WEST POINT, GA IS NEW FACE OF PROSPERITY: FROM MILL TOWN TO MANUFACTURING MECCA
What's Old is New Again as Favorite Sons and Newcomers Forge Economic Cinderella Story
West Point, Georgia, is a city that is reviving the American dream with a dynamic burst of economic expansion and a grand plan for long-term prosperity. In two short years this dormant, historic textile town has reinvented itself as the new epicenter of a high tech auto manufacturing corridor, and a magnet for community-minded families and the diverse businesses to serve them.
Rising above the tides of a national downturn, West Point offers opportunity to white, blue and green collar workers everywhere as the hub for nearly 7,000 auto and related jobs by 2010; 10,000 more across business and retail — a total 20,000 projected for the area over the next five years.
In an environment where the word bailout has become all too common, West Point is a model of public and private partnership. To secure the commitment of a $1.2 billion Kia auto manufacturing plant, West Point's intrepid civic leaders helped assemble land for a 2,200 acre industrial park, and lock in $400 million in state and local economic incentives to back it.
Following another $700 million in private investments from a fleet of 14 parts and service providers, the "West Point Triangle" was born.
West Point's revival will lift economies from LaGrange, Georgia, in the North, to Auburn, Alabama in the west, to Columbus, Georgia, in the south, where Ft. Benning is experiencing a population explosion amidst the largest shift of troops in history as the U.S. brings its military home from the Iraq conflict.
The transformative impact of the Kia presence on the region was addressed by a chief author of the recent Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Report. "In contrast with what is going on in other areas of the country, job creation and the opportunities opening up are significant," said Dr. William Riall, an economist on the team that produced the report in August 2008.
The region's emerging manufacturing boom is a case study for globalization come full circle: a successful non-U.S. automaker, fed by regional suppliers, hiring American talent to create a product that prioritizes excellence, value and price competitiveness. The good economic news in West Point is more evidence of the new autobelt that has sprung up along the highways of Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia, bringing a new modern and culturally diverse workforce with it.
The state-of-the-art Kia plant is a window into the next age of auto manufacturing, with ergonometric assembly lines and a robotics center staffed by college-educated technicians. Nearly 500 hundred of Kia's 2,500 jobs have been filled to date from the 43,000 online applications received — roughly 25% from those with college degrees. Approximately 1,200 employees will be hired by year-end when the first cars roll off the assembly line. As the only auto manufacturer in the world with positive sales in the first quarter of 2009, Kia has the capacity for a local annual production of 300,000 vehicles.
Kia and the auto parts companies that supply it demonstrate that 21st century manufacturing has a place in America's future — along with small towns such as West Point that embrace innovation, hard work, and the precious intangibles of family and the environment.
Father-Son Team Transform Textile Town
At the helm of West Point's transformation is a father-and-son team that along with a collaborative group of entrepreneurs galvanized investment in this community by offering new economic and lifestyle dividends. Drew Ferguson III, Chairman of the West Point Development Authority, was the change agent who within 60 days in early 2006 convinced 36 property owners to rapidly sell the privately-held land necessary to make room for the Kia plant. His son is West Point's Mayor Drew Ferguson IV, dentist, father of four, and 24/7 advocate of his city's role in energizing the region and beckoning hope for the country.
"This is a pivotal moment for us, not only economically but also in terms of our quality of life," Mayor Ferguson says. "Families today are looking for shorter commuting times, smaller communities and closer neighborhoods. What other place can offer this wealth of new jobs in a sustainable community with great infrastructure, education and natural resources?"
Regional legend and nationally prominent telecommunications entrepreneur Campbell "Cam" Lanier III, directed his company to invest $250 million in his home town that until recently few had heard of. Anticipating a boom, he's begun building gracious residential communities with recreational facilities around boating, golf and a new 54,000 sq. ft. Valley Sportsplex with tennis, swimming, basketball, track and multi-purpose sports fields.
The credit market is tight all over, but in West Point, bankers are actually lending to local customers and pioneers — builders, retailers, and service providers — who are putting down stakes.
At the heart of West Point are its passionate citizen-leaders who are stewarding its thoughtful gentrification. Although the population of West Point proper is expected to double from 3,300 to 8-10,000, it will adhere to a model of New Urbanism with green public spaces, controlled signage and restrictions on urban sprawl. These residents — and the thousands more who will settle into neighboring Chattahoochee Valley communities like Lanett and Valley, AL — will access the area's historic architecture, 180 acres of land trust with hiking and bike paths, and 26,000 acre lake, free from the traffic and suburban headaches others in areas like Northern Atlanta are trying to escape.
Mayor Ferguson has seen to it that the water supply and infrastructure will support the growing town and that the selection of homes for the influx of families will offer a range in price, size and amenities. The area has an array of public and private schools, pre K to 12, plus higher education options at Auburn University, Columbus State University and West Georgia Technical College.
"What's old is new again" is glimpsed on the town's charming, walkable Main Street, where stylish antique shops are popping up, and down the street at Marilyn's Heart of the South restaurant where — like the new Korean BBQ — the lunch buffet is always packed. Things are looking up, too, at the West Point Foundry and Machine Company, which built cannons during the Civil War and today provides integrated manufacturing, data networking and sourcing to 70 countries. West Point is a town which, after suffering the devastating collapse of the textile industry, is rising again.
About West Point:
West Point, GA is the epicenter of a new economic corridor for high tech auto manufacturers and the businesses that serve them, fueling 20,000 jobs and a $6.5 billion impact over the next five years. In reinventing itself from a declining mill town to a 21st century hub of innovation and sustainable family community, West Point is becoming the new face of prosperity in America.