Business

10 Reasons Why
Grady County is a great place for your business.

The Ease of Permitting
In Cairo-Grady County, environmental permitting is a one stop affair that allows you to procure all necessary permits. One agency issues all the required state and federal clean air and water permits. And best of all, we do not have Environmental Impact fees.
The Workforce
The Grady County labor draw area gives you a 200,000+ member workforce. You will find experience in retail, manufacturing, wholesale, services, agriculture, and government. The award-winning program Quick Start will get you up and running with FREE employee training. The state provides training facilities, instructors, equipment, and supplies to make sure your new employees are ready day one. Well-trained employees lower turnover and increases productivity. Grady County has the distinction of being one of the few areas that is 100% Union Free. PEACH WORKS is an innovative program to enable welfare recipients to become productive employees. [Labor Profile]
The Utilities
Companies both large and small that locate in Cairo’s Milestone Industrial Park have the advantage of full service utilities, electric, water, sewer, and natural gas provided by the City of Cairo. As part of the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG), the City of Cairo and the City of Whigham can reliably serve any size electrical load while maintaining a low cost. Grady County Electric Membership Cooperative serves the majority of the unincorporated areas of the county. All electric service providers compete for loads in excess of 900 kw. If your company surfs the net, we are ready as an Internet community!

The City of Cairo’s CNS Television (Community Network Services) and syrupcity.net high-speed internet system offer the city’s residents and businesses with over 200 channels of quality television signals and four choices of Internet speeds. The CNS Television has both analog and digital layers with numerous choices of program packaging. The Syrupcity.net has speeds ranging from 256Kb to 1,024Kb. Additionally, the City’s Telecommunications services can handle all commercial/industrial needs for the transfer of large quantities of data.
The Quality of Life
Cairo-Grady County has a quality of life that is nothing short of wonderful. Close enough to Tallahassee to take in entertainment, you will enjoy four distinct season with winters that are short and mild. So mild in fact that for years the Slippery Rock College golf team has traveled to Cairo and hit the links long before the greens turn green up north. Recreation abounds all over the area. Fishing, hunting, swimming, boating, exercise, gymnastics, team and individual sports. A community where you feel safe walking in your neighborhood. Quality local healthcare from our award winning Grady General Hospital. When you can make a choice about where you want to live and do business, doesn’t it make sense to choose a town that has been named Georgia’s Hospitality City? [Economic Profile] [Community Profile]
The Schools
For many years, Grady County Schools have been chosen to receive funding from the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education’s Next Generation School Partnership Program. This program awards school systems that are innovative and committed to excellence. Parents and educators are implementing TQM as partners in Grady County through VOICE: Volunteers Organized and Involved in Community Education. TECH PREP offers high school students an opportunity to develop skills that will work in the job market. The 15:1 student teacher ratio promotes one on one learning experiences. An acclaimed gifted program has been recognized as one of the best in the state. Cairo High School received the designation of a “Georgia School of Excellence” and has the only high school athletic program in the nation that is named for an industry. (Like your company, they are winners, too!) Of our teachers half have an advanced degree beyond their Bachelors. If you want quality, Cairo and Grady County is the place to find it. Oh, did we mention Florida State University, FAMU, and their football teams are only 35 miles away?
The Market Area
If access to three states in less than 45 minutes is important to you, then consider Cairo-Grady County. We offer direct access to both Florida and Alabama markets without having to locate in three different states. Distribution is a natural for us. We have good roads and rail into both of these adjoining states. U.S. Highway 84 offers access to Interstate 75, and Interstate 10 is only 18 miles from the Grady County line. Barge service is available 22 miles away on the Flint River at a Georgia Port Authority inland port.

Grady County is an ideal location for businesses to reach many diverse markets. Grady County is located:

30 miles from Florida
60 miles from the Gulf of Mexico
75 miles east of Alabama
225 miles south of Atlanta
200 miles from the East Coast
CSX rail service is available locally from 2 carriers
Commercial air transportation is located only 30 miles from Cairo at the Moultrie-Thomasville Airport
International air carriers available in Tallahassee only 35 miles away
4,000 ft all-weather runway open 24 hours a day for private and corporate air travel, complete with storage buildings and hangars
Public barge dock located in Bainbridge, only 20 miles away.

The Construction Costs
Building costs in Cairo-Grady County are lower compared to many other industrial locations. The reasons are: lower property costs; lower construction wages; less time lost from adverse weather; no union presence; and locally available construction materials.
The Taxes
Cairo-Grady County offers a Freeport Inventory Tax Exemption. Grady County has no outstanding long or short term debt. With the creation of just a minimum of ten jobs, companies that locate in Cairo-Grady County are eligible for a $4,000 per employee job tax credit. Employers who provide or sponsor childcare receive a tax credit of up to 50% of the direct cost of operation. The sales tax rate is a low 7%. You can see why it is less taxing to do business in Cairo-Grady County.
The Pro Business Atmosphere
The commitment of a community shows when you see that it has an active Economic Development program like you find in Cairo-Grady County. The Grady County Joint Development Authority is able to assist with industrial revenue bonds and other forms of financing. Both the Cities of Cairo and Whigham along with Grady County have made the investment in being prepared to accommodate the needs of industry. The Milestone Industrial Park provides an ideal location for new plants. Once you call Cairo-Grady County home, you will be able to benefit from our active Existing Industry program and the extensive training library. We want to help make you dazzle like a diamond, and that means going the extra mile!
The Bottom Line
If you want to generate profits, then these ten reasons and many more are why you should consider Cairo-Grady County. Experience our comprehensive approach to partnering with you to make your location a dazzling success!