Industrial Development Authority Awarded GRAD Certification Grant

By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor

The Industrial Development Authority met on Dec. 9, briefly noting some good news about grants before entering executive session to discuss potential incoming/expanding industries.

Evan Stone (executive director) noted that clearing of the land for the Trenton-Dade Business Park is underway. The IDA is paying the county to do this work, and Stone said that the county will let the IDA know if expenses exceed the initial agreed upon amount.

Thanking William Back (recording secretary) for his grant writing work, Stone noted that the state approved the IDA for the Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) Certification grant that is worth about $31,000. He noted that the current industrial park is GRAD Certified because Peter Cervelli went through the process years ago.

Back said that it takes about six months to a year to complete all steps to be GRAD Certified, and the grant is a 90/10 match: the IDA pays ten percent of the certification expenses, the state pays 90.

Spencer Hogg (president and CEO of Northwest Georgia Joint Development Authority) added, “The GRAD Certification takes a lot of the thinking out of it for companies because it shows that the due diligence is done. Normally, you have a piece of land, and these companies might really like your land, but when they look at the due diligence timetable that they’d have to go through, it’s just not feasible for them.”

Back noted that because the IDA is now approved for the GRAD Grant, they can also apply for a larger grant (also mentioned at last month’s IDA meeting). Stone added that this grant isn’t limited to the new business park but could be used for land acquisition, roads, and/or infrastructure.

Hogg explained that the state established this recent grant because “in Georgia, we’ve been really, really successful at recruiting businesses, which is great, but it’s also left us without much prepared land left.”

Stone then reported that the IDA had three industry visits and one on-site visit that they would talk about further in executive session. He said one industry might come to Dade while another existing industry is considering expansion.

Hogg then reported that across the region, the JDA continues to see interest from industries. He anticipates a burst of activity after January 1 (now that we’re past the presidential election and once the holidays are over).

No vote was taken after executive session.