GBJ Staff

Gwinnett’s international business scope

(L-R) Michael Mayers, operations manager, Bob Broaddus, laboratory manager and Michael Forgeron, president of Analysts, Inc.

According to the Georgia Department of Economic Development, there are 579 ‘internationally based businesses’ in Gwinnett County that employee a total of 26,597 people.

Of these, 147 are involved in manufacturing. Together, they employ 10,959 people and account for approximately half of Gwinnett’s manufacturing jobs. Among this group, 29 companies in the Global Fortune 500 have a significant presence in Gwinnett.

“The Partnership Gwinnett community and economic development strategy and its investors have facilitated the creation high-wage jobs – more than 10,000 in the last five years,” said Nick Masino, senior vice president of Economic Development & Partnership Gwinnett. “That is why it is now more crucial than ever that we continue expanding our economic development initiatives internationally.”

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GBJ Staff

2012 Cleantech Trends

In a 2010 Global Survey, Ernst & Young identified ‘cleantech’ as one of six trends shaping worldwide business practices.

Although many companies and individuals fully embrace environmental sustainability, critical mass is a future target if, as predicted, the cleantech movement is to usher in the next industrial revolution.

The investment climate for clean tech, both domestically and overseas, is cooling somewhat in 2012 due to global economic concerns. Nevertheless, 10 trends are emerging as ones to watch in the near term.

  1. An increased demand for retrofit energy-efficient products will continue to counter a slowing trend for new green construction.
  2. Growth in the number of U.S.-based biorefineries will turn cellulosic biomass products like wood and agricultural waste into fuels, plastics, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals.

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GBJ Staff

When your home won’t sell

by Mark Lackey

The boss tells you they are transferring you to another city. Then the reality sets in; you’ll have to sell your home to take the new position. What if the stories you hear about home values being down are true and you won’t be able to sell? What should you do?

First consult with a realtor actually selling homes, not just listing them. They can tell you what your home will sell for and the net proceeds to cover the existing mortgage after concessions and commissions. Should you sell your home for an amount that will cover your mortgage, then good for you.

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GBJ Staff

SBA loans benefit commercial lending in Gwinnett

How are Asian-owned auto manufacturing plants in Georgia and neighboring states impacting small business growth in Gwinnett County? Just ask Steve Walker, NOA Bank senior vice president and chief lending officer.

“Eighty percent of NOA Bank’s commercial real estate lending is to owner-occupied small businesses,” says Walker. “We have seen a steady rise in the numbers of our clients who cater to the auto industry as parts suppliers, scrap metal recyclers and the like.”

Walker reports that NOA Bank is a good resource for companies ranging from supplier-type companies and retail businesses to medical clinics. Predominantly, these businesses qualify for U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loans and are either looking to purchase property upon which they will operate or to refinance existing loans. In its three-year history, NOA Bank in Duluth has steadily increased its customer base of owner-occupied small businesses with growth coming mainly from referrals.

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GBJ Staff

Gwinnett pursues urbanist redevelopment

Partnership Gwinnett, in cooperation with The Council For Quality Growth, hosted the Third Annual Gwinnett Redevelopment Forum (watch video) at Gwinnett Place Marriott in Duluth to educate and inform attendees about Gwinnett’s local and regional redevelopment opportunities. The forum hosted more than 200 real estate developers, engineers, architects and government officials.

Panelists explored new urbanism, redevelopment financing, best practices, and community case studies. Keynote speaker, Christopher B. Leinberger, president of LOCUS, Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors and senior fellow, Brookings Institution, joined the forum to share urban land use and downtown redevelopment strategies.

“The real estate demand in metro Atlanta and Gwinnett County in the coming decades is for compact, walkable urban development, which works best with rail transit. Gwinnett understands this, and is helping to ensure they are at the forefront of this trend by using this Forum to highlight the potential for redevelopment in the county,” said Leinberger.

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Kim Marks

Mitsubishi Electric expands in Gwinnett

Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating (Mitsubishi Electric) will expand its operations in Gwinnett County by moving to a new facility in Suwanee, Ga.

Watch Video. Governor Nathan Deal donned a hard hat and wielded a shovel at a groundbreaking event for the company’s new division headquarters along with company executives, community leadership, Industrial Developments International (IDI) and Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development. Mitsubishi Electric has signed a lease with IDI, a leading full-service industrial real estate company, for a build-to-suit building on a 33-acre site at Huntcrest Business Center on Satellite Blvd.

A division of a U.S. subsidiary of Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Cooling & Heating is a leading marketer of Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) and split-ductless air-conditioning and heating systems for both commercial and residential use. The company has operated in Gwinnett County since 1992 and employs approximately 200 people. The expansion and consolidation from the company’s current 350,000-square-foot footprint across three buildings to 559,407 square feet in a single location will provide the company more adequate space to support its growth. Nationwide, Mitsubishi Electric expects to employ an additional 60 people in 2012 and projects it will increase its employment to more than 400 employees over the next 10 years.

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GBJ Staff

Transit alternatives study underway

The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners has set up a policy advisory committee to study transit alternatives for the Interstate 85 corridor. Citizens on the committee will work with staff and consultants to provide advice and feedback before the draft final study documents are presented for consideration by the Board of Commissioners.

“In combination with community forums and other public events, this committee is aimed at facilitating a successful planning process and improved transportation to benefit many generations to come,” said Kim Conroy, Gwinnett’s Acting Transportation Director. Last July, the Board contracted with Atkins North America, Inc., a national transit planning and engineering firm with offices in Atlanta, to lead the study.

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GBJ Staff

LCI grant will improve Buford Hwy.

The City of Suwanee is poised to begin implementing a $3.3 million Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) grant initiative to reconstruct a portion of Buford Hwy.

Rather than widening the roadway, as many communities are contemplating, Suwanee will reconstruct sections of the busy thoroughfare as a context-sensitive roadway to accommodate multiple modes of transportation and help improve connectivity to and within downtown.

Improvements are slated to be made within the historic and Town Center sections of Buford Hwy. Work will begin in February with a scoping study with construction anticipated to start in 2013.

Visit www.suwanee.com for details.

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GBJ Staff

Don’t flush away money

A company that explores moving operations to metro Atlanta certainly considers many variables for the business needs and those of its staff. In this region, access to water is an ongoing concern. To address residential water conservation issues in 2012, Gwinnett County will continue its successful toilet rebate program and open it up to include multi-family units. Commissioners have agreed to continue offering the rebates in conjunction with the Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District.

Acting Water Resources director Lynn Smarr said, “The rebates have already helped Gwinnett County homeowners replace close to 9,500 inefficient toilets, which saves more than 600,000 gallons of water a day.”

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GBJ Staff

Ryerson expands in Gwinnett

Ryerson Inc., a leading processor and distributor of metals in North America and Asia, will expand its Duluth, Ga. operations adding 147,000 square feet of warehouse space and approximately 25 new jobs over the next year bringing employment to 290 at this complex.

“The expansion of Ryerson’s inventory and processing capabilities is designed to bring additional value to our customers by offering complete supply chain solutions,” said Dave Keatley, V.P. GM Atlanta Market. “We are strengthening our rapid response capabilities by expanding our weekday customer service hours from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., adding a same-day delivery option on expedited requirements.”

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