Jasper Joins Baxter Celebration

Jasper County, as part of the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton Counties, celebrates the announcement that Baxter International, a medial manufacturer based in Deerfield, Ill., plans to open a $1 billion manufacturing center and employ some 1,500 people in the Stanton Springs multi-use park developed by the authority.

The complex deal was nearly four years in the making, according to those close to the project. The announcement came last Thursday.

Hunter Hall, president, Covington/Newton Chamber of Commerce explained Friday that bells have long been used to signify warnings, announcements, etc., and that is why the county rings a bell to signify job creation.

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Officials from the four counties met Friday at the Stanton Springs site to ring the bell 1,500 times in celebration of the new jobs.

Jasper County Commission Chair Alan Cox, Vice-Chair Carl Pennamon and newspaper editor Kathy Mudd attended from Jasper County. Steve Jordan, who serves on the authority, and his wife, Lynn, attended, but because of prior obligations were not there to ring the bell. A meeting with Baxter officials was planned for yesterday.

Construction will begin later this year and the company expects the plant to begin commercial production in 2018. The site was selected because it is a greenfield site well-suited to the operations and allowing space for potential future growth, proximity to plasma collection centers in the U.S., and local resources including the availability of water, utilities, international transportation and a strong pool of potential employees.

Georgia’s workforce development program, Quick Start, is unique and represents a key advantage for attracting, training and retaining the work force, the company’s announcement said.

Gov. Nathan Deal said, “Baxter’s decision to come to Georgia marks a new era in the growth of our biosciences industry and will have far-reaching impact on our economy.”

In talking at the bell-ringing ceremony Friday, Mr. Hall said, in Newton County we are obnoxious about job creation. Other dignitaries said that this validates the investment in Stanton Springs. Social Circle Mayor Hal Dally called it a “game changer.”