Project Overview

The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state agency responsible for attracting and growing businesses within Georgia. As part of this effort, the GDEcD’s Workforce Division and Centre of Innovation for Aerospace obtained a grant award from the Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment in order to study current Department of Defense contract work that is being conducted in Georgia.

There are eleven counties and twenty-one cities within the Middle Georgia region. The region contains the Macon and Warner Robins urbanised areas; however, the outlying areas are significantly more rural. Among the crucial industries in the region is Robins Air Force Base, which is the largest single-site industrial complex within the State of Georgia. As this base is a large driver of economic activity in the region, the regional planning process is important to ensure that the continued success of the region is robust to changes in defense spending.

The Regional Planning process will build on the existing defense industrial base, and explore opportunities to diversify the regional economy from dependence on Department of Defense contracts. The intention of the regional plan is to assess Middle Georgia’s strengths, and determine opportunities to develop business in other markets. Using this information, the goal is to provide a road map to an economy that is more resilient to Department of Defense spending fluctuations.