MOULTRIE — County economic development officials think a path to growing jobs in the county could reach from the fields where area farmers grow cabbage, tomatoes and other farm commodities to processing plants.
During a Wednesday retreat the Moultrie-Colquitt County Development Authority identified food processing as a top priority for bringing in new industry. The board huddled at Sundown Farms Plantation for about three hours to identify types of types of industries in which Executive Director Darrell Moore can concentrate his efforts.
Food processing came in at number one followed by wood products.
Following the session, Moore said the retreat gave him a “lot of good feedback.”
Despite the economic slump, Moore said that the development authority has aggressively recruited industry and will continue to do so. That attitude in this environment could stand out to company officials looking for a site for a facility.
“I’ve been to three (trade) shows this year trying to generate interest in this community,” Moore said. “While other communities and states are pulling back we’re pushing forward.”
The development authority did not authorize additional funding during the session but gave Moore ideas on where to focus existing resources dedicated to industrial recruitment.
“This just gives me and the authority a little more direction,” he said. “Instead of a shotgun approach we can take a rifle approach.”
Authority members said the focus on food processing and wood products will not mean ignoring any other types of industry that are interested in the county.
Those two were identified by a survey of authority members as the top two, followed by a wide range of other responses, said Dennis Epps, director of operations for the University of Georgia’s Archway Partnership, who moderated the discussion
Authority members noted two potential downsides to food processing — lack of waste water treatment capacity and the low wages that many of those jobs pay.
Modern food processing facilities also would bring higher-wage positions such as maintenance of sterilizing machines and freezing machinery, authority member Clarence Lowe said.
On the topic of wood products, authority member Victor Beadles said that a growing industry is using wood for power generation. That growth includes replacing coal with wood as fuel for some electric generation plants as well as personal use of wood pellets for stoves and heating homes.
Southern pine varieties are excellent sources for those uses because of its high combustibility, Beadles said.
Other potential areas for growth mentioned included health care and supplying the state’s growing military needs.
“You’ve got a huge influx at (Fort) Benning,” Epps said. “You’ve got a huge influx at (Fort) Stewart. You are in a strong position to ship both ways.”
Moore said that the authority is looking to acquire a listing of suppliers who ship to all branches of the military to determine whether Colquitt County could work its way into the mix as a hub for warehousing and shipping military supplies.
“We could target those companies,” Moore said.
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