Trade contributes more to our Gross National product than any other sector. Thanks to savvy leadership, Glynn County is finding its place in the global logistics business league.
Plan targets future jobs
Thu, Jul 27, 2006
By MARY STARR
The Brunswick News
That famous line from the movie "Field of Dreams" – "If you build it, they will come" – applies to more than just baseball fields.
It works for industrial parks and distribution centers as well.
But finding land that meets a future prospect's criteria is a bit like gazing into a crystal ball.
To attract business, economic developers must:
* Have available land to offer prospects.
* Learn from the experiences of other communities.
* Understand industry trends.
Available land. Monday, the Brunswick and Glynn County Development Authority said that it plans to spend $17.1 million on a 687-acre tract in northern Glynn County owned by Iluka Mining.
The authority is seining business prospects for distribution centers, one of which has already expressed an interest in Brunswick. The distribution center, the name of which has not been disclosed, would produce as many as 600 jobs.
Glynn County has one distribution center in its existing industrial park. Keebler, known primarily as a maker of baked goods, employs about 20 people at its snack food distribution center, according to Nathan Sparks, executive director of the development authority.
Sparks is enthusiastic about the authority's land purchase.
"This is the type of opportunity that makes us competitive," Sparks said. "The big prospects had not been looking at Glynn County because we didn't have land adjacent to the interstate."
Sparks said most marquee projects require a minimum of 50 to 100 acres. The largest site in the industrial park is about 14 acres.
And, there was another consideration.
"We felt like we had to get the land before a residential developer did," Sparks said. "We were facing not having any appropriate land for future industrial development."
John Henry, executive director of the Effingham County Economic Development Authority, said the Brunswick and Glynn County Development Authority is on the right track.
"When you acquire land and have adequate infrastructure, it attracts the interest of everyone," Henry said. "Then, you have a surefire hit."
What makes the move of the Glynn County development authority even more positive is the shortage of developable land in Coastal Georgia, Henry said.
"I get at least two calls a week from brokers and consultants looking for a minimum of 250,000 square feet of expandable space," Henry said, noting his own country is unable to offer much at the moment. "We're a year or two out from being able to accommodate them."
Ric Winger, executive director of the Savannah Economic Development Authority, says not having land available will cause communities to lose projects they don't even know about.
"Ideally, you'll have the infrastructure in place, including an entrance road, water and sewer and electric," Winger said. "These companies don't want to wait once they've made a decision."
Communities' experiences. Development officials in Effingham County and Savannah believe in leaving nothing to chance. They, too, are trying to get ahead of the game of drawing business interests to their community.
"There's an unrelenting demand for industrial sites," Effingham County's Henry said. "We're developing a 1,750-acre site adjacent to Interstate 16. We're in the construction phase."
Winger said his agency has built three business parks, the last of which is still in development.
Winger said there are too many choices for companies to wait for a site to be developed for them – they want it to be construction-ready.
Industry trends. John Carbonell, owner of SuperSmart Services, a company on St. Simons Island that develops large-scale mixed-use communities, agrees that distribution and logistics centers are the wave of the future.
In China, inland ports are developing and goods are being manufactured and shipped through Europe to distribution points on America's East Coast, Carbonell said.
When the goods arrive in the United States, distribution centers with access to ports, air, road and rail are a necessity.
"They are placed in strategic areas so that delivery time can be reduced for the consumer," Carbonell said. "The port cities on the East Coast are going to benefit."
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