SPRINGFIELD — A major part of Effingham County’s economic future is sitting on the launch pad ready for takeoff.

The Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub, a 2,600-acre site in Rincon formerly known as Research Forest, has been cleared and is ready for industrial development. It is the largest Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development (GRAD) site within 15 miles of the Port of Savannah.

“The good news is activity is picking up,” Mike Martin, vice president of industrial development for OmniTrax Inc., said during Thursday’s Effingham County Industrial Development Authority (IDA) meeting.

OmniTRAX, a private railroad and transportation management company, partnered with the the IDA two years ago to develop the Savannah Gateway Industrial Hub. It is responsible for luring industries to the site and building infrastructure to accomodate them.

“Once we got our GRAD certification in January, we really started seeing a little bit more interest in the property” Martin said. “That GRAD certification is a seal of endorsement from the state that basically certifies that the property is truly shovel ready. It’s a good thing.”

See the March 21 edition of the Effingham Herald for more details.