Laurens County is in the heart of the Sunbelt. The extended growing season and logistical infrastructure has supported a local agricultural industry utilizing more than 198,000 acres of land that includes over 10,000 acres of irrigation.

Beyond the primary crops of peanuts, cotton, wheat, soybeans, corn and timber, the world’s agribusiness sectors have evolved out of technological advancements and commercial need – and Laurens County and nearby neighbors have met the industry’s challenges.

For example, new technologies converting pine-fell into ethanol has resulted in an announcement of a new, investor and federally supported plant to sit on the southern Laurens County border in Truetlan County. The site was selected because of the amount of timber in that County and the available workforce and lifestyle amenities of Dublin – which will be a mere ten minutes from the facility.

Bio-fuel and renewable technology companies will find a home in Laurens County. Investors with a keen eye for opportunity are familiar faces in the community.

In addition, as the 9-County region’s medical hub and the state-of-the-art Carl Vinson V.A. Medical Center has ushered in a new era in the allied health industries. For example, more than $4,000,000 has been recently allocated strictly to create new nurse stations to serve the region.

Many industries thrive in Laurens County. In 2007, the Dublin-Laurens County Economic Development Authority funded third-party research to determine target industries that are ideal partners to existing local, growth-oriented companies. The findings of this research are described in the subsequent pages of this Industry Focus section.