LAKE PARK — It’s finally official! Home Depot is the Fortune 500 company building a new distribution center in Lowndes County.

Gov. Sonny Perdue made the announcement that Lowndes County will be the home of Home Depot’s new regional distribution center, which will create more than 400 new jobs in the area within 36 months.

“Having one of Georgia’s largest and most admired companies expand in our state shows that we’re not just a great place to get started, but also a great place to grow,” said Gov. Perdue. “Our strong business climate and strength in logistics continues to attract top-tier retailers like The Home Depot.”

The Home Depot, an Atlanta-based home improvement products retailer, plans to occupy a 657,600 square-foot distribution facility on 89 acres in the Lake Park Industrial Park in December of 2008. According to Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority Executive Director Brad Lofton, the distribution center is expected to be Lake Park’s largest employer. Lofton added that the center’s opening will have a significant, positive impact on the regional workforce, employing large numbers of people from South Georgia and North Florida.

The community partnered with the State Department of Economic Development and other local and regional partners during the successful site selection process. The center, which should be operational in the first quarter of 2009, is to be developed by IDI, Inc, a top ranked Atlanta-based developer specializing in providing strategically-located warehouse and distribution facilities for Fortune 500 clients. The selected construction company is Catamount Constructors, also of Atlanta.

Founded in 1978, The Home Depot, Inc. is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer and the second largest retailer in the United States with fiscal 2006 sales of $90.8 billion and earnings of $5.8 billion.

This announcement is a continuation of positive economic development news for the Valdosta metropolitan statistical area—one that has recently been awarded a consecutive top three designation in the U.S. as a location for new industry by Site Selection Magazine.

“The Home Depot’s decision to locate their new facility in Lake Park underscores our community’s standing as a premier destination for distribution and logistics operations,” Industrial Authority Chairman John Peeples said. “In addition to being blessed with a terrific geographic location, our community is very fortunate to have local and state leaders who are dedicated to quality growth, and who work together tirelessly toward that goal.”

Lowndes County Commission Chairman Rod Casey identified the announcement as further proof of Lowndes County emerging as a hub for logistics in the Southeastern United States.

A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Monday at the Lake Park Industrial Park.