As the top producer in the world for Japanese tire maker Toyo Tire, the Cartersville, Ga., plant wouldn’t seem primed for expansion. Already, Toyo Tire North America Manufacturing Inc. churns out 11.5 million tires per year after at least four expansions over more than a decade. But Toyo has quintupled down on the Georgia operation, Read more
Briefs
Swedish Chamber Names New Executive Director
The Swedish-American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia has named a new executive director with 20 years of experience living and working in the United States. Ida Pond, who came to the U.S. to study in 1998, has a bachelor’s degree in public relations as well as an MBA from Mercer University. She has worked in Read more
Ireland Adds Second Diplomat at Atlanta Consulate
Ireland has doubled its diplomatic staff at the Atlanta consulate that handles its relationship with the Southeast U.S. Vice Consul Eilís O’Keeffe arrived here in August, joining Consul General Shane Stephens in his outreach to seven states. Mr. Stephens is Ireland’s second consul general at this post, which in 2012 became the first Irish diplomatic mission Read more
Canadian Manufacturer Wins Savannah International Award
Prefabricated interiors manufacturer DIRTT Environmental Solutions has been named the 2018 international company of the year by the World Trade Center Savannah. While its name may conjure images of the outdoors, DIRTT focuses on outfitting indoor environments, though it does emphasize caring for the Earth through its focus on sustainability in sourcing and installation. DIRTT deploys a Read more
Porsche Names New Marketing Exec for the U.S.
Porsche Cars North America is bringing back one of its own to head up marketing for the North America from its base in Atlanta. Pedro Mota, who previously spent 13 years with the German luxury sports car brand in various roles, is returning to become vice president of the Americas after a stint as president over Read more
Portuguese-born Fraud Protection Company to Double Local Headcount to 60
Fraud protection company Feedzai, which was founded in Portugal and set up an office in Atlanta in 2016, is set to double its headcount locally to 60 by early next year. Feedzai offers machine learning capabilities that help financial institutions and payment platforms detect and prevent fraud. It prides itself on providing an open platform Read more
Novelis Extends Asia Reach With $2.6B Aluminum Deal
Atlanta aluminum giant Novelis Inc. has extended its reach in Asia with an agreement to buy Aleris Corp., a Cleveland-based competitor, for $2.6 billion. Upon closing in sometime in 2019, the company will be folded into Novelis to create a $15 billion aluminum conglomerate, still headquartered in Atlanta, where Novelis’ Indian parent company, Aditya Birla Group, has already Read more
ABB Completes GE Unit Acquisition, Deepening Swiss Presence in Atlanta
Swiss electrification giant ABB Inc. on June 30 closed a $2.6 billion deal to buy GE Industrial Solutions, reportedly with plans to keep the unit’s headquarters in Atlanta. The company sees the acquisition as a strategic move to undergird its strengths in power generation globally and deepen its presence in the North American market. For Atlanta, the Read more
South African Fintech Firm Picks Atlanta for North American Headquarters
Entersekt, a financial technology firm based in South Africa, has opened a new North American headquarters in Sandy Springs following its success landing major customers in the metro Atlanta area. The company uses the capabilities of a consumer’s mobile device within apps to help with authentication — the process of making sure the person initiating a payment Read more
GMS Becomes Latest Georgia Firm in Major Canada Deal
Tucker, Ga.-based GMS Inc., a supplier of gypsum wall board, has completed a $627 million acquisition of a Toronto-based competitor. The closing of the previously announced deal to acquire WSB Titan creates consolidated North American wall board distributor with about $3 billion in revenues and 240 branches in 42 states and five Canadian provinces. GMS Read more
