JOHNS CREEK, Ga. — Johns Creek is opening its doors wider for international commerce — that was the message to a delegation of Czech business leaders.
“We’re not just the best place to live because we have nice homes,” City Manager Kim Greer said at the gathering held Nov. 11 at the business group’s headquarters on Johns Creek Parkway. “We’re the best place to live because we have a thriving economy, and we’re always looking for new partners to add to that.”
City and state officials and local business representatives met with about 10 visitors from the Czech Republic. Hosted by the Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce, the meeting was designed to create dialogs and forge new business relationships.
At the same time, nearly 5,000 miles away, Fulton County Commissioner Bridget Thorne was doing the same, meeting with Czech business leaders in Prague.
Members of a business delegation from the Czech Republic listen to a presentation during a Nov. 11 Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce meeting at the chamber headquarters on Johns Creek Parkway.
Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who opened the Johns Creek summit, said the city and the State of Georgia are ready to explore opportunities with businesses around the globe.
“We are open for business,” Raffensperger said. “We want to have great relationships … They want to grow their economy, and we want to grow our economy.”
Johns Creek has much to be proud of from its schools to roadways to public safety departments, said Shay Foley, interim chamber chief executive officer. Those assets make the city a great place to live but also are a powerful force in attracting firms from around the world.
The city is home to international firms, such as health care software company Ebix, Boston Scientific and World Financial Group.
Equally important, the city is open to doing business with firms around the world and actively seeks to recruit and cater to them, he said.
“If you come here to settle a business, you came to the right place,” Foley said.
Johns Creek Chamber of Commerce members and Czech Republic business representatives visit ahead of a Nov. 11 meeting at the chamber headquarters on Johns Creek Parkway.
Oto Hrdlicka, head of foreign affairs for the Brno Regional Chamber of Commerce, said he attended the Nov. 11 meeting to make connections between businesses in his community and Johns Creek.
Brno, a city of about 400,000 founded about 1,000 years ago, is a hub for machinery and software industries.
Hrdlicka said automotive companies in particular may seek to establish operations in Johns Creek partly because the industry is well established in the state.
“We would like to identify all the interesting regions within Georgia, so this was the reason we also would like to visit Johns Creek,” he said.
Antonin Machala, a managing director for Altech, said his company may consider bringing a production center to the U.S. Altech makes industrial mobility aids, such as platform and stair lifts among other equipment.
He said he was particularly attracted by Johns Creek’s quality of life. The chamber meeting and the relationships there could later lead to important investments.
“The idea is to join the U.S. market … and later export to the U.S., and afterward start production,” he said.
The Johns Creek City Council has identified economic development as one of its five strategic priorities, Greer said. She was accompanied by numerous city staff and elected officials, including Economic Development Director Kim Allonce and four council members.
Their attendance was a reflection of the city’s commitment to supporting global businesses, she said.
“When you find one of us, you find all of us,” Greer said. “They know that the business community, both our local small businesses to big international companies, is what makes Johns Creek such a special community.”
