The following report is from our AJC colleague Scott Trubey:
Gov. Nathan Deal made a clandestine trade mission to the United Kingdom in recent days, a trip so secret his office wouldn't confirm where he went.
It was out of character for a governor who’s never been shy about touting jobs deals and overseas economic development trips to places such as South Korea, China, Israel and to see the Panama Canal.
On Thursday, Deal gave a glimpse at his trip and identified one company he called on.
Deal said one of his stops was to the U.K. base of Pinewood Studios, a production firm that recently built new studios in Fayette County and is already planning an expansion. Pinewood is the preferred studio facility for the James Bond franchise, and its Georgia studios recently played host to Marvel Studio's Ant-Man starring Paul Rudd.
Deal said he pitched the idea to put a Georgia Film Academy, a notion he's mentioned frequently this month, on a lot adjacent to Pinewood's Georgia complex.
“They have had great success in Georgia and they are one of the cheerleaders spreading the news,” he said.
As for where else he visited, he added, “I won’t talk to you about other things at this point in time.”
Still, it begs the question: Why was this trip so secretive?
The answer might be that Georgia is courting a deal so sensitive that Deal and his aides didn’t want word of the visit to get out to rival states.
Word, of course, did leak and numerous outlets reported on Georgia's "missing" governor after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on Deal's undercover voyage.
The state's top economic development officer, Chris Carr, ended the suspense on Wednesday, sharing news on social media of the mission's return from across the pond.
So beyond pitching Pinewood, what major economic development deals might be at play?
Maybe he visited companies in Britain’s deep pharmaceutical industry, or perhaps some form of advanced manufacturing? London-based GW Pharmaceuticals is currently testing a marijuana-based epilepsy treatment in conjunction with Georgia Regents University in Augusta.
Maybe the target is an auto plant?
Jaguar Land Rover is said to be scouting the South for its first U.S. manufacturing plant, according to a report last fall in The Sunday Times of London. A factory producing Jaguar or Land Rover vehicles would be quite the trophy for any state.
The Times reported in October that South Carolina was in the running along with other southern states for a plant that could produce 200,000 automobiles a year.
The South already has factories from luxury brands including BMW in South Carolina, and Mercedes-Benz in Alabama. Georgia just recently won the U.S. headquarters of Mercedes, and the state unleashed a raft of incentives last decade to win a Kia auto plant.
Georgia also has many shovel-ready tracts that it’s dangled in front of manufacturers.
There’s been buzz of late about manufacturer interest in the state’s megasite along the coast in Pooler. The site near Savannah twice has been at play for a Sprinter van plant, and the Atlanta Business Chronicle reported recently that Mercedes-parent Daimler– a German company – was interested in the property again. Other unnamed companies – including another automaker -- were reportedly scouting the property near I-16 and I-95.
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