From the northwest corner of Georgia to south of Savannah, businesses are growing and new businesses are moving. Whether it’s in the tiny town of White, a bedroom community of Cartersville, or closer to home in Macon, Richmond Hill and Sylvania, all have one thing in common — the Port of Savannah.
The latest newcomer is Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, which announced Wednesday it will locate its new Southeast distribution center in Commerce, creating approximately 175 new jobs and investing $14.5 million over the next five years and moving imported product through Georgia Ports.
“Georgia has become a magnet for booming companies who require a strong logistics infrastructure,” Gov. Nathan Deal said in welcoming Ollie’s, one of America’s largest retailers of closeout and excess inventory merchandise.
“This new facility is an example of how Georgia’s No.1 business climate can help innovative companies such as Ollie’s expand in the United States.”
The new distribution center will support the company’s plans to expand its footprint in the Southeast. The company anticipates adding 30-40 stores in Georgia over a four-year period beginning this year.
The first Ollie’s store was founded in Mechanicsburg, Pa., in 1982. The privately held company operates 154 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, and Michigan.
Once the nearly 1 million-square-foot distribution center is completed, it will support the company’s expansion in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee, according to John Swygert, Ollie’s executive vice president and CFO.
Chris Carr, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said Georgia’s pro-business resources, which include a top-ranked talent pool and a world-class transportation network, are gaining the attention of progressi com ve retailers such as Ollie’s.
“Ollie’s decision to locate to Georgia underscores how important such assets are for companies who are seeking to establish new locations to serve their customers.”
Other new or expanded companies also will utilize Georgia’s world-class deepwater port.
• Shrivallabh Pittie Group, based in India, will build its first U.S. factory near Sylvania, creating 250 jobs and investing $70 million. The company anticipates moving around 800 containers per year through the Port of Savannah.
The facility, planned for Screven County Industrial Park, will manufacture carded cotton yarn for the target markets of South and Central America.
• Countertop manufacturer Caesarstone will bring a $70 million to $100 million manufacturing plant to Richmond Hill, creating 180 to 200 new jobs. The company will move approximately 3,000 twenty-foot equivalent container units (TEUs) per year from Israel and Turkey through the Port of Savannah. Import commodities such as quartz slabs and polymers will be trucked from Garden City Terminal to the site in Bryan County.
Caesarstone’s first factory outside of Israel will also be the first in Bryan County’s Belfast Commerce Centre.
• Tractor Supply Company’s new Macon distribution center, which cost approximately $50 million and measures over 650,000 square feet, serves Tractor Supply stores across the Southeast.
The facility will more than double the company’s import volume through the Port of Savannah. Jeremy Cox, international transportation manager at Tractor Supply, said the company anticipates moving 7,000 TEUs a year through the port, up from the average 3,000 TEUs moved annually to serve its previous distribution center in Braselton.
• Flooring maker Mohawk Industries will convert two manufacturing facilities in Dalton and Rome, creating 420 new jobs and investing about $85 million into the two conversion projects over the next two years. Hiring is planned to begin mid-2014.
• Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing, Inc. has announced plans to expand its facility in White, Ga., creating a total of 650 new jobs and $371 million investment into the project over the next four years.
Senior business writer Mary Carr Mayle covers the ports for Savannah Morning News and Savannahnow. Reach her at 912-652-0324 or mary.mayle@savannahnow.com.
SHIPPING SCHEDULE
Following are the ships expected to call on Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City and Ocean terminals this week. Schedules are supplied by GCT and are subject to change.
TERMINAL VESSEL ETA
GCT NICOLAS DELMAS Today
GCT GLEN CANYON BRIDGE Today
GCT YM SHANGHAI Saturday
GCT CSAV LEBU Saturday
GCT MSC ANTARES Saturday
GCT MSC FIRENZE Saturday
GCT PHILADELPHIA EXPRESS Saturday
GCT VANCOUVER EXPRESS Sunday
GCT DRESDEN EXPRESS Sunday
GCT PETROCHEM TRADER Sunday
GCT ZIM PIRAEUS Sunday
GCT MSC SILVANA Sunday
OT PARSIFAL Sunday
GCT XIN WU HAN Monday
GCT AL RAIN Monday
GCT FRISIA ROTTERDAM Monday
GCT OOCL KOBE Monday
GCT CMA CGM DALILA Monday
GCT MAERSK DETROIT Monday
GCT APL CYPRINE Monday
GCT OAKLAND EXPRESS Monday
GCT HS SCOTT Monday
GCT ZIM MONACO Tuesday
GCT EVER DIADEM Tuesday
GCT HYUNDAI INTEGRAL Tuesday
GCT APL JADE Tuesday
GCT PARIS EXPRESS Tuesday
GCT BUXHAI Tuesday
OT BAHRI JAZAN Tuesday
OT NEW PACIFIC Tuesday
GCT CGM UTRILLO Wednesday
GCT BOSTON TRADER Wednesday
GCT KRISTINA Wednesday
GCT MOL PERFORMANCE Wednesday
GCT NYK NEBULA Wednesday
GCT VARAMO Thursday
GCT MAERSK MONTANA Thursday
GCT MSC JOANNA Thursday
GCT CSAV LINGUE Thursday
GCT ZIM PANAMA Thursday
GCT SUEZ CANAL BRIDGE Thursday
GCT HANJIN MARSEILLES Thursday
OT TONSBERG Thursday
OT SEA MASTER Thursday