The Workforce Initiatives Fund was established in part as a response to Federal and State mandates that require all licensed child care centers to be Quality Rated by June 30, 2021.

Workforce Initiatives Fund

In December 2019, the SEDA Board of Directors unanimously approved the Workforce Initiatives Fund.

The fund, in the amount of $375,000, will be used to advance targeted workforce solutions. The catalyst for this fund and first use will be to help licensed child care facilities in Chatham County become Quality Rated through capital improvement mini-grants.

The fund was created in direct response to SEDA's recently released strategic plan, "Propel Savannah," which identified the number one concern of local employers as the availability and quality of workforce as well as the need for affordable quality child care centers with flexible schedules. The fund is also a response to Federal and State mandates that require all licensed child care centers to be Quality Rated by June 30, 2021, in order to accept children who require subsidized tuition. These children include all of those in foster care, children with special needs and children living in poverty. In addition to enhanced curriculum and professional development standards, there are physical standards that are required to maintain compliance as a licensed child care center and to be Quality Rated.

"The Savannah Economic Development Authority Board of Directors and staff recognize that the availability, as well as the quality of workforce, can be impacted by the presence of quality child care centers in a community," said SEDA Board of Directors Chairman Kevin Jackson at the SEDA December Board of Directors meeting. "Legislative changes led to an issue where SEDA can step in and fill an unmet need. We feel that the Workforce Initiatives Fund can make a direct and immediate impact in assisting local child care centers on the physical requirements of becoming Quality Rated. We hope that this initiative encourages others to explore ways in which they too can impact early learning issues."

The recommendation for the Workforce Initiatives Fund came from the SEDA Workforce Group, which is comprised of several SEDA board members and staff.

In partnership with Child Care Resource & Referral of Southeast Georgia at Savannah Technical College (CCR&R), the agency tasked with providing technical assistance and other supports to help providers become Quality Rated, the SEDA Workforce Group developed a process to estimate the capital needs of both Child Care Learning Centers and Family (home-based) Child Care Learning Homes. It was determined that an estimated $310,000 would address the minor capital improvement needs for 115 licensed centers in Chatham County that were pursuing Quality Rated with CCR&R at the time of inquiry. Additional funds would allow for that caseload to grow. The Savannah Economic Development Authority hopes the announcement of this fund will encourage additional centers to pursue Quality Rated.

Those 115 centers represent a license capacity of 3,556 children, though the total impact is exponential since the curriculum enhancements that come along with Quality Rated would benefit all enrolled children year after year as new students enter the programs. Child care providers could apply for mini-grants to cover capital improvements including shelving, flooring, playground surfaces, building repairs and fence repairs among other improvements.

Executive Director for the CCR&R in the Southeast Region Melissa Cole said in December 2019, "We are excited to have SEDA support and further the work we are doing to encourage more child care centers in Georgia to become Quality Rated. Having more Quality Rated centers will have both immediate and long-term benefits to the availability and quality of workforce in this region."

In a study titled, Early Childhood Programs as an Economic Development Tool: Investing Early to Prepare the Future Workforce, Timothy Bartik, a Senior Economist with the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research explains, "For every $1 spent on high-quality early learning programs, $8 to $16 is returned to society, largely through reduced future costs of crime and government assistance."

"If child care centers fail to become Quality Rated, Savannah could lose many, much-needed subsidized child care funds and it could have an immediate disruption to families and people's ability to work. Long term, it could impact a child’s readiness for the school environment. We feel the fund’s return on investment to our community will be ten-fold," said Jackson in December 2019.

Jackson went on to thank the SEDA Workforce Group and community partners that have been involved. "The SEDA board members and staff who have worked on this initiative have really jumped in to find solutions and opportunities for our community. I would also like to thank Savannah Technical College and Coastal Georgia Indicators Coalition for shedding light on the specific needs. I truly appreciate all their efforts."

Savannah Logistics Technology Corridor

Recently Savannah was named the “Logistics Technology Corridor” in the State of Georgia by way of Senate Resolution 892.

The concept of Technology Corridors is not new; the most famous being Silicon Valley in California and the Route 128 corridor in Massachusetts, both have been active since the mid-1970’s. The goal of a corridor is to activate economic development by creating a cluster of like companies in a region. This allows the region to focus its workforce development efforts on key jobs in that industry cluster.

Since the resolution, SEDA has taken a leadership role on the Task Force identifying a strategy for fully leveraging the Logistics Technology Corridor designation to activate the growth of high-wage technology related jobs in the region. The strategy is four pronged:

• Community building
• Education
• Incubation/Acceleration Hub
• Incentives

Community building is a grass roots driven initiative to activate and grow interest in the Logistics Technology sector.

Education is a collaborative initiative to create a “Logistics Innovation Institute” that ensures job preparedness for logistics jobs of the future from K-12 to PhD programs.

The Incubation/Acceleration Hub is a place for the innovation to occur, like Tech Square in Atlanta or the Cyber Center in Augusta.

Lastly, state or local incentives will also help to encourage technology workers and/or companies to relocate to the corridor.

In 2019, the Logistics Technology Corridor Task Force successfully lobbied for state and local funds to initiate a study which will identify the economic impact of the strategy. The state approved $400k with a $100k local match with the study kicking off in February 2020.

Bridge Fund

In July 2019, the Creative Coast learned they would be the recipient of a federal grant from the Economic Development Administration to help lay the groundwork for a partnership with Bluffton, S.C.’s Don Ryan Center for Innovation and to fund and grow technology-driven startups in the region.

The $300,000 grant, along with matched local fundraising of $390,000, will fund the launch, marketing and management of a $2-$10 million seed fund, known as The Bridge Fund.

“Hopefully that’ll give us enough money to make 30 small seed investments,” said Jennifer Bonnett, Executive Director of The Creative Coast and Vice President of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

The first small seed investments could range from $50,000 to $150,000 and additional investments would be made in phases to the companies that hit milestones and gain customers.

The Creative Coast was one of 44 organizations chosen from a pool of 183 applicants.

The region that the seed fund will serve includes Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton counties in South Carolina and Chatham, Bulloch, Bryan, Liberty and Effingham counties in Georgia.

“I thought it was really important to have strong partnerships around this and try and show the nature of a metropolitan area doesn’t stop just because there’s a river that runs through the middle of it,” Bonnett said at the time, adding that she believes part of the reason they were awarded the grant was because of the partnership across state lines.

The hope is to have a return on investment for the people that fund it, but also a return on community.

“This is a first for the Savannah region, so we’ll have an economic impact by doing this and we will raise up the community and hopefully build a stronger ecosystem in Savannah because of it,” she said.

The Factory Direct facility in Savannah.

Factory Direct Wholesale

In August 2019, Factory Direct Wholesale LLC announced that it was expanding operations in Savannah and relocating its corporate headquarters to Savannah. The move created 250 new job opportunities with 95 of those being corporate headquarter jobs and $17 million in investment. The facility will be located at the Morgan Lakes Center, 503 Morgan Lakes Industrial Blvd.

With the relocation, Factory Direct Wholesale LLC expects to increase its current 6,000 TEUs to 10,000 TEUs over the next five years through the Port of Savannah annually.

Factory Direct Wholesale LLC is a furniture distributor that offers a full line of chairs, stools and tables, offering wholesale customers’ design needs at affordable prices in a timely fashion.

“We are excited to expand our footprint in Savannah with the move of our headquarters and the creation of 250 new job opportunities. With the Port of Savannah at our back door, the incredible workforce and an unparalleled infrastructure, we know Savannah is the right location for Factory Direct,” said Hanping Liu, General Manager of Factory Direct Wholesale, LLC.

“We’re happy to welcome Factory Direct’s growing presence here in Savannah, not only as a port customer but as a new corporate citizen of our community,” said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch. “By creating new investment and jobs for Georgians, this announcement will have a positive ripple effect across our local and state economies.”

“The announcement of Factory Direct Wholesale LLC hits all the right buttons for Savannah – 250 new job opportunities, a corporate headquarters and increased use of the Port of Savannah. We are excited to welcome Factory Direct Wholesale to Savannah and look forward to their continued growth in Savannah.”

Trip Tollison, SEDA President and CEO

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp addresses the audience at the announcement of Plastic Express locating in Savannah.

Plastic Express

On April 24, 2019 Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp announced that Plastic Express, a leader in the plastic resins industry, will expand operations with two new manufacturing facilities creating 300 new jobs and investing more than $172 million at the Port Logistics Center in Pooler.

Governor Kemp joined company leadership including representatives from the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Savannah Economic Development Authority, Georgia Ports Authority, and more to celebrate this announcement at the Port of Savannah.

“We are excited that Plastic Express chose to expand their operations here in Georgia,” said Governor Kemp. “The company’s impact will not only be felt in terms of job creation and investment, but they will be one of the top five export customers for the Georgia Ports Authority.”

Headquartered in Industry, Calif., Plastic Express has trucking terminals, warehouse facilities, transloading docks, and packaging plants across the country, including a bulk transload facility in Dalton, Georgia. The company plans to be in the new facility by October 1, 2019.

“We are very happy to plant our flag in Savannah,” said Ray Hufnagel, Plastic Express President and CEO. “Plastic Express has been searching for a strategic opportunity in every viable port location in the Southeast for a few years. The impressiveness of the Port of Savannah’s operations along with Georgia’s welcoming business climate has made Savannah the clear and obvious choice for us.”

“Today, along with our partners in economic development, we are excited to welcome Plastic Express to Savannah,” said Trip Tollison, Savannah Economic Development Authority President and CEO. “The impact that these high-wage advanced manufacturing jobs will have on our region is tremendous not to mention the more than $172 million in investment. Plastic Express’ impact will be felt for years to come. We look forward to a long relationship and watching them grow in Savannah.”

“This is a game-changer and makes Georgia a leader in the Southeast for the export of resins,” said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch. “With growth accelerating in the American energy sector, Gulf-area refineries will require alternate export capacity, and the Port of Savannah stands ready to serve that need.” Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) Project Manager Hank Evans represented the Global Commerce Division in partnership with the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA), Georgia Power, Quick Start, and Genesee & Wyoming’s Georgia Central Railway.

“Plastic Express is a fantastic win for our state,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “Georgia’s logistics infrastructure is one of the state’s greatest economic development assets and plays a critical role in creating jobs and investment opportunities in Georgia. Congratulations to all of our economic development partners who were involved in locating this competitive project.”

The A&R Logistics announcement in Effingham also included office space in Savannah.

A&R Logistics

With our partners across the region and the state, the Savannah region continued to show strong growth in 2019. This included an announcement out of Effingham County.

On October 15, the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority (ECIDA), in partnership with OmniTRAX, announced that A&R Logistics, Inc. would lease up to one million square feet in the newly developed Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub (SGIH) in Effingham County, Georgia. In addition to the new facility, A&R Logistics announced they would be opening an office in Chatham County for onboarding and training new employees. The facility in Effingham added more than 60 new job opportunities and $91.5 million in capital investment.

Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp congratulated A&R Logistics on the announcement. “Congratulations to A&R Logistics on this next step in their operations,” said Governor Brian P. Kemp. “As the Top State for Business six years running, The Port of Savannah and Georgia’s expansive logistics network enable the Peach State to serve as a gateway to the global economy. This facility will help us to maintain that status in the years ahead, and I want to thank our partners in Effingham County and with the Georgia Ports Authority for their hard work to make exciting announcements like this possible.”

A&R Logistics is a leading supply chain services company providing dry bulk transportation, warehousing, packaging, third-party logistics, and export solutions. For more than 40 years A&R has provided bulk logistics services for customers in the chemical and plastics industries. The largest dry bulk carrier in North America, A&R has over 1,000 employees across the nation.

“We are delighted to partner with the Effingham County Industrial Development Authority and the Georgia Ports Authority to bring a world-class export facility to the Port of Savannah. A&R Logistics is a leading supply chain solutions company to the chemical industry. After an extensive analysis of global demand, production and trade flows, we have concluded that the Port of Savannah is uniquely positioned to provide strategic value to some of the largest chemical companies and trading partners in the world. Given this strategic significance, the time is right to invest in Savannah and our export operations. We value the partnership with Effingham County and the Port of Savannah in facilitating our investment in this facility,” said Mark Holden, A&R’s CEO and President.

"We are excited to welcome the expansion of A&R’s resin handling infrastructure in our market, as it will bring significant new export volumes to our container trade. The growing output of refineries in Texas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and Canada will require alternate export capacity, and the Port of Savannah stands ready to serve that need."

Griff Lynch, Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director

The entertainment production industry continues to grow in the Savannah region.

Entertainment Production

The Savannah Regional Film Commission announced that in 2019, the entertainment production industry generated $125.6 million in direct spend leading to a staggering $266.3 million economic impact for the region.

Savannah Regional Film Commission Executive Director Beth Nelson said, “While we are pleased to report another successful year of growth from the entertainment production industry, it is important to note that these numbers represent the creation of jobs and direct spend to local businesses. Due to the caliber of our crew, diverse locations, and the support we receive from local partners, the Savannah region has become an active film production hub. From small independent projects to prestigious network TV series, Savannah has proven to be an ideal location for film and television production. We look forward to continued growth in the coming year.”

From 2010-2014 the entertainment production direct spend was a combined $58 million, 2015 - $59 million, 2016 - $61 million, $2017 - $65 million and in 2018 - $120.1 million.

In 2019, 129 professional productions and 56 student productions were filmed including Lady and the Tramp, The Underground Railroad, The Glorias, and the much-anticipated TV series, Council of Dads, based on the book written by Savannah native, author Bruce Feiler.

Also in 2019, Savannah was named number one as “Best 10 Small Cities and Towns to Live and Work as a Moviemaker” by MovieMaker magazine. This was the fifth year in a row that Savannah has been named in the top three, landing the number one spot in 2019, 2017 and 2016.

"The film and television production industry has continued to see solid growth and 2019 was no exception. Since 2015, the entertainment production direct spend has grown from $59 million to $125.6 million, resulting in a 112 percent increase in five years."

Trip Tollison, SEDA President and CEO

Propel Savannah

SEDA commissioned AngelouEconomics, an economic development consulting firm, to work with the SEDA team to produce a Competitive Positioning, Target Industry Economic Development Strategy and Action Plan - or as we call it - Propel Savannah.

This plan is a roadmap that SEDA and our community can use to leverage our assets and help us reach our economic growth and diversification goals. It also gave us a competitive assessment of the region and the opportunity to identify target industries that have the greatest potential to foster strong economic growth into the future.

In May 2019, SEDA along with AngelouEconomics presented the summary findings of the report and work began immediately to implement key aspects of the plan. For example, the Workforce Initiatives Fund was developed in response to the information in Propel Savannah. For more information on Propel Savannah visit propelsavannah.com.

Mac Conway Award

In Fall 2019, SEDA was named a recipient of the McKinley "Mac" Conway Award for Excellence in Economic Development by Site Selection magazine.

Named for McKinley "Mac" Conway, founder of Conway, Inc. and Site Selection Magazine, the awards recognize the top local and regional economic development agencies in the United States for their roles in helping to deliver prosperity to their communities.

Led by President and CEO Trip Tollison, SEDA was one of 20 development authorities in the country to receive the award.

This year’s winners were determined by an index that examines corporate facility investment projects in U.S. metro areas. Scores are awarded based on six criteria: total projects, total investment associated with those projects and jobs associated with those projects. The remaining three criteria represent a per capita calculation of those same metrics.

The authority’s significant projects highlighted by the magazine included a $50 million expansion of Crane Worldwide Logistics, which brought a 250,000 square foot facility in the Savannah River International Trade Park, along with plans for a second building, as well as the addition of online home goods retailer Wayfair to the local market, which announced late last year that they will bring 1,000 jobs to the area with a 1.2-million-square-foot e-commerce facility also in the trade park as part of a $45 million investment.

The magazine also sited the authority’s Business Retention Action Team, which works to support established businesses in Savannah and Chatham County and The Creative Coast initiative, which helps bring technology companies to Savannah as contributing factors for selection.

The SEDA St. Pat's mailer featured BowTie Barbecue sauces.

St. Patrick’s Day 2019

In 2019, SEDA once again showcased a local company in its annual St. Patrick’s Day mailer to site selectors, prospects, partners and more.

This year’s St. Patrick’s Day mailer featured Savannah’s legendary BowTie Barbecue sauces. Each of the sauces, made right here in Savannah, uses a local Savannah product to make these sauces that will inspire BBQing for days. The Habanero Honey Mustard includes Savannah Bee Company honey; the Sweet n' Roasty uses PERC coffee and the Hoppin' Hickory uses Southbound IPA.

SEDA once again delivered everyone's favorite pecan pies to partners, site selectors, prospects and more.

Thanksgiving 2019

In 2019, for Thanksgiving, we also took the opportunity to thank our partners, prospects, site selectors and more with our annual Thanksgiving pecan pie mailer and a card celebrating windows of opportunity.