Bacon County Development Authority

What Bacon County Development Authority does

Bacon County Economic Development Authority is a county-level government entity operating under the laws of the State of Georgia from its headquarters at 504 North Pierce Street in Alma, Georgia. It functions as the official economic development agency for Bacon County, with a seven-member board of directors chaired by Eddie Crapps and a primary operational contact, Kevin Ellis. The Authority markets and facilitates business recruitment, retention, and expansion within the county through direct enterprise engagement, community events such as the annual Georgia Blueberry Festival, and digital channels including its official website and Facebook presence. It does not generate commercial revenue; its operations are funded by local appropriations, state grants, and service fees.

The Authority's core service portfolio comprises workforce development solutions (labor recruitment, Georgia Quick Start pre- and post-employment training administered locally by Coastal Pines Technical College, youth apprenticeship), industrial site and building availability across multiple industrial parks, financial incentives and tax abatement programs (Industrial Revenue Bond Financing, $1,750-per-job Job Tax Credits, Freeport Exemptions, ad valorem tax abatements, One Georgia Grants), labor market and demographic analytics, and targeted industry attraction. Its primary verticals are food processing and agriculture, metalworking and industrial manufacturing, transportation and distribution, with secondary focus on textiles and forestry.

The Authority's competitive positioning rests on access to Port of Brunswick (~70 miles), Port of Savannah (~111 miles), four interstate highways (I-75, I-95, I-16, I-10), and Class I rail via CSX and Norfolk Southern. It draws on a 63,000-worker six-county labor shed with a 5,057-strong Bacon County civilian labor force (3.8% unemployment, $694 average weekly wage) and offers developed industrial sites with fiber connectivity and three-phase power. Notable recent wins include Naturipe Farms LLC opening the largest berry processing facility in the Southeastern United States in Alma in 2024 and La Regina Atlantica opening its first U.S. tomato sauce processing facility in 2024 in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Major employers served include Alma Pak, D.L. Lee & Sons, Richmond Baking of Georgia, Milliken & Company, Flash Foods, Boatright Trucking, Titan Modular Systems, Satilla REMC, Bacon County Hospital and Health System, and the Bacon County School System.

Name

Bacon County Development Authority

Legal name

Bacon County Economic Development Authority

Website

https://baconeda.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Bacon County Economic Development Authority is a county-level government agency in Alma, Georgia that recruits, retains, and supports business investment through workforce development, industrial site availability, and state/local tax incentive programs targeting food processing, manufacturing, and logistics employers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Land & Development Site Brokerage (BPAJABAG)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Workforce development programs
• Industrial site selection
• Business incentive packages
• Tax abatement financing

Headquarters

HQ city

Alma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Economic Development Services: Provides economic development services to attract businesses to Bacon County, facilitating job creation and investment through incentive packages, site selection, and workforce development programs.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bacon County Development Authority is a county government economic development authority that recruits, retains, and supports businesses locating or expanding in Bacon County, Georgia. It markets available industrial sites and buildings, negotiates financial incentive packages (tax abatements, Industrial Revenue Bond financing, Job Tax Credits, Freeport Exemptions, One Georgia Grants), coordinates workforce recruitment and training through the Georgia Quick Start program and Coastal Pines Technical College, and provides labor market and demographic data to prospective employers. Its activities target food processing, manufacturing, transportation and distribution, textiles, and forestry industries seeking South Georgia locations with port and interstate access.

Product overview

Bacon County Development Authority is an economic development organization that offers a portfolio of services to attract and support businesses. The core offerings include workforce development solutions (recruitment, Quick Start training, youth apprenticeship), industrial site and building availability (multiple industrial parks, 60,000 SF warehouse), financial incentives and tax abatement programs (IRB financing, Job Tax Credits, Freeport Exemptions), labor market analytics, and targeted industry attraction for food processing, manufacturing, and distribution sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Workforce Development Services Workforce recruitment, labor pool access, and training program coordination for businesses locating or expanding in Bacon County, including Georgia's no-cost Quick Start training program administered locally by Coastal Pines Technical College and youth apprenticeship programs.
• Industrial Sites & Buildings Inventory of available industrial land and buildings for prospective relocating or expanding businesses, including Sweetwater Industrial Park (2–54 acres), the 88-acre North Bacon Industrial Park with fiber and three-phase power, the Valene Bennett Industrial Park, and the 60,000 sq ft warehouse at 117 Industrial Drive.
• Business Incentives & Tax Abatements Package of financial incentives for relocating and expanding businesses, including local tax assistance, ad valorem tax abatements on city/county/school taxes, Industrial Revenue Bond Financing, One Georgia Grants, Job Tax Credits of $1,750 per net new job for five years, and the 100% Freeport Exemption on work-in-process, raw materials, and finished goods.
• Labor Market Data & Demographics Labor market analysis, demographic data, commuting patterns, and workforce statistics covering Bacon County's 5,057-worker civilian labor force and the surrounding six-county labor shed of 63,000 workers, provided to support business location decisions.
• Target Industry Attraction Targeted promotion and outreach to attract companies in priority industries to Bacon County, including food processing and agriculture (blueberry and other berry processing), metalworking and industrial manufacturing, transportation and distribution, textiles, and forestry operations.

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Naturipe Farms LLCmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Naturipe Farms LLC, a partnership between MBG Marketing, Hortifrut SA, Naturipe Berry Growers and Munger Farms, opened the largest berry processing facility in the Southeastern United States in Alma, Georgia. The Alma Facility enhances the company's ability to quickly process berries for growers in the region, representing a major economic development win for Bacon County.
• MBG MarketingmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024One of four founding partners of Naturipe Farms LLC, MBG Marketing is a berry marketing cooperative whose growers benefit from the new Alma processing facility.
• Hortifrut SAmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Chilean berry company and founding partner of Naturipe Farms LLC, operating the largest berry processing facility in the Southeastern US in Alma, Georgia.
• Naturipe Berry GrowersmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Founding partner of Naturipe Farms LLC whose grower members supply berries to the new Alma processing facility.
• Munger FarmsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Founding partner of Naturipe Farms LLC whose berry production supports the new Alma processing facility.
• La Regina AtlanticamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Italian tomato sauce company opening its first U.S. processing facility in Bacon County, Georgia, announced in partnership with Georgia Department of Economic Development.
• Georgia Quick Start ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeorgia's workforce training program administered locally by Coastal Pines Technical College. Provides free pre- and post-employment training for employees of new and expanding businesses in Bacon County, potentially saving companies hundreds of thousands to millions in training costs. Consistently ranked in top three of U.S. training programs.
• Coastal Pines Technical CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical college with campus in Alma offering more than 140 associate degree, diploma and certificate programs with 98% job placement rate. Administers Georgia Quick Start program locally and offers workforce training for Bacon County businesses.
• CSX TransportationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClass I rail freight provider accessible to Bacon County businesses from nearby Waycross, Georgia, providing freight rail transportation options.
• Norfolk Southern RailwayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClass I rail freight provider accessible to Bacon County businesses from nearby Jesup, Georgia, providing additional rail transportation options.
• Georgia Ports AuthoritycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOperates Port of Savannah (largest single container terminal in North America) and Port of Brunswick (third busiest RoRo facility in U.S.), providing maritime shipping access for Bacon County businesses located 70-111 miles away.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Savannah Economic Development Authority: County-level economic development authority in coastal Georgia serving the Savannah metro and the Port of Savannah. Directly comparable as a Georgia EDA focused on port-adjacent industrial recruitment, incentive packaging, and workforce development — though operating at a larger scale and serving a more urban geography.
• Pierce County Development Authority: Adjacent Southeast Georgia county development authority with Pierce County in Bacon County's labor shed. Comparable rural Georgia EDA focused on similar target industries (food processing, manufacturing, distribution) competing for overlapping industrial prospects.
• Waycross-Ware County Industrial Development Authority: Neighboring Southeast Georgia county IDA in Waycross — referenced in Bacon County materials as the CSX rail freight access point. Directly comparable as a rural Georgia EDA focused on industrial recruitment, rail-served logistics, and workforce development.
• Brunswick-Glynn County Development Authority: Coastal Georgia economic development authority serving the Port of Brunswick (third busiest RoRo facility in the U.S.). Directly comparable as a county EDA in the same Southeast Georgia region with shared port-related industrial recruitment focus and overlapping target industries.
• Coffee County Industrial Development Authority: Adjacent Southeast Georgia county IDA, with Coffee County part of Bacon County's six-county labor shed. Directly comparable as a rural Georgia economic development authority competing for similar industrial prospects in the same labor market and geographic corridor.

Broad incumbents

• Georgia Department of Economic Development: State-level economic development agency that co-markets Georgia internationally and partners with county EDAs on major deals (including co-announcing Bacon County's La Regina Atlantica win). Functions as the broader incumbent authority that local EDAs operate within, providing state-level incentives (One Georgia Grants, Quick Start) and international lead generation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/baconcountydevelopmentauthority

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bacon County Development Authority