Georgia ranked third among the Top States for Doing Business
By: Geraldine Gambale
Area Development Magazine
Georgia’s Leading Workforce Training Program Lands the State in Third Overall. Georgia ranked third among the Top States for Doing Business. Its consistent, high-level performance is the result of a pro-business government and diverse economy, including aerospace, agribusiness, IT, advanced manufacturing, and logistics and distribution. The life sciences industry continues to show strong gains in the state, generating about $23 billion annually toward the GDP and employing more than 100,000 workers.
Global life-science players continue to invest in Georgia – for example, Baxter International recently broke ground on a new manufacturing facility east of Atlanta near Covington. This $1 billion facility will employ about 1,500 people and manufacture plasma-based therapies for chronic and life-threatening illnesses.
“Strategic economic growth in Georgia can be traced back to the state’s vast range of competitive resources that keep Georgia top of mind for businesses here and around the world,” says Chris Cummiskey, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
Not surprisingly, Georgia ranked first for its overall labor climate. Georgia’s well-known Quick Start Employee Training program is a big reason the responding consultants ranked Georgia best in the country for its work force development programs. Quick Start provides customized work force programs that assess, select, and train workers for qualified companies investing in the state. These free services are powerful, cost-saving incentives for companies that are interested in building new operations or expanding. Incidentally, the new Baxter International campus will also be home to a biotech training center that will be owned by Georgia and operated by Georgia Quick Start, providing qualified workers for Baxter and other bioscience companies in the state.
Georgia also tied for third place for its speed of permitting. It is one of the few states whose environmental permitting program is consolidated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the issuance of federal permits, a one-stop process that provides faster turnaround than most states. This includes all permits issued by the Federal Clean Water, Clean Air, and Safe Drinking Water acts – reducing red tape and saving valuable time.
“From our talented work force to comprehensive incentives and other business assets, Georgia takes intentional steps to make certain businesses in our state can compete in the global marketplace,” says Cummiskey. And Georgia ranks highly for accessing that marketplace – second among the Top States for Doing Business for its overall infrastructure and global access.
Click here for original article.