Georgia Officials Mum On Taxpayer Incentives For Green Georgia

By T.A. DeFeo | The Center Square contributor, The Center Square Georgia

January 31, 2023

(The Center Square) — A sustainable building materials manufacturing company plans to spend $59 million on its new headquarters in Thomaston.

Green Georgia LLC, a startup, designs and manufactures low-carbon materials for prefabricated buildings, including sustainable factories. State and company officials expect the project to create more than 170 jobs.

"Green Georgia is an eco-friendly building solutions company that is going to transform the way we build today," John Wolfington, the principal of Green Georgia, said in an announcement. "By building in a controlled environment, our products can be produced at a much lower cost and quicker than traditional construction without producing the waste that comes with traditional construction."

A Georgia Department of Economic Development communications representative declined to release information about what incentives the state provided to the company and its cost to Georgia taxpayers. A news release indicates the state provided Georgia Quick Start workforce training, which provides "customized, job-specific training."

However, the spokesperson told The Center Square that the project is "still active." The designation allows state officials to decline to release details about tax incentives the state offered to entice a company to locate in Georgia.

"We believe their product and mission to provide sustainable materials furthers our community’s mission to attract innovative and forward-thinking companies to our region," Kyle Fletcher, the executive director of the Thomaston-Upson County Industrial Development Authority, said in an announcement. "An investment of this size proves that companies are looking for what smaller communities in rural Georgia can offer: a robust workforce, opportunity for growth with small town charm, and a tight-knit community."

The focus of the work of The Center Square Georgia is state and local-level government and economic reporting that approaches stories with a taxpayer sensibility.