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Misty Watson
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Grow Greater Dalton won't react, but will pursue businesses, officials say
The carpet industry was born and raised in Whitfield County. But after years of steady growth, some believe it has matured and leveled off.
Area business leaders on Monday unveiled a Grow Greater Dalton program at the James E. Brown Center at Dalton State College. Grow Greater Dalton is a four-year public/private economic development, marketing and recruitment program that aims to bring more than 3,200 new jobs to the region.
John Neal, the group’s general chair and a Dalton attorney, said the 3,221 jobs figure comes from the consulting firm National Community Development Services based on results from projects in towns similar in size to Dalton, including Chattanooga, Gainesville, Greensboro, N.C., Macon and Rome. The jobs are expected to be added over the next four years, he said. Targeted industries are plastics, chemicals, advanced manufacturing, back office services, automotive suppliers and retail. Officials hope to capitalize on the Volkswagen plant being built in Chattanooga.
The group will add a vice president for economic development, a major employers manager and a small business manager who will all recruit businesses. The group also hopes to develop a Whitfield County commerce park, redevelop existing industrial sites, prepare for the Civil War sesquicentennial and tourism opportunities, create more competitive health care options and brand Whitfield County with the “Inspiration Lives Here” campaign.
There are already several groups involved in economic development in the area including the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce, the Dalton-Whitfield Joint Development Authority (JDA), the Downtown Dalton Development Authority and the Dalton Convention and Visitors Bureau. How will the Grow Greater Dalton program be different?
“I think that what you’re going to see is what we’re doing is more (economic development), and because of the public/private investment we hopefully will have the finances where we engage in a proactive economic development,” Neal said. “The JDA has done a wonderful job, but to a large extent they have been a response to people asking (about the area) and we don’t believe you can do economic development that way. You have to go out and seek businesses to come here.”
Grow Greater Dalton’s budget through 2012 is $4.5 million. The group hopes to raise money from donations. It has also asked both the Dalton City Council and the Whitfield County Board of Commissioners for $1.5 million to support its budget. The board of commissioners will provide the money through buying land for industrial sites, including the $1.27 million property on the south bypass the county bought in May, said Mike Babb, chairman of the board of commissioners and a co-chair of Grow Greater Dalton’s campaign cabinet. Members of the Dalton City Council are still considering the request.
“It won’t be a check written to Grow Greater Dalton, it’s just a commitment towards economic development,” Babb said of the county’s contributions.
Using public money to bring in jobs will benefit taxpayers by lessening the tax burden on them, Neal said.
“If you don’t have an industrial tax base and you want to have high quality schools and high quality police services you have to pay for it some way,” Neal said. “If you don’t have an industrial tax base for that, it’s a greater burden on the citizens.”
Grow Greater Dalton will be governed by an investors council that will be responsible for “policy direction and oversight.” It will be comprised of individuals who invest money in the program.
The program will also work with the University System of Georgia’s Archway Partnership, which tries to increase communities’ access to all of the services and resources of the university.
Despite the economic downturn, “the carpet industry is alive and well,” said Vance Bell, president of Shaw Industries and also a co-chair of Grow Greater Dalton’s campaign cabinet.
“It’s important for Shaw and it’s important for the other existing flooring businesses in this community to have an economically vibrant community with top flight school systems, infrastructure and quality of life opportunities,” Bell said.
Co-chairs of the Grow Greater Dalton campaign cabinet are Mike Babb, Vance Bell, Ralph Boe, John Bowling, Sis Brown, Susan Brown, Chuck Dobbins, Bob Kinard, Dixie Kinard, Jeff Lorberbaum and David Pennington.
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Clauson joins Mohawk as vp of brand management
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