Chamber looking for Caterpillar impact in Barrow

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Chamber looking for Caterpillar impact in Barrow

Posted by

Mike Buffington

in County Government Archives, Top Stories & Breaking News

Thursday, March 1. 2012

Comments (7)

Back-to-back announcements by two leading manufacturers that are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in new Northeast Georgia facilities have sent local officials scrambling to figure out how Barrow County might benefit from its neighbors’ big wins. Tommy Jennings, president of the Barrow County Chamber of Commerce, said Tuesday that he had heard late last year that a major announcement would be forthcoming in Jackson County. Toyota Industry Corp. announced Jan. 31 that it would build a $350 million plant with 320 new jobs in Pendergrass off Interstate 85.

But Jennings said he was caught completely off guard less than three weeks later when on Feb. 17, Caterpillar Inc. announced plans for a 1-million-square-foot manufacturing plant and distribution center on a prime industrial site that straddles Clarke and Oconee counties very close to Barrow County. That Illinois-based company is investing $200 million and will create 1,400 jobs over the first five years of operations. Company officials predict that companies serving the new Caterpillar plant will bring another 2,800 jobs to the region.

Jennings and others are calling Caterpillar’s plans a “game changer” not only for the region and the Highway 316 corridor, but also for Barrow County.

Meanwhile, candidate Pat Graham who is running for the Barrow County Board of Commissioners chairman's seat echoed the potential impact of Caterpillar on Barrow, but said the county government needs to be fixed to take advantage of the opportunity.

For both stories, see the Feb. 29 issue of the Barrow Journal.

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#1 Not a Dime's Difference on 03/01/12 at 12:16 PM [Reply]

Hope you like your table scrapes Barrow...

Why did Cat go to Athens?

So many empty railroad spurs...

So many empty factories that could have been re-tooled / re-purposed...

Why build from scratch in Athens?

Many be its in the paper almost every week?

A BOC Fighting with each other No Matter How Much it Costs...

A BOC Fighting to run off Small Business No Matter How Much it Costs...

Guess What the BOC has cost the County now...

Why would any Business even think of investing in Barrow?

So, Hope you enjoy your table scrapes...

More Trucks...

More Trains...

Driving through Barrow to deliver their goods (Money) to any where But Barrow.

#2 Anonymous on 03/01/12 at 02:33 PM [Reply]

I am a real estate broker. I know for a fact that CAT looked at two tracks of land in Barrow County. One off Hwy 211 near I85 and another off 316. After a brief study of Barrow government, school system, fire protection, etc. They decided Barrow was not for them. Originally it was said the study would take approximately a month. They came back with their answer in 5 days.

#2.1 tract on 03/01/12 at 03:29 PM [Reply]

What, pray tell, is a "track" of land? I know you don't have to pass a spelling test to be a real estate broker, but ye flippin' godz!

#3 Anonymous on 03/01/12 at 02:39 PM [Reply]

"But Jennings said he was caught completely off guard" HAHAHA, there is part of Barrows problem right there!!!

#4 Intheno on 03/01/12 at 06:16 PM [Reply]

Barrow needs a retired person for BOC chairman, well educated,leader that can deal with different views and opinions, but one that is consilatory,that is comfortable at the business round table and has never held public office. At 25k a year, Barrow would be well blessed.

#5 Track of Land? on 03/01/12 at 08:00 PM [Reply]

Yankee eh? If you have to ask then it's not worth explaining it to you. Trust us, that IS a phrase. Caught completely off guard? Welcome to Banks Co ah wait didn't you say Barrow Co?

#6 Sybil on 03/02/12 at 08:14 AM [Reply]

What have the Chamber of Commerce and the Industrial Authority been doing? Looks like NOTHING.

In their defense, however, they do have to deal with a poor school system, ridiculous BOC, and a general "if you weren't born here, go away" mentality.

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