GEM Talks About Expansion, Donating Old Building to Stephens Co.

20141024_131728Stephens County and GEM officials are speaking on the announcement by GEM Southeast that it will expand its operations in Stephens County.

This week, GEM announced that it would expand its operations in Toccoa, creating 30 jobs and building a new 110,000 square foot facility.

State officials said it is a total investment of $10 million.

GEM Southeast Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Doug Hitchon said that the company values its relationships in Toccoa and Stephens County, which played a big part in choosing to expand here.

“We invest our people here, that’s a no-brainer,” said Hitchon. “We have a government here that is willing to work with us and help us out, that’s a no-brainer. Then, you have a long-term commitment to re-invest in a community that is willing to invest in us, that’s a no-brainer. That is how we get here.”

Stephens County officials said the new GEM building will be in the Meadowbrook Industrial Park, adjacent to the current GEM Plastics facility.

That new building will manufacture plastic and metal, custom fabrication, and commercial bathroom stalls and fixtures. GEM Southeast is a manufacturer of washroom accessories, toilet partitions, and lockers.

Hitchon said the new building will allow for better manufacturing for GEM’s operations.

However, that new building will leave an empty existing building along U.S. Highway 123, once the new GEM facility is complete by the end of 2015.

Hitchon said the company did not want to leave an empty building behind.

“With all of the beautification of Toccoa going on and all the work the Mayor and other people have done, you can see a change,” said Hitchon. “If we abandon a plant on this corridor, we are contributing to the problem, we are not helping the problem.”

He said they then spoke with Stephens County government, who was interested in the building to have for additional space for county needs moving forward.

On Tuesday, Stephens County Commissioners officially accepted the donation of the U.S. Highway 123 building by GEM Southeast to the county by a unanimous vote.

The county has not announced specific plans for the building at this time.

However, Stephens County Commission Chair Dean Scarborough said he feels the space will be useful.

“A lot of that building is very usable for office space, so we will start making plans in the future to use some of this space,” said Scarborough.

Scarborough said overall, the GEM expansion announcement is great news for the whole community.

“On behalf of Stephens County Commissioners, I would like to express my excitement regarding this announcement,” said Scarborough. “I would like to thank GEM Industries for their faith and investment in this community. This investment and these new jobs are a testament to the company’s commitment to its employees and this community.”

Scarborough said the county also appreciates the donation of the building.

GEM Southeast will remain in the existing U.S. Highway 123 facility until the new building is ready for use next year.