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Flowery Branch girls win fourth straight Lanierland. sports, ib
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30,2018 | $2.00 | GAINESVILLE, GEORGIA | gainesvilletimes.com
Honestly Local
Gov. Deal reflects on his
roots, state leadership
SCOn ROGERS I The Times
Governor Nathan Deal talks about his eight years as Governor Wednesday, Dec. 19, at the State Capitol.
‘Gainesville has been the heart and soul of my entire political career’
BY MEGAN REED
mreed@gainesvilletimes.com
After two terms as Georgia gover
nor, Nathan Deal said he doesn’t for
get where he came from.
“Gainesville has been the heart
and soul of my entire political
career,” he said in an interview with
The Times on Dec. 19.
Deal spent most of his adult life in
Gainesville, and he said support from
his hometown was influential in being
elected first to the state Senate, then
the U.S. House of Representatives
and finally as governor.
Hall County and Northeast Georgia
saw returns during his administra
tion, which began in 2011. Deal said
I Inside
I Editorial: Deal’s better Georgia, 2D
he is proud of economic develop
ment, particularly in Hall — more
than 7,000 private sector jobs have
been added during his administra
tion, he said, and he praised employ
ers like Kubota and Kings Hawaiian
for getting unemployment down to
2.6 percent in Gainesville.
He is excited about new develop
ments in the area, too, like Fox, a ride
dynamics products company that is
relocating its headquarters from Cali
fornia to Gainesville and is expected
to create 800 jobs.
Bringing new employers to Geor
gia was a priority of his administra
tion, a task he said has kept the state’s
economic development department
busy.
“They work every day, all around
the globe ... parts of the country and
the world where you would have
never expected companies to relo
cate to Georgia,” Deal said.
Those companies will be served
by an inland port off of Ga. 365,
announced by Deal earlier in Decem
ber, that will be able to handle up to
150,000 containers a year. Construc
tion on the port, which will use Nor
folk Southern rail lines and connect
to the Savannah port, is expected to
■ Please see DEAL, 4A
Economy roars
through ‘18, but
slowdown looms
BY JOSHUA SILAVENT
jsilavent@gainesvilletimes.com
There is good news and bad news when it comes to the
local economy.
The good news is that economic growth in Gainesville
and Hall County continued its robust pace in 2018 with 14
new and expanding firms adding nearly 1,200 new jobs and
$310 million in new capital investment locally, according
to a new report from the Greater Hall Chamber of Com
merce. This marks an 80 percent increase in capital invest
ment over the previous year.
The bad news is that national forecasts for 2019 predict a
slowing of economic growth.
Just how much that comedown hits Northeast Georgia
cannot be foretold, but some indicators are starting to show.
The Georgia Department of Labor reports that Gaines-
ville-Hall County added 3,794 jobs from October 2017 to
October 2018, a 3.9 percent increase year-over-year.
The local metropolitan’s jobless rate of 2.6 percent in
November remains the lowest in Georgia.
Many of these jobs and business investments will come to
full fruition in 2019 and beyond, the chamber reports, such
as moves by Fox Factory and Auto Metal Direct.
Both Fox and Auto Metal Direct are constructing new
facilities in Hall County for a combined 500,000 square feet
of space that will serve as operations and headquarters for
the businesses.
Since 2013, the chamber’s economic development pro
gram has assisted more than 150 new and expanding busi
nesses that have announced 6,350 jobs and $1.3 billion in
new capital investment.
■ Please see ECONOMY, 5A
SCOTT ROGERS I The Times
Among the expansion going on in Hall County this year was
the unveiling of the new Lanier Tech campus in October.
Large crowd gathers to honor late World War II veteran
AUSTIN STEELE I The Times
People gather during a celebration of life for Cornelius
Cornelssen VIII, a World War II veteran, at Flowery
Branch Masonic Lodge 212 on Saturday, Dec. 29.
Daughter deeply moved as she feared no one would show'
BY LAYNE SALIBA
lsaliba@gainesvilletimes.com
Candice Easton stood on the
porch of the Masonic Lodge in
Flowery Branch, looking over
the crowd — more than 100
strong — that showed up to
honor her father, Pfc. Corne
lius Cornelssen VIII, Saturday
afternoon. She was worried
no one would show up to his
celebration of life, but those
worries quickly went out the
door, just like the guests were
forced to do as the lodge filled
up and the crowd could no lon
ger fit inside.
As people from near and
far gathered outside, most of
whom didn’t know Cornels
sen, Easton thanked them,
shared memories of her
father and recited one of her
favorite poems.
“I have received dozens,
now hundreds, of comforting
messages,” Easton said with
a smile on her face as she
talked about how her original
call to the Times on Christmas
Eve ended up reaching fur
ther than she ever imagined.
“Our stories are important to
others. We are all connected.
We all feel compassion. Your
compassion, for me, will
impact me for the rest of my
life.”
The story of her father,
who died Dec. 17 at age
93, impacted everyone
in attendance.
He enlisted into the Army
when he was 18 and fought
during the Battle of the Bulge.
He was awarded a Bronze
Star and two Purple Hearts.
One of those impacted by
Cornelssen’s story was Don
Hemphill, who drove almost
3 hours from Warner Robins
to attend the gathering. He
served in the Air Force from
■ Please see VET, 5A
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