SCDA Wins Deal of the Year for NIFCO KTW

Toccoa and Stephens County receive an award for the deal that brought NIFCO KTW to the community.

Monday, the Georgia Economic Developers Association recognized the Stephens County Development Authority with its “Deal of the Year” award for small communities for the agreement that was put together to bring the German company to Stephens County.

Local officials were on hand to accept the award for which Stephens County beat out other counties with a population of 50,000 or under.

Stephens County Development Authority Board Chair Brian Akin said he is grateful for the work put in by the Development Authority staff and city and county leaders that made all of this happen.

“As if the addition of NIFCO KTW was not exciting enough, then the Georgia Economic Developers Association ‘Deal of the Year’ award is certainly something that the Development Authority and the whole Toccoa-Stephens County community can be proud of,” said Akin. “Everyone at the Development Authority is committed to bringing economic development to our county and this award is a testament to that fact.”

Meanwhile, Development Authority Board Member and Treasurer Chuck Wright called the award a great win and a tremendous opportunity.

“We are pleased and blessed beyond measure to be recognized as the ‘Deal of the Year’,” said Wright. “We welcome NIFCO KTW to our growing international business community. We are excited that the state leaders recognize us by promoting us as a prime destination for companies to locate their business.”

Each year, the “Deal of the Year” award recognizes outstanding achievement in the location of new businesses or expansion of existing firms in the state of Georgia that meet community economic development goals and involve significant community program support, such as financial or permitting assistance, workforce development, state financial support, and so forth.

Greg Roach was the Toccoa-Stephens County Chamber Board Chair and a Development Authority board member when the NIFCO deal came together.

He credited a true team effort with all of this coming together.

“The Lord provided our community with a tremendous amount of harmonizing guidance that led to this deal,” said Roach. “So many entities did so much to make this happen and they all came together unified, whether they were asked to give more or to give up more. All were willing to do what was necessary for the good of the overall community. I was just proud to be a part of this effort. As a North Georgia Tech employee, I can now look forward to a long relationship with NIFCO KTW in the area of workforce development.”

Current Chamber Board Chair Clay Fisher said the Chamber is excited that NIFCO KTW selected Stephens County for its North American headquarters, adding that their investment and the teamwork of local officials has provided a great boost to the community’s economic atmosphere.

Fisher said the Chamber feels blessed that the community received this award from the Georgia Economic Developers Association.

Stephens County Commission Chairman Dennis Bell said this recognition will help Toccoa and Stephens County for years down the road.

“Our Chamber of Commerce and Stephens County Development Authority pulled together to bring this deal to fruition,” said Bell. “It is truly an honor to be a part of this team. This is something we worked very hard on. There is a lot of work behind the scenes that people do not understand on these things and the city, county, Chamber of Commerce, and the Development Authority worked very well together, put our heads together, and wanted to make this happen and we did. I am so thankful.”

Meanwhile, Toccoa Mayor Terry Carter said the city is also excited about the honor and adds he is hopeful that this recognition will lead to additional development opportunities and jobs.