FOR THREE CENTURIES, GLOBAL TRADE HAS HELPED BUILD GEORGIA’S ECONOMY A lthough massive container ships, towering cranes and double- stacked freight trains provide a daily testament to the importance of Georgia’s ports to the state’s economy, make no mistake — the roots of international trade in the state have a history that stretches all the way back to its founding nearly 300 years ago. Today, from auto parts and flooring manufacturers in the Northwest counties to massive poultry operations in the Northeast, from kaolin clay in Central Georgia to such global manufacturers as Kia Motors in West Point, Caterpillar in Athens, Club Car in Augusta and Rayonier Advanced Materials in Jesup, global trade touches every part of our state, fueling Georgia’s economy to the tune of nearly $129 billion annually. In the early days, it was Mary Musgrove, daughter of an English trader and Creek Indian, who befriended Gen. James Oglethorpe in 1733 when he came ashore on land that would become Savannah. Before long, with Musgrove’s help, colonists were exporting deerskin, leather, indigo, pork, lumber and rice, as well importing many items needed for their survival. Cotton would be king by the end of the century, as Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin on a Savannah plantation in 1793 forever changed the economy of Georgia and the deep South. By 1860, the region was producing and exporting two-thirds of the world’s cotton. Cotton may no longer be king, but that hasn’t slowed Georgia’s global trade. The port on the bluff where Mary Musgrove once traded is now the fourth busiest and single largest container terminal in the country, supporting nearly 440,000 full- and part-time jobs statewide and accounting for 9 percent of total state employment. In 2017, total trade between Georgia and the world reached 225 countries and territories, for a record-breaking $128.6 billion. In the past 10 years, this trade has grown by 53 percent. Georgia now ranks 8th in the U.S. for total trade. Those numbers are producing a ripple effect that is helping put Georgia on the international map, fueling economic prosperity now and into the future. JOBS BY THE NUMBERS As one of the state’s largest public employers, the Georgia Ports Authority directly employs more than 1,300 trained logistics professionals. Georgia Ports, however, is responsible for generating far more employment throughout the state. GPA operations, together with private sector, port-related operations account for more than 439,000 jobs statewide.* *Source: Dr. Jeffrey Humphreys of the University of Georgia Terry College of Business. III
