The value of industrial parks in Fulton County
Industrial parks are more than economic engines.
If you never once thought about an industrial park before today, you couldn’t be blamed for it. At a glance, they’re not very exciting. Most IPs are plain affairs that don’t rouse much interest – lots lined with warehouses and efficient-looking plants. However, these workhorses of the local economy are actually unicorns in disguise. It really wouldn’t be going too far to say that they make a lot of the magic happen in Fulton County.
Fulton County features four industrial parks – Johnstown Industrial Park, Crossroads Industrial Park, Crossroads Business Park, and Tryon Technology Park. Each park has a variety of available shovel-ready sites. The 20 companies located in these parks paid over $5 million in property taxes to local taxing jurisdictions in 2022. That’s funding for improving local education, for technology upgrades that improve EMS response times, for veterans’ services and FJ&G Rail Trail improvements. Some of the best things about our county are made better thanks to the business located in our IPs. Equally important, the 20 companies occupying Fulton County’s industrial parks employ around 2,000 people, and that number is growing.
Our industrial parks support a diverse ecosystem of entrepreneurs for a more resilient economy.
Fulton County’s industrial parks have businesses of various sizes and with a wide range of industries at various stages of development. Crossroads Industrial Park hosts both local legacies like Century Linen & Uniform and cutting-edge global leaders like Inmar Intelligence. Johnstown Industrial Park is home to FAGE Yogurt, Walmart Food Distribution Center, Pioneer Windows and logistics and supply chain companies like DHL. Tryon features Vireo Health. As a result, Fulton County’s economy isn’t dependent on a single industry, which makes us stronger and more resilient during volatile markets.
The flexibility of sites creates customizable space for businesses to grow locally.
All parks offer sites that are customized to meet the specific needs of companies. This makes it easier for startups to launch. They also make it easier for thriving businesses to scale. As a company outgrows its footprint, it can expand its existing building on its existing site rather than find a new site elsewhere. Vireo Health, which opened its Tryon Technology Park facility in 2016, is already expanding its footprint, adding both tax revenue and job opportunities for locals. Likewise, paint manufacturer Benjamin Moore chose to expand its Johnstown Industrial Park site this year, adding an additional 35 jobs.
Local talent.
Both Vireo and Benjamin Moore have credited the local talent for influencing their decisions to operate in Fulton County. In an interview this year, Vireo’s GM Kaitlyn Nedo noted, “We’ve been able to hire scientists and are very impressed with the talents in the area.”
Business partnerships with Fulton Montgomery Community College.
To make sure the best opportunities stay local, industrial park businesses like Vireo and Euphrates Cheese, which occupies two buildings at Johnstown IP, are partnering with Fulton-Montgomery Community College to help train the local workforce in lucrative careers. Students at FMCC are able to get an education outside the classroom thanks to partnerships with companies like Vireo and Euphrates.
We’re growing opportunities in our industrial parks.
Fulton County’s state-of-the-art industrial parks bring more than business to the area. They bring opportunities that everyone in our county can benefit from. Read our 2022 Industrial Park Impact Report for more information.