Adams Named Georgia Family Owned Business of the Year
Adams Transfer & Storage Company Inc., managed by Vice President James J. (Jimmy) Adams, has been named the Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Business of the Year in Georgia by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The company was nominated for the statewide award by Kit Dunlap, President and CEO of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce. The SBA Award recognizes a family-owned business with outstanding growth in sales and profits as well as one that provides employment opportunities for both family and non-family employees. The award also goes to a company that shows potential for long-term business growth while providing community services.
Adams Transfer and Storage (ATS) has been a cornerstone of the Gainesville-Hall County business community since 1949. In 1958, ATS served a vital role in the creation of Lake Lanier, one of Hall County’s most important economic resources. The company was responsible for moving houses, household goods and livestock to prepare for the flooding of land for the lake.
In 1984, a new company division – Georgia Data Storage – was established in Gainesville. In 2002 the company, now known as Adams Data Management, expanded to Atlanta and today is Georgia’s largest privately owned records management company.
In 1988, Adams became active in industrial property acquisitions and management. The company has 15 properties in the Atlanta and Gainesville area with some 2.25 million square feet of commercial and industrial space. In 1993, the company restored the historic Gainesville Mill, a 400,000 square foot, turn-of-the-century textile factory in downtown Gainesville.
Over the past five years, Adams Transfer & Storage has posted a 20% increase in profits and a 24% increase in assets. The combined offices in Gainesville and Atlanta employ 76 people.
A number of awards have gone to both Jimmy Adams and the family-owned and operated company. Adams Transfer and Storage was named the Cox 2003 Family Business of the Year, an award initiated by Kennesaw University’s Cox Family Enterprise Center. And in 1995, the Gainesville Jaycees recognized Jimmy Adams as the Young Man of the Year. Adams is active with a number of community organizations and served as 2006-2007 Chairman of the Greater Hall Chamber. He is on the boards of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and Chattahoochee Bank of Georgia.
“Jimmy Adams has been a constant servant to our community, as well as a leader in our business environment,” said Kit Dunlap, President and CEO of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce. “Adams Transfer and Storage has a long history of strong leadership, and its legacy is continued and increased each day with Jimmy Adams at the helm.”