2014 year in review: number one state in the U.S. for business [2014]

2014 YEAR IN REVIEW
Georgia Department of Economic Development
number
state in the U.S. for business.

It is with great pride that we share some of Georgia's outstanding successes in economic development. Georgia has, for the 2nd year in a row, been named No. 1 in the nation for business, not just by Site Selection magazine, but also by CNBC and Area Development.
FISCAL YEAR 2014 (JULY 1, 2013 JUNE 30, 2014) HAS BEEN AN EXCEPTIONAL YEAR FOR OUR ENTIRE TEAM AND IS A TESTAMENT TO THE COMMITMENT AND SUPPORT FROM OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS, COMMUNITIES AND THE CITIZENS OF GEORGIA.
From the 374 company location announcements, grant funding for 80 organizations, assisting 4,000 companies with technical expertise and collaboration from our Centers of Innovation, a fourth consecutive year of recordbreaking exports, the film industry's $5.1 billion in economic impact and the record-breaking $53.6 billion generated by tourism in the state we have an exceptional team of partners and economic developers across Georgia's 159 counties who are actively promoting Georgia as a great place to invest, film a movie, grow a business, start a company, explore a city, and simply put, thrive.
Our goal at the Georgia Department of Economic Development is to create jobs and investment opportunities in Georgia and we can't accomplish this without our partnerships.
As we continue to tout our pro-business resources, highly skilled workforce, world-class transportation infrastructure and great quality of life, we will, together, keep Georgia a leader in the global marketplace.
Sincerely,

Chris Carr Commissioner

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT
1ST - The Honorable Kevin Jackson 2ND - The Honorable Mark Glass 3RD - The Honorable Philip Tomlinson 4TH - The Honorable Paul Wood 5TH - The Honorable Jerome Russell 6TH - The Honorable Penn Hodge 7TH - The Honorable Ron Garrard 8TH - The Honorable Allen Gudenrath

9TH - The Honorable Randall Pugh 10TH - The Honorable Tom Griffith 11TH - The Honorable Craig Barrs 12TH - The Honorable Wayne Christian 13TH - The Honorable Felker Ward 14TH - The Honorable Robert Kinard

MEMBERS - AT - LARGE
The Honorable Kent Fountain The Honorable Rene Diaz The Honorable Gardiner W. Garrard The Honorable Sam A. Way The Honorable Charles K. Tarbutton (Chairman) The Honorable Mike Nixon The Honorable H. "Monty" Osteen (Secretary) The Honorable Jay Neely The Honorable Eric Johnson

365 DAYS, 8,760 HOURS, 159 COUNTIES
- ONE EXCEPTIONAL YEAR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Economic development is more than jobs and investment - it is a joint endeavor between partners, our communities and the citizens of Georgia. Whether it is through our Global Commerce, Workforce, International Trade, Centers of Innovation, Tourism, Entertainment or Arts divisions it is a continuous effort that takes place day to day, month to month. Our FY14 year in review was designed to feature monthly highlights from July 1, 2013 June 30, 2014.

GLOBAL COMMERCE

374
Company expansion or location announcements

28,404 Jobs $5B Investment

25% JOBS
57%
INVESTMENT

Aerospace
25 percent increase in jobs
57 percent increase in investment

SECTOR INCREASES IN FY14

Logistics & Distribution

152%
INVESTMENT

152 percent increase in investment over FY13 in projects announced

15%
JOBS
149%
INVESTMENT

Automotive
15 percent increase in jobs
149 percent increase in investment

EXISTING INDUSTRY AND NEW BUSINESS

69%
EXPANSIONS

69 percent of the total projects in FY14 were expansions of existing
businesses

31%
NEW COMPANIES

31 percent of the projects were from companies investing in Georgia for the first time

FEATURED PROJECTS

Company

Jobs

Investment

County

Chime Solutions

1,120

n/a

Clayton

Toyo Tire NA Mfg., Inc.

650

$371M

Bartow

Keurig Green Mtn.

550

$337M

Douglas

Shaw Industries Group

500

$85M

Bartow

Fiserv, Inc.

500

$41M

Fulton

Mohawk Industries

420

$85M

Whitfield, Floyd

King's Hawaiian

400

$100M

Hall

Southwire

375

$95M

Carroll

Hyundai Dymos

350

$35M

Troup

SV Pittie Group

250

$75M

Screven

Bainbridge Mfg. LLC

240

4

$10M

Decatur

Georgia's international representation

Canada

U.S. A. Mexico

Georgia

Colombia Chile

Brazil

U.K. Germany
Israel

Korea
China Japan

INTERNATIONAL TRADE

TOP INVESTOR NATIONS*

16% 19% 18%

JAPAN

KOREA

GERMANY

* percent of total international investment

INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS

International companies

Domestically owned companies

5,860
Jobs
$1.75B
Investment

22,544
Jobs
$3.25B
Investment

IMPORTING AND EXPORTING

11th
LARGEST

11th largest exporting state
in the U.S. (up from 12th
in 2013)

8th
LARGEST

8th largest importing state
in the U.S. (up from 9th
in 2013)

$37.6B

$37.6 billion in international exports

THE GEORGIA CENTERS OF INNOVATION

400

400 media outlets featured

MEDIA OUTLETS COIs

520M
MEDIA VIEWS

520 million media views
(monthly unique views and circulation)

4,000
COMPANIES

4,000 Georgia companies assisted in FY14 (30 percent increase from FY13)

5

TOURISM

$53.6 billion in

$53.6B business sales including direct, indirect and

induced impact by
BUSINESS tourism demand in

SALES

2013 (Up 4.5 percent

from 2012)

$2.8B
TAX REVENUE

$2.8 billion generated by visitor spending in the form of state and local tax revenue in
Georgia

$770
SAVED

$770 per Georgia household saved
from state and local tax savings of
as a result of the tourism industry's tax contribution

411,000 JOBS SUSTAINED, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY

FILM

$5.1B

$5.1 billion in economic impact

158

158 feature film and television productions

$1.4B

Productions spent $1.4 billion during
filming in FY14

MOTION PICTURE AND TELEVISION INDUSTRY

11
GEORGIA FEATURE FILMS PREMIERED

$3.8B
IN TOTAL WAGES*

6

*According to the Motion Picture Association of

America (MPAA)

FILM EMPLOYMENT

The motion picture

and television

77,900 industry is responsible for more than 77,900

JOBS*

jobs and $3.8 billion in total wages,

including indirect

jobs and wages

100

100 filmrelated companies

have

FILM-RELATED moved to

COMPANIES

Georgia since 2008

*According to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA)

FILM DEVELOPMENT NEW TO THE SOUTHEAST

The Home Depot Pop-Up Shop for Pinewood: A First of Its Kind
In April, The Home Depot opened a 45,000-square-foot hardware store dedicated solely to Pinewood Atlanta, the British studio behind James Bond and the Harry Potter series and its associates.
The store sells hardware and materials for production sets, such as lumber, doors and windows that, once used, can be torn down and recycled for future projects. The Home Depot store is the largest of the 20 vendors committed to Pinewood Atlanta and is the first of its kind.
Over the past five years, more than eighty companies have located in Georgia to provide support for the burgeoning film industry.

GEORGIA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS

GEORGIA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS GRANT FUNDING

JUST OVER
$1M
IN FUNDING

80 organizations awarded just over $1 million
in funding

Nine organizations

9

also received support for

exceptional

ORGANIZATIONS arts education programs

Organizations throughout the state were collectively awarded funding for operating support (Partner Grant) or
arts projects (Project Grant). Three performing arts entities were accepted
into GCA's Tourist Artist Roster.

SELECT PARTNER GRANTS

SELECT PROJECT GRANTS

Athens-Clarke County Unified Government Clarkston Community Center, Inc.

Atlanta Ballet, Inc.

Flux Projects, Inc.

Atlanta Celebrates Photography

Full Radius Dance

Atlanta Contemporary Art Center

Gainesville Theatre Alliance/University of North Georgia

Atlanta Film Festival

Georgia Shakespeare Festival

The Atlanta Opera

Georgia State University Rialto Center for the Arts

Atlanta Shakespeare Company

Georgia Symphony Orchestra, Inc.

Atlanta Young Singers of Callanwolde, Inc. Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art

Aurora Theatre, Inc.

Gwinnett Council for the Arts-Hudgens Center for the Arts

C4 Atlanta, Inc.

Hambidge Center for Creative Arts & Sciences, Inc.

7 Stages Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College Art Rise Savannah, Inc. Athens Folk Music and Dance Society, Inc. Atlanta Chinese Dance Company Beacon Dance Company Bent Frequency, Inc. Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta City of Toccoa Clayton State University Creative Arts Guild Greater Augusta Arts Council

FILM-RELATED INFRASTRUCTURE INCREASES IN FY14
Props Atlanta The Rage Place
Arri CSC Technicolor Video Equipment Resources Alpha Medical Equipment Warner Bros.

GOVERNOR'S AWARDS FOR ARTS AND HUMANITIES

15
15 citizens recognized for their significant contributions to Georgia's civic and
cultural vitality through service to humanities or
excellence in the arts

9

14-month state
art tour

COMMUNITIES around nine communities

Kay Beck, Atlanta

Allan Vigil, Morrow

Linda Crowe Chesnut, Athens

The Center for Puppetry Arts, Atlanta

Dr. John Ferling, Carrollton Melissa Fay Greene, Atlanta Tim Howard, Chatsworth

Colquitt County Arts Center, Moultrie
Fox Theatre Institute, Atlanta

Marianne Lambert, Atlanta Chuck Leavell, Dry Branch

Moving in the Spirit, Atlanta

Frank Maloy, Tifton Merryll Penson, Athens

United Shape Note Singers, Atlanta
7

A YEAR IN REVIEW

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The Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) distributed just over $1 million in funding to organizations across Georgia. These entities and projects were chosen based on their meaningful economic impact and exceptional arts programs and arts operations. The GCA grant seeks to cultivate the state's growing arts scene and support quality of life for surrounding communities.

GEORGIA COMPANIES SOUGHT TRADE OPPORTUNITIES AT SEUS-CANADA
Georgia companies and state entities built strategic partnerships, established mutually beneficial relationships and discovered potential buyers, research collaborators and investors for business during SEUS (Southeastern-U.S.) Canada Alliance 2013 conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
CENTERS OF INNOVATION FOR MANUFACTURING LAUNCHES INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
The Internship Program, financially supported by the Centers of Innovation for Manufacturing, will enable students at West Georgia Technical College to work at the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute to refine manufacturing skills and learn best practices.
THE GEORGIA CENTERS OF INNOVATION HELPS GUIDED SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGIES LAND FUTURE PROJECTS
McDonough-based Guided Systems Technologies, provider of highly capable UAVs, sought to enter the agriculture sector with their advanced product. Through the Centers of Innovation for Aerospace and Agribusiness, the company was able to test fly its vehicles over Moultrie's research crops, further developing its technology for the high-growth agriculture industry. With this project, the COIs helped the company land future projects and gain significant media coverage.
JULY

02 GCA awards grants to 80 organizations.
8

11 GDEcD names Page Siplon the Director of the Georgia Centers of Innovation.

30 Field Service Engineering creates 80 jobs with new Hart County headquarters.

FILM DIVISION CELEBRATES 40TH ANNIVERSARY AT THE
FOX THEATRE

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28 29 30 31

GOVERNOR'S MISSION TO ASIA
Governor Deal and Georgia business leaders visited Shanghai, Qingdao and Jinan in the People's Republic of China and celebrated the 40th anniversary of Georgia's oldest economic development office in Tokyo. The purpose of the visit was to explore business, trade and tourism opportunities, as well as promote Georgia as an ideal place to invest, visit and do business.

ND THE

GLOBE

GEORGIA-COMPANIES EXHIBIT AT AIMEX (ASIA-PACIFIC'S INTERNATIONAL MINING EXHIBITION),THE LARGEST MINING EVENT IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC REGION

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AUGUST

Six Georgia small businesses were recognized as "Small Business Rock Stars" for their uniqueness, innovation and significant impact on small businesses throughout the state. Companies with fewer than 50 employees were nominated in fields ranging from information technology and healthcare to racing and restaurants.

14 Tourism division's MarketGeorgia. org, a go-to source for the tourism industry, is launched.

14 Trident Seafoods creates 175 jobs in Carroll County.

19 Small businesses recognized as "Rock Stars."

22 The Tourism division wins a U.S. Travel Association Mercury award.

27 Chinabased TravelSky opens R&D center, creates 9 52 jobs.

GDECD LAUNCHES NEW DIGITAL IMAGE LIBRARY, PICTUREGEORGIA.ORG

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HYUNDAI DYMOS CREATES 350 JOBS IN WEST POINT
Hyundai Dymos announced plans to open a plant that will produce seats for Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia (KMMG). The new jobs and investment underscore the growth of third party automotive suppliers.

STATE ART COLLECTION TOUR BEGINS
The exhibit, "Inspired Georgia: 28 Works from Georgia's State Art Collection," highlighted the diverse styles, media and techniques in the collection; and was the first of its kind in decades. The collection was on tour for more than 14 months in nine Georgia communities.

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600 JOBS ANNOUNCED IN GEORGIA FROM COMPANIES BASED IN GERMANY AND SOUTH KOREA

GLOBE

GDECD PROMOTES GEORGIA AS A LEADER IN BIOPHARMACEUTICAL MANUFACTURING DURING BIO TALK 2013 IN BERLIN, GERMANY

AROU

THE ARTS AND TOURISM DIVISIONS AWARD GRANTS TO 13 ENTITIES
SEPTEMBER

10 More than 500 tourism industry professionals from Georgia's convention and visitor bureaus, attractions, hotels and other entities attended the Governor's Tourism Conference 10 at Stone Mountain Park where Governor Deal recognized several top tourism professionals.

11 The Arts and Tourism divisions award $178,730 in product development grants to 13 tourism and art entities across the state.

12 Chris Carr becomes commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

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28 29 30 31

GOVERNOR DEAL RECOGNIZES 15 INDIVIDUALS FOR EXCELLENCE IN ARTS AND HUMANITIES
Fifteen individuals and organizations were recognized for their significant contributions to Georgia's civic and cultural vitality through service to the humanities or excellence in the arts. The awards were presented in partnership with the Georgia Council for the Arts and the Georgia Humanities Council.

SOUTHWIRE CREATES 350 JOBS IN CARROLL COUNTY
Southwire expanded its Carroll County headquarters in Villa Rica, increasing its production of cable and wire solutions for commercial, industrial and OEM markets. The company also works with high school students through 12 For Life, a cooperative education program founded by Southwire that encourages students to finish 12 years of school while also offering on-the-job training and classroom instruction for its manufacturing facility.
CATERPILLAR GRAND OPENING
Caterpillar Inc. held a grand opening for its new manufacturing facility in Clarke and Oconee counties. The project will create 1,400 jobs.

AROU

ND THE

GLOBE

INDIA-BASED SHRIVALLABH PITTIE BUILDS FIRST U.S. FACILITY IN SCREVEN COUNTY, CREATES 250 JOBS
TOP MEXICO IMPORTERS OF FOOD PRODUCTS, COMMODITIES AND FOOD PROCESSING EQUIPMENT MEET GEORGIA SUPPLIERS IN ATLANTA

California-based King's Hawaiian expanded existing operations in Oakwood, adding to Georgia's $11.1 billion food processing industry. With this expansion, King's Hawaiian will
utilize Georgia Quick Start, in conjunction with Lanier Technical College, to train workforce on its new production lines.

OCTOBER

21 King's Hawaiian brings 400 jobs to Hall County, doubling operations.

27 Season premiere of Georgia Traveler airs on Georgia Public Broadcasting, in partnership with Georgia 11 tourism.

THE LARGEST GEORGIAFILMED MOVIE FRANCHISE "THE HUNGER GAMES
CATCHING FIRE" HITS THEATRES

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ANNUAL SEUS JAPAN CONFERENCE
The GDEcD managing director in Tokyo, Yumiko Nakazono, as well as 26 other entities from Georgia, attended the SEUS (Southeast-U.S.) Japan Conference in Mississippi to foster business partnerships with the region.

GEORGIA NAMED THE NO. 1 STATE FOR BUSINESS
One of the nation's top economic development trade publications, Site Selection magazine, ranked Georgia's business climate the No. 1 in which to do business. The magazine releases its annual rankings each year, basing research on a survey by corporate real estate executives and in part by an index of tax burden criteria.
CAESARSTONE BRINGS 180 JOBS TO BRYAN COUNTY
Before the Israel-based company selected its location in Richmond Hill, the company consulted with the Georgia Centers of Innovation for Logistics to determine the best location for their business from a logistics standpoint. Upon choosing the Bryan County location, Caesarstone announced plans to invest $70-100 million into a new manufacturing facility that will engineer quartz countertops and surfaces. The company also announced plans to utilize Georgia Quick Start, a top-ranked workforce training program, to train new employees.

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GLOBE

580 NEW GEORGIA JOBS ANNOUNCED FROM COMPANIES BASED IN ISRAEL, INDIA AND SOUTH KOREA
GEORGIA'S OFFICE IN JAPAN CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF OPERATION

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NOVEMBER

01 EP American Footwear opens first footwear manufacturing facility in 12 Jeff Davis County, creating 250 jobs.

22 Georgia-filmed "Catching Fire," the fourthbiggest domestic opening on record, grossed $146.6 million from 63 foreign markets, 96 percent higher than "The Hunger Games" opened to in the same countries.

26 Explore Georgia was named the No. 4 most followed state on Pinterest.

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28 29 30 31

TOURISM SOCIAL MEDIA HITS RECORD HIGH
Collectively, the Tourism division's social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram) gained close to 116,000 new followers in 2013. The Explore Georgia blog, launched mid-2013, is receiving nearly 123,000 page views. Being heavily influenced by recommendations both online and offline, the Tourism division has an enormous opportunity to bring visitors to Georgia via its 13 social media platforms.

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GLOBE

MORE THAN 400 JOBS IN GEORGIA ANNOUNCED BY COMPANIES BASED IN THE NETHERLANDS AND JAPAN

AROU

Toyo Tire North America, Inc. announced plans to expand its first North American manufacturing plant in White, GA, creating 650 jobs and investing $371 million into the project within four years. The expansion will increase warehouse footprint by 30 percent to meet the growing demand for premium light truck and passenger car tires.

DECEMBER

06 Toyo Tire creates 650 jobs with Bartow County

13 Georgia-filmed Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas debuts.

expansion.

13

PINEWOOD ATLANTA STUDIOS OPENS
UK-based Pinewood established its first U.S. presence in Fayetteville, GA. Pinewood Atlanta Studios has six soundstages, but will have a total of 31 when completed. Marvel's "Ant-Man" was the first film to begin shooting in the new facility.
The lot will also house numerous entertainment industry support service companies including Atlantabased The Home Depot's first private store exclusively for the use of film and television productions. Other vendors include Animal Actors; C & S Film Concierge; Chiropractic Services; Enterprise Rent-ACar; FutureStaff; GDTS: Act Tactical for Film; Go2 Studios; Hanna Brothers Film & Event Catering Company; Hollywood Trucks Georgia; M&R Print Solutions; Makeup On Demand; MBS Equipment Co.; Movie Cars Unlimited; New Life Casting LLC; Open Rivers Pictures; ProHealth Physical Therapy; and Southeast Film Group.

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TOURISM AND ARTS DAY AT THE CAPITOL
Representatives from the tourism, hospitality and arts industry presented Governor Deal with a check representing the $1.361 billion in state tax revenue generated from tourism-related expenditures in 2012.

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JANUARY

GLOBE

FOURTEEN GEORGIA-BASED FLOOR COVERING COMPANIES AND GDECD PROMOTE THE STATE AT THE LARGEST INTERNATIONAL TRADE SHOW FOR FLOOR COVERING, DOMOTEX 2014, IN HANNOVER, GERMANY

06 Commissioner Chris Carr launches Fly Around, visiting 14 communities across the state.

17 "Ride Along" starring Ice Cube and Kevin Hart premieres. The film was the year's first blockbuster.

22 Ollie's locates new Southeast distribution center in Commerce, creates 175 jobs.

28 Georgia's 2014 Travel Guide unveiled at state Capitol, 700,000 distributed.

GACIVILWAR.ORG GETS A FRESH LOOK AND NEW INTERACTIVE
FEATURES

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28 29 30 31

TOURISM DIVISION CO-HOSTS THE FIRST CAMELLIA & GARDEN SYMPOSIUM
The first Camellia & Garden Symposium, co-hosted by Destination Brooks and GDEcD, showcased nationally renowned speakers such as Walter Reeves, Hugh and Mary Palmer Dargan, and allowed attendees to experience other historic Quitman and South Georgia landscape highlights, as well as take part in tours of area gardens; including the Betty Sheffield Memorial Garden.
FISERV CREATES 500 JOBS IN ALPHARETTA
A leading global provider of financial services and technology solutions, Fiserv, which currently employs approximately 2,000 associates across six locations in the metro Atlanta area, will add 500 jobs over the next five years. The company will also make an estimated capital investment of $41 million.

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GLOBE

GEORGIA COMPANIES EXHIBITED WITH GDECD AT GULFOOD 2014,THE LARGEST GLOBAL TRADE SHOW FOR FOOD, BEVERAGE AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRIES, IN DUBAI, UAE

Georgia grew from the nation's 12th to the 11th largest exporting state in 2013. The state also increased from the 9th largest importing state to the country's 8th largest importing state. Access the full report by visiting Georgia.org/Trade.

FEBRUARY

17 Fourth record year for the International Trade division.

18 The International Trade division awards 53 companies with a GLOBE (Georgia Launching Opportunities by Exporting) award for entering a new international market in 2013.

27 HIMSS (Healthcare Information Management Systems Society) 2014 attracts 13 Georgia entities to meet with companies that are interested in doing business in Georgia. 15

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Hosted by the Centers of Innovation for Logistics, the sixth annual Logistics Summit attracted more than 2,000 attendees from 30 states and nine nations. As the largest state-led logistics conference in the nation, the event offered opportunities for attendees to hear leading brands such as Target, Walmart and Starbucks, discuss how they are managing global logistics trends.

BAINBRIDGE MANUFACTURING CREATES 240 JOBS IN DECATUR
The privately held automotive manufacturer will invest $100 million over the next 10 years in Bainbridge, exporting to more than 37 countries and supplying to Tier 1 companies such as CAT and GM. The company will also establish an R&D center and create a 2015 summer internship program to expose qualified high school students to robotics and product development.
EAST GEORGIA ENTERTAINS A 26-COUNTRY CONSULAR CORPS
In the effort to showcase Georgia's booming business climate, quality of life and overall culture in the state, GDEcD hosted a 26-country consular corps audience for a VIP tour of nine communities in east Georgia. The international VIP tour is the only event that brings the bulk of Atlanta's diplomatic community together with Georgians in these communities.
CENTER OF INNOVATION FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY HELPS IMPROVE VITAL SIGNS OF MEDICAL-TECH FIRM
Sensiotec's Virtual Medical Assistant product was nearly ready for commercialization, but it needed additional resources before entering the market. Through an existing relationship, the company connected to the Center of Innovation for Information Technology who assisted Sensiotec in providing additional research from Georgia Tech and helped them further develop their software platform.

MARCH

04 SkiftIQ, a data travel ranking company, ranks 16 Georgia Tourism in Top 20.

18 Sixth annual Logistics Summit held in Atlanta.

31 State and local leaders break ground for the Georgia Bioscience Training Center in Covington.

AALTO SCIENTIFIC CREATES 80
JOBS IN PUTNAM COUNTY

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24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

INTERNATIONAL TRADE DIVISION RECEIVES E-STAR AWARD
International trade division awarded the Presidential "E Star" award for excellence in providing export programs and services for the second time. The President's "E Star" and "E" awards are the nation's highest honor given to an export service or organization.
GOVERNOR'S HIGH DEMAND CAREER INITIATIVE IS LAUNCHED
Governor Deal created the High Demand Career Initiative (HDCI) to allow those involved in training Georgia's future workforce the University System of Georgia and the Technical College System of Georgia to hear directly from the private sector about what specific workforce needs they have now and five years into the future. HDCI hosted 13 meetings around the state.

AROU

ND THE

GLOBE

GEORGIA COMPANIES AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE DIVISION EXHIBITED AT EXPO SEGURIDAD MEXICO 2014 IN MEXICO CITY
THE CIVIL WAR TRUST AND THE TOURISM DIVISION LAUNCH THE ATLANTA CAMPAIGN BATTLE APP TO GUIDE USERS THROUGH THE BATTLE OF ATLANTA

APRIL

01 Governor's Office of Workforce Development

22 ComeTourGeorgia.com wins Internet Advertising

moved under GDEcD as

Competition (IAC) Award

new Workforce division,

for "Outstanding Website."

17

announced by Governor Deal.

NATIONAL SMALL BUSINESS WEEK INCLUDES FIRST ANNUAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND SMALL BUSINESS UNIT
VIRACON CREATES 125 JOBS IN BULLOCH COUNTY
On the cusp of the High Demand Career Initiative meeting in Statesboro, Governor Deal announced that Viracon, a leading architectural glass fabricator, will expand its existing operations in the area, creating 125 jobs and investing $2 million.
06 Georgia named No. 1 Most Competitive State in the Nation by Site 18 Selection magazine.

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TOURISM ANNOUNCES $53.6 BILLION IN ECONOMIC IMPACT A RECORD HIGH
Georgia tourism demand generated $53.6 billion in business sales including direct, indirect and induced impact in 2013, up 4.5 percent, according to the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics. In 2013, visitor spending generated $2.8 billion in state and local tax revenue and every Georgia household benefited from state and local tax savings of $770 as a result of the tourism industry's tax contribution.
GEORGIA COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS RELEASES DATA FROM EDUCATION RESEARCH REPORT
The reports, Arts Education in the South Phase I: Public School Data and Principals' Perspectives and Arts Education in the South Phase II: Profiles of Quality, studies the quality and access to arts education in K-12 public schools in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee through quantitative and qualitative research and was the first of its kind in decades.

ND THE

GLOBE

TOURISM DIVISION HOSTS UK-BASED MEDIA ON A TOUR OF ATLANTA AND GEORGIA'S COAST, IN CONJUNCTION WITH BRAND USA

MAY

16 Premiere of Georgiafilmed "Million Dollar Arm" starring Jon Hamm.

20 GDEcD hosts Georgia on My Mind: A Night of Georgia Music in Nashville.

CNBC RANKS GEORGIA BEST STATE FOR
BUSINESS

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24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

RECORD YEAR FOR GEORGIA CENTERS OF INNOVATION
The Centers of Innovation (COI) connected and assisted nearly 4,000 Georgia companies during the state's 2014 fiscal year, up 30 percent from the previous fiscal year. The COIs helped companies commercialize revolutionary wireless health monitoring systems, created new business models for unmanned aerial vehicles in the agriculture industry, secured federal grants to support the floor covering industry, developed new waste-to-energy technologies and supported the startup of 40 new food businesses.
MORE THAN 2,400 JOBS ANNOUNCED

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TOURISM DIVISION VISITS COLQUITT-MILLER COUNTY
The Tourism Product Development team met with community leaders to explore tourism potential in Colquitt-Miller County. This visit brought stakeholders together and enlightened them on the significant opportunities for cultural heritage tourism in the area. The team will create a report to support the community in developing product.

ND THE

TOURISM DIVISION HOSTED 47 NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MEDIA TOURS AROUND GEORGIA

GLOBE

SHANDONG-GEORGIA INVESTMENT COOPERATION SEMINAR PROMOTES COLLABORATION IN THE AREAS OF ENERGY PRODUCTION, FINANCE, TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND LOGISTICS

Keurig Green Mountain's new manufacturing center will support the production of pods for the company's new Keurig Cold platform. Keurig Green Mountain will also partner with Georgia-based Coca-Cola to collaborate on the development and introduction of CocaCola's global brand portfolio for use in the Keurig Cold beverage system.
JUNE

01 Expanded newsroom launched on Georgia.org.

15 Newly redesiged interactive vacation and travel planning site launched, ExploreGeorgia.org.

19

Keurig Green Mountain creates 550 jobs in Douglas County.

23 Eighteen Georgia companies, universities and organizations, including the CDC, exhibit at BIO 2014, a 19 global biotechnology event.

Georgia Department of Economic Development

75 Fifth Street NW | Suite 1200 | Atlanta, GA 30308 - USA | +1.404.962.4000 | Georgia.org

20