Quick Poll

Do you give annually to the Coweta Can-A-Thon?

Related Story

Blogs

Angela McRae

Tea with friends

Deberah Williams

Everyday Finesse

Lorrie Lynch

Who's News

Published Friday, November 06, 2009 in Local

Newnan is finalist to land Korean industry

By Jeff Bishop

The Times-Herald

Newnan is one of two finalists for a hot South Korean manufacturing prospect, officials with the Coweta County Development Authority revealed Thursday.

"There is a Korean company that we've been trying to get for five months," said David Brown, chairman of the board.

He explained that Greg Wright, president of the development authority, was absent because he had rushed to Atlanta to craft an attractive incentive package with state development officials.

"We're up against South Carolina, and South Carolina is giving them a lot of incentives," said Brown.

"So Greg is on the road, on an important mission to help us get an incentive package that's going to get us this international company," said Brown.

"This is a very important industry."

He said it's always tough competing against South Carolina.

"South Carolina is apparently able to just write a check for whatever is needed," said Brown. "Let's wish Greg good luck."

The development authority board did not name the prospect, but one good possibility is CT&T United, an aggressive electric car manufacturer that forecasts creating 10,000 jobs nationwide in the next five years.

CT&T United is a subsidiary of a South Korean company that recently announced the acquisition of a $400 million contract to build 38,000 electric vehicles -- most to be distributed in the United States, but also in Canada, Japan and Taiwan.

As many as 2,600 production workers could be hired over a five-year period at the new plant, the company says. It is known that South Carolina and Georgia are the final two candidate states for a planned CT&T facility in the southeastern U.S., and the Atlanta metro area was named in various media sources as a target area.

The company's checklist for sites includes a skilled (and non-union) work force, transportation infrastructure and government incentives.

CT&T was founded in 2002 by former Hyundai Motor executive Young Gi Lee and currently produces two versions of its e-Zone electric vehicle, with the only difference being the battery pack -- one has a lead acid battery pack, the other a li-polymer pack.

The e-Zone has a top speed of 44 mph with the lead acid battery offering a range of 31-41 miles on one charge, while the li-polymer battery has a range of 62-68 miles. The company is working on expanding the speed and range of its vehicles in partnership with LG Chem and SK Energy, with the aim to produce new City electric vehicles that reach speeds of 60-80 mph and travel a distance of 43-75 miles with one charge.

Wright, who would not name the Korean prospect, said only that "the international company we have been working with over the past few months anticipates making a final decision by the end of the year. Coweta County is the final site under consideration in Georgia."

Wright said Coweta County has recently been contacted by two other companies looking to relocate operations within Georgia. He has also been in contact with three local industries looking to expand.

"And Larry Alford of Georgia Tech and I met last week with a new industry that is locating in Coweta County," said Wright. "The manufacturing company expects to have about 20 employees."

The company has requested to have no publicity at this time, he said.

"It hopes to be able to open by the end of the year," he added.

"We have also submitted a proposal on a bioscience project that the Georgia Department of Economic Development is working on," he said.

Comment On This Story

Times-Herald.com does not necessarily agree with the comments posted below. Responsibility of comments rests solely with the writer. Comments posted in ALL CAPS will be deleted.

Submission of a comment does not guarantee publication. Comments will be posted by a moderator after being scanned for abusive language, relevance, etc. See our Comments FAQ for more details.