The Georgia Export Directory is a free, online listing of Georgia exporters of products and services to buyers around the world
Visit online at www.GeorgiaExportDirectory.com
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REGISTER: www.GeorgiaExportDirectory.com
Putnam County High School welding students showing off a see saw they made for the PCHS campus include, from left, Clinton Lea, Aaron Clark, Clinton
Clemons, Brandon Marshall, Tyler Deloach, Douglas Gordon, David Sides and Brandon Price.
The Eatonton Messenger
July 14, 2024
There are more than 25 students at Putnam County High School enrolled in welding courses through Central Georgia Technical College, all of whom are also Youth Empowerment for Success (YES) program members. Welding instructor, Aaron Clark, has always been a proponent of incorporating project-based learning into the welding curriculum as opposed to merely practicing on mundane six-inch steel plates or utilizing unrealistic 3D simulators.
In Clark’s class, students at all levels get to participate in the creation of welding projects throughout their time in the program, many of which are considered community service based projects. For example, last year, the school’s YES welding students fabricated 10 bike racks for distribution throughout the community. This year, those bike racks were donated to the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce and installed for use along an Eatonton bike tour route.
This fall, YES students created three scarecrows as a part of their entry into Eatonton Main Street’s Art Bliz Scarecrow Contest to represent the different areas of the program. The welders combined their skills to create a scarecrow to represent their stake in the YES program, and the entire entry ended up winning first place!
However, the most recent buzz around the PCHS campus surrounded the large-scale playground equipment the welders built and installed. When you first arrive at PCHS you will now be greeted by a 24- foot, steel see-saw that has adjustable seats. Welding students also constructed a 24-foot monkey bar system with varying levels to increase the challenge of making the trek across them. Clark envisioned that these two projects could also benefit both math and science departments through fun, hands-on activities of their own too.
Furthermore, earlier this semester, senior welding students competed at the Skills USA Leadership and Skills Conference (SLSC) at both regional and state levels. PCHS welders brought home four second place wins and one first place win at region, and also scored a third place win at state!
Each of these examples provides evidence that Clark’s philosophy on teaching welding to PCHS students has had a very practical application, and supports a high level of achievement. In fact, this dual-enrollment program at PCHS is so successful that at this year’s graduation ceremony the senior welding students will be awarded a combined total of more than 30 Technical College Certificates (TCCs). What is even more impressive is that two of those ambitious senior welders, Austin Sanders and Sterling Underwood, also earned a degree from CGTC in Welding and Joining Technology in conjunction with their PCHS diploma.
The Youth Empowerment for Success Program at Putnam County High school was created with the main goal of providing students with opportunities and skills that will help them be successful when they leave PCHS! Former Principal Barry Lollis noted, “Our students’ successes and passions in their area of study are ignited by the quality of their instructors and the engaging strategies they utilize in their classrooms.”
The film Love, Sweat + Tears, produced by Tytan Creates, won the JURY Award for best film at the Illuminate Film Festival in Sedona, AZ on June 3, 2016.
Love, Sweat + Tears was a game changer film about menopause, romance and women’s health — at a whole new level. Tons of laughs throughout the film with Joan Rivers, Rev June Gatlin + Jenny McCarthy. Dr. Pam Gaudry (who is on a mission to educate all women about their health) was on fire and super passionate.
View the movie trailer:
https://www.facebook.com/tytancreates/videos
EATONTON, GA (April 27, 2025)
The Putnam Development Authority announced today that Legacy Housing, LTD has reached two major milestones in their first 90 days of production:
The project began in July 2015, when the Horton Homes was pending the loss of their manufacturing facilities to a judicial tax sale. “Even though we were facing a terrible loss of our once largest employer in the county, the Putnam Development Authority recognized the opportunity that locating another mobile home manufacturer at the vacant plant would help replace lost jobs,” recalled Terry Schwindler, Economic Development Director of the Putnam Development Authority.
Legacy Housing LTD desired to expand their manufacturing and distribution to the east coast. On November 3, 2015, Legacy acquired the Horton Homes facilities and began a very aggressive plan to ready the first production line for a February 2016 start.
Legacy manufactured 60 new homes with their 90 employees in March 2016.
“The manufactured homes being built are in the ‘mid-low to mid-medium price range’ because we feel like there are a lot more Chevys and Fords sold than Cadillacs,” said Mick Barker, COO of Legacy Housing. To meet the demands of a growing trend across the nation to live more simply, Legacy also has plans to start building Tiny Houses (less than 400 sq. ft.) at the Eatonton plant in the next 30 days, according to Barker.
By July 2016, Legacy plans to manufacture 8 houses per day and employ over 150 people. They estimate 2016 revenues will reach $30 million. A second production line is expected to start in 2017 with an additional 150-200 employees hired.
“We are very excited that Legacy Housing has chosen Eatonton-Putnam County as the location to expand their business,“ said Bill Sharp, Chairman of the Putnam Development Authority.
In addition to providing retail financing for their home buyers, Legacy Housing’s Inventory Finance Tool provides their independent & franchise manufactured home dealers the ultimate tool in dealer inventory financing.
About Legacy Housing:
Legacy Housing was created in 2005 to quench the demand for quality-built housing at affordable prices. Number four in home sales in the country, Legacy Housing is an independent manufacturer of prefabricated homes that has two manufacturing plants in Texas which employ about 500 people. For more information about Legacy Housing Ltd go to: http://legacyhousingltd.com/
About Putnam Development Authority:
The purpose of the Putnam Development Authority is to develop, promote, and expand for the public good and general welfare, industry and trade within Putnam County. For more information, visit the website at http://putnamdevelopmentauthority.com/
###
Contact:
Terry Schwindler, Economic Development Director
tschwindler@PutnamDevelopmentAuthority.com
706-816-8099
Owners, Jason Green and Andrew Ringer recently opened Free Range Tiny Homes in Putnam County. They plan to offer a number of different options for tiny house enthusiasts.
These tiny homes are designed on custom-built trailers and are made to travel, as long as they are under 13.6 feet high and 8.6 feet wide.
There has been a great deal of press on tiny houses and the 2016 Georgia Tiny House Festival.
Links to Georgia Tiny House Festival & Free Range Tiny Homes magazine articles:
Links to Georgia Tiny House Festival & Free Range Tiny Homes videos:
For more information:
Call Jason Green at 706-473-7700 or go to
Free Range Tiny Homes website
Savannah movie company to lease old prison as film site
By Lynn Hobbs
The Eatonton Messenger
March 24, 2025
The Eatonton City Council meeting seemed more like a theater Monday night with more than 175 people attending, often cheering and applauding as council heard and responded to public input on a movie-making company leasing the old prison.
The large audience gave a standing ovation when council approved the lease for the Downtown Development Authority to lease the city-owned prison facility to Tytan Pictures, a film division of Tybee Island based content creation company, Tytan Creates.
The vote passed 5-2, with the dissenting votes coming from Alma Stokes and Alvin Butts.
“Because I know Tytan is not going to live up to their word,” Butts said after the meeting as his reason for voting no.
The lease provides Tytan the opportunity to lease the old prison for 10 years at $10 per year; it also provides Tytan the option to purchase the prison, not with money, but by providing specifically-detailed marketing and branding services for the City of Eatonton.
Tytan executives were searching in Savannah earlier this year for a large warehouse to start Tytan’s full-feature film division, when Eatonton real estate developer Walt Rocker III told them of warehouses in Eatonton. They expressed interest in the old aluminum plant facility on Oak Street, but the old prison owned by the city was the deal-maker.
Seven people spoke during public input at the meeting, saying the facilities are an eyesore, noted the empty prison is costing the city thousands of dollars (City Administrator Gary Sanders said in an earlier report the city pays $9,000 a year for insurance on the building plus another $5,000 to maintain the land it’s on); and said Tytan would provide much-needed jobs, boost the economy and would be a good fit to Eatonton’s history and literary themes.
During discussion, Butts gave what-ifs, such as an explosion, and Mayor Walter Rocker Jr. pointed out the lease also requires Tytan to have insurance on the building.
At the request of council, Tytan co-owner Jim Stone also answered their questions, beginning by saying he was “humbled by all the support we’ve had here in Eatonton.” He quoted the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s report that in 2015, Georgialensed feature films and television productions added $6 billion to the state’s economy. He noted Georgia offers 30 percent tax credit to film companies. Stone said Tytan already has a documentary lined up that they will start shooting in Eatonton in the “fourth quarter of this year,” and he was in discussion with a game show about doing a series here.
Councilor Bill Mangum said the University of Georgia had given the same “deliverables” of marketing and branding services years ago that Tytan was to provide in exchange for the property, according to the lease.
“But the taxpayers could not afford to do everything they created,” he said. “Everyone acts as if someone is opposed to Tytan moving in, but they are the ones who set value on that prison of $400,000. Do you think (these deliverables) are worth that much?”
Although the question seemed rhetorical, members of the audience immediately responded by shouting “yes” almost in unison, and applauding.
Councilor James Gorley said he initially had some reservations, but not after hearing Stone. “The lease says they have 10 years to deliver jobs, well I think we would know in 36 months if they are doing that. I think it’s a good partnership and I think we need to launch it,” he said, bringing more applause.
Because renovating the old prison was one of the recently-voter-approved Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) projects, Mangum questioned what will be done with the designated $80,000 – Huskins said as long as DDA is the landlord, the money may be used on the prison, otherwise it will go back to the county.
After the meeting, Toni Davis, a member of the current Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Putnam class and owner of Simply Beautiful boutique, said she was glad the vote passed. “We, the younger generation, are ready for Eatonton to move in a new direction,” she said.
An existing building in Downtown Eatonton is currently being renovated for new Event Center.
Monday, March 14, 2025
Photos by Don Richeson
The Eatonton Messenger
Plastic sheeting (above) covers the windows Monday at 116 & 118 N. Jefferson Ave. as the 13,000 square foot downtown Eatonton business begins a $200,000 renovation 
— including a new roof by Joe’s Roofing (below).
The early 1900s buildings are expected to re-open this spring as an event-entertainment facility that will be leased out for weddings, class reunions and similar events, Stewart Aaron, the buildings’ owner said. Aaron sees Eatonton developing into a thriving upscale tourist destination in coming years.
http://www.13wmaz.com/news/manufactured-home-plant-reopens-in-eatonton/76616063
Homes rolling off the line
By Lynn Hobbs
About a dozen county and city officials visited Legacy Housing in Eatonton last week, met the owners and employees and toured the facility, watching manufactured homes literally rolling off the line.
“These houses will be the best product in this region,” owner Curt Hodgson said. “We’re going to build a good product and we’re going to put 200-300 Putnam County people to work.”
Hodgson and co-owner, Kenny Shipley, gave an overview of their company and their goals for the plant starting up in Eatonton.
The manufacturing plant in Eatonton’s South Industrial Park is located in one of the former Horton Homes facilities on Industrial Boulevard past Haband. It currently has one assembly line running, with 75 employees rolling out one to two houses per day.
Noting the building is as large as four football fields, Chief Operating Officer Mick Barker said everything is built on the inside.
“I’ve never been in a facility where you could pull materials off the truck and start working right there and never get wet,” he commented. “It’s unbelievable.
Barker forecasts the company will produce $30 million out of the Eatonton facility this year, noting two homes a day will be produced initially, and that number will grow to eight a day within 12-18 months, based on market conditions. The owners expect to invest $5-$10 million in the facility this year, and another $20 million down the road, he said during the tour, noting “That’s a big investment, but we expect to get a payback on it.”
When a county employee commented that all the employees were smiling, Barker said “These people have been out of a job for a while, and they’re happy to be back at work.” When questioned about salaries, the COO said the hourly employees are paid $10 to $13 per hour, based on experience and job qualification. After 90 days and a performance evaluation, they will start receiving a hitch bonus of $1 to $3 for ea
ch unit, or section, run (a double-wide is two sections).
“Bonuses will be paid weekly, and they will make some good money when the bonuses are figured into their salaries,” he added.
Those interested in a job should apply in person at the plant at 101 Industrial Blvd. in Eatonton, Barker said.
The manufactured homes being built are in the “mid-low to mid-medium price range,” Barker said, “because we feel like there are a lot more Chevys and Fords sold than Cadillacs.” Plans are to also build Tiny Houses (less than 400 sq. ft.) at the Eatonton plant, according to Barker, to meet the demands of a growing trend across the nation to live more simply.
Wednesday
09/14
50%
Chance of a Thunderstorm
Mixed clouds and sun with scattered thunderstorms. High 84F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Thursday
09/15
40%
Chance of a Thunderstorm
Rain showers in the morning with scattered thunderstorms arriving in the afternoon. High 83F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Friday
09/16
40%
Chance of Rain
Cloudy with occasional rain showers. Thunder possible. High 84F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
