Georgia

The state has recently welcomed locations by Pirelli Tire in Rome, Procter & Gamble in Albany and Kwikset in Waynesboro. But it also makes maximum use of its relatively brief expanse of coastline when it comes to using the Atlantic to propel the economy. The Georgia Port Authority's Garden City Terminal in Savannah features the largest single-terminal complex with the longest contiguous dock on the U.S. East Coast. Over the last three years, the Georgia Ports Authority has undertaken capital projects totaling more than $100 million. That activity has directly impacted corporate location decisions, as evidenced by the recent expansion by German clothier Hugo Boss, whose 165,000-sq.-ft. (15,329-sq.-m.) import distribution center, on 30 acres (12 hectares), is expected to bring in up to 40 percent of all the firm's imports. Bill Scott, Hugo Boss senior vice president of operations, cited proximity to the port and to both the Savannah and Atlanta airports as key to the location decision, as well as the quick reaction time of the Liberty County Development Authority.
        "When business at Georgia's ports grows, we can in turn reduce our costs and grow our business," says Dick Warner, manager, marine transportation, for Georgia Pacific Corp. His company's shift of 20 percent of container exports from Charleston to Savannah has meant saving on trucking costs for some 4,000 TEUs per year.
        Terry Bunch, director, transportation and distribution, for Rayonier, sounds the same tone, saying that the port's growth has meant "greater accessibility to our clients worldwide than ever before."

Florida

The Port of Jacksonville saw its cargo tonnage reach 6.8 million tons in 2001, a figure certain to rise dramatically this year with the addition of bulk and breakbulk cargoes to its already strong foundation of container and automobile cargo.
        With new agreements signed with major carriers and the expanded marketing of the port in Latin America and other key locations, Jacksonville hopes to make even more of a dent in both South Atlantic and Florida economic development circles. (See "Banking On Sustainable Growth" from September 2002.)
        A two-phase, $31.6-million harbor dredging project is nearly complete, which will only enhance the port's profile among large international carriers and corporate facility locators looking for another inroads to the internally and externally competitive South Atlantic region.