GPA\\\ >> 2
Issue 1 2020 - FBJNA
the state’s international
representatives located in 12 strategic markets, GDEcD’s Trade division helps qualified Georgia exporters enter and expand into markets across the globe. GDEcD points out that
in 2018, Georgia saw $139.3 billion total trade, with $40.6 billion of that being exports. The Port of Savannah
plays a big role in those trade figures given that the port is the third busiest in the United States and among the fastest growing. “GPA also conducts
international outreach to current and potential customers to bring more business to the state,” Mr. Lynch adds. These efforts have seen success.
enormous In
Fiscal Year 2019 alone, port customers
announced 68
new development projects in Georgia, bringing 12,000 jobs and $5 billion in investment to the state.
GPA: Past, Present and Future
In celebrating GPA’s 75th Anniversary it’s important to remember not only from where the Authority started and hails its roots, and successes realized through present efforts.
trade,” Mr. Lynch says. And through acquisitions at these deep-water ports, GPA continued to grow. Today, the GPA owns two
Savannah terminals: its headquarters in Garden City, acquired in 1948 through the purchase of the former U.S. Quartermaster Depot, and Ocean Terminal, purchased in 1958 from the Central of Georgia Railway. GPA’s Brunswick facilities include: Mayor’s Point, acquired in 1959; Colonel’s Island, acquired in
1962, and East
River, acquired in 1982. Savannah is now the third-
busiest container gateway in the U.S., moving more than 4.5
million TEUs per year.
“Its expansion plans will continue to encourage and accommodate economic growth for decades into the future,” he says. Similarly, the Port of Brunswick is poised to grow
Garden City Terminal (GPA photo.) Garden City Terminal yard. (GPA photo)
plus acres on the south side of the island that are already permitted for development,” Mr. Lynch adds. Furthermore, the former
bulk cargo facility on Colonel’s Island has been replaced with 61 acres for additional parking of vehicles and other roll-on/ roll-off (ro/ro) cargos. “Also. on Colonel’s
Island,
there are 55 acres that have been designated as a future rail yard with parking slots for
3
vehicles,” he adds. The design has been
completed to include the capacity to handle unit trains. While no one can really
predict the immediate future of global trade, one thing is for certain: GPA has a long history of addressing and meeting trade needs and issues. Through its staff’s hard work and plans for the future, GPA is well poised to meet any opportunities and challenges ahead.
Leadership and vision are also paramount. Taking a snapshot look
into GPA’s past, note that the Georgia Ports Authority was created in 1945 by the state during the economic boom of World War II. “Savannah and Brunswick,
Georgia’s deep-water ports, have a long history of global
to handle additional imports and exports of autos and heavy equipment. Last fiscal year, nearly
614,000 vehicles moved through the three berths on Colonel’s Island Terminal at the Port of Brunswick. “GPA has the permits
to build a fourth berth to support expansion onto 400-
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