Fayette County Development Authority : News Releases

International missions agency relocates US headquarters to Peachtree City

info@fayettega.org (Fayette County Development Authority) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

A year ago, international missions group Africa Inland Mission had international mobilizing offices in Canada, Europe, Korea, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, and New York. Those offices sent over 950 missionaries to the field in Africa.

Their mission was effective, but their U.S. headquarters location in Pearl River, New York, where they had put down roots for over forty years, was no longer ideal. AIM U.S. Director Dr. Ted Barnett said, “It did not allow us to exercise optimal stewardship over our assets.”

Because of housing prices in Pearl River, AIM’s U.S. office staff couldn’t afford to buy homes. According to Dr. Barnett, “The mission bought houses for our staff to live in. Our assets were wrapped up in housing for our staff. We thought we could make better use of our resources in moving to an area of the country where they could buy their own housing.”

Barnett looked at four areas of the country that fit his criteria for a lower cost of living: Dallas-Fort Worth, Orlando, Charlotte, and Atlanta—specifically South of the airport, because of reputed traffic congestion on the North side. The top considerations were proximity to an international airport, a building with meeting space for training, and an abundance of housing within a half-hour proximity of the new headquarters.

Real estate agent Debby Stephens facilitated Africa Inland Mission’s acquisition of their new headquarters building.

Stephens, with the help of the Fayette County Development Authority and Peachtree City, helped AIM understand the potential of Georgia, and specifically Peachtree City.

Stephens showed commercial buildings and homes in metro Atlanta’s Southern Crescent that were within a half-hour drive time of Hartsfield-Jackson International airport. In addition to airport proximity and available building space, “AIM’s priorities were community, housing, quality of life, and healthcare,” she said.

Africa Inland Mission found the perfect building in Peachtree City’s Westpark Corporate Office Park at 600 Westpark Drive. It was 25 minutes south of Hartsfield airport with direct four-lane access making it easy to transport staff and missionaries back and forth. That helped seal the deal for making the move to Fayette County.

They purchased a 22,000 square foot building, previously the corporate headquarters for Goody’s Consumer Products. AIM received immediate assistance from Peachtree City Planning and Zoning as they built out a large conference, kitchen and dining area where they gather, eat and hold their training events. Debby Stephens said, “It’s the heart for fellowship and prayer time.”

All around, the move to Peachtree City was a blessing. “We were able to sell our main campus in New York for more than we asked for, and the economy created a favorable housing situation in this market,” said Barnett.

Moving to Georgia freed up mission assets wrapped up in staff housing and also enabled staff to have the opportunity to buy their own housing, which was much more affordable in Georgia than it was in New York.

Seventeen of their staff made the move to Georgia and they found qualified employees in the local market who were excited about the mission and vision of AIM. One of those was their real estate agent, Debby Stephens, who joined as Director of Development for AIM US. Now approximately thirty-five local staff make AIM’s Peachtree City headquarters home.

Barnett made his actual home in Fayetteville, which affords a comfortable commute time to the office in Peachtree City.

Advising other international companies, he said, “Peachtree City should be perhaps their first or second consideration in terms of a place to move. It fit all of the criteria that we had. All of the people who have moved here love it in Fayette County.”

He continued, “There are so many amenities. The people are friendly. Housing prices for staff are excellent. The community has a lot to offer. And it’s a very pretty area of the country.”

“It’s an excellent place for a business,” said Barnett. With 20 or 30 people flying to or from Africa every month, the close proximity of a major international airport has made things much easier. With all those airport trips and out-of-town guests, they’ve forged alliances with a taxi company and the Holiday Inn in Peachtree City. The Holiday Inn provides free shuttle service and free golf cart use to AIM visitors.

With this big office, AIM’s largest in the world, they are looking to make a greater impact on Africa.

“The reason we exist is to see Christ-centered churches established among all the peoples of Africa. There are still over 940 unreached people groups just in Africa. We’ve identified 100 of those people groups that we’d like to reach, and we’re active in about 35 of them. We’ve established many churches there. There are millions of Africans worshiping in the denomination we established. The Africa Inland Church members number three to four million,” said Barnett.

Approximately 575 full term missionaries are sent through the U.S. Office and about 135 short term missionaries per year minister in Africa. AIM operates in 22 countries of Africa.

The ribbon cutting for Africa Inland Mission’s new U.S. Headquarters was Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 10 a.m. The new headquarters is located at 600 Westpark Drive, Peachtree City, GA 30269. For more information on how you can support AIM email or call Debby Stephens at debby.stephens@aimint.net or 1-800-254-0010

The Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA) welcomes nonprofits and corporations searching for a location for their headquarters. Fayette County offers the best quality of life and location in Georgia. For more information about making Fayette County home base for your business, contact FCDA President/CEO Matt Forshee at 770-461-5253 or mforshee@fayettega.org or visit their website at www.fayettega.org

Georgia recruiting eligible companies for upcoming trade missions

info@fayettega.org (Fayette County Development Authority) — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Do you run a small or medium-sized Georgia business interested in growing its exports? If so, check out Georgia’s upcoming trade missions to key international markets. By exhibiting with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, your company can take advantage of reduced exhibit fees, co-branded marketing opportunities, market intelligence, and local business contacts. The first step for potential participation is to register at http://trade.georgia.org.

“We’re a small Georgia company with limited resources, but we’ve been able to increase visibility for our product in key international markets in a way that we would never have been able to do otherwise,” said Gary Majestic, General Manager of Commercial Fluid Power in Rome, Ga. “The state’s international trade office not only enabled us to participate in a tradeshow in Chile at a very discounted rate, but helped us better understand the local market and position us for greater success.”

Upcoming 2012 state missions now recruiting eligible companies are:

GLOBE, Vancouver, Canada, March 14-16

For environmental technology companies, GLOBE™ is THE place to see and be seen by 9,000 participants from dozens of countries. The show is noted for the large number of C-suite attendees, and the 2012 event attract buyer delegations from Europe, China, Japan, Latin America, and other regions.

TRADE MISSION TO PANAMA, Panama City, Panama, March 20-25

Join this exciting, multi-state trade mission led by the Southern Governors Association, which includes a visit to the Expocomer Trade Show targeting the following industries: information technology, construction & infrastructure, textiles, electronics, medical equipment, beauty & health supplies, personal safety equipment, pumps, valves, & hydraulic equipment, and food & beverage.

h3.EXPOMIN, Santiago, Chile, April 9-13

Companies in the mining equipment, services and technology fields will not want to miss the largest such exhibition in Latin America. Sign up today and give your product or service the chance to catch the eye of more than 2,500 exhibitors and 60,000 industry professionals from 50-plus countries.

ISC BRASIL AND INTERSECURITY 2012, São Paulo, Brazil, April 23-26

Leverage opportunities around the 2014 World Cup soccer games and the 2016 Olympic Games during a trade mission to São Paulo, Brazil for companies in the security and safety industries. In addition to pre-qualified matchmaking appointments, mission participants will have the opportunity to attend two trade shows: International Security Conference (ISC) Brazil 2012 and InterSecurity (International Urban Safety Trade Fair – www.iscexpo.com.br).

TURKEYBUILD, Istanbul, Turkey, May 2-6

The largest building and construction trade show in Turkey attracted more than 111,000 attendees last year. If your company focuses on construction machinery, hand tools, prefabricated structures, constructional steel, insulation, building chemicals, roofing, structural systems, landscaping, gates, lighting, and/or elevators, this one show you won’t want to miss.

TRADE WINDS MISSION TO ASIA, Singapore, May 15-18

Interested in exporting to Southeast Asia? This mission offers one-on-one appointments in Singapore plus your choice of one other country: Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia or Indonesia. Trade Winds Asia is a regional business forum that pre-arranges consultations with U.S. Senior Commercial Officers who can guide you on market entry strategies throughout Asia.

ILSI-BIOMED, Tel Aviv, Israel, May 21-23

Biomedical, health care and life sciences companies will find plenty of opportunities at Israel’s leading international conference for these sectors. In 2011, the event attracted 1,000 participants from 42 countries. Conference attendees held. 3,500 one-on-one meetings.

HOSPITALAR, São Paulo, Brazil, May 22-25

Market your company at the largest and most important medical trade show in Latin America for products, equipment, services, and technology for hospitals, health clinics and laboratories. Last year key decision-makers in the medical industry were joined by more than 1,200 exhibitors and around 90,000 visitors from dozens of countries.

FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW (FIA), Farnborough, U.K., July 9-15

A must-attend for companies in the aerospace field, this airshow is held just once every two years. FIA is one of the world’s most iconic global aviation events. The 2010 show attracted 120,000 trade visitors from around the world, and exhibitors announced orders totaling $47 billion. Five days of the show are dedicated solely to trade.

“Our trade services are the best-kept secret in Georgia, and we want to change that. The wide variety of services our division offers is incredible, especially for the price, and we are totally focused on helping Georgia companies to succeed in their international trade endeavors. We are extremely proactive in giving them the tools and information they need, both before and while they’re on the ground in international markets,” said Kathe Falls, director of the International Trade division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “We do what we do because every time we help a company increase its exports, that company helps grow our economy.”

The Trade Division can now serve more companies in more ways, and often at a lower cost, due to grants GDEcD received from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Appalachian Regional Commission. If your company is a small- or medium-sized business, it may be eligible for assistance with new export services or reduced fees for some existing export services. For information, visit http://trade.georgia.org or contact Ms. Taube Ponce, at 404-962-4118 or at tponce@georgia.org.

Why engage in trade?

According to the International Trade Administration, Georgia is home to more than 10,000 exporters, of which 83 percent have fewer than 500 employees. Increased exports are good for Georgia and Georgia companies. Exporting is not just about increasing profits: it is also about helping companies diversify markets, and gain a competitive edge through global exposure to new technology, innovations and competition. In Georgia, companies that sell overseas grow an average of 18 percent faster than those that don’t, and their workforces are typically 10 to 15 percent more productive. Increased international sales volumes also lower overall production costs and lead to increased profitability.

Georgia’s exports exceeded $28.9 billion in 2010, an increase of more than 20 percent over the previous year and the most Georgia has ever exported in a single year. In the past 10 years, Georgia exports have grown nearly 100 percent. The number of company deals facilitated by Georgia’s award-winning International Trade team has more than doubled over the last five years. During fiscal year 2011, GDEcD’s 10 international offices assisted with 50 percent of these deals.

About GDEcD

The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) plans, manages and mobilizes state resources to attract new business investment to Georgia, drive the expansion of existing industry and small business, locate new markets for Georgia products, inspire tourists to visit Georgia, and promote the state as a top destination for arts events and film, music and digital entertainment projects. Visit www.georgia.org.

FCDA and Social Media

info@fayettega.org (Fayette County Development Authority) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

A reminder that FCDA is tied in with social media. Click the links on the left of our homepage to like our Facebook page and to follow us on Twitter. We will be sharing news about Fayette County and Fayette County companies as well as announcing new activity, events and news stories about our companies and communities.

We’ve also upgraded our site so that you can now forward any news article on our site to your social network by clicking on one of the icons at the top of each story. It looks like this:

Here are the links for facebook and twitter:

Facebook – www.facebook.com/fayettega

Twitter – www.twitter.com/fcda

FCDA releases promotional video

info@fayettega.org (Fayette County Development Authority) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The Fayette County Development Authority recently commissioned a video documenting why Fayette County is a great place to do business. It lists location attributes, community awards, and unique facts about Fayette County and its cities. Take a look:

Clayton State offering small business workshop

info@fayettega.org (Fayette County Development Authority) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Clayton State University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will be hosting a “Starting a Business” workshop, a comprehensive workshop on important decisions you make prior to opening a business. The workshop will be Tuesday, January 10 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the main building at Clayton State – East in Morrow.

Topics include traits of a successful entrepreneur legal, structures for your business, estimating start-up costs, calculating financial projections and break even analysis, sources of capital and financing alternatives, reasons for business failure, and writing a business plan.

PowerPoint handouts and a book, “How to Start a Business: A Guide for Georgia Entrepreneurs,” will be provided.

The cost is $69 per person with 50 percent off for each additional person. To register, click here

FCDA Board Announces Staff Leadership Changes

info@fayettega.org (Fayette County Development Authority) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT

At their regular November Board of Directors meeting today, the Fayette County Development Authority Board of Directors announced that President/CEO Brandt Herndon will be leaving the organization December 16th to become the Vice President of Business Development for the Savannah Economic Development Authority in Savannah, Georgia. The Board also announced that former FCDA President/CEO, Matt Forshee, has been named as Herndon’s successor.

“We are certainly sad to see Brandt go,” said FCDA Chairman Randy Hayes. “During a time when the national economy was down severely, Brandt has led this organization and worked with our existing industries, proactively helping them secure growth opportunities and thereby helping Fayette County and its cities grow and prosper. We want to thank Brandt for his time here and we wish him great success in Savannah,” said FCDA Chairman Randy Hayes.

“We are also very excited to welcome Matt Forshee back. He led this organization from 2006 to 2010, during which time he located Sany America and the NCR Worldwide Customer Service Center to Fayette County. Matt and his family are residents of Fayette County and he knows this county and the business of economic development as it relates to Georgia, our region and Fayette County. We look forward to his leadership,” said Chairman Randy Hayes.

Forshee will begin in his tenure December 12th.

(Please contact Brandt Herndon at 770.461.5253 or Matt Forshee at 706.308.6006 with any questions regarding this release)

China's Sany: From Hunan Home to Peachtree City

info@fayettega.org (Fayette County Development Authority) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Global Atlanta.com released an article discussing Sany’s growth and its first and and only North American plant in Peachtree City. Sany recently announced a plan to spend $25 million over the next five years to hire 300 engineers and technicians for a new research and development hub. To read the full article please visit: http://www.globalatlanta.com/article/25181/

Here are 20 American Cities and Counties that could be the next Silicon Valley

info@fayettega.org (Fayette County Development Authority) — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 04:00:00 GMT

An article in Business Insider discusses 20 American cities and counties that could be the next Silicon Valley. These cities, including Fayette County, meet certain demographic requirements for a budding technology economy.

Read the full article:
http://www.businessinsider.com/here-are-20-american-cities-and-counties-that-could-be-the-next-silicon-valley-2011-10

Sany named one of the largest global companies

info@fayettega.org (Fayette County Development Authority) — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT

When Sany America began assembling heavy equipment at its brand-new Peachtree City plant earlier this year, its parent company from China was making its first investment in the United States, further extending its international capabilities. Now Sany’s worldwide operations are being recognized as a global force, having been included on the Financial Times magazine list of the world’s largest firms.

“We at Sany America are quite pleased that our parent company has made it to the FT Global 500 list,” said Sany America President Jack Tang. “Presently we rank 431st on the list and we project that placement to move much, much higher as our new R&D and manufacturing facility comes online in Peachtree City, Georgia,” Tang said.

This is the first time Sany has made the list, but the company’s aspirations are to climb the chart, specifically with its efforts in Peachtree City, which as of now assembles the company’s high-end concrete pump trucks and crawler cranes.

Sany ranks 431st on the list with a market capitalization of nearly $21.6 billion.

The company is on the heels of finishing its $60 million corporate headquarters here, which will house Sany America’s research and development team in addition to the manufacturing component. The company is also expanding in Europe as well.

“Sany has the formula for success in the American heavy equipment industry,” said Greg Trainer, Vice President of Sany America’s crawler crane division. “Within the next three to five years, we believe we could move into the top 100 companies measured in terms of market capitalization.”

Trainer noted that Sany has grown at an annualized rate for 50 percent for the past 10 years.

This year Sany America expected to surpass the 200 employee mark locally, increasing to 300 by the end of 2012.

In addition to Sany’s concrete pump trucks and crawler cranes, the Peachtree City facility will also assemble excavators, motor graders and the company’s first North American-specific product, the “RT” Global Rough Terrain Crane.

As the U.S. headquarters, the Peachtree City SANY America facility will also include R&D, sales, service, and distribution operations as well.

Sany’s U.S. campus is located south of Cooper Lighting a short distance off Ga. Highway 74 south.

http://www.thecitizen.com/articles/07-12-2011/sany-named-one-largest-global-companies

Rinnai raises money with 'Jeans for Japan'

info@fayettega.org (Fayette County Development Authority) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 04:00:00 GMT

As the technology leader in its industry, Rinnai is the largest gas appliance manufacturer in Japan and it the no. 1 selling brand of tankless gas water heaters in North America. Following the earthquake and Tsunami hitting Japan, Rinnai America Corporation implemented a “Jeans for Japan” fundraiser. From March 16-30, Rinnai employees donated $5 daily to wear jeans to work instead of standard business casual attire. Rinnai informed employees that the amount raised by them would be matched by corporate. At the conclusion of the program, the employees raised $961.
Around this time, Rinnai participated in a golf tournament in Peachtree City.
During the event Randy Hayes, Chairman of the Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA) and Brandt Herndon, President of FCDA spoke with a few Rinnai employees and were informed of the company’s fundraising efforts. FCDA offered to donate $250 to assist in the rebuilding of Japan. This donation towards Rinnai’s fundraising brought the total to $1,211. Rinnai matched the amount bringing the grand total to $2,422 or $195,649 yen.
The FCDA’s greatest impact comes from services to existing industry, entrepreneurs and small businesses. The Board of Directors set policies, determine annual goals and serve as liaisons between the business community and local government.
Herndon visited the Rinnai America headquarters in Peachtree City on May 16, 2011 and presented them with a check for the amount promised of $250.
Rinnai America Corporation, a subsidiary of Rinnai Corporation in Nagoya, Japan was established in 1974 and is headquartered in Peachtree City, GA. Rinnai Corporation manufactures tankless water heaters, a wide range of kitchen appliance and heating and air conditioning units.
Annual corporate revenues, including those of its subsidiaries, are in excess of $2.5 billion. With a global perspective to create 21st century products for the home and business, Rinnai Corporation commits itself to safety and the pursuit of comfortable lifestyles.
For more information about Rinnai and their entire product line, visit www.rinnai.us.