Area Development
Toyo Tire North America (TTNA) has announced it will expand its Bartow County, GA, plant and add up to 470 new jobs over the next few years. After its completion sometime this year, the company anticipates being able to produce 5.2 million Toyo and Nitto tires annually from this location.

The project was made possible by a new agreement--signed by Jim Hawk (TTNA President) and James Jarrett (Chairman of the Bartow-Cartersville Joint Development Authority)--which expanded Bartow County's bonding capacity an additional $910 million.

"This agreement is a great example of the kind of business-friendly environment we pride ourselves on here in Georgia," said Gov. Nathan Deal. "I applaud the vision of Bartow County's leadership for taking steps to ensure the community and the company will continue to benefit from this very productive partnership."

In operation since 2006, the 900,000-sq.-ft. Bartow County plant was TTNA's first U.S. consumer tire production operation and continues to serve customers nationwide. When the company expanded another 820,000 square feet in 2008, its workforce grew by 700 people.

Toyo announced a further 200-job expansion last year and, with the capacity enabled by the bonding, the company said its employment could grow to 1,340 workers by 2020.

"The pro-business environment and cooperation from the State of Georgia and Bartow County have exceeded our expectations, said TTNA's Hawk. "Our start-up and growth have proceeded more quickly than planned." He cited Georgia Quick Start (the state's workforce development program) as being a "significant" part of the company's success, and lauded the continued support from the Bartow County Joint Development Authority.

Georgia is centrally located in the heart of America's booming Southeastern automotive corridor. Its logistics infrastructure has attracted manufacturers and suppliers from across the globe. Over 230 automotive-related manufacturing companies in the state employ nearly 52,000 workers.