This post is the first half of a series on international companies locating and expanding in Georgia using data provided by the Georgia Department of Economic Development. This part will look at the State of Georgia and the following post will focus on Gwinnett County.
According to data collected by Georgia Department of Economic Development, there were 331 expansions or new locations of companies in the state of Georgia in the 2015 fiscal year. Of these, 197 listed a country of ownership. 72 companies or 36.5 percent were internationally owned and these companies were responsible for 42 percent of the jobs created by expansions or new locations (with ownership data) in FY15.
These 72 companies came from 18 different countries (Figure 1). The top three countries of ownership were Germany (22.2 percent), South Korea (12.5 percent), and Japan (12.5 percent).
The international companies located or expanded in 31 Georgia counties (Figure 2). The top five counties for international company locations or expansions were Gwinnett, Fulton, Chatham, Richmond, and Hall.
Gwinnett County had nine international locations or expansions, the most of any county. Half of all new locations and expansions in Gwinnett County for FY15 were by international companies, in Fulton County the percentage was less than 20. China, Germany, and South Korea were the top countries of ownership for 2015 locations to Gwinnett. Three out of four companies with Chinese ownership locating or expanding in the state of Georgia were in Gwinnett County.
The next post will expand on international companies locating in Gwinnett County. It will review some of their economic development strategy and demographic shifts in the county.
For questions, contact:
Madi Shields
Phone: 404-385-5137 | Fax: 404-410-6910