EDC board members tout good business news

ALBANY — The Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission’s meeting agenda was extremely light Wednesday, but a couple of members of the EDC board stirred up some excitement among their fellow members with comments at the end of the meeting.

Milan Patel and B.J. Fletcher offered some positive business news to offset what for many has become the typical bad news.

“A company from Atlanta (Stafford Development) paid $1.8 million for the Bank of America building (in west Albany),” Patel said. “There aren’t many places outside Atlanta where an acre of dirt is going for 1.8 million. And this is a company that just sold two plots in Buckhead, so they obviously believe they can make money in Albany.

“Also, Publix Corporate just bought the property in the shopping center where they’re located (at 2715 Dawson Road), and that is rare. What that says is that their business is doing so well here, they want to be here from now on.”

Fletcher, meanwhile, said she’d talked with Charitable Connections Inc. founder Michelle Uchiyama recently about the Atlanta nonprofit’s interest in developing a construction business in Albany that will employ up to 500 to build prefabricated buildings that are being erected worldwide.

“Ms. Uchiyama told me she doesn’t mind if I put it out there that she’s targeted the old Bobs Candies property,” Fletcher said. “She said her company has so many back orders, she wants to get this done in the next 90 to 120 days. Her investors are behind her plans to come to Albany, and she’s bringing up to 500 jobs that mean 500 families will be able to tap into the retail market that is coming here.”

EDC President Justin Strickland told the board 30 site location consultants from across the country had already confirmed their participation in the 28th Georgia Quail Hunt the second week of February, and Vice President Barbara Rivera Holmes said the EDC’s annual Industry Appreciation Week has been scheduled April 11-15.