Auto hauler maker Cottrell to build $125M factory in Georgia

GAINESVILLE, Ga. - A Georgia manufacturer of auto-hauling trailers says it will invest $125 million to build a new factory.

Gainesville-based Cottrell Trailers announced Tuesday that it would move some production to a new location near the northeast Georgia city.

Cottrell makes trailers that haul multiple vehicles to auto dealers and other locations.

The company first opened in Hall County in 1973 and currently has a 335,000-square foot facility employing more than 1,000 people. Cottrell said the new factory would be even larger and would create jobs, but didn’t say how many.

Cottrell plans to begin construction later this year, with the project taking more than two years to complete. After completion, it said it would use its existing facility for business development.

Cottrell will be the first tenant in a new 1,300-acre industrial park that Gainesville has been developing along U.S. 129 south of the city. Gainesville City Manager Bryan Lackey said the city is coordinating development of the park to meet the company’s schedule.

Marie Hodge Gordon, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, said the state is not offering any cash grants for the project. Cottrell could claim various tax breaks, including a state income tax credit allowing it to annually deduct $750 per job from Georgia income taxes for five years, as long as workers make at least $28,000 per year.

Publicly-held insurer Markel Corp. bought Cottrell for $130 million in 2014.

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