Savannah Chamber

21 5 for development. The project includes 1.5 miles of roadway, drainage, and dirt work, with LCDA funding the remaining costs. In Hinesville Technology Park, an extension of Technology Drive is underway. This improvement will enhance access and unlock an additional 15 acres for future projects, ensuring the park remains competitive for future industry. Bulloch County's 58 manufacturing establishments employed 2,400 workers as of early 2025. Five industrial projects announced for Bulloch County since 2022, including three in support of the Hyundai Metaplant, continue to enhance the manufacturing base in 2026. As a result of this recent success infusing $1.1 billion investment in the county, there is limited availability of publicly supported development sites. 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 $77 billion to state GDP, $6 billion in state and local taxes, $174 billion in sales to Georgia's economy, and supported 651,000 jobs. In FY 2025 the Port of Savannah handled 5.7 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), an 8.6% increase compared 2024. The Port of Savannah moved over 22.3% of the East Coast container trade, handling 11.7% 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 27,800 workers, making it the second largest employment sector in the regional economy. The sector's forecast for growth in 2026 is constrained by weakness in the Georgia and US economies. Should households continue to struggle in the k-shaped economy of 2026, tourism expenditures will be curtailed. However, Savannah's tourism market should benefit from recent diversification of offerings and substantial and on-going upscaling of product. Notable investment of nearly one billion dollars in recent years in both the western end (Plant Riverside District) and eastern end (Eastern Wharf) of the Savannah riverfront district has deepened the higher-end market for visitors. Additional development of the commercial and residential areas of the Eastern Wharf district is expected in 2026. 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 through 2028, with planned capital expenses on tourism products by the city totaling $12.6 million almost $20 million in FY 2026. Of the $85 million total, $30 million is scheduled for redevelopment of the Savannah Waterfront, $20 million for the Waterworks building near Enmarket Arena, and $10 million for the Tide-to-Town trail system. Health Services The regional health care sector continues to be a stalwart of economic consistency and growth since 2007. This sector is resistant to cyclical downturns and experienced fewer job losses during both the pandemic recession and the Great Recession (2007-09). As of early 2025 annual employment growth was 3.2%, increasing the number of jobs to 29,100 in the seven-county combined statistical area centered on Savannah. As a regional healthcare delivery center, the health sector continues to be a vital component of the area's economy and growth prospects are good in the short and long run. The two nationally recognized medical centers in Savannah, St. Joseph's/Candler (SJC) and Hospital Corporation of America's (HCA) Memorial University Medical Center serve the healthcare needs of people from across Georgia's southeastern region. SJC opened a new strategically located campus in Bryan County's Ellabell, aiming to serve the growing communities and workforce around the I-16 corridor. The new six-acre Black Creek campus in Interstate Commerce Park will be constructed in two phases and built out over a multi-year period to create a 40,000-square-foot, multi-story, advanced medical facility. As phase one of the

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