JASPER, FL – Today, the Hamilton County Development Authority (HCDA) announced the sale of a 44-acre HCDA-owned parcel in the Genoa Industrial Park to Southland Wood Recycling, LLC. Southland Wood, of Moultrie Georgia, will develop a wood processing facility creating 45 new jobs with a projected capital investment of $7 million. The project is expected to create 75 new jobs at completion.
“This is another momentous project win for Hamilton County,” said Susan Ramsey, executive director of the HCDA. “Our focus is to continue to bring meaningful industry and employment to Hamilton County and this project highlights our logistical strengths and business-friendly environment.”
“The site, the bottom-line advantages and the team all made Hamilton County the ideal location for expansion of our business,” said Lucius Moore, President of Southland Wood. “We are thankful for the support of the HCDA and we are looking forward to our continued success in the community.”
Southland Wood Recycling considered locations throughout North Florida and Southeast Georgia but selected Hamilton County because of its location, aggressive economic development team and the county’s commitment to job creation.
“The Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners is thrilled by Southland Wood’s selection of Hamilton County and we look forward to the opportunity it will offer our citizens,” said Beth Burnam, Chair of the Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners. “We would like to thank the Development Authority for their continued efforts to promote economic development in Hamilton County.”
Industry and investment attraction activities are working in Hamilton County. According to the latest data from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment has increased 6.8 percent and wages have increased by 12.1 percent to $41,901 over the proceeding four quarters at the end of 2017.[1]
“Our community and our Authority have demonstrated relentless commitment to job creation and economic development efforts,” said Nat Combass, Chair of the HCDA. “We go above and beyond to provide a location that benefits businesses of all sizes and increases the economic prosperity of our residents.”
The investment highlights Hamilton County’s location strengths with interstate access to major transportation routes and within a four-hour drive to cities such as Atlanta, Jacksonville, Pensacola, Orlando, Tampa and Savannah. The community offers access to markets and customers in some of the Southeast’s biggest metro areas at a fraction of the cost.
“The sale of the Genoa Site is another demonstration of Hamilton County Development Authority’s forward-looking skills and regional leadership,” said Peter Antonacci, President & CEO of Enterprise Florida. “The transaction keeps Hamilton County on the map for site selectors looking for the ideal business destination.”
Construction on the projected is expected to begin quickly and site preparation and clearing is scheduled to begin next week. In addition, prior to production, the project will hire temporary, construction related jobs which will be announced and the HCDA will be assisting Southland Wood in the application process for those jobs.
[1] JobsEQ: Derived from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
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