Coming off the heels of a banner year for the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority (MBCIA), our chairman, Robby Fountain, was announced as one of Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians for 2023.  

Fountain was first elected chairman in 2008 and 2009, served as Vice Chairman for several years, and then resumed MBCIA chairmanship in 2017. Under his leadership, economic development in Macon-Bibb County has grown exponentially, bringing in over $2 billion of private investment and over 4,300 jobs. Industries like Amazon, Irving Tissue, Nichiha, Embraer, Dean Baldwin Painting, and Kumho Tire all chose to do business in Macon-Bibb County under his tenure.

Fountain was also integral in the inception of MBCIA’s PILOT (or Payment in Lieu of Taxes) Program. The PILOT program is a tax incentive designed to restructure the burden for companies interested in relocating or expanding to the Macon-Bibb area. This, in turn, lowers the tax burden for the citizens of Macon-Bibb County and increases the quality of life. PILOT payments go to both the Macon-Bibb County Board of Education and the Macon-Bibb County Commissioners. Since the inception of the PILOT Program, the Board of Education has received over $5.5 million, and the County Commissioners have received close to $5.4 million.

Also under Fountain’s leadership, MBCIA became designated as one of only 67 Accredited Economic Development Organizations by the International Economic Development Council. This process, rolled out over several months, included a detailed documentation review and an onsite visit from AEDO representatives. The AEDO designation is another feather in the cap of MBCIA’s commitment to transparency and accountability to Macon-Bibb County, a goal of Fountain and the Board. 

“I believe we have one of the best people as our chair, which is a major contributor to the economic development success in Macon-Bibb County due to his great leadership. says Stephen Adams, Executive Director of the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority. “Robby’s vision and leadership have been one of the primary drivers of industries making decisions to locate in Macon, and why we were able to have a banner year in 2022 with $652 million in private investment. On behalf of the staff and board of MBCIA, we’d like to congratulate Robby on his accomplishment.”