A major industrial development in Northwest Georgia has now reached full capacity after securing a second international tenant.
A longtime manufacturing facility in Rome is set to close, as Tyson Foods announces it will cease operations at its plant on Darlington Drive later this spring.
Rising diesel prices are creating new concerns for businesses and industry across Chattooga County and Northwest Georgia, especially for trucking, construction, farming, and manufacturing operations that depend on fuel to keep equipment moving and goods delivered. Higher fuel costs are making it more expensive for companies to transport materials, run heavy equipment, and manage day-to-day operations.
Several factors are helping drive diesel prices higher, including increases in crude oil prices, tighter global fuel supplies, refinery maintenance and outages, and growing seasonal demand tied to freight, agriculture, and construction activity. Geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruptions can also add pressure to fuel markets, causing prices to rise even faster.
For local businesses, those higher diesel costs can quickly lead to more expensive deliveries, increased equipment expenses, and tighter budgets for companies already dealing with inflation and other rising costs. When diesel prices go up, the effects are often felt well beyond the fuel pump, eventually impacting shipping, construction, materials, food prices, and other goods across the region.
As of yesterday, diesel prices across Northwest Georgia were averaging between $4.68 – $4.92 per gallon.
Chattooga County Students From Trion and Summerville Earn Spring 2026 Gene Haas Scholarships at GNTC
(From left) Dr. Heidi Popham, president of GNTC; Bart Jenkins, program director and instructor of Precision Machining and Manufacturing at GNTC; Mayahuel Yaoapoqa, scholarship recipient; and Jon Minyard, Haas sales engineer, pose for a photo in the Precision Machining and Manufacturing lab at GNTC’s Floyd County Campus in Rome.
Two Chattooga County residents—one from Trion and the other from Summerville—are being recognized for academic excellence and career potential in advanced manufacturing.
Siemens Energy announced Tuesday that it will invest $1 billion in its operations across the United States, including a major expansion at its facility in Fort Payne, Alabama. The investment is aimed at increasing manufacturing capacity to meet growing demand for power generation and electrical grid equipment.
A long-idle industrial facility in Lyerly is being transformed with hopes of bringing new jobs and renewed business activity to Chattooga County. A developer from North Carolina has taken over the property and is now working to update the site and position it for a new chapter as a multi-tenant industrial and warehousing location.
New economic data shows that jobs in Chattooga County are closely tied to trade moving through Georgia’s ports, even though those ports are hours away from Northwest Georgia.