Georgia at crunch time in bid for VW suppliers

RINGGOLD, Ga.-- A year after Volkswagen announced it was building a plant in Chattanooga, North Georgia officials say they have reached a critical time in persuading suppliers to build in the region.

"We're in that window from April to October where we need to get a supplier in here," said Catoosa County Commission Chairman Keith Greene. "We're poised and ready for whatever comes our way."

Industrial boards and commissions across the region are moving to buy or improve land for industrial parks, hoping to lure suppliers to build. Walker and Dade counties may add hundreds of acres to their existing parks, while Catoosa County is nearing a contract with a developer to prepare and market its park.

Stephanie Watkins, project manager for the Northwest Georgia Development Authority, said the time frame for everything is "as soon as possible."

"I think we're going to be pretty busy," she said.

The clock is ticking, said Dade County executive Ted Rumley.

"If you haven't really got stuff going in eight or nine or 10 months, that's not good," he said.

And while officials from each county said they are working together to draw suppliers to the region first and foremost, they also acknowledged that they are also competing against each other.

"It's not like we're really competing, but we really are," Mr. Rumley said. "We're just being nice about it."

"We want the appropriate county to get the appropriate business, but we all want the best one," said Walker County Commissioner Bebe Heiskell.

Officials from each county said closeness to the VW plant and access to major highways are key advantages they have over more distant counties.

Interstate 75 runs through Whitfield and Catoosa counties, and officials there point out the advantages of being between Atlanta and the plant.

Mr. Rumley said Interstate 59 in Dade County would provide suppliers easy access to the Chattanooga plant and a quick route to other automotive plants around Birmingham, where a Honda and a Mercedes plant are located within 40 miles of the city.

Ms. Heiskell said she hoped suppliers would look at U.S. Highway 27 as a direct route from Walker and Chattooga into Chattanooga to the north and the new Kia plant in West Point, Ga., to the south.

In addition to location, Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce President Brian Anderson touted his county's work force and its rich history in manufacturing that included carpet and flooring industries.

"Most anybody that's going be producing anything could assimilate a work force very quickly here," he said.

Mr. Rumley said he had talked with representatives from six companies, including suppliers and warehouse or distribution companies. The companies were interested in the county's infrastructure and the land, but also asked about schools and crime rates, he said.

"You wouldn't think about it, but that's one of the first things they ask," he said.

While all the counties are hoping a supplier would help ease the financial strain from the current economy, Dade officials say they could really use the boost. A Shaw Industries plant closed in December, putting 240 people out of work.

"Since we have lost the Shaw plant, it would mean a lot," said Dade County Industrial Board member Doug Anderton.

Mr. Greene said 23,000 Catoosa County residents drive out of the county every day to work, so it would be nice to land a supplier and keep those jobs at home. He mentioned the automotive-focused satellite campus that Northwestern Technical College plans to build in the county as a key asset to building up the work force.

"The main thing is bringing in jobs to the county," he said.

But officials are leery of putting all of their eggs in one basket. Many said if they are passed over now, the upgrades to their industrial parks and other facilities should position them well for other industries looking to build in the region later.

"Even if we didn't get anything from Volkswagen, (the industrial park) is our future," said Walker County's Ms. Heiskell.