Site Selectors Guild Visits Southeast Georgia

Workforce. Workforce. Workforce. One of the messages that economic development professionals took away from the Site Selector’s Guild visit was the importance of available and future talent. Additionally, the demand for industrial buildings and sites ready for development is critical for communities to compete for projects.

Last week, the Southeast Georgia Business Alliance (SEGA) hosted three members of the Site Selectors Guild to visit industrial sites and discuss industrial opportunities for the region. The Site Selectors Guild is a professional site selection association for consultants. Guild members provide location strategies to corporations across the globe and for every industry, sector, and function.  

The visit to Southeast Georgia included:

• Learning about the industrial parks and sites in the six counties that partner with SEGA (Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Glynn, McIntosh, and Wayne)
• Touring and evaluating economic development assets and how they support business attraction and expansion
• Discussions with local business owners to learn about their experience starting and operating in the region

During the visit, the region demonstrated the availability of a labor force and the programs growing the talent pipeline; additionally, that people will travel for great jobs. During the site visits, consultants observed that the manufacturing workforce was willing to travel to work for great companies in every county. Each company at the industrial parks had employees commuting from outside their county utilizing Interstate 95. This reinforces that the Southeast transportation network is an asset for businesses to move supplies and products and attract the talent needed to start and grow. In Glynn County, this means that companies can attract talent from a 60-minute drive time population of 1,737,008 (Source: JobsEQ®). 

The region’s airports expand the transportation network, and SEGA had an opportunity to take the consultants to the Brunswick-Golden Isles Airport (BQK). The BQK visit was a great way to demonstrate the ease of traveling to and from the region utilizing three daily flights to and from Atlanta through the Delta connection. It was also an opportunity to showcase the 300+ acres ready for development, with runway access, at the BQK.  

Another indicator of a talented workforce is the growth within the entrepreneurship community. The consultants witnessed that Southeast Georgia is a vibrant entrepreneurial community. They met with small and medium manufacturers across the region, including Brunswick-based Silver Bluff Brewing. Managing partner, Ally Moline, shared the manufacturer’s experience attracting a talented team that is committed to the startup’s future success. Similarly, in neighboring Macintosh County, an upcoming boutique hotel shared that they successfully attracted innovative and dynamic professionals for their operations. 

The visit from Site Selectors Guild was an excellent opportunity to showcase the economic development opportunities in Southeast Georgia and learn how we can improve our competitive advantages. Thank you to our regional partners at SEGA, Brantley, Camden, Charlton, Glynn, McIntosh, and Wayne Counties, for their roles in showcasing the region. Additionally, we are grateful to the hospitality our local businesses provided the consultants, The Westin-Jekyll Island, Mosaic-Jekyll Island Museum, Tasteful Temptations, Silver Bluff Brewing, and The Southern Table.