Cornerstone for Success
Economic Development
Cornerstone for Success
The county’ s biggest private employer is Plant Scherer, the nation’ s largest coal-fired power plant situated on the banks of Lake Juliette. The plant is owned by several power companies who together pay the yeoman’ s share of property taxes in the county, giving relief to local families.
Ideally situated on I-75 in the heart of Georgia and easily accessible to the entire Southeast, Monroe County and Forsyth offer the hospitality of the Deep South with the vibrancy of a progressive, growing business community.
Monroe County boasts one of the better economies in all of Georgia, rating the 12th best in the state out of 159 counties by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.
Those rankings reflect in part the migration of professionals into Monroe County from Macon to the south and Atlanta to the north, lured by the excellent schools, low taxes and crime, tranquil lifestyle and yet the easy proximity to metro areas provided by I-75. The newcomers have helped push the county’ s population to 26,625, according to the 2011 census estimate. That’ s an incredible 22 percent growth in population since 2000.
While the county’ s residential base is growing, the commercial sector is as well.
In 2012, the German compressor manufacturer ALMIG opened a distribution center in Forsyth.
Last year, Monroe County landed Encore Plastics, a manufacturer of plastic products, which bought the 60,000-square-foot Trane Heating and Air building in the Monroe County Industrial Park. The company has already hired about 50 employees and hopes to grow to more than 100 as it expands production of its line of paint buckets, liners and other sundry items.
Monroe County’ s location and easy interstate access to the Atlanta airport and the port in Savannah make it attractive to new businesses.
The Development Authority of Monroe County has done its part by taking a 113-acre foreclosed subdivision and converting it into the Indian Springs Business Park for light commercial operations.
The Atlanta-based fullservice industrial real estate company IDI has developed a 257-acre park at the intersection of I-75 and Rumble Road after buying it from the Monroe County Development Authority. When the national economy improves, IDI plans to develop four distribution facilities totaling up to 3 million square feet and eventually employ between 1,000 to 1,500 people.
The county’ s biggest private employer is Plant Scherer, the nation’ s largest coal-fired power plant situated on the banks of Lake Juliette. The plant is owned by several power companies who together pay the yeoman’ s share of property taxes in the county, giving relief to local families.
Other manufacturing operations in Monroe County include Southern Forest Industries, which has wood chip and palletmaking plants in Forsyth, and two rock quarries.
The state of Georgia has recognized Monroe County’ s excellent location as well. In 2010, Forsyth celebrated the opening of State Offices South- Tift College as the Georgia Department of Corrections moved its headquarters, including 400 employees, from Atlanta to the renovated Tift campus. It was a $ 50 million renovation project. With its central location in the state, Forsyth was already home to the Georgia Public Safety Training Center where police officers, state troopers and firefighters from around the state get instruction and certification.
Given those two entities, in 2010 the Georgia legislature dubbed Forsyth and Monroe County as the Public Safety Capital of Georgia.
Another Monroe County draw is its array of recreational and tourism opportunities. The town of Juliette and its legendary Whistle Stop Café, made
Top Employers
Industry
• Georgia Power Co.– Plant Scherer.... 400
• PalletOne............................................... 68
• Perdue Chicken..................................... 66
• Encore Plastics..................................... 50
• Southern Textiles.................................. 60
• Gresco Utility Supply........................... 55
• Southern Forest.................................... 33
• Erosion Tech......................................... 30
• Forsyth Yarn............................................ 8
Government
• Monroe County Board of Education 624
• GA Department of Corrections 418
• Monroe Co. Board of Commissioners 357 FTE
• Al Burrus Correctional Institute 243
• Georgia Public Safety Training Center 153 FTE
• Monroe County Hospital 125 FTE
• City of Forsyth 83 FTE
Retail
• Wal-Mart....................................... 144 FTE
Welcome Home: The Forsyth-Monroe County Relocation Guide and Membership Directory
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