Industry Focus

Laurens County is in the heart of the Sunbelt. The extended growing season and logistical infrastructure has supported a local agricultural industry utilizing more than 198,000 acres of land that includes over 10,000 acres of irrigation.

Beyond the primary crops of peanuts, cotton, wheat, soybeans, corn and timber, the world’s agribusiness sectors have evolved out of technological advancements and commercial need – and Laurens County and nearby neighbors have met the industry’s challenges.

For example, new technologies converting pine-fell into ethanol has resulted in an announcement of a new, investor and federally supported plant to sit on the southern Laurens County border in Truetlan County. The site was selected because of the amount of timber in that County and the available workforce and lifestyle amenities of Dublin – which will be a mere ten minutes from the facility.

Bio-fuel and renewable technology companies will find a home in Laurens County. Investors with a keen eye for opportunity are familiar faces in the community.

In addition, as the 9-County region’s medical hub and the state-of-the-art Carl Vinson V.A. Medical Center has ushered in a new era in the allied health industries. For example, more than $4,000,000 has been recently allocated strictly to create new nurse stations to serve the region.

Many industries thrive in Laurens County. In 2007, the Dublin-Laurens County Economic Development Authority funded third-party research to determine target industries that are ideal partners to existing local, growth-oriented companies. The findings of this research are described in the subsequent pages of this Industry Focus section.

Light Manufacturing

Laurens County has the resources and a history of supporting ‘light and clean’ manufacturers such as Parker Aerospace, MAGE SOLAR USA, Flexsteel Industries, QBT Industrial Fabricators, YKK AP, and Steelfab of Dublin. Resources include – but are not limited to:

• A very skilled workforce

• Cost-of-living ratio that supports a great lifestyle and a comparatively low wage rate

• Available and inexpensive electricity and utilities

• Access to five Interstates, two regional ports, two major railways and three commercial airports

In addition, Georgia Quick Start functions successfully at Oconee Fall Line Technical College providing newly locating companies access to facilities, recruitment services, interviewing offices, and training facilities before even breaking ground.

A fine example of the community’s manufacturing industry – currently consisting of over 25 national and international firms – is this quote from Bob Murphy, former Director of Automation for Rockwell Automation:

“Rockwell Automation has benefited tremendously for over 20 years by having one of the finest advanced technology industrial automation workers in the world – and we have Dublin, Georgia to thank for it! The difference is in our people who are young, energetic and east to train which makes our future look great."

Transportation and Logistics

There is a reason that Dublin-Laurens County is home to several large distribution centers like Fred’s, Best Buy, Farmers Home Furniture, and New Holland North American Logistics hub:

• An internationally recognized, zero-cost workforce-training program

• A transportation infrastructure that includes access to five major Interstates, three commercial airports, two major railways, and two regional ports.

• Very affordable land.

• A 300-mile roadway radius that includes major metros in all of Georgia and South Carolina; and including Tallahassee and Jacksonville, Florida; Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama; and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

• A 600-mile roadway radius as far as Memphis, Tennessee; New Orleans, Louisiana; Miami, Florida; and Richmond, Virginia.

According to the magazine Southern Business & Development:

Dublin/Laurens County, we’ve found, is one of the most friendly, dedicated and attractive places to live and work that we’ve seen in eight years of traveling the South. Officials with the county don’t just talk about he present when touting their location’s appeal to business. They talk about their commitment now as well as down the road. And for any forward thinking industry executive, that’s where the rubber meets the road.

For example, one of Dublin/Laurens County’s most notable corporate announcements came in January (2000) when Best Buy, the nation’s leading retailer of consumer electronics, announced it would build a $40 million, 700,000 square-foot distribution center in the county. At the announcement ceremony, a Best Buy official said, ‘Once we decided to build in a city we’re going to be there for a very, very long time,’ In response, a Laurens County official stated, ‘We’re going to be good partners with you not only today, but 10 years, 20 years, 30 years from now.’ While you may think to yourself that’s a standard response, you’re right, it is. However, there is a certain honesty about Dublin/Laurens County that’s hard to explain. It’s an intangible that’s…. well, a tangible. Our experience with Dublin officials has convinced us that when they say there are going to be with you down the road, they mean it!

Back Office

Laurens County is the regional hub for retail, medical, and industry. As home to SP Newsprint and the Courier-Herald Publishing Company among many smaller firms founded in the County, back-office support operations have been an integral part of the regional economy based upon:

• A skilled workforce

• State-of-the art communications infrastructure

• Abundant availability in office space

• Low taxes, utilities, and cost of living

As the community grows in a variety of directions, growth predictors have indicated that the County is poised to serve business and financial service industries in a variety of corporate functions including finance and accounting, application processing, and technical support.

Dublin-Laurens County is proud to be a ‘low cost location,’ defined as a community with low tax structures and attractive regulatory environments. This coupled with a remarkable cost of living ratio in exchange for progressive quality of life amenities makes the County a fantastic opportunity for organizations seeking a perfect balance between profitability and comfort.

Life Sciences

Laurens County has regional stronghold in human health services, agricultural advancement, and industrial workforce.

Almost 20% of the local workforce is part of the Health Care and Social Services Industry equating to nearly 10,000 qualified health care professionals – not including the number of students hitting maximum program capacity at Heart of Georgia Technical College. Combine this with an economy based on specialty technological manufacturing, and one can attribute an additional 5,000 qualified individuals available to serve medical manufacturers, testing services, and R&D in Laurens County alone!

The Carl Vinson V.A. Medical Center provides federal institutional research presence in the fields of ambulatory care, pharmacy, cardiopulmonary, optometry, mental health, radiology, nuclear medicine and podiatry.

For private ventures, local financial institutions and a venture capital firm support the Life Sciences industry. In addition, Georgia 's Intellectual Capital Partnership Program (ICAPP) is an economic development program of the University System of Georgia (USG) that brings together the intellectual resources of the state’s public colleges and universities, including four research universities, with the business community. Members of the ICAPP staff and economic development leaders and representatives from each campus, including two institutions in Dublin, provide access to college-educated employees, the latest research, feedback and direction to business and operations.

Needless to say, Laurens County has the people and viability to serve a variety of health and medical service and manufacturing industries.