It could be getting down to crunch time in the battle for a new Volvo manufacturing plant.
South Carolina's The State newspaper reported Wednesday that Gov. Nikki Haley and another top state official took private planes on a secretive recruiting trip near Volvo's North American headquarters. Gov. Nathan Deal and his top aide made the same journey on Tuesday.
Both state leaders traveled to the New Jersey/New York area. Georgia officials won't comment on the trip, but Volvo’s North American headquarters is in Rockleigh, N.J., about 30 miles north of Manhattan.
Volvo is scouting Georgia and South Carolina for a $500 million plant that could employ as many as 4,000 workers, and both states have taken steps to land the plant. Georgia has pitched a 1,900-acre site near Savannah for the plant, while South Carolina has proposed a sprawling tract in Berkeley County near Charleston.
Deal sounded optimistic about Georgia's chances in a brief interview on Wednesday.
"I've got my fingers crossed," he said. "We're glad that we created an environment where we're known as business-friendly."
When asked whether he was worried about an out-of-control bidding war with South Carolina - large-scale manufacturers often pit rivals against each other to land an even bigger bounty of incentives - Deal said he's run this gauntlet before.
"Governor Haley is a good friend of mine. We’re competitive on many, many projects. South Carolina is a competitive state," he said. "We’re accustomed to the rough-and-tumble that’s associated with trying to lure people coming to this state."
As to a definite timeline for Volvo's decision, Deal wouldn't take the bait.
"Volvo? Is that what we were talking about?"
About the Author
