VALDOSTA —
In a tent under open blue skies and noisy geese flying overhead, the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority celebrated the opening of three major business parks in the Valdosta area Wednesday morning as well as the certification of each of the parks as “Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development” or GRAD.
The certification through the Georgia Allies statewide marketing partnership is earned through the completion of thorough infrastructure development on-site. Industries searching for new location opportunities on a strict timeline often turn down all but the sites most ready for development.
The GRAD designation is coveted in the business community and involves the submission of paperwork and an investigation of the property; it predicts that growth will be rapid, but more importantly highlights GRAD-designated parks as prime locations for business developers.
Having three business parks GRAD-certified—Bassford, Miller and Westside business parks—in one community has never happened before, according to Gretchen Corbin, Deputy Commissioner of Global Commerce for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, who was in attendance at the opening.
“This is a big deal,” Corbin said in her speech. “We don’t take this for granted. We can have the greatest relationships, the best leadership, but if we have not invested in parks and buildings, then when a prospect comes to call, you don’t have anything to show for it.”
The GRAD certification proves to prospects that Valdosta and Lowndes County are well-prepared to grow rapidly, especially with the completion of Miller park, the newest of the three which Authority Chairman Roy Copeland called “the Cadillac of parks.”
The park features a sizeable retention pond, 210 acres available for development, landscaping, street lighting and dual entrances, and gas, water and sewer on-site. The site is three miles from Interstate 75, 1.5 miles from U.S. Highway 84 and one mile from Georgia State Truck Route 7.
“The GRAD designation means these three parks are market-ready,” Copeland said in his speech. “Industry can come here and not have a bunch of red tape to get through to get up and running.”
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The Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority celebrated the opening of three business parks Wednesday, including Miller Business Park, the newest addition. Jason Schaefer
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Andrea Schruijer, Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority executive director, congratulates those responsible for the completion of Bassford, Miller and Westside business park projects at the Miller Business Park grand-opening celebration Wednesday. Seated from left, Lowndes County Commissioner Crawford Powell and Georgia Department of Economic Development Deputy Commissioner Gretchen Corbin listen. Jason Schaefer
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Industrial authority opens business parks
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