Clayton County is adding hundreds of jobs after snagging new locations for and expansions of national and international manufacturing companies, including a supplier of eyeglasses and a business that stamps names on steel in cars.
Erica Rocker-Wills, the director of Clayton’s economic development department, said Glasses USA and GSC Steel Stamping have begun operations in Clayton, adding more than 200 jobs between the two of them.
“This is a tremendous win for Clayton County,” Rocker-Wills said. “They searched the entire country before landing in Clayton County because they were not in the country at all.”
Of GSC, she said the company last year acquired an existing steel-stamping business already located in the county, but will add jobs because of expansion plans.
“They are looking for more space, so it’s highly possible that they will go and find a bigger building,” she said.
The jobs come as Clayton attempts to take better advantage of being home to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and the metro Atlanta area’s growth as a logistical powerhouse.
The county, which has among the highest poverty levels in the metro, has struggled over the years with economic growth as the bulk of area jobs have gone to Atlanta and its northern suburbs.
Kennesaw State University economist Roger Tutterow said in addition to its proximity to Hartfield, Clayton benefits from less expensive land compared to Atlanta and its northern communities. That is attractive to companies weighing returns on their investments.
And not every county needs to draw big marquee business. Small but steady job growth with a variety of employers has proved to be wise because shuttering a small business doesn’t hurt a community the way a big business closure does, he said.
“The interesting thing about economic development is that while there are occasionally these big home runs where you land a major company, a lot of progress is made hitting singles and doubles,” he said. “Not every win has to be a homerun.”
In addition to Glasses USA and GSC Steel Stamping, Rocker-Wills said the state of Georgia also announced at the end of December that it plans to bring another 40 or more jobs to Clayton by opening a regional office of the Georgia Department of Community Supervision to the community.
Bathroom appliance giant Toto also is undergoing a $238 million expansion of its facility, where it employs more than 300 in Clayton, she said.
Clayton Commission Chairman Jeff Turner said the new manufacturers and business expansions demonstrate that the county is thriving. To maximize that, Clayton is putting a particular focus on improving its land use management so that it continues to grow, but in a way that is smart and efficient.
As for Clayton’s struggles compared to its northern neighbors, Turner said he wonders where the county would be had it joined Atlanta, DeKalb and Fulton early on in MARTA’s development. He believes the transit agency has been a driver in the success of much of the areas north of Interstate 20.
“Businesses want to be located near transit-oriented development,” Turner said of MARTA, which came to Clayton in 2014. “That’s what we want to accomplish now.”
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