Local economic activity is really strong now, Tim Evans, vice president for economic development for the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce, reported Thursday.

That news is good, he noted — as evidenced by the chamber’s record year in 2015 — 24 new and expanded industries making $320 million in investment with a projected 1,100 jobs.

The only downside, he said, is the lack of land for big projects. Evans said “capacity building needs to be sort of on our front burner all the time.” That means developed land — with all needed infrastructure — and buildings.

“It is uncommon, unheard of” to sell large parcels in industrial parks early in development, but Hall County has “done it twice.” Thus, the county is looking for large tracts of land that might be available.

“Eighty to 90 percent of the activity” in the county is because of buildings, Evans said.

He noted Patillo Industrial Real Estate has a 77,000-square-foot building in Gainesville Business Park and Majestic Realty is marketing a 300,000-square-foot building in South Hall County. Radial Property Group and Presco Properties also have built speculative buildings in the county.

Evans said available space for industry “may be the lowest I’ve ever seen it.” About 4 percent of the county’s business and industrial space is available, he said. 

Economic development, Evans reminded the group, is a “site elimination process.” Companies planning new projects try to “whittle (potential locations) down as quickly as possible.”

For local industry, “the No. 1 interest, right now, without a doubt, is workforce development,” said Shelley Davis, the Chamber’s vice president for existing industry.

Perry Barnett, head of the chamber’s workforce development task force, said the chamber group works to “connect together” industry, business, schools and government for information exchange and developing programs.

He said if existing businesses “don’t have a skilled workforce, they aren’t going to be here very long.”

The workforce development program had 800 students in it, he said, and only 2 percent were in manufacturing. That percentage has increased to 6 percent — a 200 percent increase.

The task force convened a meeting in March 2015 to ask industries about their needs. Another meeting is planned for this March. Barnett said health care “is growing and growing and growing” and will be a topic of conversation.

Evans also noted the health care field provides jobs for about 15 percent of the workforce. Northeast Georgia Medical Center and related health care practices provide services for 13 to 14 counties of Northeast Georgia, he said.