Northwest

Retail, tourism and workforce development

Carpets, chemicals and colleges

The wisp of smoke quickly became a thick black cloud enveloping the Bekaert Corp. plant on Darlington Drive in Rome. Within minutes the blaze spread throughout the building, closing operations back in November 2014. Some 175 employees and the entire…

Dalton and Whitfield County earned the title “Carpet Capital of the World” decades ago by nurturing an industry that eventually covered the globe. Its success provided jobs and security for thousands of workers. When the Great Recession dampened the demand…

Fresh off an impressive year of economic development, the city of Dalton and Whitfield County are aiming to build on the positive momentum over the next several years. Famous as the self-proclaimed “Carpet Capital of the World,” the area, which…

Just west of Metro Atlanta, Douglas County is a region in transition. Long a bedroom community that drew a surging population with cheap housing, the county has lately begun developing its own local job centers. Yet for the businesses that…

A stretch of Bill Carruth Parkway just might be called the road to Paulding County’s prosperity. Along this Northwest Georgia byway, you can find the industries now shaping the future of this heavily residential and suburban bedroom community. Rising up…

The term “bedroom community” can come across as a slight: Sure, people like to live here, but they must go elsewhere for employment or entertainment. In Catoosa County, just south of Chattanooga, folks have embraced the term and are turning…

  In its ongoing recovery from the recession, Dalton and Whitfield County made all the right and expected moves. Economic development professionals, along with city and county officials, sought advice from state economic developers and got on their radar. They…

  After landing a massive Lowe’s regional distribution center, Floyd County officials decided a more felicitous name should describe its location: North Floyd Industrial Park became Prosperity Park. “I think it’s completely indicative of the hopes of that park,” says…