Economic development in Bartow County will receive a noticeable boost in early 2023 with the opening of a distribution center in Adairsville. The location will serve Wisconsin-based retailer Duluth Trading Company and employ 350 people from North Georgia.

The site will serve as a southern hub for Duluth, a company shifting from a brick-and-mortar model toward an online focus as consumer preferences shift following the Covid-19 pandemic.

“What drew them to Bartow County is our proximity to the interstate, which allows them to get their products to market quickly,” sole commissioner Steve Taylor told the Chipper.

Other factors he noted include the county’s low crime rate and the company not having to invest in a construction project, as the former Ashley Capital building will act as the location. The project will bring an estimated $53 million in investment, significantly impacting not only the Bartow County area but around one million people in the North Georgia area, including parts of Metro Atlanta.

In addition to the large full- and part-time workforce, the company will employ many seasonal workers, especially in the eight weeks preceding the Christmas holidays. Cartersville High students would benefit greatly from watching the progress of this development, as it affects not only the titular business or the government officials involved but anyone looking for a new job.