When the members of the Georgia House of Representatives’ Rural Development Council visited Thomasville last week, they got to hear what Shelly Zorn, executive director of the Payroll Development Authority, gave what she calls the “stump speech,” extolling the virtues that make Thomasville and Thomas County an attractive place to do business.

“We’re a regional leader, and we have economic diversity,” Zorn said. 

Of the 15 appointed members of the council, 11 are from below the “gnat line,” including Thomasville’s Darlene Taylor. While Taylor is well-versed in what Thomasville and Thomas County have to offer, as are some of the other Rural Development Council members, some of the others may not have as secure a grasp on Thomas County and Thomasville’s advantages, from its downtowns to dozens of hunting plantations and to its focus on attracting new industry while cultivating existing firms.

“People do come here for jobs, for shopping, for retail, for health care, for education. We have a seven-county draw,” Zorn said. 

Thomasville and Thomas County are known for hunting plantations, many founded in the postbellum era, and the 71 plantations employ 654 people, providing an economic impact of $67 million. 

Downtown is a tourist draw, and more than $80 million has been spent on downtown in the last 20 years, creating 800 jobs. 

“That brings tourists,” Zorn said.

Zorn also praised the city, saying it never rests. “They’re always looking for something else,” she said. 

The PDA is looking at new ideas to incubate small businesses. Zorn also lauded the community’s embrace of the arts and noted that the arts can be an economic driver.

“I don’t think you’ll find another rural community that loves the arts and does arts programming like Thomas County,” Zorn said.

Site selectors for industries like to say that a good hospital and access to quality health care is one of the top draws for a prospect to an area. It just so happens that the area’s largest employer is Archbold Medical Center.

“When I have an industrial prospect, I love to take them by the hospital,” Zorn said. 

The area also is a regional hub for education, thanks to Thomas University and Southern Regional Technical College, 

Zorn called the Red Hills Business Park “a great city and county project” and also praised the city for buying the former Caterpillar facility in the hopes of enticing another industry.

“It’s a huge investment for our community,” she said. “They see the need to stay progressive.”

There are five corporate headquarters in Thomas County, and that is unique for a community of this size and in rural Georgia, Zorn noted. There also are 100 existing industries, and those firms get the same incentives as an industry that is new to Thomasville and Thomas County.

“We really think this is our backbone,” Zorn said, adding those industries already calling the area home have added 650 jobs in the last two-to-three years. 

But economic development is no easy feat, be it in Southwest Georgia or elsewhere in rural Georgia. Zorn was quick to point out that “Thomasville and Thomas County have truly been progressive from the start,” particularly in infrastructure investment, such as electricity.

“As great as Thomas County is, we definitely do have challenges,” Zorn said. “We have resources a lot of our neighbors don’t have.”

Attracting new industries and adding jobs to the local economy in parts of Georgia far removed from Atlanta is difficult. But hopefully, the House Rural Development Council, which will meet seven more times before the end of the year, can help find ways to make the path better and hopefully, they’ve seen what Thomasville and Thomas County have to offer.