In sports and economic development, we celebrate the wins, the championship moments like announcements, groundbreakings, and ribbon cuttings – U.S. Soccer’s headquarters alongside the 2026 World Cup comes to mind. And we should, because we know how much planning and commitment it took to make the dream a reality. How many obstacles we had to overcome to be where we are.
Like in sports and life, landing the next big win does not happen overnight. It requires strategic planning and the right team on the field working as one. For the championship moments to become real, the community needs to have the right strategy to recruit the company – and that means diligence.
Here are three ways your community can become a perfect fit for the champion recruit.
1. Create a roster of sites.
Every community seeking to attract new opportunities should have a site portfolio – a roster or playbook that has the latest, most accurate information. When identifying your sites or marketing them, keep in mind your own stats: whether your site is strategically located near logistics infrastructure, the size and shape of the property, existing utility infrastructure, and the status of zoning and permitting.
In today’s competitive landscape, companies are making decisions faster than ever. Having an updated site roster that can be shared with state partners such as the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) or with companies directly reduces response time to RFIs.
Accelerated timelines increase importance of speed-to-market solutions. Some companies wanted to be on the playing field to gain market share yesterday, so preparation to meet that speedy development is essential.
Local economic developers can find help through the “Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development” (GRAD) Program, which lays out the playbook needed for a site to be development ready and then provides certification for sites that meet specific due diligence requirements. The state maintains a database of these sites that makes it easy for companies and consultants to sort and view when conducting the site selection process. Just like reviewing players before the draft, this database is often the first stop in the earliest stages of the site selection process when professionals are determining what is available.
2. Identify your ideal recruit.
The success of a project over the next five, 10, or 25 years comes down to finding the right recruit, including industry type and project size.
Just like different players have different needs on and off the field, industries also have various requirements for success, from workforce to utility infrastructure to square footage. Many industries are moving towards automation to expand or meet their capabilities while workforce may be in short supply. Other industries are water or power intensive due to their operations. These projects may not be suitable for communities with limited resources or aging infrastructure if a plan isn’t already in place that can meet a company’s ramp up timeline.
Expanding a team may mean expanding facilities. In the same way, when attracting new investments, there may be wider implications for infrastructure. If the project is expected to draw additional workforce and new residents, utilities, and other resources will be part of the equation for the community and the company.
So, how can a community attract new opportunities while taking each of these factors into account?
Just like different players have different positions – you need a mix of industry for a thriving community.
Differing industries and operations have varying requirements in terms of workforce, infrastructure, and physical space. History has shown time and again that economic downturns do happen, and when they do, diversification allows greater resiliency, protecting the jobs and livelihoods of Georgians.
3. Teamwork.
Collaboration is key to Georgia’s success as a state. In addition to foresight from state leaders, GDEcD attributes the last decade of excellence in part to teamwork with sister agencies, local economic developers, and the business community.
We encourage communities to engage in similar partnerships. Whether it’s working with GDEcD to identify, certify, and market sites or the Department of Community Affairs to prepare for development, Georgia offers an abundance of resources for developing and executing economic development strategies.
Communities can also look to their neighbors for inspiration. Check out the game tapes! Dublin-Laurens County recently celebrated the groundbreaking of Hwashin, which will create more than 460 new jobs and invest more than $176 million in the community, at their GRAD-certified site. Their success was years in the making, and they laid out their process so other cities and counties could take notes.
Just as most championships tell us, overnight success is rare. It’s practice, hard work, and (site) preparation that builds legends.
Kristi Brigman is the Deputy Commissioner of Global Commerce at the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), where she leads the team responsible for attracting job and investment growth to the State of Georgia.
