Companies Invested $214 Million in Cherokee During 2016

CANTON, GA -- A diverse gathering of elected officials, stakeholders and business owners descended on to Canton Thursday to hear how things are looking in Cherokee County.

So, what's the outlook for this rapidly growing metro Atlanta county? Things are going pretty darn well, according to those who spoke during the 2017 Cherokee State of the County. The annual event was hosted by the Council for Quality Growth.

Thursday's keynote speaker was Cherokee County Commission Chairman Buzz Ahrens, who outlined some of what he refers to as the the county's USPs, or unique selling points.

Audience members also heard from Misti Martin, president of the Cherokee Office of Economic Development, TPA Group Principal Rick Bradshaw and Dr. Brian Hightower, superintendent of the Cherokee County School District.

Bradshaw, who works with the company that developed the Bluffs at Technology Park, said he's been up and running in Canton for 11 years and he's always known the community was "great."

All across America, there have been "exceptional" suburban communities like Cherokee County, which he said routinely get calls and inquiries from companies who've added the area to their short list of places to relocate.

Of course, part of what makes a community a desirable place to live, work and play is the school system it has in place. Dr. Hightower, who will soon celebrate his first anniversary serving as Cherokee superintendent of schools, said he was proud to see the school system play a critical role in making the county's quality of life among the best in the state.

Dr. Hightower provided a recap of what the school district has been up to in the last year, including rolling out a new logo and website, updating its mission statement and implementing organizational enhancements for district staff. What makes all this possible, he added, is the great leadership demonstrated by the seven members of the Cherokee County School Board.

Not to be outdone, Martin recounted to attendees the economic development milestones that took place in Cherokee County during 2016. Some of those include announcements by adidas, Papa Johns, YANMAR America, Jaipur Living, LAT Apparel and others to open up shop in Cherokee County.

"I'm really proud of the success we've had in economic development," she said. "You guys are part of that."

New and existing businesses also pumped about $214 million in capital investments in Cherokee County in 2016. Last year also saw 1,370 new career opportunities and the retention of more than 1,800 jobs.

Cherokee County, which Martin said is expected to grow by roughly 30,000 people over the next five years, also saw 83 business prospects, hosted 95 filming projects and grown its labor force by 14,722 throughout 2016.

Ahrens piggybacked on Martin's comments, adding Cherokee County's success can be attributed to the many partnerships it has created with local public safety agencies, the school system, the Office of Economic Development, healthcare industry, cities, state government and citizens.

The county boasts 867 public safety personnel out of roughly 1,300 employees. There were about 281,000 calls of service made to the Cherokee County E-911 center, 23,000 of which were fire and EMS calls, Ahrens stated.

Even with the growth and demand on services, Ahrens stated the county has the second lowest tax burden and spending per capita in the Atlanta region, the third lowest in long-term debt, third lowest in employees per capita and continues to maintain a "very low" unemployment rate.

Looking ahead to 2017, residents can expect to see the county begin the process of updating its Comprehensive Land Use Plan, educating residents on the upcoming Special Purpose Local Option Sales tax renewal, creating a parks and recreation master plan, begin work on creating a back-up E-911 center and open Veterans and Patriots parks.

Photo: front row, from left, Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Pam Carnes, Cherokee Commission Chair Buzz Ahrens, Cherokee Office of Economic Development President Misti Martin and Cherokee County Schools Superintendent Dr. Brian Hightower. Back row: Cherokee Recreation and Parks Agency Director Bryan Reynolds, TPA Group Principal Rick Bradshaw, Nathan Brandon of Camellia Place Assisted Living and Michael Parris, president & CEO of the Council for Quality Growth. Credit: Council for Quality Growth