Gwinnett development group sets sights on Asia business

Less than a month after luring NCR headquarters from Ohio, Gwinnett County economic leaders have turned their sights overseas.

Partnership Gwinnett, an arm of the Chamber of Commerce, has scheduled a 15-day trip to Asia to promote economic development. It is the latest move in a strategy that has helped attract two Fortune 500 companies and more than 5,000 jobs to the county in the past two years.

“We’re not waiting for the phone to ring,” said Nick Masino, vice president of economic development for the Chamber and head of Partnership Gwinnett.

Luring business is Masino’s business and his whirlwind trip this week to China and South Korea is packed with meetings to sell officials on metro Atlanta.

“Once you’re over there, it’s not that expensive to move around,” he said. “We want to be very strategic while we’re there.”

The trip will also include more favorable news for Gwinnett. Plans for a business expansion by a Chinese frim already operated in the country will be announced June 26 but Masino could provide no further details.

Partnership Gwinnett’s strategy was laid out in 2006 when the Chamber sponsored a $150,000-study to craft a long-term economic development plan. The nine-month study became Masino’s bible.

The initiatives: create high-paying jobs, provide a strong workforce with a model education system, offer a high quality of life and market the area to outside interests.

To implement the plan, Masino expanded the economic development arm from one employee to nine. He hired four economic development specialists, a marketing and public relations director, a researcher and a project administrator.

He also raised money. Partnership Gwinnett is expected to raise about $2 million this year from 160 contributors, public and private, Masino said.

Public contributors include Gwinnett schools, the county’s three community improvement districts (CIDs), 14 cities, the Convention and Visitors Bureau and Gwinnett County, which will chip in $250,000 this year.

The county helps Partnership Gwinnett in another way. Alfie Meek, Gwinnett County economic analysis director, said the county offers a unique set of incentives to draw businesses. The most important, he said, is development authority financing, which provides an initial break on property taxes.

The county used the process with NCR last year when it moved some of its operations to Duluth. It did not extend the same incentives to the deal this month.

Before the county offers incentives, a company must undergo a review to guarantee it provides a net value in jobs, tax base and income. Fiscal impact to the county must be positive, Meek said.

The process is exacting, he said, but most companies come to appreciate the county’s diligence before granting incentives.

The Partnership Gwinnett delegation will include Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charles Bannister, who will miss his first commission meeting in five years while overseas. His trip is funded through the Chamber.

Masino said Bannister’s participation is vital, because Asian officials, particularly in China, regard government leaders with more respect than business leaders.

“It’s an investment,” Bannister said. “It’s not my first invitation but it’s the first opportunity I’ve had to say ‘yes’.”