Savannah Chamber

29 Liberty County manufacturers employed about 2,280 workers in 2024, a 4.2% gain over 2023. The highlight of industrial development in the county during the year was the completion of Seohan Auto Georgia's manufacturing plant in Tradeport East. The South Korean-based company builds brake and tie-rod parts for automobiles and is a Tier One vendor to Hyundai's nearby EV Metaplant in Bryan County. Seohan started operations in November and had 44 employees in December. It expects to have more than 180 employees when in full operation. In Midway Industrial Park, Builders FirstSource added approximately 30,000 SF to its existing manufacturing space, where the company assembles building trusses. The county's largest employer, SNF Corporation, employs approximately 1,700 persons and is the second largest manufacturing employer in the seven-county Savannah combined statistical area. Another important development for Liberty County industry is the completion of buildings in Dorchester Commerce Center just outside Tradeport East. Flint Development of Kansas City completed two of the three buildings planned for the industrial park in 2024. The new buildings cover 276,000 SF and 594,500 SF and are being marketed. The third building, with 1,200,000 SF, is expected for delivery in early 2025. Further, other activity bodes well for the future of industrial development in the county. In early December 2024 state officials awarded a $2 million grant to the Liberty County Development Authority to help fund construction of roadway infrastructure into Tradeport West Business Center south of Midway. The road and drainage infrastructure will enhance the attractiveness to prospective industries considering the 170-acre site which is ready for development. The remodeling of two vacant industrial buildings in Hinesville Technology Park is also nearing completion. The buildings have attracted attention from prospects and occupants are expected soon. Georgia Ports Authority The Georgia Ports Authority operates the largest single-terminal container facility in North America. The Port of Savannah is the third-busiest port in the country for container trade and has the largest capacity for container handling in the Western Hemisphere. Georgia's logistics ecosystem provides the environment for GPA's and Georgia's economic success on a worldwide basis. By facilitating global trade, GPA enables international business to thrive in Georgia. The state's political and business leadership view GPA facilities as a state-level asset, one which yielded a contribution of $59 billion to state GDP, $3.8 billion in state and local taxes, $140 billion in revenue to Georgia's economy, and supported 561,000 jobs. In FY 2024 the Port of Savannah handled a record 5.25 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). Although this was a decrease of 2.3% when compared to the previous year, the decrease represents a normalization of activity toward the more sustainable long-term trend rate of growth. The Port of Savannah moved over 22% of the East Coast container trade, handling 11.6% of all U.S. containerized exports. Tourism The leisure and hospitality sector, which includes accommodations, food services, arts, entertainment, and recreation, is a top- four fastest growing (2.3% annually) sector since the Great Recession low in early 2010. The sector provides employment for nearly 27,600 workers, making it the second largest employment sector in the regional economy. The sector's forecast is encouraging for 2025 and in the longer term as new product is added at both the western and eastern end of the Savannah riverfront district. Further deepening of the higher-end market for visitors continues with the delivery of upscale accommodations and dining expected for 2025 and 2026. The $500 million Plant Riverside District project is completed and "River Street East," a $350 million development, is adding three hotels with 480 rooms and a seven-story parking garage. Plans for a full- service Hilton Hotel were approved in 2024 that will include a central plaza anchoring leisure, dining and entertainment. These additions are scheduled to open through 2025 and into 2026. New upscale hotel developments entered the market in 2024 and will continue in 2025. The "Savannah Skyscraper," a 15-story building in Johnson Square, is being converted into a Ritz Carlton by TMGOC Ventures. It will have 160 rooms and construction is expected to start in early 2025. Additionally, the Manger Building is being converted to a 230-room, 5-star hotel by Left Lane Hospitality. The two-year conversion process is continuing through 2025 and is expected to allow opening in 2026. Left Lane delivered the renovated, upgraded and re-imagined Hotel Bardo (formerly The Mansion) on Forsyth Park. Additional new and renovated tourism product will be financed during the next five years by an increase in Savannah's hotel/motel tax by two percentage points to 8%. Of the new revenue raised by the tax, 14.7% will finance projected investment of $85.5 million

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