Industry looking at Houston County may decide soon

A company looking to move a textile operation from Mexico to the U.S. is expected to decide soon whether Houston County is its choice for relocating.

Angie Gheesling, executive director of the Houston County Development Authority, told board members Wednesday that she thinks the company is near a decision.

The Georgia-owned company, referred to as “Project Journey,” would employ about 40 people and is looking for an existing building of about 10,000 square feet. The authority showed the company three buildings in Warner Robins and Perry.

For many years textile industries in Middle Georgia closed to move to Mexico, but this business is looking to move back to the U.S. due to demand for the “Made in the USA” label, Gheesling said at an earlier meeting.

Also, the authority discussed its budget for the upcoming year. One change under consideration is to add money to begin looking at making improvements to a large county industrial tract.

Authority Chairman Mark Byrd said the property is an 877-acre tract on A.E. Harris Road, and the improvements would be to water and sewer. Although he said after the meeting that it’s unlikely any work would begin in the coming year, the money would be to start planning for it. He wasn’t sure yet how much that might be.

Gheesling said in the past month she received requests for information from three heavy manufacturers about the A.E. Harris Road tract. Although a request for information is a preliminary step, she said that’s a good number for one month.

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Industry looking at Houston County may decide soon."