Where Businesses Go to Grow
Macon has many industries, from healthcare to insurance to manufacturing, but they all have one thing in common – they’re growing.
Strategically positioned at the intersection of Interstates 75 and 16, Macon is a logistical choice for many businesses, especially distributors like Sara Lee Foods. Macon’s cost of living is affordable, benefiting employees from small businesses to large corporations.
Manufacturing has been a substantial contributor to the Macon economy for years. Companies such as YKK, Collins Manufacturing Company and Kumho Tire call Macon home, and have acquired more than a century’s worth of combined tenure within the city.
Major Employers
- GEICO
- Mercer University
- YKK
- Blue Bird Corporation
Driving Central Georgia Employment
GEICO’s regional office in Macon has consistently grown for nearly half a century—starting with 150 employees in 1974 to over 7,000 workers today. Company leaders attribute much of their success to Macon’s dedicated workforce, as can be seen with the many internal promotions. The company worked to hire 500 employees in 2020 even amidst a global pandemic. The Macon location is GEICO’s largest in the nation, from which the company handles insurance processing for the entire Midwest and Southeast.
One of The Peach State’s Leading Colleges
Since relocating to Macon from Penfield in 1871, Mercer University has grown to include schools of law, medicine, business and economics, and engineering. The location now employs 1,909 faculty and staff across five different campuses, with the Macon campus being the largest.
Calling Macon Home
YKK has been an integral part of Macon since 1974. Now with close to 600 employees, the Japanese zipper manufacturer is increasing its minimum wage to $15 an hour—a step that demonstrates the value YKK sees in Macon’s labor force. YKK has also produced residential architecture such as doors and windows at its Macon plant since 2007.
A Haven for Innovation
In 1927, after a stint working at a Ford automobile dealership just south of Macon, Blue Bird founder Albert L. Luce Sr. was inspired to create the now widely-successful bus manufacturing business. The company has since sold more than 550,000 buses, with 180,000 on the road today. In 2018, the company opened its corporate headquarters in Macon with innovative plans to produce electric school buses.
