Savannah Chamber

14 business decisionmaking and operations may reduce employment needs for some of these industries. Activity in Georgia's transportation and logistics industry is notoriously cyclical, but due to uncertainty about trade policies, we expect the industry to grow modestly in 2026. But employment should increase as supply chains adjust to new tariffs and new non-tariff barriers to trade industrywide. In addition, new and more complex regulations involved in international shipments will generate business for logistics firms that help shippers comply. One state-specific factor behind our sanguine forecast are all the logistics, distribution, and manufacturing projects in the development pipeline. While we expect few new project announcements in 2026, the build-out of recently announced projects bodes well for this industry's performance. Additional state-specific drivers include the outstanding performance of the Ports of Savannah and Brunswick. Substantial investments in transportation infrastructure will expand the Geor- gia's importance as a regional and national logistics and distribution center. Above-average population growth in Georgia and the Southeast will help, as will the accelerated shift from physical retail to online shopping. The Appalachian Regional Port is helping the Port of Savannah tap into new markets and brings economic development projects to Georgia. A second inland container port (the soonto- be-open Blue Ridge Connector) near I-985 in Gainesville will produce similar benefits and deliver 200,000 containers per year to the Savannah port by rail. Some distribution and logistics projects are poised to contribute more to Georgia's economy when fully operational. Bur- lington Stores is slated to open a 2 million-square-foot distribution center near Savannah. GreenBox Systems will open a new distribution center in Jackson that will create about 300 new jobs, and P&B Cold Storage's new facility in Valdosta will bring about 100 jobs. Georgia's film industry, however, is facing difficulties. Film production is moving overseas due to labor disputes as well as cost and locational advantages. State incentives account for much of the industry's growth, but other states now are offering incentives, too. As a result, the industry's heyday is over.

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