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A Spanish infrastructure giant is set to move the headquarters of its U.S. and Canada arm to the Perimeter area this summer, close to the Georgia 400 toll lanes project for which it just raised more than $7 billion in financing.
The record package includes private bonds and federal government loans for a project that is estimated to be worth about $11 billion in total value, delivering 16 miles of toll lanes and a 50-year concession.
FlatironDragados, formed through the recent merger of two European-owned firms, is set to bring 100 jobs to the metro, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution article reposted by Gov. Brian Kemp on X.
The governor noted said the state is “proud that this global leader in transportation infrastructure construction is bringing even more opportunities to hardworking Georgians.”
FlatironDragados is part of the ACS Group, a $41 billion construction and infrastructure conglomerate based in Madrid. The new subsidiary was born out of the recent combination of Colorado-based Flatiron, the U.S. branch of Germany’s Hochtief, and ACS Group’s Dragados.
According to the AJC, executives noted that the Georgia 400 project has a separate office and project team called SR 400 Peach Partners (see jobs), but that FlatironDragados was enticed to the area by the promise of metro Atlanta’s strong workforce — and a couple of state and city incentives. The firm will keep its existing offices in Colorado and New York, the newspaper reported.
Construction, along with renewable energy and some finance, has been the main sector where Georgia has seen the strongest success in recruiting investment from Spain.
Lacking a full consulate in the state, the European country is represented by Honorary Consul Ignacio Taboada but has seen little attention from high-profile outbound delegations. Its nearest consulate is in Miami, where the Spanish Trade Commission also has offices covering Georgia.
During a 2021 discussion with Global Atlanta, Francisco J. Garzón, who was trade commissioner of Spain in Miami until September 2024, told Global Atlanta that the country’s 35 companies operating here may be less known in Georgia because, being largely in infrastructure, they have become so integrated with the local economy.
He also noted synergies between Atlanta’s key industries — such as fintech and payments — and those of Spain, which he positioned as an underutilized gateway for U.S. companies looking into Europe.
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