Attracting business to the region is why members of the Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority are in Germany today.
“Sen. Mullis and Commissioner Winters are attending a supplier expo that is geared toward automotive companies,” said Stephanie Watkins, of the Joint Development Authority.
State Sen. Jeff Mullis, R-Chickamauga, head of the NGJDA, and Chattooga County Commissioner Jason Winters are in Hanover, Germany, for the Southeastern Automotive Supplier Forum sponsored by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Hanover and the German American Chambers of Commerce of the Southern U.S.
The Northwest Georgia group is touting the area’s potential to European automotive parts manufacturers. Recruiting suppliers for the Volkswagen manufacturing plant under construction in Chattanooga to locate in Northwest Georgia is a major goal of the trade mission, local officials said.
FOREIGN CARS IN SOUTHEAST
Several major car makers are building or expanding factories in the Southeast.
* Volkswagen: Europe’s largest car maker’s $1 billion factory in Chattanooga is scheduled to open in 2011, with 2,000 workers on site and up to 10,000 jobs in support and supply industries.
* KIA: The Korean car maker is scheduled to open a $1.2 billion plant in West Point, Ga., in November, with some 2,500 workers and 2,600 supplier jobs.
* Mercedes-Benz is committed to a $290 million expansion of its plant in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Korean auto maker Hyundai Motors continues operations in Montgomery, Ala.
* Porsche Cars North America, the importer of Stuttgart-based Porsche automobiles, relocated to the Atlanta area in 1998 and now employs about 300. Porsche is the majority shareholder of Volkswagen.
Source: German-American Chamber of Commerce
Commissioner Winters in an e-mail response from Hanover said the forum pairs some of the smaller suppliers — makers of parts, subassemblies, interior trim and carpeting — with smaller counties like Chattooga. The Northwest Georgia JDA includes Chattooga, Dade, Walker and Catoosa counties.
He said those suppliers may be unaware of Northwest Georgia, and how the area can offer better incentives and trained workers.
“Nothing works better than networking, and I have already made several contacts that were very impressed that we came this far to help bring jobs to our region,” Commissioner Winters said in his e-mail.
More than 800 German companies have established U.S. headquarters, subsidiaries or production facilities in the Southeastern U.S., according to the German-American Chamber of Commerce.
The automotive industry is particularly strong in the Southeast with BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and now Volkswagen locating production facilities in the region.
During today’s Hanover conference, experts with Volkswagen, ZF Lemförder, BLG Logistics, Horváth and Continental Tire, as well as business development corporations, will discuss their experience and knowledge about the American Southeast, officials said.
Sen. Mullis will be joined next week by other members of the JDA and of local development authorities at the week-long Hanover Trade Fair April 20-24, which includes 13 separate trade fairs and shows.
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