NCR Corp.’s decision to relocate its international headquarters and 1,250 jobs to Duluth from Ohio ranks as Metro Atlanta’s most notable employment gain this year, but it’s not the only one.
As of July 22, 43 companies had decided to locate operations in the metro area in 2009, or expand them by adding at least 15 jobs, according to figures supplied by the Metro Atlanta Chamber.
Those projects, which are expected to bring a total of 6,857 new jobs to the area, involve corporate headquarters, distribution warehouses, branch offices, manufacturing facilities and call centers.
Attracting such businesses, some of which moved from other states or were sought by them, is the name of the game in a recession, officials said.
“Right now, it’s about taking market share. There’s a smaller pie and it’s up to us to get a bigger share,” said Ken Stewart, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
Despite the resulting gain in jobs, the goal, said Metro Atlanta Chamber president Sam Williams, is not “growth for the sake of growth.”
Rather, he said, the target is high-income jobs.
Statewide, Georgia had a record 327 business locations or expansions for the fiscal year from July 2008 through June 2009, Stewart said. That’s up from 321 for the previous year.
Small businesses accounted for 40 percent of the projects, Stewart said.
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