The Development Authority of the City of Milledgeville & Baldwin County announced the new Sibley-Smith Industrial Park has been named a Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development site by GDEcD, the state of Georgia’s marketing and sales arm.

“GRAD designation for the Sibley-Smith Industrial Park means it can truly compete on a global stage for new industry and the accompanying jobs,” said Pat Wilson, Executive Director of Georgia Allies, and COO of the Department of Economic Development. “I fully believe efforts by the Development Authority of the City of Milledgeville & Baldwin County to attain GRAD status for the site will be beneficial.”

The Sibley-Smith Industrial Park, named for the former property owners, is approximately 1,643 acres and is considered a mega-site. It is one of only 11 mega-sites in the state of Georgia and considered by the DAMBC to be in the top 3 because of rail siding on site, accessibility from a four lane highway, and all utilities already are on-site or within minimal proximity.

The GRAD designation indicates the Sibley-Smith Industrial Park is market-ready. The designation also includes several tools to market the site, including:

- Program benefits on the Georgia Department of Economic Development website

- Highlighted listings on the industrial site databases of major electric utility Web sites

- Continued presence on Georgia Allies electronic newsletter targeted to companies and
location consultants

- Site awareness for statewide project managers and Georgia Allies partners

“Having GRAD certification on the new mega-site means having a significant advantage over the competition to win new projects that create jobs,” says DAMBC Executive Director Matt Poyner. “While the GRAD certification process is extensive, having it means due diligence studies have been done and potential companies have confidence from qualified consulting firms that no known issues exist on the site and projects can proceed with reduced risk.” Currently, of the 10 other communities with mega-sites, 7 do not have GRAD certification completed.