2. In 2015, Cherokee Industries projected capital investment over a three
year period of $122,620,000 and 745 jobs. To date those industries
have already exceeded that by $45,711,815 and 322 jobs.
34%from new project
locations
$214.4Millionin capital investment announced or
committed in 2016
Investment IMPACT
Projected
745
$122,620,000
Actual To Date
1,067
$168,331,815
GROW I Cherokee County...
...into an
unrivaled
community of
opportunity
Career Opportunities Capital Investment
Cherokee Office of Economic Development Parks alone
generate $2.27Million in annual property tax revenues
LOCAL RETURN
ON INVESTMENT
3. 1,370+
New Career
Opportunities
Over1,800
Retained Career
Opportunities
GrowYour
CAREER
Cherokee’s labor force
has grown by 14,722
throughout 2016
Cherokee County INTEREST
95FILM PROSPECTS
73% increase over last year
83BUSINESS PROSPECTS
approximate 20% increase over 2015
2013 2014 2015 2016
65 68 70
83
2013 2014 2015 2016
36
41
55
95
People want to live, work,
and play in Cherokee County,
with population projected to
grow 28,189 over the next
five years
GROWTH
of Cherokee County Place
4. In August 2016, adidas
announced CHEROKEE 75
CORPORATE PARK as home
to the first U.S. based
SPEEDFACTORY, combining
the world’s best technology
and manufacturing processes
to give consumers access to
constant newness.
July 2017
Projected Opening
74,000 Sq.Ft.
State-of-the-Art Facility
160CAREEROPPORTUNITIES
5. For years our industry has been playing by the same rules manufacturing
product remotely in Asia. As the creator brand that challenges convention
and looks to co-create the future with our consumers, we are obsessed
with bringing all steps of the creation process home to America.
We’re fueling design at the ground level of creativity in Brooklyn and
reinventing manufacturing with the first adidas SPEEDFACTORY in metro
Atlanta. This allows us to make product for the consumer, with the
consumer, where the consumer lives in real time, unleashing unparalleled
creativity and endless opportunities for customization in America.
6. GROW I New Business
YANMAR America Corporation
manufactures advanced performance
diesel engines and equipment.
Their new corporate training and
customer experience facility, coming
late 2017, will be located along the
Cherokee 75 Corridor.
25CAREER Opportunities
50,000 Sq.Ft.
$22 MILLION Investment
“Cherokee County itself offers natural beauty and the Cherokee County officials
were very welcoming and share our vision for promoting sustainability and
agriculture. The site’s proximity to our current headquarters and the Atlanta
airport is also ideal for bringing in our customers from all over the globe.”
TIM FERNANDEZ, President, YANMAR America
New Corporate Training and Customer Experience Facility
YANMAR engines also power products
manufactured by:
7. 100Careeropportunities
106 Careeropportunities
180,000 Sq.Ft.
110,00Sq.Ft.
$11.4 Millioninvestment
$15 Millioninvestment
Supplying 400
Papa John’s stores
in seven states.
“At Papa John’s we are always looking for ways to
improve the quality, efficiency and scale of our
operations to better serve our stores. The new Quality
Control Center will be an important ingredient in better
servicing our strong business growth in the Southeast
and providing more jobs in Cherokee County”
Shane Hutchins, Senior Vice President
PJ Food Service
JAIPUR LIVING GLOBAL CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS
PAPA JOHN’S REGIONAL HUB &QUALITY CONTROL CENTER
Cherokee County is proud to welcome Jaipur Living & Papa Johns to the
Cherokee 75 Corridor. Coming early 2017.
“We stand here today literally on top of our future –
the very site that will house Jaipur Living’s new global
corporate headquarters and distribution center in
Cherokee County, where metro meets the mountains.
“We love this phrase given its parallel with our own
story, which centers on the intersection of our global
business at the doorsteps of our artisans, and truly
succeeding together through partnership.”
Asha Chaudhary, President, Jaipur Living
Jaipur Living features
noted brands like:
8. Since locating in Cherokee, automotive supplier INALFA ROOF
SYSTEMS has expanded twice creating a Southeastern campus
in Cherokee 75 Corporate Park. Inalfa is one of the world’s
top providers of vehicle roof systems.
450Career
opportunities created
$16.7Million
investment
$140Million & 920New Career Opportunities
In 2016, Cherokee’s
existing industries contributed
ON AVERAGE, THESE INDUSTRIES HAVE CALLED CHEROKEE COUNTY HOME FOR 20+ YEARS.
GROW I Existing Industry
9. LAT APPAREL opened their new corporate headquarters facility
in June. The company has been headquartered in the Cherokee
Airport Area of Ball Ground since 1979.
Leading Aerospace Supplier, UNIVERSAL ALLOY CORPORATION has
made their global headquarters home in Canton since 1989.
In August, UAC broke ground on a new 120,000 Sq.Ft. facility in
Ball Ground, anchoring the company in Cherokee for future growth.
$7.7Millioninvestment in expansions
415Jobs Retained
CHART INDUSTRIES, the leading
manufacturer of highly engineered
equipment for the industrial gas,
energy, and biomedical industries,
has operated in the Cherokee Airport
Area of Ball Ground since 1984.
The company announced the
consolidation of its U.S. respiratory
operations and engineering activities
into Cherokee, creating a Respiratory
Center-of-Excellence.
95Jobs Retained$10.8 MillionHQ Facility
Top automotive supplier PIOLAX
expanded their North American
Headquarters to include the first
fully automated warehouse. The
company has operated in Canton
since 1989.
$16.9Million
investment
90,000Sq.Ft.
315Jobs Retained
10. GROW I Product
$100MILLIONcapital investment
The Cherokee Office of Economic
Development (COED) completed the first
phase of Cherokee 75 Corporate Park
three years ago. Since then:
1,000+new careers
900,000+square feet added
11. To continue this momentum, COED engaged International Site Advisors to identify future development areas while
partnering with local planners to match land use plans with the Opportunity Cherokee Economic Development Strategy.
DEVELOPERS HAVE PLANNED INVESTMENTS ALONG THE CHEROKEE 75
CORRIDOR BRINGING AN ADDITIONAL 784,000 Sq.Ft. TO THE MARKET
CORE5 Industrial Partners300,000 sq.ft.
spec building
Magnolia Place will be the newest class A office building in Woodstock.
It totals 32,000 sq.ft. and will offer walkability to Downtown.
Park at Fowler Crossing at Highway 92 and I-575 offers
two new office buildings totaling 40,000 sq.ft. with
immediate access to I-575
Majestic Realty’s Cherokee Commerce Center West
69,000 sq.ft. available
The Opportunity Cherokee Plan also identifies the need for additional office product
12. GROW I Quality of Place
Canton Ranked #1 - Best Places To Live in Georgia
- Movoto.com
Safest community in Metro Atlanta
- Atlanta Agent Magazine
Ball Ground 7th in Best Places to Raise a Family and 17th
in 100 Best Suburbs for Millenials in Georgia
- Niche.com
Holly
Springs
Home to Reinhardt University and Georgia’s
Official Southeastern Indian Interpretive
Center, Funk Heritage Center
Waleska
13. Woodstock Home to Georgia’s 2016 Small Business
Rock Star – Reformation Brewery
Home to Garland Mountain Sporting Clays In Waleska
offering recreational and competitive clay target
shooting and 13 miles of public Equestrian Trails
Garland Mountain
Home to the Atlanta Yacht Club and offering an
abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities
Lake
Allatoona
Ranked 9th fastest growing city in
Georgia - United States Census BureauWoodstock
14. GROW I Film
Fun
Film Facts:
464%Increase
in film prospects since becoming a Georgia
‘Camera Ready Community’in 2011
134Local Properties
are listed on the state’s
Reel-Scout database
LIGHTS
CAMERA
ACTION
Filming in Cherokee
2016
15. CHEROKEE COUNTYinthe MOVIES!
The Netflix TV series
Ozarkstarring Jason Bateman
filmed on Lake Allatoona
and throughout the county
scheduled to release in 2017
‘The Founder’
filmed in Canton
‘Billy Lynn’s Long Half-time Walk’
filmed at the Georgia National Cemetery
‘Miracles from Heaven’
filmed at Gibbs Garden in Ball Ground
‘Hidden Figures’
filmed in Canton
Look for these movies to release in 2017:
‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul’ • filmed in Waleska
‘Hangman’ with Al Pacino • filmed in Canton
Also filmed in Cherokee in 2016
9 TV episodes from different TV series and 5 commercials
17. THE 185 YEAR OLD STARTUP COMMUNITY
Cherokee County has long been a great place for enterprising fresh starts. In the 1800s, settlers came
digging for gold. Later, mills began grinding. The mid-century hatching of the agriculture industry put
Cherokee County on the world map.
In 2016, a groundbreaking opportunity to grow and cultivate
innovation and entrepreneurism in Cherokee County was created and
unveiled. Targeting a growing millennial population, these initiatives
highlight how Cherokee’s history has propelled the community to
now be the perfect fresh air, high growth incubator of dreams.
In that spirit, the Fresh Start Cherokee
initiative was launched. From kids to CEOs,
we provide entrepreneurial education for
our next generation and growth support
for our next wave of startups.
Part of that support is the first official co-work
space and coffee shop, The Circuit. Here, local
innovators can Forget the Commute, and dig,
grind and hatch their startup close to home.
6 Dedicated Offices
16 Dedicated Desks
16 Hot Desks
Superfast WiFi
Coffee Shop
18. A critical component of economic growth is
connecting the existing and future workforce
to current and incoming industry. In an un-
precedented move for Cherokee County, this
past year COED partnered with UGA’s Carl
Vinson Institute of Government to establish
the Cherokee Workforce Collaborative. This
initiative will create a common vision be-
tween business, government and education
entities to put a workforce pipeline in place
that will grow and retain local talent.
Partners Include:
Plus, local industry and non-profit service providers
GROW I Talent
19. Cherokee County
School District (CCSD)
Earns Highest SATScores
in Metro Atlanta
Canton Elementary STEM Academy Wins
Georgia’s Top STEM Education Award from the
Technology Association of Georgia (TAG)
Two CCSD educators have been recognized
by Apple for their abilities in technology and
creativity in the classroom
Local high school marketing teacher
received a top award from international
entrepreneurship program
Reinhardt University announced the launch of its new School
of Nursing and Health Sciences (SNHS) program. Classes for
baccalaureate degree in Nursing will be offered beginning in
January 2018.
“Reinhardt University is committed to providing nursing students with an
exceptional education where they learn the skills and proficiencies to enter
the workplace prepared to deliver competent and caring health care for
Cherokee County.” Dr. Kina Mallard
President of Reinhardt University
Held in March at the Northside Hospital-Cherokee Conference Center
in Canton, in partnership with Georgia Department of Labor.
2ND ANNUAL
CHEROKEE CAREER EXPO
For the past two years, this event has attracted over:
1,300Job Seekers 40 Local Businesses
20. The new hospital will
provide Cherokee County
residents with sustainable
specialty care closer to home.
Dedicated and distinct
medical office building
state-of-the-art hospital
investment
21. Sustainability FACTS:
Etowah River Park and
Launch Site provides access to
the Etowah River, one of the most
biologically diverse river systems
in North America.
Cherokee’s award-winning,top rated
Blankets Creek Mountain Bike
Trail draws more than 90,000
visitors each year and features six
unique trails.
Forget the commute! COED
is working to grow jobs locally,
reducing the 78% out-commute of
talented residents.
Atlanta Regional Commision
(ARC) named Woodstock as one of
five “Green Communities” and
also awarded COED with their first
series of “Sustainable Connec-
tions” interns for communities
committed to sustainability.
22. GROW I Awareness
Did you know...
Many of the initial trial runs and R&D for
Chick-fil-A spicy chicken sandwich was
completed at Pilgrim’s in Canton
Woodstock based Roytec supplies the
electrical wiring harnesses for Otis Elevator
Universal Alloy Corporation has contin-
uously been awarded Supplier of the Year
and Performance Excellence Awards from
aerospace titans including Gulfstream
and Boeing
R & M Sandwich Shop in
Canton and Reel Seafood
in Woodstock were both
recognized by “Georgia
Eats” the official state
culinary guide as having
one of Georgia’s 100
Plates that Locals Love!
Holly Springs based Nor-Ral Plastics
supplies parts for Lockheed’s F-16 fighter
jets as well as the C-130, the world’s most
advanced tactical airlifter
One of the reasons
2016 Georgia Small
Business Rockstar
Reformation Brewery
chose Cherokee was
the water quality.
Reformation was also
noted as one of the
ten breweries on the
“Craft Brew Flavor
Tour” in Georgia
Ball Ground’s Burger Bus was noted as
one of the top ten burgers in Georgia
Ball Ground’s Awnex supplies awnings and
drive-thru products for Steak and Shake,
Starbucks, McDonald’s and many more
Inalfa Roof Systems supplies advanced
automotive sunroof systems to almost 60
automotive manufacturers including BMW,
Ford, Lincoln and Nissan
Forbes rankings for America’s Best Large
Employers included Northside Hospital as
number one in Georgia, number 18 overall
in the United States, and number one in
Healthcare in the Southeast
23. DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
of CHEROKEE COUNTY
Chairman: Marshall L. Day
Vice-Chairman: Steven L. Holcomb
Secretary/Treasurer: Robert Logan
Patrick Comeaux
Mark Goddard
Ashley Holcomb
Wanda Roach
James L. (Skip) Spears
Harold Swindell
CHEROKEE COUNTY
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
Chairman: Steven L. Holcomb
Vice-Chairman: Jaqueline Archer
Secretary: Edna Cook
Assistant Secretary: Jeff Moon
Mayor Gene Hobgood
Ben Looper
Mayor A.R. (Rick) Roberts, III
TEAM
President: Misti Martin
Senior Project Manager: Heath Tippens
Project Manager,
Film & Workforce: Videssa Ormsby
Project Manager: Jennifer Stockton
Community Manager,
Entrepreneurship: Jonathan Chambers
Cherokee has continued to grow at a record pace throughout 2016, much because of the vision and
work of the Cherokee Office of Economic Development and its partners. The year was filled with the
completion and implementation of the initial phases of the Opportunity Cherokee Strategic Plan.
We have dedicated time to planning for future business growth; first by expanding the Cherokee 75
Corporate Corridor and second by identifying future areas of development. Doing so has resulted
in corporate location announcements from brands such as adidas, YANMAR, Papa Johns and Jaipur
Living. These investments, along with continued commitment from existing industry, helped to
make 2016 a stellar year. We have surpassed estimated job growth and investment from existing
industries and spearheaded the Cherokee Workforce Collaborative which will develop talent for our
current and future employers.
We also introduced ‘Fresh Start Cherokee,’ a program inspiring current and future entrepreneurs to
forget the commute and launch their startup in Cherokee. In support of that program, we are prepar-
ing to open Cherokee’s first co-work space, ‘The Circuit.’ This collaboration space is a one-of-a-kind
location whose existence was a result of innovative minds from COED, Chattahoochee Technical
College and Woodstock Office of Economic Development.
It’s no surprise that the hard work of Cherokee’s leaders is finally paying dividends. Cherokee and
its cities have been continuously recognized, both in the state and nation, for our safety, beauty and
livability. Our school district also continues to receive national attention for
excellence and our own Misti Martin was recognized as one of the Top 50
Economic Developers in North America.
Cherokee will continue to grow; its attractiveness is obvious. It is our job to lead
that growth in a sustainable, quality manner that allows our community to
recognize its full potential. Here’s to an even better 2017!
