Georgia Made a Symbol of Community Pride, Quality

Wednesday, February 17th, 2021

Nearly one year after celebrating Georgia Made Day at the State Capitol, the program has become a point of pride for manufacturing companies and Georgians in every corner of the state. Georgia Made™ also provides businesses with opportunities for additional support in logistics, manufacturing and marketing of goods produced in Georgia.

Recently featured in Georgia Trend for the strong sense of honor it evokes and for the world-renowned companies in its portfolio, this state-sponsored initiative recognizes products made in Georgia, by Georgians.

With roughly 385,700 Georgians employed by manufacturing companies, the State of Georgia has a long history of producing quality items for domestic and international customers. Georgia leaders are grateful to the manufacturing companies that have planted firm roots in Georgia and believe their commitment to providing quality manufacturing jobs should be celebrated.

When we talk with international companies, a product having a made-in-the-USA label is a real symbol of quality.

We’re trying to do the same thing here in Georgia. Our manufacturers produce world-class products, and we would like for the Georgia Made logo to have that same level of recognition within the United States and around the world.

- Deputy Commissioner, Global Commerce, Scott McMurray

Georgia Made, Global Impact
Companies admitted to the cost-free Georgia Made program join a roster of distinguished manufacturers that continue to shape the global supply chain. Valued members of the Georgia Made family, these companies also receive expert advice, trusted partnerships, and support from members of the GDEcD team at home and abroad.

A few examples of companies finding success in the state as part of the Georgia Made program follow. Additional success stories with examples of Georgia Made manufacturing companies finding success across the state can be found here.

Hurst & Boiler Welding – Region 10
Since 1967 from Thomas County, Hurst & Boiler Welding Company, Inc. has been manufacturing, designing, engineering and servicing gas, oil, coal, solid waste, wood, biomass and hybrid fuel-fired steam and hot water boilers for companies around the world. Beginning from the Hurst’s backyard, this family-owned business has grown into a global enterprise that employs more than 260 Georgians. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hurst & Boiler plant has remained operating nonstop, producing Georgia Made boilers for hospitals around the world, like a 600-bed medical facility in Saudi Arabia specifically for patients battling COVID-19. The company also designed the Georgia Made unit that allows a tequila plant in Mexico and 50 of their workers’ homes to be powered by agave waste. Read more about the company’s global impact here.

GE/Roper Corporation – Region 1
Since 1973, GE/Roper Corporation’s LaFayette plant has been responsible for producing Georgia Made cooking products including microwave ovens, cooktops, and ranges for American households. A subsidiary of GE Appliances, more than 50% of U.S. homes boast a GE appliance, many of them made in Georgia, where Roper and GE have a long history. With most people unaware that their daily kitchen appliances were made in Georgia, GE/Roper President and Plant Manager Lois Crandell will use the Georgia Made program to drive awareness of the integral role Georgia manufacturers play in people’s everyday lives. To read more, click here.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals – Region 5
Headquartered in Japan, Takeda Pharmaceuticals is a top 10 global biopharmaceutical company with a significant presence in Covington, where the company makes two types of Georgia Made plasma-derived therapies used to combat more than 400 kinds of primary immune deficiency diseases: rare, genetic disorders that impair the immune system. With Georgia as home to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as CARE, The Carter Center, the American Cancer Society, the Arthritis Foundation, the Task Force for Global Health, and numerous research universities, click here to read why Carlos Soto, vice president of manufacturing operations for Takeda, believes the Georgia Made program will help bring awareness to the state’s thriving life sciences ecosystem.