SCDA Working With State on Grant Funding for NIFCO-KTW

Stephens County is taking the necessary steps to secure grant funding to help an incoming industry.

On Tuesday, the Stephens County Development Authority unanimously approved an EDGE grant resolution to send to the state to get funding for NIFCO-KTW.

According to Stephens County Development Authority Executive Director Tim Martin, the state pledged the grant money to NIFCO-KTW as part of the successful effort to recruit that company to Stephens County.

Martin said that now it is a matter of finalizing the paperwork and as part of that, the Development Authority has to approve this resolution.

“If the board would consider adopting that resolution to that effect, authorizing the chairman to sign it, that would help us with this paperwork,” said Martin.

Martin went on to say that the county commission was also asked to help move the process along at their meeting on Tuesday.

“We have asked the Stephens County Commissioners this week to authorize the chairman to write a letter to GMRC (Georgia Mountains Regional Commission) asking for their help in filling out all this paperwork,” said Martin. “Their fee is $2,500. We asked NIFCO-KTW if they would cover that fee and they readily said ‘yes’.”

Stephens County Commissioners approved that unanimously at their meeting on Tuesday.

German-based automotive parts supplier NIFCO-KTW announced in June that it would locate its U.S. operations in Stephens County, creating 200 jobs over the next five years.

NIFCO-KTW is scheduled to begin operations in a 130,000 square foot facility in the Hayestone-Brady Business Park next year.