THOMAS COUNTY, GA (WTXL) — Thomasville and Thomas County have seen 430 new industrial jobs and $44 million in investment in 2025 and 2026, according to the Thomasville Payroll Development Authority.
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That growth includes projects with Red Hills Business Park, Plantation Pine Products, and Rideout Arsenal.
One of the industries already established in the area is Check-mate Industries, a tool and die metal stamping assembly manufacturer whose primary industry is firearms. The company expanded to Thomasville from New York in 2019 with hopes to grow its business.
Jacquelyn Santoro, Vice President and Director of Legal Affairs for Checkmate, said the move opened new possibilities the company didn't have before.
"In New York, we're very limited by square footage and resources. Here, there was a whole new opportunity for us to vertically integrate and do things that we normally outsource and start bringing it in-house to have a lot more quality control," Santoro said.
Since expanding to Thomasville, Checkmate has provided nearly 180 jobs and roughly $20 million in investment to the community.
Andy Godwin, Economic Development Director for the City of Thomasville, said the city's quality of life, diverse job sector, and location have helped attract larger companies.
"A lot of these industries that come here are family-owned. Rideout Arsenal, Checkmate, you know, these are family-owned businesses that have grown. And we do better with that sector. You know, the large industry, you know, it's fantastic. But our niche is kind of that mom-and-pop, you know, grown from your garage type to, you know, 100-employee type businesses," Godwin said.
For Santoro, that family feel is what keeps the business moving forward.
"My father started Check-mate. He passed away suddenly in 2014, and we felt an obligation to our people to keep going and keep growing. And that's what we're going to do," Santoro said.
Economic development leaders say the focus is not just on bringing in businesses, but finding the right ones that make sense for Thomasville and create lasting economic opportunities.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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