Six months ago, our office received an email from the Georgia Department of Economic Development requesting a few buildings in Athens that could accommodate a 25,000 to 50,000 square foot user.  We get frequently requests for this type of information– from brokers, from consultants, and from companies – but primarily from statewide project managers with Georgia Department of Economic Development and the utility companies who work these leads all the time.  Our office works about 30 of these “projects” a year, as well as responding to dozens more requests for buildings or land that never get much beyond an inquiry or two.  We scrolled through our list of available office buildings, made a few phone calls and sent along our best bets. 

All of our information was translated back through the project management team at the state so we were totally in the dark about the client.  (This fact surprises a lot of people when they hear about our profession.  Oftentimes when we are working a location project, we don’t know who the company is.  Confidentiality is key for a lot of reasons.  The client may not want to tip their hand to their competition or they may not want to cause stress or tension within their organization.  There are tons of stories of communities losing projects because they couldn’t maintain confidentiality.  It’s a big deal.)

Six weeks after we sent the first list of options in Athens and beyond, we heard back from the state team.  The company wanted to visit.  They would be sending two members of their leadership team for a half-day visit.  We set up showings for several buildings but received word the day prior that they were really only interested in one.  The Press Place building downtown.  While we were glad to still be in the running, we were discouraged that we only had one spot up for consideration.  But they informed us that a downtown location was critical to the business they would be running.  They wanted to be someplace interesting – a spot where their employees could walk to lunch.  Someplace “lively”.  When they arrived at Press Place to meet with brokers Daniel Marks and Carl Nichols, they played it cool. 

There were no “oohs” or “aahs”.  As the tour progressed, their questions to the brokers got specific.  Questions about timing on the space and just how much square footage they could occupy.  Questions about how parking might work and if there was a temporary space to set up shop.  We sat down to eat lunch at The National with hope in our hearts.  At this point, they passed around their business cards and we saw the name “Voxpro” for the first time.  (You better believe we couldn’t wait to get back to the office and Google them!)  They told us about their company culture.  They told us about the phenomenal success of their first U.S. office in Folsom, California and how welcomed and supported they were there. They told us about how important a good relationship with the community they occupy is and how they found it in every other city in which they operate.  But then they had to leave.  

It seemed that we barely had time for a tour and a meal before they were off again.  “Did we do enough?” we wondered.  Over the next couple of days, we fretted over things we didn’t say and people we didn’t introduce them to.  We stressed about the other cities they were visiting and how we would measure up.  It was as if it had been the perfect first date but we were left wondering if they would ever call for a second one.  They didn’t at first.  But at least it was for good reason.  They had been whisked away to join other prospective and expanding companies to participate in the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Red Carpet Tour – a multi-day event showcasing the best of Georgia that treats those eyeing the state to introductions with key players from around the region, including our very own Christy Terrell, External Affairs Manager for Georgia Power’s Northeast Division and Sean McMillan, Economic Development Director for the University of Georgia.  Terrell and McMillan deepened the connection with the Voxpro team by sharing their deep admiration for the Athens community. 

After the event, and a few cursory “thank you” emails, the conversation went silent.  Weeks passed.  We badgered the state team with emails asking for progress updates.  Then, almost 3 months from the date of the initial email, we got a call that Voxpro was coming back to town.  And this time it would be the CEO and Managing Director visiting.  The ultimate decision-makers.  They said they wanted to see the building, but what they really wanted was to experience was Athens.  We had two weeks to plan and again, only four hours with them.  It was no small feat.

When the day of their visit arrived, we didn’t know quite what to expect.  Would they be laced up CEO-types?  Hoodie wearing tech moguls?  What we got when we met Dan and Aidan were polished, jovial and very direct professionals.  They asked us the tough, important questions while at the same time being completely open and transparent about their company and their vision.  Daniel Marks took them through the whole building – they loved it.  Athens-Clarke County Manager Blaine Williams met up with  the team to formally welcome them and let them know how excited Athens was to be considered for their expansion.  We wandered outside to a waiting food truck and Holy Crepe were they impressed!  We moseyed over to the Classic Center and were led right on-stage to hear from Chuck Jones and Paul Cramer about the arts and culture scene.  After absorbing all the information from Chuck and Paul, and nibbling from a delicious spread from the in-house caterers there, the group headed outside for a downtown walking tour.  We were joined by UGA’s Sean McMillan and local entrepreneur Ashley Steele from Borrowing Magnolia.  Mary Charles Howard, former owner of Athens Food Tours, led the entourage on an informative tour replete with both traditional and eccentric Athens history.  We ate more food. 

A sampling of Southern staples from The Place, including collard greens which provided a moment of confusion since the Irish simply call that “cabbage”.  We cooled down with popsicles from Three Porch Farm among the funky atmosphere of The World Famous.  We passed street musicians, college students, professionals on lunch break – it was like the universe had summoned the perfect cast of characters for “idyllic college town”.  After the last stop in downtown, we hopped in a bus to give a broader perspective of what Athens has to offer.  We wove through Cobbham and campus (no Athens tour is complete without a drive past Sanford!) and onto 5 Points.  The conversation fluttered between formal talking points on Athens’ history, to lists of interesting Athenians, to discussions of good business practices.  The team arrived at the final destination – LRG Provisions in 5 Points – for one final nosh session. 

Dan and Aidan were greeted with chocolates from Condor, housemade pickles and the best of southern hor’dourves from the crew at LRG.  Pam Griffin from Georgia’s Quickstart program and Lawrence Harris from the Athens Community Career Academy stopped in to discuss the training and recruiting assistance they could provide.  Then our time was up.  Bellies were stuffed and they had to hit the road.  Another whirlwind visit.  We said our goodbyes and patted ourselves on the back for a job well done.  We debriefed as a team and felt that we’d given it our best.  However, once the dust settled, the doubt crept back in.  Did they really like us?  Or were they just nice guys?  Did we feed them too much?  Did we not feed them enough?  Fortunately, we didn’t have to sit long with our thoughts.  We got an email the very next day requesting a meeting for their operations manager to vet the building’s IT infrastructure. 

Not long after, a visit from their leadership team from California and Ireland was scheduled.  A few weeks later, jobs were listed on their website for Athens.  Even though all signs pointed to their being in Athens, we still kept a lid on it.  The announcement had to wait until all the negotiations were completely final.  As that process unfolded, their team began to meet with key leadership in Athens.  They sat down for a meal with the Manager and the Mayor.  They met face-to-face with President Morehead and UGA’s Career Services staff.  They even networked with local entrepreneurs to get a read on the Athens creative and technology scene.  They told us over and over again how much they loved Athens.  They told us that their product is their employees and they believe that great people come from great environments.  When they went looking for an east coast location, they wanted to find a great environment and they believe they found it in Athens.  They said that they love to hire creative people – writers, musicians, artists – because creative people tend to be collaborative and open-minded. 

Those are the kinds of people that excel at customer service and thrive on teams.  They saw that creativity in our residents.  They saw in Athens what us regular Athenians sometimes forget we have.  A place that is buzzing with excitement, a place that people want to be in, a place that is affordable and easy to navigate, a place that acts like a city but feels like a small town.  They saw the perfect spot for their world class company who serves world class clients to expand and grow by taking advantage of our amazing pool of talent.  They saw us the way we always want to be seen and we certainly hope that their decision to choose Athens is the start of something bigger and even better.  So let us say formally, “Welcome to Athens, Voxpro.  We’re so glad you’re here.”