Georgia-based, Global Manufacturer Backs Cherokee By Choice 2.0 Initiative ~
Ball Ground, GA (JAN 2, 2024) — Leading global manufacturer of oxygen and cardiorespiratory diagnostics equipment, CAIRE Inc. is committing support to further economic development close to home with a pledge of $75,000 over the next five years in support of a Cherokee Office of Economic Development (COED) initiative.
Through this investment from CAIRE and other business and industry partners, the Cherokee By Choice 2.0 strategy is targeting $375 million in capital investment and 2,200 direct jobs for Cherokee County. Goals in three main areas are designed to grow the county’s economy and the region just north of Atlanta. Objectives include attracting, retaining, and aligning talent; growing innovative businesses, investment and jobs; and developing infrastructure and product.
“This pledge of support expresses our appreciation in a very tangible way to the community for its support of our global manufacturing and corporate headquarters for more than a decade. Also, it offers our organization an opportunity to partner with the county’s leadership and industry partners as we come together to contribute to laying the foundation for the future growth and prosperity of all citizens,” said Ken Hosako, President and CEO.
CAIRE’s footprint in Cherokee County includes the primary manufacturing hub in Ball Ground, and the Global Service Headquarters in Canton. In Ball Ground, CAIRE’s respiratory therapeutic oxygen devices and select commercial products are manufactured. There are 255 employees who cover a variety of roles including business operations, finance, marketing, engineering, product development and innovation, and light industrial assembly.
The Canton location has 20 employees who provide rapid servicing of equipment, as well as fulfillment of specialty service parts and accessories, and the company’s US-based technical service team.
CAIRE’s investment will be used to support workforce development and the “Work in Cherokee” campaign. The campaign is designed to not only grow awareness of local job opportunities, but to facilitate the analysis of important data on wages and benefits, and determine skills gaps to better understand the needs of local employers, and what steps can be made to incentivize residents to work locally.
“Workforce development is our number one goal. It is important to us to support and retain educated and talented workers for our businesses in Cherokee County. The “Work in Cherokee” campaign is the first step. We are grateful for CAIRE’s support as we continue to provide economic opportunity for our community,” said Misti Martin, President and CEO of the Cherokee Office of Economic Development.
In addition to Ball Ground and Canton, CAIRE has 12 additional locations including Anjo, Japan, Buffalo, NY, Chengdu, China, Denver, CO, Dinant, Belgium, Duttlenheim, France, Hammelburg, Germany, Langenfeld, Germany, Melbourne, Australia, Padova, Italy, Pleasanton, CA, and St. Paul, MN. CAIRE’s subsidiaries include AirSep Corporation, manufacturer of on-site gas generation equipment for commercial applications, and MGC Diagnostics Holdings, Inc., manufacturer of cardiorespiratory diagnostics equipment.
For more information about Cherokee By Choice 2.0, visit https://cherokeega.org/about/cherokeebychoice/. To learn more about CAIRE, visit https://www.caireinc.com/.