economic development

The 14th Annual Industry Appreciation Luncheon was held February 3rd at Lanier Technical College and honored area existing industry leaders for economic impact, workforce excellence and corporate responsibility.

2022-2023

• Whitehead Die Casting (Small Employer Category)

• ALBAform (Medium Employer Category

• Mars Wrigley (Large Employer Category

Responsibility

Other industries receiving recognition awards included ATEX, Kubota, SKF and Sherwin Williams

(L-R) Nela, Monika, Jan and Lena Vintrlikova. Monika is CEO of ALBAform, a global, woman-owned manufacturing business with 30 years of experience in forming, welding, and assembling metal components for the automotive, agriculture, and e mobility sectors. Founded in 1992 in the Czech Republic, the company today celebrates 10 years of doing business in Oakwood-Hall County.

Whitehead Die Casting

(L-R) Brian

, Randall

, RK Whitehead and Troy Cain of Whitehead

Die Casting, a family-owned business with 38 associates working in the casting and finishing of aluminum and zinc products for industries including lighting, construction and recreational vehicles.

Mars Wrigley

Mars Wrigley Team Members (L-R) Rodney Helton, Blake Barron, Krystal Wiltz, Matt Arends, Steven Fuller, Kermit Stralow, Julie Bergess, Megan Betzel Wrigley located to Gainesville in 1971, and in 2019 completed a $60 million expansion. Today, the company employs more than 950 associates locally and is the sole source of sugar free gum for the Americas. Mars Wrigley’s Gainesville location is the largest vertically integrated chewing gum facility in the world producing iconic brands like EXTRA 5 and ORBIT, as well as its signature flavor, “Juicy Fruit.”