Harris County Development Authority weighs in on $72.8 million investment

HARRIS COUNTY, Ga. (WRBL)— West Point, Georgia is set to house another automotive supplier plant in the coming year. In 2010, West Point opened Kia Georgia. Since then, more than one million cars have been built in Troup County. Now, a secondary supplier creating nearly 200 jobs just a few miles down the road in Harris County set to open in 2024.

The Northwest Harris Business Park is preparing to welcome a $72.8 million investment, a project three times larger than its neighbors.

“Most of them have been in the $18 to $25 million range,” Chairman of the Harris County Development Authority, Craig Greenhaw, said. “Those were 60 to 100 jobs, this one’s 165 job announcements. So, between two and three times larger than the other ones have been.”

Daesol Ausys Georgia LLC produces luggage boards and panel components, and are a secondary supplier to Kia, Hyundai, GM, and Tesla. With jobs available in purchasing, quality control, maintenance, human resources, and management average salaries will range from $16-$19 an hour.

“It will have a great impact around Harris County, Troup and the entire region. It’ll create additional tax revenue to offset are primarily residential and property-based economy,” Greenhaw told WRBL.

Greenhaw says Daesol Ausys will also provide jobs with a focus in technology and hopes to partner with Harris County Schools.

“Also, it is does have a good bit of technology in this new plant. So, a new opportunity for maybe some of our school kids to be able to train and partner with the school system for new technology,” Greenhaw shared.

Governor Brian Kemp spoke with WRBL on the new development joining west Georgia.

“I don’t remember the last time we announced a project in Harris County,” Governor Brian Kemp said in an exclusive interview with WRBL. “To see projects going in those areas where either somebody in that county or somebody in the county next door can go to have a better paying wage with good benefits for a great company and be able to let their children and their grandchildren stay in that community is just huge for this area, but also for our state.”

To land these projects, Gov. Kemp says it often comes down to space.

“You got to have good sites for these companies to grow on and you got to have them ready. I mean, speed to the markets is everything now,” Gov. Kemp said. “A lot of companies are looking and they’re coming to us saying, ‘hey, we’ve narrowed our search down to three different sites in three different sites states, and you’re one of them.’ So, if you don’t have a site that’s on the market, you’re not in the game.”

The Northwest Harris Business Park started around 2007, several acres and sites have since been developed within. Directly beside the 35-acres Daesol Ausys will sit on are an additional 55+ acres available for tenants. There are also another 125 acres available just below the park meaning there’s more room for additional development.

Construction on the 314,000 square foot facility set to begin in January with hopes of opening their doors by the end of 2024. This project will only expand, two additional phases coming in 2029 and then 2033.