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Area Development - Site Selection, Facility Planning and Workforce Development

Lowe’s to Generate 600 Jobs in Georgia With $125 Million Investment in New Distribution Center

09/08/2011
Home improvement retail giant Lowe's has broken ground on its new regional distribution center in Rome, Georgia. The 1.4 million-sq.-ft. facility will be located on 140 acres in the North Floyd Industrial Park in Floyd County, and create 600 jobs within three years.

When the new distribution center begins operating in early 2013, it will service Lowe's stores in western Georgia, northern Florida and Alabama. It joins Lowe's three other warehousing/distribution facilities in Georgia in Valdosta, Palmetto and Savannah. "The intersection of Ga. 53 and Ga. 140 is a great strategic location for this distribution center," said Rome Mayor Evie McNiece.

Based in Mooresville, NC, Lowe's is the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world. Each week it serves about 15 million customers at more than 1,725 home improvement stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Mike Mabry, Lowe's executive vice president, said the company selected Floyd County due to its talented workforce, accessibility to major transportation corridors, and the commitment of local and state leaders "to make this a win-win project..Not only will there be construction jobs and initial investment, there will be salaries going back into the local community and ongoing benefits for Floyd County and the state of Georgia for many years to come."

Georgia QuickStart, the state's workforce training programs, will help Lowe's prepare its workers at the new facility. Eddie Lumsden of the Floyd County Commission said county citizens also helped make the project possible through their support of the 2009 Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, which included resources for economic development. "We chose to invest in ourselves and that investment is paying off."

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