$16 M Awarded To Boost Georgia Business

More than $16-million in grant money is headed for boosting economic development around the state.

The money comes from the OneGeorgia Authority, which uses tobacco settlement money to help rural counties and towns attract new companies. The money also helps expand existing business and boost public infrastructure.

Of the several counties getting money, four are for economic projects connected to the new KIA plant—about $7-million combined.

The Governor’s office says the grant money awarded to all projects statewide will lead to the creation of more than 2,000 jobs combined over three years.

Georgia Drives Closer to English-only License Testing

Georgia is moving towards becoming the first state in the country to mandate English-only tests for driver's licenses. And members of the business community are worried that the proposal could cost the state money in commerce.

The plan would require English only tests for permanent driver's licenses. Right now, the state offers individual driver's license tests in 12 languages other than English. But Republican Senator Jack Murphy is concerned that people who can't read the signs written in English are driving in harm's way. He says that's all Senate Bill 67 aims to fix.

"It is purely a safety issue. It has not a anti-immigrant bill and I take exception to the people that're saying that."

One of the people criticizing the bill is Peter Isbister, who's with the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund. He says the bill could have a chilling effect on economic development in Georgia, tempting businesses to look elsewhere for expansion. Issbisster points to the city of Nashville, Tennessee, where a similar proposal was rejected.

"When we see foreign investors comparing and evaluating where they want to where to go, where they want to invest, I think the message that Nashville is sending is a much more attractive one than Georgia will be sending with this bill."

That's why Issbister and other opponents of the bill wore stickers that read "SB67 equals Kia, Go Home."

Korean auto-maker Kia Motors plans to open a 2,200-acre manufacturing plant in West Point later this year.

Helen Kim is with the Korean American Coalition in Atlanta. She says the bill is sending the wrong message to:

"...hard-working families and individuals that live here - Korean and other immigrant citizens and residents, but especially to these international companies like Kia and Sandy Corporation that have been courted actively by the state to come here, bring jobs, invest money." 

Right now, about 5,000 people per month request testing in a language other than English, according to the Georgia Department of Driver Services. If the bill does become law, temporary driving permits could still be given in another language.

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PSC Approves Pipeline To Feed Kia Plant

State approval has been given for a natural gas pipeline to fuel the Kia Motors plant under construction in west Georgia. The 12.5 mile line will connect to an existing line already feeding LaGrange.

Under terms of Publis Service Commission approval, the city of LaGrange must provide construction and economic data within 30 days. An operations safety plan is also required for Coweta County.

The KIA plant in West Point is scheduled to open at the end of this year--capable of building 300,000 vehicles at full capacity.

In a statement, PSC Chairman Doug Everett says the new pipeline will promote west Georgia’s economic development.

Kia Supplier Applicants Hoping Skill Counts More Than Luck

Sign with the slogan: "If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It," guiding applicants to parking slots at Sewon's job fair at West Georgia Technical College at Lagrange, Ga., Feb. 9, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Thousands of job applicants are hoping for a shot at a spot with a major supplier for Kia's car plant under construction in western Georgia.

Hundreds of hopeful job applicants waiting their turn to fill in applications at West Georgia Technical College at Lagrange, for positions with Sewon on Monday, Feb. 9, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender)

John Wade Riddle of Lagrange has been unemployed for several months. He worked for 25-years in a carpet mill, and hopes to make the switch to the auto industry:

”I’m hoping. I mean, they’re hiring 700 people, and we had about 6-700 this morning, from the looks of it, you know. But I’m hoping, with my background and everything, hoping they’re looking for someone with a little experience.”

Riddle just applied with Sewon America which needs people to build body parts for Kia’s assembly line in nearby West Point.

A Georgia Department of Labor team member guides job applicants waiting on line at West Georgia Technical College at Lagrange, to rooms where they'll apply for positions with Sewon on Monday, Feb. 9, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Overall, officials expect some 4,000 people to apply during the three day job fair at West Georgia Technical College.

Some started lining up at midnight from as far away as Louisiana, Alabama and other parts of Georgia.

A translator (not visible here) assisted Spanish-speaking applicants in filling out forms at a table outside the application center. (Photo: Dave Bender)

John Johnson drove down early this morning from Douglasville, west of Atlanta.

But he’s a bit discouraged by the sheer number of people in line ahead of and behind him who all have the same idea:

"…not with nine million people [who are] going to be here! Brother – you got a lot of people out of work – point blank."

With five mouths to feed, Johnson is betting his 20-years experience in auto paint and bodywork increase his chances.

He’s not thrilled about the ten dollar an hour starting salary, listed on a company flyer (see image below).


Sewon job application form. Click on image for close-up. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Johnson says his experience should count for something, and make his hour-long commute worthwhile. Looking over the starting salary chart, he says:

"...hopefully more pay than what they're talking about on this paper, ‘cause experience is what counts – well, what used to count. Nowadays, experience don’t mean nothin’."

Job seekers fill in application forms in a classroom at West Georgia Technical College at Lagrange, for positions with Sewon on Monday, Feb. 9, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender)

As applicants hand over their forms, they pass by a Sewon promotional film showing happy Korean Sewon employees.

"Sewon’s bold challenges are just the beginning…" an announcer says.

Those at the fair will find out in the next few weeks, if they’ll join their ranks.

Labor department spokesman Sam Hall says the department processed more than 300 applications by midmorning today. Hundreds are still waiting to turn theirs in.

All applicants must have a high school diploma or equivalent and manufacturing experience is preferred. The Quick Start office in LaGrange is accepting applications from 8 AM to 9 PM through Wednesday.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the Kia facility, and its suppliers.

Job Seekers Flood LaGrange

Job seekers flooded a state employment office in LaGrange this morning, hopeful of landing one of 600 positions to be filled for a new KIA auto supplier. Sewon America has positions in stamping, production and assembly for its operations--in support of the KIA plant being built in West Point. The Georgia Quick Start office in LaGrange began accepting applications at 8am today. They'll be accepted through Wednesday, until 9pm each day.

KIA, Suppliers Promise Fall Rollout, Despite Sluggish Economy

Kia Motors’ HR chief Randy Jackson says the Korea-based automaker is still on track to open their 2-million sq.-ft. West Point facility in late ’09.

“We’re still hanging our hat on that launch date late this year,” Jackson told GlobalAtlanta.

The company is working closely with Georgia’s Quick Start to train and qualify some 2,500 production line workers to build SUV’s at the $1.2 billion facility, as well as more than 6,000 employees for a number of tier-one suppliers.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the Kia car plant.

Columbus Job Fair: Officials Optimistic, Despite Cuts

Applicants looking for work throng the hall of the Columbus Trade and Convention Center, on Thursday, Feb. 5, 1009. (Photo: Dave Bender)

More than 2,500 job-seekers attended a job fair held in Columbus Thursday. Employers from the area, as well as out-of-state and national firms were at the event, held at the city’s convention center.

Department of Labor officials say some 55 companies, from Aflac and local hospitals, to local and Atlanta MARTA police departments, to Georgia Power and employment agencies are taking job applications.


Miguel Flores (facing) of Fort Benning assists a job-seeker at the Columbus job fair, on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009. (Photo: Dave Bender)

Fort Benning's Warrior Transition Battalion has a representative here as well, to aid troops in making the sometimes complex conversion from uniform to civvies.

There are also representatives from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in nearby Lumpkin, and the Florida Highway Patrol.

The large-scale fair is held several times a year, and Labor Department officials say while the turnout by employers is a little more than half last year's showing – they’re optimistic that employers and applicants will be introduced to each other.


Applicants submitting resumes to company online websites. (Photo: Dave Bender)

To that end, they’ve set up a bank of computers for applicants to go directly to the companies’ websites, and set up interviews there, as well.

Many of the job-seekers are either in, or soon after college, and some have recently completed military service.

Celeste Edge of Columbus is looking has a degree in Communications and wants a position in her field:

"It’s been ok; I’ve talked to a couple of people who seem a little promising, like the hospital and one of the staffing agencies who thinks they might be able to place me – but, you know – I’m just hoping for the best."

There were many resumes and handshakes, and many people filled in applications online.

Jim Huntzinger of the DOL is one of the fair’s organizers, and says they’re trying hard to lower jobless rates:

"We have 55 employers here, with, as i say, with the economic situation, is, I think, fantastic. And it’s 55 employers that have jobs."

Some came away frustrated from the experience, though.

Eric Harris of Columbus recently finished the Army and is studying criminal law at Troy University; he got a lot of what he calls “headnoes”:

"...that’s everybody shaking their heads, saying, ‘No; go online; we don’t have any applications, we’re not hiring…so it’s like, I’m very discouraged at this point so I’m just thinking about dropping school and going back in the military – and I’m, not the only one feeling like this. There’s a lot of others in there stressing the same thing about their feeling the same disappointment at this job fair – they need to do better."

About 3,000 people turned out for last year's job fair, and Department of Labor officials say they’ll hold a similar job fair in May.

Kia Motors' tier-one supplier, Sewon American, will accept applications for 400 to 600 production workers for a car parts factory that will open in a few months.

They'll be taking applications next week in Lagrange.

The Kia plant in West Point is about half an hour north of Columbus, and is set to open its doors in the late fall.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the job situation.

Kia Supplier, Quick Start Ink Jobs Deal

A major Kia Motors supplier has signed a deal with Georgia’s Quick Start training program to prepare hundreds of production workers.

Korea's Sewon, state and local officials attended the agreement ceremony which will train upwards of 600 workers for their Lagrange plant.

Sean McMillan, director of Quick Start's western operations says the signing is a positive step in a gloomy jobs market:

"In the times that we're living in now, with the economy being front and center, and a lot of negativity that's being heard by the public, [it's] a great, great ray of hope for many people in this community to have an opportunity to go back to work."

The firm plans to open the 420,000 square-foot factory in April. The plant will make chassis and body parts for the Kia car plant, in nearby West Point.

Trainees will learn the necessary production line skills at West Georgia Technical College.

The Kia plant is slated to begin production this fall.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the Kia operation.

Kia Plant an Example of Jobs, Job Losses

Kia Motors assembly plant and new access road, along I-85 between West Point and LaGrange, Ga., December, 2008. (Dave Bender/file)

As state unemployment rates soar to the highest in a quarter-century, west Georgia is seeing both business development -- and recession over the new Kia auto plant under construction at West Point.

KIA and state officials unveil Now Hiring! sign at ceremony at West Georgia Technical College, Jan. 8, 2008. (Dave Bender/file)

The Latest Georgia Department of Labor statistics say almost 400,000 Georgians are looking for work.

Jobless numbers for December doubled to over eight percent since the same period the previous year.

In Columbus, a prospective Kia supplier is canceling a planned facility after changing owners. That plant would have brought 350 jobs to the city to make car parts.

Despite the gloomy figures, Mike Gaymon of the Columbus Chamber of Commerce says west Georgia will weather the recession better than much of Georgia:

"Within the next couple of quarters, you'll see the economy in our region start to come out quicker than the state; which will probably be followed sometime later on in 0-10. So, based upon all the primary jobs that will be coming into play, over the next several months, and within the next six months to a year, our economy we think is poised to be a bright spot in our state and in our region."

One signpost of that recovery is the announcement by another Kia supplier, who plans to open a seat-belt plant in West Point, that will employ 50 people.

Kia officials say the assembly line is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of '09.
Signs of the times in west Georgia. (Dave Bender)


Click here for more GPB News coverage about Georgia's economy.

I-85 interchange now open to new Kia plant

A new interstate interchange in Troup County and related new roads will provide direct access to the new Kia Motors of Georgia plant in West Point. The interchange at Exit 6 of Interstate 85 was completed ahead of schedule and is now open to traffic. The state Department of Transportation said in a statement Tuesday that the new interchange, along with Kia Boulevard and Kia Parkway, will make it much easier to access the area. Georgia DOT urges motorists to call 511 for updated information about any construction project on interstates and state routes.

(Associated Press)

KIA cuts sales forecast

Kia and Hyundai Motors have released a revised joint sales forecast for 2008 that cuts projections by 12.5 percent. In addition, the South Korean automakers will freeze pay for managers given slumping vehicle demand.

Georgia has a keen eye on Kia, given the automaker is building a new plant in west Georgia. The $1.2 billion facility is expected to employ 2,500 workers.

The plant under construction in West Point is scheduled to open in November 2009. Company officials have consistently said the plant will open on-time, despite weakening economic conditions in the United States. This is to be Kia’s first plant in the U.S. Hyundai has a plant in neighboring Alabama. Kia is a Hyundai affiliate.

Automotive suppliers in Georgia

The future of America's three auto companies hangs in the balance in Congress. The automotive industry has a huge impact on Georgia's economy. From parts to suppliers, the effects of trouble in that sector could be widely felt here. But who they're making parts for could cushion the blow.
The state is home to more than 300 parts manufacturers and suppliers. The companies make everything from electric window mechanisms, to auto glass and bed liners.
According to the Georgia department of Economic Development more than 23-thousand people work for these companies. Heidi green is the Deputy Commissioner for Global Commerce. She says suppliers here are somewhat insulated because they also make parts for foreign cars, produced in the south.

"They may be seeing some excess capacity with one company, but VW, which you know, numbers were very, very strong this last quarter, provides them with an opportunity to use up some of that existing capacity that they might have. That's the advantage that some of these parts companies have that maybe an automotive company doesn't."

Green says construction on the Kia plant in West point is going full steam ahead and that close to 4-thousand supplier jobs will come from that.

Kia assembly plant interchange opens

Kia Motors assembly plant and new access road, along I-85 between West Point and LaGrange, Ga., December, 2008. (Dave Bender)

The interchange and connecting roads allow direct access to the Kia Motors assembly plant, between West Point and LaGrange in Troup Co.

GDOT Commissioner Gena Evans said at a ceremony held Wednesday at the site that the $80.7 million project was completed over a month ahead of its 18-month schedule:

“This effort proves that design-build can be successful when applied to the right projects,” Evans said. “Georgia DOT is proud to have played a role in helping to bring new jobs and improved mobility to the area. It is a great day for West Point, Troup County and the entire State of Georgia.”

The project includes new frontage and access roads, two new bridges, improvements to connecting roadways and new traffic signals, according to a statement from the Governor’s Office, and is largest GDOT construction project so far.

Officials say the $1.2 billion plant will employ more than 2,500 employees. and is scheduled to open in November, 2009.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the Kia facility.

Kia closes in Athens

A Kia car dealership in Athens has closed after six years of business. Jane Sykes with the Southeast Automotive Group, the dealership's parent company, said the store closed Thursday. Sykes says the operation is being consolidated with the Gwinnett Place Kia dealership about 50 miles west of Athens in Duluth. Sykes says some employees will be transferred to the Gwinnett Place store. Sykes was unsure how many workers were at the Athens dealership. The dealership opened in 2002.

(Associated Press)

Major Kia parts en route to West Point

The first load of some 3,500 tons of heavy-duty car-making gear reached the Kia Motors plant under construction in West Point Tuesday.

Two giant metal-stamping presses and other equipment arrived at Savannah Port last week, and will be trucked cross-state to West Point. They’ll be installed at the Korean automaker’s first US plant, due to open in early 2009.

“This is a great example of how Georgia’s strengths enable our successes in economic development,” Gov. Sonny Perdue said is a statement released Monday.

“From our ports to our highways to QuickStart’s work force training, Georgia has all the advantages that global companies look for in a place to create new jobs and new investment,” Perdue said.

128 separate tractor-trailer loads will ferry the gear 300 miles cross-state to the factory site, officials said.

Kia’s $1.2 billion plant is expected to employ some 2,500 workers, and is considered an economic powerhouse for west Georgia.

“The arrival of these presses inside the state of Georgia is another huge step for Kia as we get closer to going into production in West Point,” said Randy Jackson, Kia’s director of human resources and administration.

Secondary and tertiary suppliers are gradually moving into the area, and are expected to boost overall employment figures to some 6,000 jobs for the assembly line and related industries.

“It takes quite an effort between Kia and various state agencies to coordinate the transport of such a large shipment, but Georgia’s ability to facilitate such an effort is one of the main reasons we’re here,” Jackson said in a statement.

Company officials tout that the assembly line will be able to produce 300,000 vehicles annually.

Click here for more GPB News coverage about the Kia plant.

Traffic delays possible as Kia brings in equipment

Georgia State Patrol will escort a machine weighing over six-hundred-thousand pounds and occupying two lanes of traffic to the new Kia plant in West Point tonight.

The machine, along with other equipment, arrived at the Port of Savannah last week.

The Georgia Department of Transportation expects delays late tonight and into the early morning as the one-hundred-twenty-eight loads head to the South Korean auto-maker’s plant.

(Macon Telegraph)

Major KIA equipment arrives in Georgia

The first major assembly equipment for the Kia plant in west Georgia has arrived in the state. A ship with 3,500 tons of auto manufacturing equipment arrived in Savannah this week from South Korea. It will make its way across the state in the new few weeks, headed for the 1.2 billion dollar plant under construction in West Point. The equipment will be put together into two large presses that form various panels for the KIA vehicles.

New Kia supplier touts $15M factory

Front car seat frame. (Courtesy, Johnson Controls)

Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls Incorporated is building a $15 million automotive interior parts plant at West Point, in western Georgia.

The factory will produce seat and door panels for Kia vehicles to be built at the Korean carmaker's $1.2 billion assembly plant nearby.

The firm says the plant will employ over 300 people when it reaches full production.
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Signs on the road to completing the Kia car plant. (file/Dave Bender)

Construction of the 130,000-square-foot plant will begin next week, according to officials.

The Kia plant is set to open in 2009.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the Kia plant.

Georgia economic forecast not so rosy

A leading economic forecaster says Georgia’s economy will continue to misfire just like the rest of the nation for the near future.

Rising gas prices...the credit crunch...the housing downturn...it’s all part of the lethal mix of factors in what Rajeev Dhawan is calling a recession for Georgia and the nation.

The director of Georgia State University’s Economic Forecasting Center compares where the state is hurting to other areas of the country:

"If you look at the job losses, they’re not terrible like the national. The loss in home prices is not as terrible as in Florida and California. But when you look at the revenue growth turnaround…that’s been a drastic one. It’s gone from a positive 5-6 percent to a negative 5-6 percent in a span of 6-8 months".

And the state’s revenue drain is being felt in university towns. Dhawan says as schools experience cutbacks, the trickle-down seeps into the communities.

Dhawan says only west Georgia is feeling an upswing in its local economy, given the construction of the KIA plant and its related business. Other regions of the state are in a holding pattern, such as ports and tourism along the coast.

Another KIA suppliers announced for West Point

Governor Sonny Perdue announced today that Kia supplier

Powertech America plans to locate on the Kia site in West Point

The move bringls 350 job. That brings the expected job total for the car plant to 6,200 jobs.

Powertech America makes transmissions. It’s parent company in Hyandai Perowertech.

Hyundai Powertech is affiliated with Hyundai Motors,

Kia Motors Corp. and Hyundai Mobis.