The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ga. businesses take cautious approach
Some hopeful about impending change; others remain silent.
Some local business leaders were cautiously hopeful Monday that a Biden administration will be good for Georgia, sticking with the current policies that have pumped up prof if its and ratcheting back those that have hurt.
Other companies considered the divisive election and results that are still contentious and simply chose to stay mum.
On Saturday, with just a few votes to be counted, major media outlets declared Democrat Joe Bid en the winner of the presidential election. In response, President Donald Trump has made claims of fraud, so far without evidence, and said he will fifight on through recounts and court challenges.
Biden’s apparent triumph sent thousands into the streets to celebrate in Atlanta and elsewhere, while spurring some counter-
demonstrations, too.
But business just wants stability, said Jason Moss, chief executive of the Georgia Manufacturing Association.
“Right now, for most of our companies, business is good and they’re making plans to increase staff and production,” he said. “But a lot of things are on pause until there is some certainty in the national leadership.”
While some sectors were hurt, some manufacturers benefited from Trump- triggered tension over trade, including tariff wars with China and other countries. For instance, jobs in metal-producing moved from overseas to Georgia, Moss said. “We would like to see those policies kept in place.”
However it might shake out for narrow sectors, anew regime for managing international trade could be goodfor business overall, said Raymond Hill, senior lecturer at Emory’s Goizueta School of Business. “Biden said he would have less contentious trade policies and Georgia might benefit fromthat. The Port of Savannah would also benefit from smoother trade relations.”
Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia’s ports, account for 8% of the state’s GDP, according to the state authority that manages them. Savannah this year leads the nation in the volume of exports.
Agriculture, Georgia’s largest sector, has paid a price for Trump’s trade battles.
When Trump raised tariffs on Chinese goods, China retaliated with fees on key crops like cotton and peanuts, causing sales and prices to crater for Georgia farmers. Farmers hope China will reciprocate if a Biden administration reverses Trump tariffs.
Whoever is president needs to think of the farmers, said Zippy Duvall, a Georgia farmer and president of American Farm Bureau, an association of farmers and ranchers. “We stand ready towork with our elected leaders to ensure farmers and ranchers regain their footing.”
Disaster relief, trade mitigation payments and other farm supports will account for more than one- third of farm income this year, according to a recent University of Missouri analysis.
White House immigration policy, which Biden has pledged to reverse, also has made it harder for Georgia farmers to find the seasonal labor they need.
Whoever is president, the priorities are job creation and prosperity, including support of small business, modernizing infrastructure and training workers, said Chris Clark, chief executive of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. “Therewill be differences of opinion on howto best move forward, butwe stand ready to help get things done.”
In a statement, Dave Williams, senior vice president at the Metro Atlanta Chamber, said the organization was pleased with the record voter turnout, and praised the election as orderly and peaceful.
“This kind of ongoing civic engagement is critical regardless of political affiliation,” he said.
But with strong feelings on all sides — and with clients from various political persuasion s—some companies contacted by The Atlanta Journal- Constitution simply chose silence, including Coca-Cola, Equifax and Chickfil-A.
Home Depot, the largest firm based in Georgia by revenue, is reporting its earnings next week and is therefore in its “quiet period” when it makes no public comment, a spokeswoman said.
Not that the huge company could entirely escape controversy: Co- founder Bernie Marcus has been a vocal supporter of Trump, sparking both calls for a boycott of Home Depot and praise from the president’s supporters.
On Monday, a company spokeswoman said Marcus left the company more than 15 years ago and does not speak for the $ 112- billion- ayear retailer.