Gwinnett's success at attracting new jobs for local residents is drawing regional and national attention. Since 2006, commissioners have stressed the importance of creating more new jobs close to home.
The Atlanta Business Chronicle put it this way: "Landing NCR Corp.'s headquarters has put Gwinnett County on the map as a national destination for Fortune 500 companies, its economic development officials hope."
"It's long been home to AGCO Corp. (NYSE: AG), an $8.4 billion in sales, international agricultural equipment maker. Last July, car dealer chain Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. (NYSE: ABG) moved its headquarters from New York. Just before that, one of Atlanta's most promising solar energy startups, Suniva, Inc., settled there. And three years ago, Hewlett-Packard Co. opened a big data center." (6/5/09)
Asbury President and CEO Charles Oglesby said, "We are making progress with the move of Asbury's headquarters from New York to Atlanta, and now expect our corporate restructuring program to produce annualized savings of approximately $4.5 million, up from our previous estimate of $3.5 million." Asbury currently operates 89 retail auto stores, encompassing 122 franchises for the sale and servicing of 36 different brands of American, European and Asian automobiles.
Other recent economic development wins include a new ADMA BioCenter facility, YesVideo, and the expanded North American headquarters of Habasit NG, a Swiss manufacturer of belts for power transmission, conveyors and processing equipment.
Spearheading the recruitment is Partnership Gwinnett based at the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce. They've helped dozens of companies to expand or relocate here, creating thousands of jobs and new investments of hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past year alone. A trade mission by three local officials to Korea and China in June is expected to close at least one more major deal for Gwinnett.
The Wall Street Journal reported: "Major companies have been relocating to the Southeast for decades -- lured by tax breaks, nonunion work forces, and, increasingly, ports, railroads and highway systems. But now Southern states are attempting to leverage the downturn to promote the region as more attractive during hard times -- especially compared to the Rust Belt and other regions where the economy is suffering most." (2/13/09)
NCR Chairman and CEO Bill Nuti told the media their move "is about skilled labor, a great place to live, and access to great facilities and academic institutions." He also pointed out that, "We've been in Gwinnett since 1970 and we're excited about staying and building a great future in Gwinnett County."
The Atlanta Business Chronicle summed up recent developments with these words: "The relocation of NCR Corp. from rusty Dayton to shiny Duluth will bestow more than jobs and dollars on metro Atlanta. The imprimatur of the Fortune 500 technology firm on the region will be its real legacy." (6/5/09)
Here are links to several news stories about NCR's relocation to Gwinnett County:
The Wall Street Journal (06/13 – Page A4) "Southern States Poach Businesses Amid Downturn"
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124485634480511841.html
Atlanta Business Chronicle (front page) "Tax incentives helped create 'tipping point' for Gwinnett"
http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/06/08/story3.html
Atlanta Business Chronicle (front page) "NCR a huge technology win"
http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2009/06/08/story1.html
View a Video Press Release produced by Partnership Gwinnett about NCR's announcement to relocate its corporate headquarters to Gwinnett County: http://www.youtube.com/thegwinnettchamber
