When the nation celebrates its 250th anniversary this month, perhaps Georgia’s share of the cheers will be a little louder in Liberty County. After all, three of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence were from Georgia, and two of them – Button Gwinnett and Lyman Hall – lived in Liberty County. The county, originally known as St. John’s Parish, doubled down on that revolutionary fervor just a year later when it renamed itself Liberty in 1777, a bold move considering that the bulk of the Revolutionary War was still ahead. That warrior ethos remains: The dominant driver of the Liberty County economy is the U.S. Army’s Fort Stewart – the largest military installation east of the Mississippi River.
Liberty County’s economic developers want more and better jobs with higher pay, a stronger tax base and a more diversified economy. The county’s rich history is the first among many assets that it could capitalize on as it pursues those goals.The industrial scene in Liberty County has swung between good news and bad news in the past few years. International Paper shut down its Riceboro containerboard plant last September, costing some 340 Liberty County jobs. The decision marked the end of decades of stable employment in the paper industry and also decimated the area’s forestry market. On the other hand, Liberty County got a share of the bounty represented by Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America when Seohan Auto Georgia announced in 2023 that it would locate its factory – making shafts, axle and brake systems – in Liberty County. The Seohan plant represents modern manufacturing, with 60 positions filled at present and the promise of more to come.
“The jobs at [International Paper] were well-paying jobs, great jobs with great benefits, so while quite a few of those people have found jobs, not everybody got the same level of jobs and benefits. We’re hoping to fill that hole with the very aggressive recruitment of new industry and we know that, with the way things are growing in Southeast Georgia, industry is out there. We’ve just got to make sure we’re ready to attract it,” says state Rep. Al Williams, who chairs the Liberty County Development Authority.
Kevin Keunheung Lee, HR and safety director at the Liberty County Seohan plant, says the current 60-worker staff will expand to 270 “in the near future.” That represents a significant increase from the 180 jobs specified when the plant’s location was announced.
The $72 million investment from Seohan is not alone. The county has also attracted warehouse space as part of the Georgia-ports-to-interstate highways logistics boom. Toymaker Hasbro cut the ribbon in March on a 600,000-square-foot facility in Midway it dubbed “our flagship U.S. distribution center.” The company says the facility accounts for between 60 and 70 jobs and will grow to as many as 125 as holiday orders from stores peak.
Keeping an Eye on ALICE
What’s driving the new sense of urgency in economic development in Liberty County? Williams chalks it up to ALICE.
ALICE is an acronym for Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed, a term initially coined by a New Jersey United Way agency and since popularized across the country. It describes people and households who earn more than the federal poverty level but still struggle to afford basic housing, food, healthcare, taxes, etc. ALICE policymakers came up with a “dashboard” utilizing U.S. Census data and localized cost-of-living figures to determine who meets the ALICE threshold…