Located just 20 minutes northeast of downtown Atlanta and covering 437 square miles, Gwinnett is one of the southeast’s leading high-tech hubs. A leading research and development center, it is linked to the top six research colleges and universities in Georgia, and is home to more than 850 manufacturers, 1,300 high-tech companies, 275 bioscience-related and 375 international firms. Gwinnett is home to more than 10 percent of the total metro Atlanta high-tech companies and seven of the region’s top 25 high-tech employers operate facilities in Gwinnett. The current labor force is approaching 400,000 and includes more bioscience employees than any other county in Georgia.
That labor force is also well-educated thanks to one of the nation’s top performing public and private school systems. It’s the home to the largest, most diverse, and most successful public school system in the state. The result: 85 percent of Gwinnett’s students continue education after high school and more than 34 percent of its population holds a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Since 1985 Gwinnett has rated first nationally in economic strength by a Woods and Poole study documenting local employment, salary, education, manufacturing and service sector diversity, employment growth and household income. Since 1997 Gwinnett County’s bonds were elevated to triple-AAA status, one of only 20 counties in the United States with such a distinction.
Gwinnett’s solid transportation network is well facilitated by roadways, air, rail, and ports, placing Gwinnett within two days of 60 percent of the US population. Highways I-85 and I-985 traverse the county, as do Georgia Highways 316, 29, 78, 23, and 141. The county and state have invested more than $700 million dollars in recent road improvements including the reconstruction and improvements to the I-85/316 interchange, the largest road project in DOT history.
Gwinnett is also home to more than 60 major business parks including the fourth largest high-tech business park in Georgia, Technology Park/Atlanta, with almost 3.1 million square feet.
Hotels, restaurants, schools, and residential communities are among the finest and most diverse in metro Atlanta. Two of the region’s most successful luxury home communities, Sugarloaf and River Club, nestled in Gwinnett. Recreational facilities abound and the 80-acre Gwinnett Center campus is home to the Arena, Convention Center and Performing Art Center, providing first-class concerts, theatre, meeting and convention space. Gwinnett’s growing population also supports a thriving retail market that tops annual revenues of nearly $13 billion.
Gwinnett continues to experience unprecedented growth, attracting a skilled, motivated workforce. Job growth has been strong, with more jobs being created in Gwinnett over the past five years than any other county in Georgia. It is one of the youngest and fastest growing counties in the country, with a population of more than 730,000 and 395,000 jobs. Its economic strategy is to balance quality economic expansion with civic improvements and to offer its citizens the highest quality of life.
The full array of business services are available in the county including financial services from state, national and international banks; accounting and legal counsel from local firms and branches of major national firms; and a large pool of other qualified local businesses. As part of the Georgia Tech Economic Development Institute, the Business and Industry Services group provides assistance in quality management and ISO 9000 compliance, process productivity, information technology, energy management, and environmental safety. The University of Georgia’s Small Business Development Center at Georgia Gwinnett College in Lawrenceville provides guidance and technical assistance relating to small business start-up, expansion, and ongoing management.
