The torch has been extinguished, the athletes have gone home and the victories and defeats are just a memory.
The Centennial Olympic Games may be over, but things are anything but quiet in the Peach State. Having successfully withstood the careful scrutiny of the world and the harsh glare of the media spotlight, Georgia is still not content to rest on its laurels. Rather, the state has been busily making a name for itself as one of the world's best locations for business.
Competitive operating costs, a favorable business climate, market accessibility, plentiful education opportunities and an unparalleled quality of life are some of Georgia's attributes mentioned by site-seeking firms. Several high-profile firms have recently chosen Georgia for major facilities. Porsche Cars North America is moving its administrative headquarters to Atlanta from Reno, Nev., and South Korean firm Hankook Synthetics has selected Augusta for its first U.S. plant. The US$1.2 billion Hankook facility will eventually employ 1,800 people.
Pre-Olympic Strength
Certainly the Olympics have played a major role in attracting new businesses to Atlanta, but even before the Games Georgia was attracting the national and international headquarters of some of the world's leading companies. Top firms that call Georgia home include AFLAC, BellSouth, Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines, Genuine Parts, Georgia Pacific, Holiday Inn, Home Depot, Southern Co., SunTrust Banks, and United Parcel Service, to name just a few. Nearly all Fortune 500 companies have operations in the Peach State.
Time and time again, companies cite the prime Southeastern location, the excellent business climate, highly skilled work force and superior quality of life as key reasons for locating in Georgia.
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Georgia
Still Going for the Gold
by Kelly Marriott
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Georgia has always been a leader in technological pursuits. The first commercial modem was produced in the Peach State, along with the first windows-based word processing software and the first broadcast of a cable television signal via satellite.
Reprinted from Site Selection Magazine, February/March 1998 edition. ©1998 Conway Data, Inc. All rights reserved.
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