Gov. Nathan Deal and top economic development officials on Monday announced the state has been named the top state to do business in by Site Selection magazine for a fifth straight year.
The announcement, at a press conference in Midtown, comes as Georgia is gunning for the second headquarters of e-commerce giant Amazon. The state live-streamed the event online to get a little extra attention.
“For the fifth year in a row, Georgia has been named the No. 1 state in the nation in which to do business, highlighting the value of our business-friendly environment and the success of our economic development initiatives,” Deal said in a news release.
Deal thanked the state’s recruiting agency, the Legislature and the state’s business community for their help in reaching the top spot in the magazine’s rankings.
The ranking is based on the opinion of corporate site selection consultants and on a number of business and governmental metrics, including major projects that were announced in each state.
At the press conference, Deal touted the state’s job growth and workforce training programs as also being vital to the ranking.
“We have an economy that is clicking on all of its cylinders,” Deal said.
Site Selection is but one group that promotes business rankings.
The state Department of Economic Development also spends a portion of its marketing budget attempting to reach influential business leaders who read the magazine.
Through the end of fiscal 2016, the state’s economic development agency had spent about $150,000 advertising in the magazine since Deal was elected, including $48,000 last year.
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