Athens-Clark County | 15
vironmental stewardship, Heather Ben-
ham eloquently asserts a point that all
in Athens-Clark have come to realize –
“Through our protection of resources and
planning as to how we develop, it ends-up
helping us attract people and business to
our community, who want to have a good
quality of life.”
MORE TO COME
In terms of those who want to come to
Athens-Clark, Caterpillar recently an-
nounced the community will be the site
of a new manufacturing plant. Senior
Planner Lonnee says the plant will en-
compass more than one million square
feet and create more than a thousand new
jobs. Caterpillar selected a 252-acre site
which actually straddles the line separat-
ing the jurisdiction of Athens-Clark with
the neighboring county of Oconee. Lead-
ers from both jurisdictions actually came
together to create a customized shared-
zoning plan to accommodate Caterpil-
lar, a first of its kind arrangement in the
State of Georgia. Caterpillar’s arrival has
since led to additional corporate interest
in Athens-Clark. Lonnee says there are
other master-planned developments, pre-
approved and shovel ready, which have
since prompted inquiries from other busi-
nesses wanting to locate here. “Caterpil-
lar, hopefully, will be a catalyst for other
companies. We think it will spark some
growth along the edges and bring more
jobs, which we’d all like to see develop,”
says Lonnee.
While the University of Georgia is, by
far, the largest employer in the community
(as well as the Athens-Clark greatest sup-
porter and partner in sustainability prac-
tices), the community is also made home
by a variety of large and small businesses.
These too have prospered over time, in-
cluding enterprises such as Ethicon, Inc.,
one of the nation’s largest manufacturers
of raw materials vital to the production
of surgical sutures. It recently announced
plans to expand its plant operations in
Athen-Clark by more than 100,000 square
feet, a $185 million investment that will
additionally accommodate dozens of new
jobs. Lonnee notes that the company pro-
duces more than 75% of the sutures used
throughout the world. “For anyone that
has gotten a suture after a surgery, there’s
