Attraction, expansion and retention announcements are the ultimate goal at SEDA but they only come after months – and sometimes years – of groundwork.

According to the International Economic Development Council, on average, there are a dozen large attraction projects across the nation within a given year. With so few opportunities being pursued by so many communities, every visit, connection and contact is of critical importance. The more we market the Savannah region, the more momentum we create so that when real projects do arise, Savannah starts at the top of the list.

In 2015, SEDA completed the following:

54 client visits

36 companies represented

33% of client visits were repeat visitors (1+ visit to Savannah for deeper dive into community)

7 of these 36 projects that visited short-listed Savannah for a location

Case Study 01: OA LOGISTICS

OA Logistics: Expands East Coast Operations with 1.1 Million Square Foot E-commerce Fulfillment Center and Additional 200 Jobs

Nearly five years ago, OA Logistics began its search for an expansion site on the East coast. At the time, their area of interest stretched from New Jersey to Miami.

Investment

200 jobs

1.1 million sq ft

$50 million

The company already owned and operated a 679,000-square-foot distribution center off Dean Forest Road in Savannah but the 1.1 million-square-foot e-commerce fulfillment center expansion could have landed anywhere. From the time OA Logistics opened its original location in 2010, SEDA maintained an established business relationship with the company, assisting the company with issues and needs that occasionally came up.

The company is the operations arm of E&E Co., which imports a variety of products for the home, including furnishings, rugs and art. Recent product-line expansions, which now include 13 different divisions, required additional space in order to meet the company’s growing fulfillment needs.

In September 2014, the company reached out to SEDA to let us know an expansion was possible. Soon after, the company met with the Georgia Ports Authority, SEDA and the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) in order for members of our region to learn more about the project and how we could best suit the company’s needs. SEDA and its partners helped facilitate meetings with QuickStart to discuss training incentives and also connected the company to the Center of Innovation for Logistics to assess the cost differentials between various sites under construction.

After submitting formal offer letters to OA in November 2014, the company announced in February 2015 that the project would locate in Chatham County (North Point) with 200 jobs and $50 million investment.

Case Study 02: BRAM INDUSTRIES

Bram Industries with SEDA staff at their location announcement.

Bram Industries: Chooses Savannah for First U.S. Manufacturing Facility

When looking for their first North American location, Bram Industries originally chose a different community in a different state. But when they realized the location wasn’t going to work for their needs, they turned their attention to Georgia, looking at many Georgia cities.

SEDA quickly assembled a team of partners to work the project. Over six different visits, the Georgia Department of Economic Development and local partners including the City of Savannah, Georgia Power, Lewis Electrical, Hurd Electrical Contractors, Tyson West Industrial Technical Services, TOSAF, Norfolk Southern, Coastal Welding, Savannah Jewish Educational Alliance, Agudath Achim, ConeXX, Ceasarstone, Hancock Askew and many others, joined together to showcase Savannah’s thriving business community and the quality of life we enjoy.

When Mayor Edna Jackson traveled to Israel as a guest of the Israeli government, she made sure to call on the principals at Bram to demonstrate Savannah’s commitment and our willingness to work with them for a mutually beneficial outcome and to reinforce the many attributes the Savannah region could offer.

In May 2015, the Israeli-based company announced Savannah as its location for their first U.S. manufacturing facility bringing with it 60 new jobs and a $5 million capital investment.

The company, now operating, develops, produces and markets plastic products such as food packaging products, tableware, plastic housewares, plastic storage tools and more in Israel, Europe, the U.S. and South America.

At the announcement, Eli Bramli, Owner and CEO of Bram Industries said, “With great cooperation with the Savannah Economic Development Authority, the City of Savannah and the state of Georgia, we are very excited to announce Savannah as our first U.S. home base.”

The company attributes its decision to the Port of Savannah, an existing Israeli cluster in the region, affordable workforce and suitable building with connectivity to rail.

“With great cooperation with the Savannah Economic Development Authority, the City of Savannah and the state of Georgia, we are very excited to announce Savannah as our first U.S. home base,”

Eli Bramli, Owner and CEO of Bram Industries.

Investment

60 jobs

$5 million

Case Study 03: Blue Force Gear

Blue Force Gear CEO Ashley Burnsed.

Blue Force Gear: Pooler-Based Company Expands into 27,000 Square-Foot Building

Good things take time but with the right planning and support, those plans come to fruition in a big way. When Savannah native, Ashley Burnsed, first started sewing military-style bags in his home’s bonus room in 2004, he could never have imagined the growth his company, Blue Force Gear, would experience.

“Over in the new building we’ll have a place for folks to actually touch the brand and we’ll be able to give a glimpse of who our real customers are,”

Ashley Burnsed
Founder, Blue Force Gear

Investment

50 jobs

$3 million

But with the help of SEDA and its partners, the right location for expansion was found and today the company has grown its product line to include American-made slings, pouches, chest rigs, trauma kits and sling hardware all sewn using state-of-the-art, lightweight material.

The idea of expansion was initially introduced in December 2011 during an annual company visit by SEDA’s Leigh Acevedo and the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Alyce Thornhill. SEDA continued to reach out to stay in contact with the company in 2012 and 2013, at which time Burnsed identified a site of interest. When an issue with the site was uncovered, SEDA helped Blue Force Gear assess the problem and then connected the company to the owner of the park to explore corrective engineering measures. Ultimately, it was determined that the property was not suitable and a new search began.

For much of 2014, Blue Force Gear put its expansion plans on hold, but in February 2015, a new site search began. SEDA and the GDEcD worked together to review potential incentives and credits along with discussing job tax credits and tax abatements. Three months later in May 2015, the company selected a new site at 166 Pine Barren Road. SEDA and the GDEcD submitted formal offer letters to the company and SEDA coordinated with Savannah Technical College to explore the idea of a sewing training program that could help boost the abilities of the existing talent pool.

In November 2015, Blue Force Gear made its official expansion announcement, with plans to move to a 27,000-square-foot building, which will feature a retail store and allow the company to triple its workforce over the next five years. “Over in the new building we’ll have a place for folks to actually touch the brand and we’ll be able to give a glimpse of who our real customers are,” said Burnsed.

In December 2015, Blue Force Gear was named the Small Business of the Year by Savannah Morning News. In the article, Brunsed stated, “In essence, Blue Force Gear is for the good guys. We’re broadening our sense of the Blue Force to say in today’s world almost anyone that is on the side of freedom and liberty can be part of the Blue Force,” he said.

Burnsed went on to say, “Always Better is not a state of being. It’s aspirational and what we aspire to be. We want to be Always Better five minutes from now and be better than we are now in the future and that’s inspired by the customers we serve because that’s their mind set... And that’s why we have the best special operations forces on earth and that mind set influences and inspires the whole team at Blue Force Gear.”

Case Study 04: OnBrand 24

OnBrand 24 staff.

OnBrand 24

OnBrand 24, a Boston-based provider of comprehensive outsourced call center services, announced its first Savannah location in August of 2013. From the time of that first announcement, SEDA maintained an established business relationship with the company, keeping communication open and helping with referrals to other resources as needed.

OnBrand 24’s first Savannah call center opened on Wilmington Island in Savannah in 2014 with only 8 representatives. But by October 2015, the company contacted SEDA requesting help locating a temporary training space for a new class of 30 operators in preparation for much-needed expansion. In November 2015, the company took advantage of an offer by SEDA to lease space from its own first floor and the inaugural training class was underway.

During an annual company visit in December 2015, SEDA and the GDEcD informed OnBrand 24 of a possible location for expansion and remained in contact with the company to help in any way. By early 2016, thanks in part to the groundwork completed in 2015, OnBrand 24 had secured a new Class A office space at Chatham Center, allowing the company to grow from 5,000 square feet to 12,500 square feet. With this expansion came the need for additional qualified staff and the company now projects it will grow to 200 employees by the end of 2016.

According to OnBrand 24, this has been some of the largest growth the company has experienced in the last five years. At the new site, the company will have the ability to expand up to 40,000-square-feet and company representatives have expressed that they are excited to keep growing in Savannah.

Investment

30 jobs

12,500 sq ft

Case Study 05: Safavieh

Safavieh

In 2015, SEDA learned that Safavieh was looking to expand their facilities at one of their worldwide locations. The company, which located in 2013 with a 300,000 square foot facility, creates its designer-quality rugs in the major rug weaving centers of the world: Persia, India, Tibet, Nepal, China and Pakistan.

Investment

100 jobs

300,000 sq ft

$28 million

In 2007, they successfully introduced the Martha Stewart Rugs collection, and in January 2011 marked the introduction of the Ralph Lauren and Lauren Ralph Lauren rug collections by Safavieh.

SEDA worked with the company and was able to offer a tax abatement and assistance. In November, Safavieh announced the addition of 100 new jobs, and $28 million investment in Savannah adding a second building.

Emerging Industries

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.

In August 2015, SEDA hired Patrick Bentley as the emerging industries project manager. As a project manager, Patrick is on the front lines of our sales and marketing efforts for both the attraction and expansion of businesses in these industries. Prior to joining SEDA, he was the founder of both a tech-based non-profit and a web development company.

Patrick jumped in headfirst with the development of an aggressive, proactive marketing and business development plan. The first step was and continues to be developing and maintaining relationships with allied organizations, local contacts and companies in the industry to help generate leads and prospects. This has led to active projects from companies based in Savannah, San Francisco, Raleigh, Charleston, Atlanta, Nashville and Winnipeg, Canada.

Entertainment Production

On set for 2015's The Do Over starring Adam Sandler and David Spade.

Incentives Worth Entertaining

In October 2014, SEDA entered into a partnership with the City of Savannah to manage the marketing and selling of Savannah for entertainment production – mainly film and television.

SEDA hired Los Angeles-based Ralph Singleton, an award-winning producer of film and television to manage the efforts. A veteran in the industry, Ralph wasted no time in raising the level of awareness about Savannah, Tybee Island and other locations in Chatham County.

Adding to the marketing efforts was the launch of filmsavannah.org in 2015. The more robust website utilizes the industry standard, Reel Scout, to assist filmmakers and location consultants in finding location and crew information and gives the Film Savannah staff the capability to create customized packages.

In October 2015, the SEDA Board of Directors unanimously passed the Savannah Area Entertainment Production Incentives, which includes two distinct incentives:

  • Cash rebates for feature films and television series for qualified productions that require at least $500,000 minimum spend in Chatham County.
  • A workforce relocation incentive that will reimburse per household up to $2,000 in moving expenses for qualified applicants.

The local incentives, partnered with the state’s already existing incentives, is helping build a sustainable production industry in Chatham County by increasing the number of qualified crew members living and working in the area and increasing the number of film and television productions based in Chatham County.

"By adding the local incentives, we are positioning Savannah to be the number-two location for entertainment production in the state, behind metro Atlanta," said Trip Tollison, SEDA President and CEO.

"By adding the local incentives, we are positioning Savannah to be the number-two location for entertainment production in the state, behind metro Atlanta."

Trip Tollison,
SEDA President and CEO

Economic Spend Entertainment Production in Chatham County

2010

$4,605,599

2010 - 2014

$58,057,354

2015

$58,762,500

Business Development Mission Trips

SEDA with representatives from GDEcD touring SCAD Hong Kong.

From Dubai to Sweden, SEDA’s business development team was busy in 2015 marketing Savannah to an international audience. Whether discussing aerospace at the Paris Air Show or establishing contacts at a state-sponsored trip to Asia, SEDA met with executives and business representatives to tout the advantages of doing business in Savannah.

Bremeninvest, WTCSav and SEDA met at the offices of World Trade Center Bremen in Germany to discuss trade and investment opportunities for both regions.

SEDA President and CEO, Trip Tollison and SEDA Board of Directors Secretary, Kevin Jackson in Hong Kong.