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Locating the Rivian EV plant on the former site of the GM/Delphi battery plant in Fitzgerald down in South Georgia is a good idea.
Though, the problem with attempting to place such a facility in that kind of location (more than 20 miles from the nearest Interstate superhighway in a small city located more than 180 miles south of Atlanta in rural South Georgia) is that the corporate leaders of a company like Rivian (which is based in Irvine, California in Orange County in the suburbs south of Los Angeles) most likely would not find such an isolated location to be appealing.
Many of these outside corporations that target a state like Georgia for expansion most often seem to want their facilities to be closer to Atlanta (at least within 75-100 miles of Atlanta, if not in metro Atlanta itself) so that their corporate leaders can have at least reasonably good access to both the world’s busiest airport (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport) and the cosmopolitan amenities of a large major metropolitan area like Atlanta.
Many of these outside corporations that target a state like Georgia for expansion of their operations most often also seem to want their facilities to be located immediately next to or very near an Interstate superhighway or in an area that they think will give them good access to a superhighway of some kind.
Some good fairly recent examples of this are:
> The Kia West Point Assembly in West Georgia, which is located directly alongside I-85 about 77 miles southwest of Atlanta...
> The new SK Innovation electric vehicle battery manufacturing complex, which recently located 2 new manufacturing plants directly alongside I-85 more than 65 miles northeast of Atlanta in explosively growing Jackson County...
> Caterpillar, which recently located their construction equipment manufacturing plant about 61 miles east-northeast of Downtown Atlanta just outside of Athens in Bogart, Georgia near Georgia State Route 316, which is being upgraded to a fully grade-separated controlled-access superhighway between metro Atlanta (Lawrenceville) and Athens...
> Mercedes-Benz, which relocated their North American headquarters from North New Jersey to a site just off of the Georgia 400 spur superhighway in Sandy Springs in close-in suburban North metro Atlanta...
> Porsche Cars International, which located their North American headquarters in Hapeville right next to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on the property of the former Ford Hapeville Assembly Plant...
> Kubota, a Japanese-based manufacturer of industrial equipment which located its North American headquarters in Gainesville and has opened up a series of multiple manufacturing plants and warehouses very near Interstates 85 and 985 throughout Northeast metro Atlanta and Northeast Georgia (Gainesville, Jefferson, Suwanee) within 60 miles of Atlanta...
> The recently announced (and apparently also strongly opposed) Massachusetts-based Battery Resourcers $43 million battery recycling plant proposed to be the largest in North America and proposed to be in just off of I-20 in Covington, about 35 miles east of Atlanta and about 40 miles from Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.
The “East Atlanta Megasite” in Stanton Springs/Social Circle most likely was very attractive to the corporate leaders of a Southern California-based company like Rivian because it is located directly alongside Interstate 20, only about 45 miles east of Downtown Atlanta and only about 50 miles or so from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Because so many outside investors want to be within at least 100 miles or closer to Atlanta and its world-leading airport, sites in farther-flung parts of the state like rural South Georgia (though probably much less controversial) more than likely would not be viable for most outside investment projects like these.
As always, B2R, you bring up some great and interesting points. Even though the Fitzgerald site was used for over 30 years by GM in the manufacturing of batteries, the overall setup, especially from a cultural and geographical point would likely make it a no go. Even though there are some solid positives such as the manufacturing infrastructure already in place, access to CSX’s main Great Lakes to Florida main rail line via Atlanta and Jacksonville, Wiregrass Technical College as an employee training outlet on the opposite side of the highway, and a sizable pool of available manufacturing workers left behind due to GM, Coachmen, and Shaw Floor Coverings leaving the area, the geography, and the social makeup of the area would make it a hard sale for anyone relocating from any sizable metropolitan area, much less California.
It’s 2 hours from Jacksonville International, 2.5 hours from Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta, and slightly under 4 hours from Orlando International. So it’s not exactly convenient for air travel. One positive as far as air travel is concerned, it is about a 1/2 mile down the highway from a municipal airport that can accommodate corporate jets similar to the ones that land and take off from PDK and Charlie Brown. A logistical nightmare for leisure travel, but actually convenient for corporate flights.
As B2R stated, it’s about a 15- 20 minute drive off of I-75. While not exactly somewhere out in the desert, it’s not like you jump off the exit, go through a couple of traffic lights, and you’re there. Another negative, is that the closest big box retailers other than Walmart, and many restaurant chains are at least 30 minutes away. Albany is roughly an hour away, Macon is an hour plus drive. Savannah and Jacksonville are both around 2 hours away, Metro Atlanta is 2.5 - 3 hours depending on traffic and location. One positive is that most of Florida is a fairly easy drive. In other words, you have to be prepared to drive to enjoy big city amenities.
The biggest issue IMHO, would be cultural. That area of South GA is about as culturally South as any place can be. To those folks, Atlanta is like being somewhere “up north”. Just imagine how a bunch of Californians would assimilate. It’s not a place that’s particularly culturally or educationally open minded. Everything revolves around the church. Schools aren’t terrible, but neither are they highly ranked. Again, not exactly a place for a progressive minded family to live.
Basically, the cultural and geographical negatives outweigh the infrastructure positives the Fitzgerald site offers!!
Locating the Rivian EV plant on the former site of the GM/Delphi battery plant in Fitzgerald down in South Georgia is a good idea.
Though, the problem with attempting to place such a facility in that kind of location (more than 20 miles from the nearest Interstate superhighway in a small city located more than 180 miles south of Atlanta in rural South Georgia) is that the corporate leaders of a company like Rivian (which is based in Irvine, California in Orange County in the suburbs south of Los Angeles) most likely would not find such an isolated location to be appealing.
Many of these outside corporations that target a state like Georgia for expansion most often seem to want their facilities to be closer to Atlanta (at least within 75-100 miles of Atlanta, if not in metro Atlanta itself) so that their corporate leaders can have at least reasonably good access to both the world’s busiest airport (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport) and the cosmopolitan amenities of a large major metropolitan area like Atlanta.
Many of these outside corporations that target a state like Georgia for expansion of their operations most often also seem to want their facilities to be located immediately next to or very near an Interstate superhighway or in an area that they think will give them good access to a superhighway of some kind.
Some good fairly recent examples of this are:
> The Kia West Point Assembly in West Georgia, which is located directly alongside I-85 about 77 miles southwest of Atlanta...
> The new SK Innovation electric vehicle battery manufacturing complex, which recently located 2 new manufacturing plants directly alongside I-85 more than 65 miles northeast of Atlanta in explosively growing Jackson County...
> Caterpillar, which recently located their construction equipment manufacturing plant about 61 miles east-northeast of Downtown Atlanta just outside of Athens in Bogart, Georgia near Georgia State Route 316, which is being upgraded to a fully grade-separated controlled-access superhighway between metro Atlanta (Lawrenceville) and Athens...
> Mercedes-Benz, which relocated their North American headquarters from North New Jersey to a site just off of the Georgia 400 spur superhighway in Sandy Springs in close-in suburban North metro Atlanta...
> Porsche Cars International, which located their North American headquarters in Hapeville right next to Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on the property of the former Ford Hapeville Assembly Plant...
> Kubota, a Japanese-based manufacturer of industrial equipment which located its North American headquarters in Gainesville and has opened up a series of multiple manufacturing plants and warehouses very near Interstates 85 and 985 throughout Northeast metro Atlanta and Northeast Georgia (Gainesville, Jefferson, Suwanee) within 60 miles of Atlanta...
> The recently announced (and apparently also strongly opposed) Massachusetts-based Battery Resourcers $43 million battery recycling plant proposed to be the largest in North America and proposed to be in just off of I-20 in Covington, about 35 miles east of Atlanta and about 40 miles from Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.
The “East Atlanta Megasite” in Stanton Springs/Social Circle most likely was very attractive to the corporate leaders of a Southern California-based company like Rivian because it is located directly alongside Interstate 20, only about 45 miles east of Downtown Atlanta and only about 50 miles or so from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Because so many outside investors want to be within at least 100 miles or closer to Atlanta and its world-leading airport, sites in farther-flung parts of the state like rural South Georgia (though probably much less controversial) more than likely would not be viable for most outside investment projects like these.
While Kubota NA has made a significant commitment to Georgia, its HQ isn't based there. I know, because I interviewed with them back in 2016.
While Kubota NA has made a significant commitment to Georgia, its HQ isn't based there. I know, because I interviewed with them back in 2016.
On their website, Kubota says that their “Kubota Manufacturing Corporation of America” operation is headquartered in Gainesville, Georgia.
Quote:
About Kubota Manufacturing of America
Established in 1988, Kubota Manufacturing of America Corporation (KMA) is headquartered in Gainesville, Georgia. Kubota employs nearly 3,000 Georgia residents in the manufacture and assemble of Kubota-branded zero-turn mowers, sub-compact tractors, and Kubota utility vehicles, distributed and marketed by Kubota Tractor Corporation and its 1,100-strong U.S.-dealer network. For more information on KMA, visit Kubota-KMA.com.
KUBOTA MANUFACTURING OF AMERICA (KMA) HEADQUARTERS: GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA, USA
KMA was formed in 1988 as Kubota's North American manufacturing base. KMA manufactures and assembles Kubota lawn tractors, zero-turn mowers, sub-compact tractors, utility vehicles, loaders, backhoes and other implements. The company is proud to employ 1,200 local American workers. Two master buildings offer 616,000 square feet of manufacturing space. Today, approximately one-half of all Kubota branded equipment sold in the United States is manufactured or assembled in the state of Georgia. KMA recently began an expansion program that will increase production capacity by over 60 percent over five years. This expansion is scheduled to be completed in spring 2017.
Established in 1988, Kubota Manufacturing of America Corporation (KMA) is headquartered in Gainesville, Georgia, a thriving industrial and agricultural community located on Lake Sidney Lanier and the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. KMA typically employs over 1,000 local area residents.
But Kubota’s website also says that their “Tractor Corporation” and “Credit Corporation” operations are headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (which is where I presumed that you may have interviewed with them at), that their “Industrial Equipment” operations are headquartered in Jefferson, Georgia, and that their “Engine of America” operations are headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois.
But Kubota’s website also says that their “Tractor Corporation” and “Credit Corporation” operations are headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (which is where I presumed that you may have interviewed with them at), that their “Industrial Equipment” operations are headquartered in Jefferson, Georgia, and that their “Engine of America” operations are headquartered in Lincolnshire, Illinois.
ATLANTA — David Perdue will come to Morgan County this week to rally opponents of the Rivian plant as part of his campaign for governor.
The Perdue campaign is calling it a “Save Georgia, Stop Soros” event. Perdue will speak at Play Fair Park in Rutledge at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
The announcement said Perdue’s goal is “to stop Soros-funded Rivian and protect rural Georgia.” In a statement Monday morning, the campaign ripped the $5 billion project that is bringing 7,500 jobs to Morgan and Walton counties.
This backwards state will never move forward in anything, job creation, infrastructure, any kind of regional or coordinated development planning. Texas as a state is so much superior in how they coordinate jobs and attract companies and their politics are less polarizing. You don't see the extreme positions from both the left and the right that you see in Georgia, and they seem to be able to work together for the betterment of their state. If it wasn't for tech companies job growth would have been stagnant in Georgia in the last 5-10 years. Really all the tech companies are coming because of Georgia Tech's presence combined with the fact that they see Atlanta as some kind of haven for diversity. This state needs to see job creation in other avenues and scaring off Rivian I think will be a huge missed opportunity.
Last edited by MichiganderTexan; 03-01-2022 at 01:23 PM..
That's going to fracture the GOP, at least short-term. Kemp brought it here, now Purdue is trying to send it away.
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David Perdue comes out against the proposed Rivian plant
