Development Authority of Columbia County Receives Award for Large Community Deal of the Year
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT :
Kevin Shea, President
KShea@Georgia.org
404-962-4109
Development Authority of Columbia County
Receives Award
For Large Community Deal Of The Year
From The Georgia Economic Developers Association
ATLANTA (November 17, 2020) – The Georgia Economic Developers Association recognized the Development Authority of Columbia County for an “outstanding achievement in the location/expansion of business in Georgia” at its November Awards luncheon on Monday. The Authority was recognized for the Amazon Fulfillment Center project announced in April of this year. Bert Brantley, Deputy Chief of Staff for Governmental Affairs at the Office of Governor Brian P. Kemp, presented the award to Robbie Bennett, CEcD, and his Chairman, Kerry Bridges of the Authority, along with staff members and County officials. Lieutenant Governor Geoff Duncan also addressed event attendees and congratulated all the winners. Nearly 100 economic developers from around the state attended the ceremony in-person and another thirty attended virtually.
At $200 million, this fulfillment-distribution center project is the single-largest project announcement ever for Columbia County. Additionally, this multi-story facility is the largest industrial building to be built in the county. It will feature innovative, Amazon robotics technology and create 800 new, full-time jobs. The speed and agility of the Development Authority of Columbia County and Columbia County staff were incredibly impressive in this deal, particularly in light of COVID-19 having just settling in. They adopted an attitude of finding a way to work through issues, and that means a lot to tenants with large complex projects. Also, the Columbia County Commission showed its commitment by providing funding for the road, water and sewer infrastructure needs and backed the Development Authority’s contribution.
About the Award
This is now the fourteenth year that GEDA has recognized the major projects from the previous year. In what has become a major portion of the Annual Awards Ceremony – GEDA recognizes recipients in three categories:
- SMALL – a county with population under 25,000,
- MID-SIZE – a county with population 25,000 – 100,000,
- LARGE – a county with population over 100,000,
The Deal of the Year Awards recognize outstanding achievement in the location or expansion of new businesses in the state of Georgia that meet community economic development goals and involve significant community program support, such as financial or permitting assistance, workforce development, state financial support, etc.
About GEDA
The Georgia Economic Developers Association is a nonprofit association of professionals, volunteers and supporters. The association provides networking and professional development opportunities for its members, and supports public policies that promote quality job creation and sustainable economic development throughout the state. For more information, visit www.geda.org.
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