The grant project will include road improvements and new rail lines leading into the park as part of the Irving Consumer Products project, which is expected to begin operations later this year.
Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority (MBCIA) has been awarded a $1.9 million grant from the Economic Development Administration that will be used to improve public infrastructure at Sofkee Industrial Park. The grant project was in part made possible by regional planning efforts led by the Middle Georgia Regional Commission.
The grant project will include road improvements and new rail lines leading into the park as part of the Irving Consumer Products project, which is expected to begin operations later this year.
The construction of the new, state-of-the-art tissue plant is a $400 million investment in Macon-Bibb and Middle Georgia and will bring over 200 new jobs to the area. To date, Irving Consumer Products has already hired 100 employees for the new facility.
“We are excited for what this grant will allow us to do in support of our current and future industrial partners located in Sofkee,” said MBCIA Chairman Robert Fountain. Sofkee Industrial Park is home to Kumho Tire and now Irving Consumer Products.
“The Regional Commission is happy to support the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority in their overall community efforts to recruit and support new industry,” said Laura Mathis, Executive Director for the Middle Georgia Regional Commission. “By working together, we can make sure our businesses have what they need to be successful here, across the state, and around the world.”
The MBCIA works with the Macon-Bibb County consolidated government, the Bibb County Board of Education, and the Macon Water Authority in providing an attractive and smooth transition for potential new industries to locate in the Macon-Bibb County area.
“This would not have been possible without our great local, state and federal partners that first helped us attract new industries to Sofkee, and then helped identify the resources that would support their operations,” said Fountain.
MBCIA Contact
Dan Hall, Marketing Manager
Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority
T: (478) 223-0570 (office)
T: (478) 954-5412 (cell)
