ELLABELL, Ga. (AP) — An apparel company is opening a factory and distribution center in coastal Georgia, investing $87 million with plans to hire 294 workers.
Komar Brands, based in Jersey City, New Jersey, announced Monday that it would build the facility in Bryan County, just inland from Savannah. Komar will be in a booming area in Ellabell along Interstate 16 that will include a new Hyundai Motor Group electric vehicle plant and a new ammunition plant.
The company, privately owned by the Komar family, sells sleepwear and underwear under a variety of licensed and proprietary brands.
State officials said Komar was attracted in part by port facilities in Savannah. Many distribution centers have been setting up warehouses to receive cargo in the region. It's unclear what products Komar will make in Ellabell and what products it will distribute.
Bryan County first contacted Komar three years ago at a Georgia Ports Authority foreign trade conference, said county Development Authority Chairman Jon Seagraves.
The state will pay an undisclosed amount for job training.
Komar will qualify for a tax credit allowing it to annually deduct $3,500 per job from Georgia income taxes, up to $5.2 million over five years, if workers make at least $31,300 annually. If Komar doesn’t owe that much income tax, it can recover remaining credit from state income tax payments made by workers.
Komar gets another $1.9 million in tax credits if it ships a certain amount of freight annually through Georgia ports.
Bryan County officials have approved a property tax break worth a projected $4.2 million, depending on tax rates and property values, said Development Authority Vice President Justin Farquhar.
