Other assets that contribute to quality of life in the region include Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center, the Callaway Foundation, arts organizations, West Point Lake, Great Wolf Lodge and the Thread – a multipurpose paved trail winding its way through LaGrange.

But, Lovejoy acknowledges, the county also has challenges that add to the problem of workforce, including a high poverty rate (21%), low educational attainment levels and a lack of training.

She and the Troup Strategy Center’s board, which is made up of people from all walks of life living all across the county, hope that this new, unified focus will help build on the county’s assets and address the challenges.

Supportive Partnership: Development Authority of LaGrange President Scott Malone and Kelley Bush, the authority’s director of workforce and existing industry, at the Creekview Vista community in LaGrange. | Photo credit: Nathan Leduc

She has an ally in Scott Malone, president, and Kelley Bush, director of existing industry and workforce development, for the Development Authority of LaGrange.

“When we talk about workforce development,” Malone says, “we’re talking about attainable housing, transportation, affordable daycare, … and alignment with the school system. Most people don’t think about those things as workforce development, but they are.”

Those things are Bush’s focus, as she works to help existing industry thrive. She adds generational poverty, illiteracy and an inability to enroll in the college and career academy due to high school class scheduling conflicts as other long-standing, complex issues that keep local students out of the local workforce.

“It’s taken partnerships for creative programs that have the support of our industry partners, our community partners, our nonprofits and working with realignment with our education system, to support the hundreds of students that are coming out of our school system that maybe haven’t been armed with the tools they need to succeed,” Bush says.

Housing Hopes

Expanding Operations: Rendering of the Remington Firearms facility, which will. bring more than 850 jobs to Troup County. | Photo credit: contributed

Attainable housing is on the minds of all leaders across Troup County, not just economic development pros, who are working to fill the talent pipeline to meet the growing number of jobs coming to the area. With thousands of housing units in the planning and building stages, that may be one local challenge that can be mitigated.

“We have 4,000 housing units entitled, in permitting and/or under construction right now,” Malone says. “We would call it explosive housing growth. But it’s taken us seven years to get there.”

West Point is also addressing the housing challenge with West Point Village, a 72-unit apartment complex of one-, two- and three-bedroom units that opened in 2023. “It’s a mixed-income family housing community,” says Meghan Richardson, director of economic development for the city of West Point. “It was done through a public-private redevelopment effort with Penrose, the developer, and the Housing Authority of West Point.”

Public-Private Redevelopment: West Point Village apartments. | Photo credit: Capstone Building

In Hogansville, in the northern part of the county, with a population of roughly 3,300 people, more than 1,000 housing units are in the pipeline. “You’re talking about the potential to more than double our city in the next five to 10 years,” says Jake Ayers, mayor and real estate agent. “We’re not talking about a couple of new neighborhoods; you’re talking a significant shift. As a real estate professional, I understand what it takes to grow a city. I’m also concerned about the quality of growth that we bring.”

Small Business Focus

While Malone and Bush are working at the development authority to draw in new industry and keep existing industry humming, the chamber is working to help small businesses thrive with programs such as the Minority Business Accelerator. It was launched in 2023 to support minority small business owners.

Meghan Richardson, director of Economic Development for the city of West Point. | Photo credit: contributed

“Small businesses do not have a great success rate over the first five years,” says Connie Hensler, president and CEO of the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce. “It’s worse if you’re a minority-owned business. [With this program,] we really wanted to focus on something that would make a difference.”

The first cohort had 15 participants. The small business owners received free chamber membership, participated in networking events, attended educational programs and made connections that enhanced their businesses – all at no charge.

Two Teachers Tutoring, an ACT test tutoring business created and owned by two local teachers, took part in the program last year.

“It was a great opportunity for us because we are educators and our lives are very [narrow] as far as being out in the community,” says Laura Lee Pike, one of the two teachers. “We don’t get opportunities to go out and meet people for lunch and see other professionals in LaGrange during the day. This was an opportunity for us to network with other professionals.”

Restaurant Scene: Kathy Tilley, president and CEO of Visit LaGrange, outside Charlie Joseph’s in downtown LaGrange. | Photo credit: Nathan Leduc

It also was an opportunity to grow their business. In addition to offering their standard ACT prep class, they say they now offer one through Communities in Schools, a drop-out prevention organization that provides underserved students with the resources they need to stay in school.

Through a grant from the Callaway Foundation, Two Teachers offers the ACT prep class specifically for Communities in Schools students, who would not otherwise be able to afford the class. They’ve taught one class and have another scheduled in the fall.

“[The Callaway Foundation] thought it was a fantastic idea,” Pike says, “a great way to serve kids in our community, to level the playing field, so that they can go to college and prepare for their careers.”

Visitors Encouraged

Winding through LaGrange is a multi-use paved trail called The Thread. At around 30 miles in length, it weaves in and around downtown, abutting parks, restaurants and breweries that the city is becoming known for.

“We really have a growing restaurant scene here,” says Kathy Tilley, president and CEO of Visit LaGrange. “The restaurant [offerings] in LaGrange are something that you might not expect you would find in a town of 35,000 people.”

Among the new and upcoming eateries: Nutwood Winery just opened Nutwood Restaurant and Wine Bar downtown; a local hospitality group that owns several restaurants recently opened a new Italian restaurant, Tutto Pepe; and Wild Leap Brew Co. is opening a burger spot.

Fruit of the Vine: Nutwood Winery in LaGrange contains a tasting room and cafe. | Photo credit: contributed

Tourism is also a huge economic driver in LaGrange, thanks to Great Wolf Lodge, a family-focused resort that boasts a 100,000-square-foot indoor water park, restaurants, shopping and other entertainment that opened in 2018. Tilley says since the resort opened, tourists are bringing in six times more money than they were before.

“It has been a tremendous asset,” Tilley says, “much bigger than even we thought. We probably had about $200,000 to spend on tourism prior to Great Wolf Lodge. Now we have about $1.2 million to spend. Almost all of that has been a direct result from Great Wolf coming here. It has had a tremendous impact on our hotel-motel tax, it’s had a tremendous impact on people. It draws people in [who] might not have ever come to LaGrange.”

Tilley also credits Great Wolf Lodge with spurring the new Visitor Center and the creation of Visit LaGrange, the tourism entity that now operates independently from the Chamber of Commerce.

“[Great Wolf Lodge] really has been a powerful bonus for us,” she says. “It is why Visit LaGrange exists.”

Driving Success

It’s impossible to talk about business and economic development in Troup County without including Kia Georgia. The auto manufacturer began production in 2009 and has invested more than $1.9 billion in the state and delivered more than 14,000 Kia and supplier jobs to the area, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Family-Focused Resort: Great Wolf Lodge opened in LaGrange in 2018. | Photo credit: contributed

The West Point facility currently manufactures Telluride, Sportage and Sorento SUVs, along with the K5 sedan. Now it’s growing again. In 2023, Kia announced that it will invest $200 million and create almost 200 jobs to begin assembly of the EV9 SUV.

Stuart Countess, Kia Georgia’s president and CEO, says the new electric SUV “has a lot of the same size and characteristics as … a Telluride. What we’re excited about certainly is that it is being built here in West Point. Kia sees the North American market as part of its long-term market strategy. We’ve had great success at growing market share in the U.S. This is an appropriate vehicle to put into place as we continue to move our mobility focus into the EV space.”

An electric vehicle also adds to the mix of Kia offerings.

“The first thing [this expansion] gives us is flexibility,” Countess says. “When you have all these models, different styles of cars, you’re able to respond faster to the consumer demands. That’s an important factor for us as we keep the factory running.”

Growing Again: Kia Georgia is manufacturing the EV9 SUV at its facility in West Point. | Photo credit: Kia

Countess credits partnerships with the state, including with the Georgia Ports Authority, for the company’s success. The ports authority sees Kia and other companies in the area as such important customers, it is constructing the West Georgia Inland Port, which will connect the region to Savannah via CSX rail.

Kia is also driving growth in the booming logistics sector. Kia suppliers Daehan Solution and KAIS recently moved into a 192,000-square-foot, $35 million facility at the Troup Logistics Center.

Crow Holdings just completed construction of the first building at Pegasus Industrial Park, says Malone. The 323,0000-square-foot, $34 million building was leased by Kia, who moved there in December.

“That’s part of the EV expansion projects,” Malone says. “It will be a sequencing warehouse for the EV9 project at the Kia plant.”

A second Pegasus new building – 350,000 square feet and $38 million – is slated to open at the end of this year, he says.

A third big logistics announcement is the acquisition of Lafayette Logistics Park by Farpoint Development and Grandview Partners. The 134-acre industrial park is being developed in two phases and will bring up to 2 million square feet of industrial space. The park sits just six miles from the West Georgia Inland Port and and touts the advantages of that prime location.

Prime Location: Rendering of the Lafayette Logistics Park. | Photo credit: contributed

“Really, our industry is automotive manufacturing,” says West Point’s Richardson. “And we have significant activity taking place for the [Kia] electric vehicle production line to get up and going the second quarter of this year.”

For example, she cites the $94 million expansion at Mobis, which builds the chassis for the vehicles’ assembly. “They’re adding 260,000 square feet and will create 60 new jobs.”

And she notes, what good are EVs without EV charging stations? One of her goals for 2024 is to install a charging station in downtown West Point.

“Our downtown is a great location,” she says. “Downtown has a lot to offer for someone who wants to stop and charge their car. We also would like to locate it close to Point University.”

Local Flavor

Venue with a View

Big Attraction: Anna Knight, event coordinator at Oakfuskee Conservation Center. | Photo credit: Nathan Leduc

West Point Lake, part of the Chattahoochee River in Troup County, has a new venue. Oakfuskee Conservation Center, which opened in December, boasts unobstructed views of the lake, a commitment to environmental stewardship and 25,000 square feet of flexible space for corporate events, weddings, educational programming and more.

“The big attraction for Oakfuskee is the view,” says Anna Knight, the facility’s event coordinator. “It’s got the most beautiful view on West Point Lake.”

The county-owned facility, part of Pyne Road Park, was paid for in part by a grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and funding from the Callaway Foundation.

Environmental Stewardship: The wood and stone building features low-flow plumbing, EV charging stations, and energy-efficient lighting. | Photo credit: contributed

“Conservation center” is more than just a name. The building was constructed using low-maintenance materials – stone and reclaimed wood – and designed to blend with the surroundings. It also features low-flow plumbing, cisterns and rain chains for collecting and managing rainwater, electric vehicle charging stations and energy-efficient lighting.

To help guests enjoy the lake, floor-to-ceiling windows line the ballroom, and a porch offers lake-view seating. The building’s connection to the outdoors extends to programming from Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. The organization’s new home in the basement allows for educational opportunities for students and church groups inside – and atop a floating classroom.

Other nonprofit groups are welcome, too. “We have a great nonprofit price during the week,” she says. “Nonprofits can afford to have a fundraiser and not spend so much on the venue. We’re able to give back to the community by offering a lower price for nonprofits.”