< Scott Evans Named Senior Project Manager

2017 Annual Report Highlights

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Highlights from our Annual Report

The Cumming-Forsyth County Chamber of Commerce is proud to promote a superior quality of life for the residents of our area. We’d like to share some of the year’s highlights with you here. 

27 Economic Development Projects

These are the initiatives that grow our county. The business professionals and community leaders in our area worked together this year to foster future development in the key areas of healthcare, manufacturing and technology. In turn, these projects generated jobs and capital investments in the community. Of the 27 firms, 50 percent are existing firms announcing local expansions. The remaining 50 percent are firms relocating to the community.

The firms will be paying an estimated $1,785,336 annually in property taxes or the equivalent of the net property taxes paid by 1,200 homeowners. 

1,300+ Jobs Created

Job growth is critical to bolster a thriving economy. New employers in the area include Sports Warehouse, Sharp Business Systems, U.S. Health Works and Cady Studios. Firms like Lone Rover and Georgia Highlands expanded their local operations in 2017, creating additional local jobs.

$167 Million Dollars of Capital Investments Added to the Community

When a business relocates, begins or expands in Forsyth County, it makes an investment in this community. In 2017, the Chamber has assisted 27 businesses in investing $167 million back into the community.

Overall, the return on investment in economic development for the citizens of Forsyth County is an astounding 893 percent!

Serving Small Businesses 

Last year, the Business Advancement Resource (BAR)  hosted six “Lunch & Learn” workshops, seven Business After Hours networking events and 34 Power Networking Lunches. An additional SCORE roundtable of peer business counseling began in 2017. 

6,200+ Hotel Room Nights Generated

In 2017, the Chamber's efforts referred 6,227 room night leads to local hotel operators. Visitors from these leads alone generated an estimated $1,176,903 in local sales taxes. Overall, visitors to Forsyth County generated an estimated $5,405,312 in local taxes. Each resident in Forsyth County would need to be taxed and additional $204 annually to replace the economic activity generated by visitors to the community.

Of all the Chamber's Annual Reports, we are probably most proud of the content of this one. A huge step forward was taken for commercial growth and development in the community when the Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a plan to expand economic development initiatives. That new investment and more aggressive direction are already paying important dividends. We have had the largest capital investment and new job announcements in a single year since the inception of the Economic Development Department in 2005.

We look forward to serving you in 2018 and continuing to make Forsyth County a great place to live, work and play for all! You are welcome to join us in our efforts. CLICK HERE to get started.

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