Civil Municipal - Oct 2023

183 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 10 TROUP COUNT Y, GEORGIA of the 20th century, textile manufacturing was a major part of its economy. Now it is powered by the automotive industry, advanced manufacturing, and a very robust tourism sector. “Back around the time the economy turned – 2007-08, Kia showed up in La Grange,” Mosley recounts. “This is now their North American headquarters, and home to the new Kia Telluride, soon to be the new EV9, which is their new electric SUV; the Kia Sportage; the K5, which used to be the Optima; and the Kia Sorrento. They have about 3,000 employees, but we also have a lot of subsidiary suppliers around, like Hyundai and Sewon, so there are about 13- 15,000 employees that are directly related to Kia. We are also the international headquarters for Duracell,” Mosley adds. “The majority of batteries utilized throughout the world are manufactured here in Troup County.”