Economic Development Around the State

Record Exports: Once again, Georgia is breaking records, this time hitting an all-time high in export dollars. The state surpassed $60.2 billion in exports in calendar year 2025, the fifth consecutive year of increases and part of a 68.9% increase in exports over the past decade. Georgia goods go to 213 unique countries and territories around the world, with Canada, Mexico, Singapore, Germany and the Netherlands as top destinations. Civilian aircraft and ancillary parts remain the state’s No. 1 export category, followed by computers, hardware and storage units; motor vehicles; network communications equipment; and medical devices.

HQ Move: Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd. is relocating its U.S. headquarters from California to Kennesaw. The company, which makes motorized products like ATVs, motorcycles, boat engines and personal watercraft, already employs more than 2,300 people across several facilities throughout Georgia. The shift to Georgia will begin this year and continue through 2028.

Biologics Manufacturing: Belgian biopharmaceutical company UCB Inc. is investing $2 billion to establish its first U.S. pharmaceutical biologics manufacturing facility, which will serve as the anchor tenant at the Rowen Foundation’s 2,000-acre science and learning campus in Gwinnett County. The facility will generate 330 new jobs over the next several years. The company’s North American headquarters are already located in Smyrna and currently support more than 400 jobs.

Inland Terminals: Cargo at the Appalachian Regional Port in North Georgia. Photo credit: Georgia Ports Authority

Inland Port Opens: The Georgia Ports Authority’s new inland port in Gainesville opens this month. The $134 million facility will have an annual capacity of 200,000 containers with direct rail five days a week between Northeast Georgia and Savannah, providing an alternative to the 600-mile roundtrip truck route and reducing the number of trucks on Georgia’s highways.

Power Tech: Swiss company PFIFFNER Group is investing $18.5 million to open a manufacturing facility in Heard County, creating up to 60 new jobs over 10 years. The company develops, produces and designs solutions for transmission and distribution systems, power generation and railway electrification. The facility, which will be operational in 2027, will supply instrument transformers for high-voltage substations and transformer bushings for manufacturers and utilities.