City of Atlanta Chief Operating Officer Duriya Farooqui joined leaders yesterday at the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) and its Clean Technology Council for the inaugural Clean Tech Executive Forum. According to a new clean tech industry report released by the Chamber, the metropolitan Atlanta region is poised to become a global industry leader in clean technology in several key industry sectors.
The report, which includes the results of a new clean tech economy inventory for the region, reveals that metropolitan Atlanta is home to 541 clean tech company facilities representing 30,605 jobs focused on clean technology. The report also shows Atlanta has clean tech strengths in top industry categories for employment and job creation, including energy efficiency; recycling and solid waste; smart grid; services, and products/materials. Those sectors represent areas for strategic growth in the future, along with solar and water technologies.
Since 2010, the metropolitan Atlanta region has recruited some 34 clean tech companies, creating more than 2,200 jobs. Top clean tech employers in the region include GE Energy Management, Acuity Brands Lighting, Hill-Phoenix, Rock-Tenn, TOTO USA, Exide Technologies, Pratt Industries, Novelis, Siemens, Ventyx, and Southern Company, the report indicates.
“The efforts of the Clean Technology Council align with the City’s goals for growing our green economy as part of Atlanta’s sustainability initiative, Power to Change,” said Chief Operating Officer Duriya Farooqui. “We are proud to count over 30,000 clean-technology jobs as part of our region’s economy. Clean tech is enabling large and small companies, across the metropolitan region, to have both a substantial impact on our local economy and a global footprint.”
The region’s strength as a clean tech hub has steadily grown. Atlanta represents the most diverse metropolitan area clean economy in the nation, according to a 2011 national report by the Brookings Institution and Battelle Technology Partnership Practice. Atlanta has the 7th largest metro clean tech economy in the country, ranks No. 1 in its number of LEED certified buildings, and ranks 5th in the nation with the most Energy Star buildings. Georgia is a national leader in Nissan Leaf sales, driven by aggressive incentives for Alternative Fuel Vehicles adoption.
To better understand and communicate metropolitan Atlanta’s clean tech assets and strengths, MAC set out to create a comprehensive inventory of the region’s clean tech firms and identify key clean tech strengths by industry sector. The clean tech report is a result of those inventory findings.
“The report shows Atlanta’s clean economy as a leading economic driver for our region,” said Bob Pertierra, MAC Vice President of Supply Chain & Advanced Manufacturing. “Our region continues to attract top clean tech companies that are leading new clean tech innovations, clearing new paths for sustainability options and creating high-wage jobs.
“The City will remain a strong, collaborative partner with the Metro Atlanta Chamber and looks forward to learning more about the role that City government can play in accelerating Atlanta’s clean tech agenda,” added Farooqui.
Find the full report here: https://www.metroatlantachamber.com/business/clean-tech/metro-atlanta-clean-technology-ecosystem-report
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