b'Before I took the development authority job, I brought my family here to take a look around, says Dyke, who previously WAYCROSS-WARE COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTserved as executive director for Downtown Sylvester. We did a surprise visit, much like an industry prospect would. We looked at housing, schools, quality of life, and what industries are based here, and I quickly realized that there was a ton of untapped potential. Even before she had time to get settled in her new office, Dyke helped the WWDA team put a win on the board with the GATX expansion. A global leader in railcar leasing, GATX, headquartered in Chicago, came to Ware County in the early 1950s and was one ofBig Business: Ware County is ranked as one of Georgias top 20 counties for the first businesses in the Waycross-Waretimber productionCounty Industrial Park.My first day on the job, we met withThe FedEx expansioncompleted in earlywood pellets. During the past nine years, the leadership from GATXs corporate office2020added 30 jobs to the regionscompany has created more than 90 jobsabout potential expansion, says Dyke,workforce. and approximately 1,000 indirect jobsto who helped bring the project to fruition.support the regions workforce. It started as an $18 million expansionWhen Carolina Skiffa national boat and then moved to $30 million. With 55manufacturerneeded more space, theReaching a milestone in production, last employees and salaries in the range ofWWDA mitigated wetland issues to retainyear, Georgia Biomass met its annual $40,000 to $60,000, this was a great plusthe company. production capacity of 750,000 metric tons for the community. of industrial wood pellets within 11 months. The project started at $12 million and The GATX project was the first in a seriesmoved to $18 million before it wasThe company relies on the regions ample of existing industry expansions in the pastcompleted, says Dyke. The economicsupply of timber. According to the WWDA, three years.impact was around $106 million andin 2019, Georgia Biomass purchased more created 100 jobs. than $65 million in timber within a 45-miles I think existing industry growth is justradius of Ware County. as important as gaining new business,Timber Beltsays Dyke, a member of LeadershipAt $632 million, timber is ranked asGeorgia Biomass was recently purchased Georgia. You will find this to be true inGeorgias fifth-largest commodity. Moreby Enviva Partners, a leading global energy most communities. When a companythan just paper and lumber, Georgia iscompany specializing in sustainable wood continues to increase production and hirea significant exporter of wood pellets bioenergy. Enviva Partners acquired Georgia more employees, it often leads to facilityvalued at $136 million and 26 percent ofBiomass and associated contracted terminal expansion. the U.S. total production, according to thecapacity in Savannah. When FedEx needed to grow, the WWDAGeorgia Forestry Commission. Acquisition of the Ware County facility helped secure a 100,000-square-foot leaseexpands Envivas operational footprint property at the industrial park.Timber is big business here, says Dyke,across the Southeastern U.S., including referring to Ware Countys ranking as onenine wood pellet production plants and five FedEx was looking at different options,of Georgias top 20 counties for timberdeep-water export terminals. including other communities, says Dyke.production. We were able to get them in a largerThe local leadership at our Enviva Biomass building and keep them in Ware County. In 2011, Georgia Biomass built a $163plant continues to show they are invested million facility in Ware County to producein making our community a better place to 42 SG MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2020'