Gov. Kemp announces new Creative Home Ideas facility coming to Liberty Co.

LIBERTY COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) - Governor Brian Kemp has announced that Creative Home Ideas will invest $15 million in Liberty County for a new distribution and light manufacturing facility.

It’s the latest in a stream of economic development for Liberty.

This is the second major economic development announced in less than two weeks for Liberty County. Just last week, the governor’s office announced a $72 million investment for a manufacturing facility for the Hyundai Metaplant.

Now, Creative Home Ideas, an online retailer for home décor is expected to create 70 new jobs in the county, with room to grow.

“We feel confident in Liberty County because of our previous track record. Once the company comes in, they find that we continue working with them, to help them seize opportunities and continue to grow and expand,” said Ronald Tolley, the CEO of the Liberty County Development Authority.

The facility will be in Midway, right off of exit 76 along I-95 in Tradeport East, an industrial park. This is the same industrial park where Seohan Auto Georgia, a tier one auto parts supplier to Hyundai, will also be located.

It’s expected to create 180 new jobs - a level of growth Tolley says he’s glad to see.

“We call them requests for information, we get a lot of RFIs from various companies. It’s been greater this year than prior, but it hasn’t been bad.”

Just last month, the Liberty County Development Authority also announced Pallatize, an ecommerce company, would be locating in Tradeport East as well. That company is expected to invest $6 million and create 20 jobs prior to any expansions.

Tolley says a major enticement for companies is the county’s proximity to I-95 and the ports of Savannah and Brunswick.

“The proximity to 95 is important for port access, those people who are getting raw goods and materials to manufacture and assemble here, or they’re in the distribution industry, and 95 makes that access very easy for them.”

In total, nearly 300 jobs across the three companies have been announced in about a month. That’s something Tolley says is positive progress for a county with an eligible workforce.

“There are 300 to 400 people per month who exit the military with assorted skills and training, that exit the military while at Fort Stewart in Hinesville. A majority of those, if they’re staying in Coastal Georgia, a majority of them do stay in Liberty County and make excellent employees.”

Major industry growth that economic leaders say they hope to see continue.

All three facilities, Creative Home Ideas, Pallatize, and Seohan Auto Georgia are expected to be operational by sometime next yar.