Growing Industries in Columbus, Georgia — Advanced Manufacturing, Automotive, Aerospace, Defense, Food & Fintech

Columbus, Georgia is the second largest city in the state and part of an extensive aviation and aerospace cluster in the Southeastern U.S. That cluster includes Huntsville, Alabama, and Savannah, Georgia. Columbus’ geographical location gives it a tremendous advantage in the industry.

Columbus, Georgia is at the center of the automotive industry’s growth in the Southeastern U.S. The region includes Huntsville, Alabama, and Savannah, Georgia. Columbus’ geographical location near Kia’s only U.S. automotive plant is a strategic advantage for companies like Daesol Ausys who supply this automotive giant. 

Fort Benning plays an important role in our national defense and is located adjacent to Columbus, Georgia. It is home to the Maneuver Center of Excellence, Armor and Infantry schools, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, 75th Ranger Regiment, the 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade, Army Marksmanship Unit, Army National Guard Warrior Training Center, U.S. Army Reserve's 98th Training Division, and many more. Annually, 2,000 soldiers transition to civilian life from Fort Benning. Over 700 choose to stay in Columbus, Georgia.

Some of the largest Financial Services companies in the U.S. are located in Columbus, Georgia. As the second largest city in Georgia, Columbus has fostered a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation. Synovus, the largest bank headquartered in Georgia, has locations throughout the southeastern United States but was started in Columbus in the 1800’s as a way to keep garment workers' money safe. TSYS, a publicly traded company with a global footprint, pioneered electronic payment processing in Columbus. And Aflac provides insurance coverage for millions of people from their Columbus headquarters. 

Columbus is an ideal city for food and beverage processing thanks to its abundant water supply, proximity to agriculture, ready workforce, robust infrastructure, and unbeatable location advantages.

Columbus, Georgia is home to financial giants like Synovus, TSYS, and Aflac - all of which require cybersecurity and information security services. Pratt & Whitney, a Raytheon company, is investing over $200 million in Columbus to support their growth. As a defense contractor, cybersecurity is of the utmost importance. These are examples of the growing companies in need of information security services. 

Columbus, Georgia is at the center of advanced manufacturing in the Southeastern U.S. Defense and aviation company Pratt & Whitney is expanding here and Kia’s only U.S. automotive plant is located 30-minutes away. These are just a few of the many companies deploying advanced manufacturing techniques in Columbus, Georgia. 

Columbus is quickly emerging as a premier destination for the Shared Services industry. Companies established to centralize and streamline key business functions and improve efficiency do well here, especially when supporting our hospital systems and major companies that include Pratt & Whitney, McCauley Propeller Systems, Aflac, TSYS, and Synovus.

Columbus is where headquarters start, grow, and stay competitive. Anchored by Aflac, Synovus, and TSYS (Global Payments), our market gives executive teams the advantage of a supportive, low-cost, pro-business environment—just 90 minutes from Atlanta. Companies find leadership talent from a 250k+ regional labor shed (strengthened by Fort Benning veterans), pipeline partnerships with Columbus Technical College and Columbus State University, and a community that moves projects from idea to operational quickly and cooperatively.