Wow! What a wonderful way to spend lunch this past Friday with so many Rotarians and friends! The club was lucky to have Eric Johnson give an update on the new Hyundai Plant. After all Rotary items were discussed, Eric came forward and began his presentation.
The Savannah Harbor-Interstate 16 Corridor Joint Development Authority includes the development authorities of Bryan, Bulloch, Chatham, and Effingham counties. Founded in 2014, the Savannah JDA combines resources to attract and facilitate regionally significant projects. On May 25, 2021, Governor Brian Kemp announced the purchase of the Bryan County Mega Site in a partnership between the State of Georgia and the Savannah JDA. The mega site is around 2900 acres.
Hyundai Motor Group is using this land to build its first fully dedicated electric vehicle (EV) and battery manufacturing facility in the US. They are investing $5.545 billion in opening the state of art smart factory. 8,100 new jobs will be created. Construction began late January 2023 with full production expected in early 2025. Hyundai cited speed-to-market, workforce, and the state's ability to meet the company's neutrality standards as reasons to why they decided on this location. This is the largest economic development deal in the State of Georgia's history.
Eric showed slides of the progress of the site and shared information on vendor opportunities. He mentioned that Hyundai has already donated more than $1 million to local organizations. To learn more about the Hyundai Mega Site and Savannah JDA, please visit https://www.savannahjda.com/