The winner of Yelp’s first ever Bizzie Award in 2016, Sandy Springs, Georgia (GA) is becoming accustomed to the recognition many small to mid-sized cities can only dream of achieving. Located just north of downtown Atlanta, Sandy Springs’ convenient location, business friendly environment and its generous supply of smart and energetic young professionals, is finding that it is a popular choice for another group; Fortune 500 and 1000 companies. One of three Georgia cities ranked amongst the most educated places in the United States and home to a generous number of women-owned businesses, the city is abuzz with the arrival of major Fortune 500 companies seeking a new home for their corporate headquarters.
Already the home for mega companies like Home Depot, United Parcel Service (UPS), Delta Airlines and others, the leader in luxury automobiles, Mercedes-Benz, recently established a new USA corporate headquarters in the vibrant city. Mercedes-Benz USA President and CEO Dietmar Exler said, “All the stars are aligned. Our new Atlanta headquarters marks a high point for Mercedes-Benz in the U.S. market, not just in terms of being the leading luxury brand in the U.S. for the past two years, but also in terms of this building which is designed from the inside out to enable a creative, innovative and empowered workforce more representative of a startup than a conventional corporation.” Before Mercedes-Benz relocated to the Sandy Springs/Perimeter area, the city and the state began rolling out the red carpet to help make the company’s relocation go as smoothly as possible, even renaming Barfield Road in front of the headquarters to Mercedes-Benz Drive. But the luxury auto maker isn’t the only famous employer to recently call Sandy Springs home.
Inspire Brands, the company that manages familiar restaurants Buffalo Wild Wings, Arby’s and R Taco, has announced that it will create 1,100 jobs and invest $32M dollars in the next six years to establish its home in the business-eager community. Inspire’s Global Support Center is expected to open in 2019 and serve as the hub for the company and restaurant brands. “We have focused on creating an environment, the infrastructure and amenities to attract top talent and keep them here with unequaled access to our work and play lifestyle,” said Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul. “It is especially satisfying to watch companies like Inspire Brands thrive and grow within our community.”
Edible Arrangements, creators of the edible fresh fruit floral-like arrangements, has announced plans to relocate the company’s corporate headquarters from Wallingford, Connecticut, to Sandy Springs. Edible Arrangements opened an Atlanta office as a second headquarters in March 2018 to “take advantage of the more centralized location, access to major transportation hubs and other resources for many of the services that were previously handled out of Wallingford,” according to a company press release. The company employs roughly 130 workers and hopes to complete the move to metro Atlanta by the end of 2018. Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul said Edible Arrangements’ decision shows the city is “among the nation’s most desirable locations for corporate and regional headquarters. Our deep, talented labor pool, access to world class, world reachable transportation and superb quality of life all make Sandy Springs a perfect spot for major businesses to call home.”
Junction Creative Solutions (Junction) recently relocated its headquarters near the City Springs development, the new epicenter of the city. Located adjacent to the new Performing Arts Center, the unique, vibrant, walkable City Center area is now the heart of Sandy Springs. “Junction is exceeding our growth expectations, necessitating the opening of the new office. The site is centrally located for easy access to Buckhead, Downtown Atlanta or North Alpharetta which helps our team better position Junction to meet the demands of its growing list of clients,” said Julie Gareleck, founder and CEO. With all this expansion, the City has rebranded itself and is creating a new and vibrant community for its residents and its growing list of corporations.