EDC discusses Coats & Clark, MCLB-Albany
Funds for local businesses affected by 2017 storms on EDC agenda
By Gypsy Crow
ALBANY — The Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission met on Wednesday to discuss current projects aimed at boosting local economic value and luring businesses to the region.
The EDC is moving forward with the next step required for the funding of Coats & Clark to restore the Albany factory location that was destroyed during a January 2017 tornado. The EDC has been working closely with Coats & Clark to get the grant approved by the city. The vote to proceed was approved unanimously by all meeting attendants.
Coats & Clark has been active in Albany since 1947 and will provide more than 100 jobs for displaced citizens.
“We’re proud to be good financial stewards,” EDC President Justin Strickland said of the agency’s efforts to assist Coats & Clark in obtaining the grant.
The Albany/Dougherty County region hosted the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s 30th annual Quail Hunt recently. The event is a key networking opportunity for officials and businesses that could bring jobs to the region.
Albany Technical College and Procter & Gamble have partnered to create job opportunities for students training to receive their CDL license due to the shortage of truck drivers. Albany Technical College is looking to grow the region’s diesel technology training to meet the demand for local businesses that require it. The program is covered by the state’s HOPE Scholarship.
The EDC has been working closely with Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany to foster the base’s longstanding relationship with the city. The close relationship with Marine Corps leaders allows for the EDC to go directly to senators and congressmen on the base’s behalf to request funds to help bolster the base and keep it a viable entity, Strickland noted. The funds are used to prevent a potential Base Realignment and Closure committee from targeting the base, one of the region’s largest employers.
“I personally feel like the better relationships we have with our Marine base leadership and our Logistics Command leadership, the better we are from a foundational level,” Strickland said “When our leaders move from here to the Pentagon, where they’re making key decisions, they know how much we need Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany, how much we appreciate it, and how hard we’ll fight for it to keep the missions that they have here and to help grow their mission.”
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