News & Announcements

The Development Authority of the City of Milledgeville – Baldwin County meets at 8:30 a.m. the fourth Monday of every month at the Baldwin County Government Center at 1601 N. Columbia St., Suite 240, Milledgeville, GA 31061

The meetings are open to the public.

The regularly scheduled meeting of the Development Authority of the City of Milledgeville – Baldwin County set for Monday, March 24, 2025 has been canceled due to schedule conflicts.

DAMBC honors longtime members Seagle and Pope with street naming ceremonies

MILLEDGEVILLE, GA – The Development Authority of the City of Milledgeville – Baldwin County will honor two of its most dedicated and longstanding members by naming streets in their memory at the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Industrial Park. Commemorative ceremonies will be held on Saturday, April 26, and Monday, April 28, to mark the meaningful occasion.

Earl Seagle Court and Henry Pope Way will stand as permanent tributes to two individuals whose vision and leadership were instrumental in shaping the area’s industrial landscape.

Much like their decades-long friendship and collaboration, the newly named streets intersect—symbolizing the lasting impact of Seagle and Pope’s shared commitment to economic development and community growth.

Mr. Earl Seagle, now in his 90s, is being recognized for his many years of dedicated public service following a distinguished career in the aerospace industry. A New York native, Seagle relocated to Baldwin County in the 1970s to work with Grumman after the company established a manufacturing facility in the area. In retirement, he served on both the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Development Authority Board of Directors and the Fall Line Regional Development Authority Board of Directors. Family and friends from across the country, including his wife Penelope, will attend Saturday’s ceremony, where Mr. Seagle will offer reflections on his time serving the community.

The dedication of Earl Seagle Court will take place at 11:30 a.m., Saturday, April 26, 2025, at the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Industrial Park.
Henry Pope Jr., a respected banker and civic leader, served for many years as a member and chairman of the Development Authority. Under his leadership, the Authority completed successful spec building projects and helped recruit numerous new industries to Milledgeville and Baldwin County. As president of Exchange Bank in Milledgeville, Pope built enduring relationships throughout the community, earning admiration from colleagues, customers, and friends alike. His family will speak at the ceremony to honor his legacy and the many lives he touched.

One of the park’s previously unnamed streets, home to Fireline, Inc., will officially be named in his honor. The dedication of Henry Pope Way will be held on Monday, April 28, 2025, at 2 p.m. at the Milledgeville-Baldwin County Industrial Park off GA Hwy 22.

In March 2024, the Milledgeville City Council unanimously passed resolutions to accept the conveyance of the two streets from the Development Authority, ensuring their permanent recognition.

Surrounded by the industries these two men helped bring to Milledgeville, Earl Seagle Court and Henry Pope Way will serve as lasting reminders of their efforts to attract, retain, and grow business in the region—laying a strong foundation for future generations.

The family of Henry Pope and Earl Seagle and family attended Milledgeville City Council in March of last year as the body accepted Henry Pope Way and Earl Seagle Court through a conveyance from the Development Authority of the City of Milledgeville – Baldwin County.

Fouts Brothers to expand in Milledgeville – Baldwin County

More than $3 million in investment and 166 jobs coming to existing industry

MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia – The Development Authority of the City of Milledgeville – Baldwin County (DAMBC) met Monday, Sept. 25 and announced an expansion of Fouts Brothers that will bring new jobs and investment to the community.

The investment in Milledgeville-Baldwin County will see the company, which relocated in Milledgeville in 2019, increase its output of emergency and fleet vehicles to meet customer demand. The end result will add a total of 166 new jobs over the next two years as the company continues to grow. In addition to the new positions, the company will invest more than $3.4 million on its campus, the site of the former Rheem manufacturing facility which ceased operations in 2009.

As part of the company’s expansion in its fire protection division, Fouts Brothers will add 96 employees in 2023 and 70 in 2024.

DAMBC chair Sharon Seymour lauded the company’s expansion at Monday’s meeting.

“We are certainly glad that Fouts Brothers has chosen our community as home,” she said. “We look forward to working with the company as they continue to grow and provide good incomes for hundreds of employees in our area.”

Fouts Brothers purchased the site and moved their Georgia operations to Milledgeville – Baldwin County based in-part on the building’s location and amenities. Company owner and president Scott Edens said the company, and his family, found what it was looking for in their search.

“We were searching for a building and site that could work for our operations,” he said. “We understood that we needed to choose not just a building, but a community. The local leadership and economic development efforts, as well as the community members themselves, have helped make Milledgeville and Baldwin County a home for us.”

Since acquiring the site, Fouts Brothers has hired hundreds of workers to custom equip vehicle chassis for first responders and company fleet vehicles. Initially, the company occupied half of the near 700,000 square foot building with intentions to lease 336,000 square feet to other tenants. Exponential growth of the business has led to utilization of much of that excess space as the company builds out and delivers utility vehicles, including fire trucks and other first responder vehicles, to locations across the globe.

DAMBC Executive Director Jonathan Jackson said the project has continued to exceed expectations and has seen multiple side benefits.

“Any time an industry with this size and scope locates in a community, you see ancillary benefits,” he said. “While successfully courting potential clients and hosting specialists to perform specific work on vehicles, we are already seeing a big increase in hotel room stays. In addition, dozens of families have moved into the area. The presence of Fouts Brothers is helping DAMBC with our mission of growing this community in a thoughtful way. I could not be more proud of our local industries and DAMBC.”

The plans for expansion are ahead of schedule, Edens said. He said the local business climate helped the company feel comfortable enough to launch six new firetruck lines. By January of 2024, Fouts Brothers expects to be able to produce six firetrucks per week in Milledgeville – Baldwin County.