MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
September 7, 2010
Contact: Tim Evans
Vice President, Economic Development
Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce
770-532-6206 ext 107
tim@ghcc.com
www.greaterhallchamber.com
Community Reaction to King’s Hawaiian Oakwood Location
126 new jobs over two years with an expected addition of 100 jobs by 2015
Gainesville, GA – September 7, 2010: Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce officers, education leaders and government officials voiced excitement over Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue’s announcement today that California-based King’s Hawaiian will locate a bakery and distribution operation in Oakwood/Hall County.
Kit Dunlap, President/CEO of the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce stated, “We are very pleased King’s Hawaiian will be a part the business community in Gainesville-Hall County and Georgia. The jobs and investment will have a positive impact on citizens and local businesses. We are grateful for the support our economic development efforts continue to receive from the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Quick Start, Lanier Technical College and Pattillo Industrial Real Estate.”
King’s Hawaiian will complete construction on an existing 111,000-square-foot shell building constructed by Pattillo in the Oakwood South Industrial Park for its Hall County operation. Larry Callahan, CEO, Pattillo Industrial Real Estate, emphasized that King’s Hawaiian is exactly the kind of company you hope to attract when you design and build a speculative building. “They are a multi-generational, family-owned business, and they produce a quality product in state-of-the-art facilities. They will hire and train a great team and will be strong corporate citizens of the community,” said Callahan.
“The seeds of this new business were planted long ago and have been nurtured with a partnership between Oakwood, Hall County, Pattillo Industrial Real Estate and the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce,” said Lamar Scroggs, Mayor, City of Oakwood. “King’s Hawaiian is a quality company, and I’ve been very impressed with their leadership and sense of family values. We are very excited to become a long-term partner for their growth.”
King’s Hawaiian officials have already formed a bond with Lanier Technical College and the nationally recognized Quick Start workforce training program. “The investment in technology that King’s Hawaiian will make is top-notch,” said Russell Vandiver, President, Lanier Technical College and Chairman of the Gainesville-Hall County Economic Development Council. “This is a clean food-processing business, and they’ve invested in the latest technologies to maintain quality, minimize their impact on the environment, and optimize their production. Lanier Technical College and the Quick Start Training Program are up to the challenge to meet their needs for training a skilled workforce. Food processing is a very stable business, and this company will help broaden our economy and job base.”
“Working with King’s Hawaiian was a collaborative effort of the private and public sectors at every level of our community and state,” said Tim Evans, Vice President of Economic Development for the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce. “Our team was already in place to assist and included existing industry, businesses, local and state government, utilities, education leadership and our elected officials. During the process, King’s Hawaiian leadership interviewed several of Gainesville-Hall County’s existing industries one-on-one, and they learned first-hand about this community from the businesses we keep.”
The company expects to begin production at its new bakery and distribution center in fall 2011. Applicants interested in employment opportunities with King’s Hawaiian should register at the Georgia Department of Labor’s Gainesville Career Center, 2756 Atlanta Hwy, Gainesville, GA 30504. (770) 535-5484. www.dol.state.ga.us
About the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce
Gainesville-Hall County, Georgia is a vibrant and growing, solid and diversified community located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Surrounded by beautiful Lake Sidney Lanier, the area offers an unparalleled quality of life and a sound economic future for business and industry. Gainesville-Hall County is home to 47 Fortune 500 firms, more than 300 manufacturing and processing concerns, and 38 international companies representing 13 foreign countries. The Gainesville-Hall County Economic Development Council and the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce report that economic development efforts in 2009-2010 created 18 new and expanded industries, 510 jobs, retained 460 existing jobs and generated $156 million in new capital investment. In 2009, the U.S. Census Bureau named Gainesville-Hall County the third-fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States, and Gainesville-Hall County was ranked in the top 20 for job and salary growth in the nation by the Milken Institute Report. www.greaterhallchamber.com
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