seda annual report 2023
seda annual report 2023
On Nov. 5, 2013, Chatham County voters approved SPLOST VI, with a portion of the funds going to develop and execute a strategic land development plan.
The Savannah Economic Development Authority got busy identifying possible sites and on Nov. 9, 2016, purchased the future home of the Savannah Chatham Manufacturing Center (SCMC). The purchase was for $5.087 million with $3 million coming from SPLOST VI funds and the remaining $2.087 million from SEDA.
Commenting on the purchase at the time, SEDA President and CEO Trip Tollison said, “The addition of up to 3.5 million square feet that can be managed and marketed by SEDA will give us much needed property and greater flexibility to entice manufacturing to Savannah.”
Site development began in earnest and on April 10, 2018, SEDA, elected officials and community leaders broke ground followed by a December 8, 2020, ribbon cutting.
At the ribbon cutting, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said while the land is empty now he can see opportunity in the future. “You might see land that is quiet, I see incubators of promise.”
The next several years were spent putting in the infrastructure and preparing the site for future companies. When Hyundai Motor Group announced in 2022, SCMC was in a prime position and in 2023, three Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America suppliers announced they were locating in the park. Seoyon E-HWA, PHA and Daechang Seat Savannah Corp. will bring more than $215 million in capital investment and 1,642 new jobs.
Additionally in 2023, VendTech International, the company behind the Naturals2Go vending machines, announced they will be relocating their headquarters, training center, assembly manufacturing and global distribution and technology development facility to SCMC, creating 125 new jobs and more than $20 million in capital investment.