“...Gulfstream is a powerful economic engine for both local and state economies.”

- Larry Flynn, President, Gulfstream Aerospace

"Gulfstream's success is one hell of a story."

- Trip Tollison, SEDA President and CEO

In November 2010, Gulfstream Aerospace announced a seven-year, $500 millon Savannah expansion, which included the hiring of an additional 1,000 employees. As part of that seven-year plan, in January 2013 Gulfstream entered into a 12-year lease with North Point Real Estate for a 70,000 sq. ft. office building in the Crossroads Business Park. The search for the site began in the spring of 2012 and SEDA played a critical role in helping Gulfstream ultimately secure the new space including site selection, acquisition of additional land and lease support.

“Within the first two years of that seven-year period, Gulfstream has hired more than 1,695 new full-time employees in Savannah alone, nearly 700 more than what we originally estimated,” said Larry Flynn, president, Gulfstream. “We’ve also invested more than $175 million toward our $500 million commitment. This brings our total employment in Georgia to 8,580 and demonstrates that Gulfstream is a powerful economic engine for both local and state economies.”

The building is home to Gulfstream’s new Information Technology Center of Excellence for the internal Gulfstream IT team that supports the company’s worldwide IT infrastructure and business operations. At capacity, the facility will house more than 400 professionals, of which an estimated 100 will be new employees hired over the next several years.

On Sept. 3, 2013, the Outlet Mall of Georgia in Pooler hosted its official groundbreaking ceremony at the 65-acre site located near the I-95 and Pooler Parkway interchange. The project is massive – both in size and in the positive economic impact it is already making in our region.

At build out, the Outlet Mall of Georgia will house 170 stores, add 782 full-time equivalent jobs and impart a $200 million total investment to the region. At the time of the groundbreaking, 18 months ahead of its scheduled opening, leases had already been secured for 70 percent of the available spaces.

The focus of the new outlet facility will be upscale fashion retailers. Ultimately, the new shopping complex will help increase the area’s annual tourism retail spending and bolster the region’s overall economy.

“(The outlet mall) will have a huge impact on tourism spending and tourism visits. The location is phenomenal.”

- Ben Carter, Ben Carter Enterprises

When it comes to time-honored Savannah businesses, Great Dane is certainly counted highly among them. This manufacturer of dry van, refrigerated and platform trailers, has a history in Savannah that dates back to the beginning of the 20th century. The area has proven to be a good fit and continued growth prompted Great Dane to announce relocation and expansion plans of its Savannah Corporate Office and Innovation Campus in October 2013.

3D Architectural rendering of the new Innovation Campus lobby.

The new facility, which is projected to add 75 new jobs, will be located in Savannah on Technology Circle directly off I-95 at Jimmy DeLoach Parkway. The high-tech campus will include a three-story corporate office along with two additional buildings that will be LEED certified in accordance with the U.S. Building Green Council. When complete, the new office building will encompass more than 75,000 sq. ft. of space including a conference center, customer preview showroom and a technology gallery. Adjacent to the office facility will be the Research and Development department, which will occupy another 28,000 sq. ft. Additionally, a separate 6,500 sq. ft. building will house Great Dane’s one-of-a-kind full-scale road simulator, used to test trailers, truck bodies and buses.

Construction began in early 2014 with an expected completion in January 2015.

“Our new Innovation Campus will position our company to continue our history of growth in Savannah while providing a modern environment that fosters teamwork, collaboration and innovation among our employees.”

– Dean Engelage, President, Great Dane

“We’re excited to be able to tap into the talent available locally to grow our own workforce.”

- Hoss Motlagh, Southern Aviation Parts and Services co-founder

Savannah is already home to nearly 30 aerospace-related manufacturers, suppliers and service providers. In 2013, SEDA, along with the Savannah Airport Commission, announced that Southern Aviation Parts and Services (SAPS) had selected Savannah to locate. Planned investment is estimated between $15 and $17 million and the creation of 200 well-paying jobs in the next five years is expected.

The agreement was approved in November 2013 and includes provisions for two, new facilities. The first facility is located in Pooler at 123 Westside Boulevard and houses engineering, fabrication and finishing capabilities for general aviation customers. The second facility is being constructed at Savannah/ Hilton Head International Airport in order to provide custom aviation interiors for larger, privately owned aircraft.

“With past success in the aviation industry, Hoss and his team are no strangers to the aviation community. With their contacts and long-term relationships, I believe we will see this project quickly become successful and a great asset to our community.”

- Trip Tollison, Savannah Economic Development Authority President and CEO

“Our work force continues to grow and we are pleased with not only the available plant space, but also the high quality of the workers who have joined us and the support of both the city of Savannah and the state of Georgia.”

- Ronald S. Saks, former LMI CEO

LMI Aerospace is a leading supplier of structural components, assemblies and kits to the aerospace industry, serving such clients as Gulfstream Aerospace, Aviation Partners Boeing, and The Boeing Company. In 2012, SEDA and LMI Aerospace announced an expansion that took their facility from 86,000 sq. ft. to an impressive 111,400. And in 2013, LMI was back again in front of SEDA’s board of directors to announce a second expansion in less than a year.

The announcement comes as part of LMI’s acquisition of Valent Aerostructures, which makes complex structural components, subassemblies and machined parts for The Boeing Company, Gulfstream Aerospace, Cessna and several defense contractors. This latest addition by LMI will increase its total square footage to 161,000 and add 100 new jobs.

“This new center has been designed to provide us with a state-of-the-art research environment in a contemporary facility that will appeal to customers and attract science and technology professionals to Arizona Chemical and to Savannah.”

- Carl Bilgrien, vice president, science and technology

In February 2013, the director of science and technology for Arizona Chemical said it best when he told the SEDA board of directors, “Savannah is home to the company’s oldest science and technology center, in operation for more than 50 years – by the end of the year, we hope to be home to the newest.”

Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Arizona Chemical is a leading bio-refiner of pine chemicals for adhesives, inks and coatings, lubricants, fuel additives, mining and oleochemicals markets. The company’s Savannah plant is the world’s largest crude tall oil bio-refinery, a product that is fractioned into a variety of raw materials commonly used in the adhesive industry.

The latest addition by Arizona Chemical to the Savannah area, which was completed in 2013, includes a 27,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art Science & Technology Center located on its current campus near the Hudson Hill neighborhood. The company expects to add between 10 to 20 high-wage jobs as a result of the expansion. In addition to its scientific purposes, the new facility will also be used for customer presentations and employee recruiting; something that was previously done in Jacksonville.

Groundbreaking at the new Arizona Chemical facility.

When a company chooses to continue its growth and investment here, that one expansion brings numerous, long-term benefits to our entire region. “Johnson Matthey Process Technologies, Inc.’s expansion is a wonderful example of SEDA’s business retention program at work. The expansion not only means a substantial capital investment but also increased port traffic and new job creation,” said SEDA president and CEO, Trip Tollison.

The expansion, which was announced in April 2013 at SEDA’s monthly board meeting, includes 25 new jobs and a $45 million total investment with $35 million in capital for a new building and $10 million in machinery and equipment.

“We have been operating in Savannah for 25 years and appreciate the opportunities this area presents for a growth-focused manufacturing business,” said Johnson Matthey Process Technologies, Inc.'s Vice President of Manufacturing, Bruce Keener.

Formerly known as Intercat, Johnson Matthey Process Technologies, Inc. has become the acknowledged leader in the manufacture and sale of specialty additives for use in the fluid catalytic cracking process and of additional systems for delivering products to an FCC unit in a precisely controlled manner [for application largely to the petroleum refining industry].

“The Savannah Economic Development Authority has facilitated the execution of our plans for business health and growth over the past 10 years and effectively underpinned Johnson Matthey Process Technologies, Inc.’s recent decision to proceed with this project to expand production capacity.”

- Bruce Keener, V.P. Manufacturing Johnson Matthey Process Technologies, Inc.

Before the ‘next big thing’ hits it big, it has to find its start. That is the purpose of Emerging Industries, part of SEDA’s ongoing business development program. While the overall mission of SEDA is to “create, grow and attract jobs and investment,” Emerging Industries has a more specific focus on businesses in high-wage, digital media, creative production and technical industries. Partnering with such allies as The Creative Coast and SCAD, Emerging Industries works to promote Savannah as a prime location for entrepreneurs who possess a more creative and technical vision. We do so by hosting events, attending relevant trade shows and conferences to generate qualified projects as well as working to develop local incentives and mentoring startups for continued business growth.

In 2014, SEDA embarks on a new path since the departure of longtime employee Jerald Mitchell. In his wake, he has paved the way for Emerging Industries to lead the marketing and sales of Savannah as a location for digital media, creative and technical businesses, to engage in product development for the industry in the Savannah region, develop local incentives and engage in product development for the industry in the Savannah region.