Apparel maker Phillips-Van Heusen is moving its local distribution facility from Austell on I-20 to McDonough on I-75 to be closer to the Port of Savannah, the governor’s office announced Wednesday.
The move will double the size of the company’s Georgia facility, double the number of Georgia jobs to 300, and double the volume of products it can process from Savannah.
Georgia beat out North Carolina and South Carolina for the facility, said Heidi Green, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
“We see this as a very big win,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
State incentives total about $3.7 million and include job tax credits and port volume tax credits, Green said.
The company, one of the largest shirtmakers, with well-known brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, had looked for a new building in Austell but didn’t find a large enough industrial space, she said. The new building in McDonough is 852,000 square feet. The company expects to complete its build-out by 2013.
Phillips-Van Heusen, a $2.4 billion company based in New York, will use the McDonough facility to consolidate operations from Austell and Jonesville, N.C., as well as shift shipments from the Port of Charleston to the Port of Savannah. Green called it “a dual win” for jobs and the Georgia port.
The real estate community had been buzzing about the development for weeks, but local officials finally made it official Wednesday.
Phillips-Van Heusen’s move to Henry County is another sign the Southside of metro Atlanta area is gaining in clout with the industrial community. Henry County officials said the area has added 1,000 jobs over the past year.
In April, frozen pancake maker De Wafelbakkers announced it would locate a food processing plant in McDonough that will create 242 jobs.
“I-75 essentially splits Henry County in half, which makes it an ideal destination when you’re looking at it from an overall logistics perspective,” Green said.
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