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shortly afterward— and that was the
first among many industrial authority
wins the community would see over
the next 20 years.
“We went from there and we did
Bass Pro Shop and got some momentum going. We did Kumho Tire right
after that, which is a huge Korean company. It was a big win for us with 400
jobs,” said Fountain. “After that it was
kind of a snowball effect for Macon.
When that ball got rolling, we got hot
and we just started picking off one by
one. We went from there and we did
Nichiha, which is a huge company. The
snowball effects started coming and
coming and to this day it feels good.”
Snowball effect is right. Economic development builds on itself
and is reaching into every part of
Macon-Bibb. Like the closure of the
tobacco plant, the decline and closure
of much of Macon Mall was a big blow
to the community. But now it is at the
heart of Macon’s renewal.
Jamie Arnold, the director of the
Eisenhower Business Improvement
District (EBID), has a front row seat
to some of the most exciting developments in Macon. Arnold points out that
unlike a lot of improvement districts,
the EBID does not really have a downtown commercial center feel and is on a
stretch of state route that covers about
two miles. The Macon Mall was in the
center of what is now the EBID and
offered an opportunity for new projects
that would make creative use of old
space. “The amphitheater is state of the
art. Absolutely gorgeous,” said Arnold.
“And that is in the mall parking lot by
where Parisians used to be. The old
Belk was turned into the world’s largest
indoor pickleball facility.”
The EBID is on the west side of
town, from I-475, down Eisenhower
Parkway, acting as something of a
gateway into downtown from the
west. Like many improvement districts, the EBID started with beautification work on I-475 and supporting
businesses. Just making the area more
inviting visually is such a critical step
for the area and, without the EBID, one
of those pieces of economic development that easily falls into a gap and
remains undone. “We actually went
in and cleared the exit ramp and had
a landscape architect come in and redesign it to make it an inviting place,”
Arnold continued. “So people are on
the road and where do you want to
stop? Do you stop at an overgrown,
scary exit or something planted with
crepe myrtles and wildflowers that run
down the medians. You know that’s
where you want to stop.”
With around 100,000 vehicles per
day traveling around Macon and on
the main interstate route south to Florida, this improvement can make a big
difference.
Bottom line: Macon is seeing a
renewal across the entire stretch of
the community. There are more things
than ever to do in the community. For
residents and visitors alike, Macon is
getting better than ever.
Baker Owens is a staff writer for James and James
Magazine Online.
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