ATC Spotlight
College officials attend Baxter International groundbreaking
Covington — Three Athens Technical College administrators attended the official ground breaking for health care company Baxter International Wednesday, August 1, in the Stanton Springs industrial park, which is near the college’s Walton County Campus in Monroe.
Athens Technical College President Flora Tydings, Vice President for Economic Development Jerry Barrow, and Walton County Campus Director Jimmy Hogg attended the ceremony at which Gov. Nathan Deal announced that the name of the road leading into the commercial park will be changed from Stanton Springs Parkway to Baxter Parkway.
In April, Baxter International Inc. announced plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Georgia to support growth of its plasma-based treatments including an immunoglobulin therapy for patients with immune deficiencies and albumin products, which are primarily used as plasma-volume replacement therapy in critical care, trauma, and burn patients. Company representatives say it will invest $1 billion in the project and create 1,500 new jobs in the state.
The state also will build a bio-tech training center operated by Georgia Quick Start on the Baxter site. The facility will offer training designed to fill the company’s requirements for its start-up jobs, but also will tie into the Technical College System of Georgia and will be used for training workers at other companies that come to Georgia.
Workers will be clearing the site to prepare the property in Stanton Springs for construction which will begin in early 2013.
Photo caption: Gov. Nathan Deal, left, presents Baxter International CEO Bob Parkinson with a street sign that will replace the name of Stanton Springs Parkway, the road leading into Stanton Springs industrial park. Chris Cummiskey, commissioner for the state Department of Economic Development looks on.