MBCIA Welcomes Agriculture Leader to Local Industrial Park
BrightFarms Celebrates Groundbreaking Ceremony at Site of New Regional Greenhouse in Macon-Bibb County
Macon, GA —The Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority (MBCIA) proudly welcomed BrightFarms today as the newest member of the Airport East Industrial Park, a GRAD Certified Select site. In response to BrightFarms celebrating its groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the new regional greenhouse in Macon-Bibb County, MBCIA Chairman Robby Fountain shared the following statement:
BrightFarms is a national leader in the booming indoor farming industry, and its new location in the heart of Georgia will bring the freshest, cleanest, and most responsibly grown produce to its vast customer base. The MBCIA celebrates BrightFarms’ commitment to a better future with the expansion of their greenhouses as another step towards investing in innovating controlled environment agriculture for the next generation. Macon-Bibb County offers BrightFarms the robust infrastructure and access needed to support the rapid transport of consumer goods to their customers as well as the availability of high-quality water from the award-winning Macon Water Authority. We look forward to working long-term with BrightFarms and supporting their efforts during the construction of their new state-of-the-art regional greenhouse hub in Middle Georgia and ongoing.
BrightFarms celebrates Groundbreaking ceremony with Macon-Bibb County Leadership. From L to R: Valerie Wynn, Commissioner District 1; Raymond Wilder, Commissioner District 6; Robby Fountain, Chairman, MBCIA; Mayor Lester Miller; John Schaefer, COO of BrightFarms; Paul Bronson, Commissioner District 2; Gary Bechtel, Chairman, Macon Water Authority; Ron Shipman, Executive Director, Macon Water Authority; Stephen Adams, Executive Director, MBCIA.
About BrightFarms
BrightFarms is a national leader in the booming indoor farming industry, transforming how produce is grown and delivered with its expanding network of high-tech, sustainable hydroponic farms. Acquired by Cox Enterprises in 2021, BrightFarms operates hydroponic greenhouse farms in the communities it serves, enabling it to eliminate time, distance and costs from the food supply chain. BrightFarms’ growing methods, a model for the future of scalable, sustainable local farming, use far less energy, land and water than long-distance, field-grown agriculture. BrightFarms currently operates six high-tech greenhouse farms in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio and Illinois, with four new regional salad greenhouse hubs breaking ground to begin opening in 2024. BrightFarms’ fresh lettuce options, from classic greens to crunchy mixes and salad kits, are available in more than 3,700 retail stores across the East Coast and Midwest. To learn more about BrightFarms and find a store near you, visit www.brightfarms.com.
About the Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) Program
The Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) Program offers 60 industrial certified sites that are ready for fast-track construction projects through advance due diligence. To qualify for GRAD status, available sites must meet the program’s due diligence standards, be reviewed by a third party and earn the final approval of a board of advisors comprised of public and private sector economic development professionals. To learn more about Georgia’s GRAD Certified sites visit the Georgia Department of Economic Development website at: https://www.georgia.org/grad-certified-sites
