Mage Solar cuts ribbon in Dublin, Georgia

According to a press release on their site:

Ravensburg (Germany), 27th September 2010 – MAGE SOLAR, part of the globally operating MAGE GROUP, in conjunction with Governor Sonny Perdue and the City of Dublin County of Laurens Development Authority, conducted its official ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 22, 2010. The highly anticipated event marked the company’s official move of its new North American headquarters to Dublin, Georgia. Dr. Markus Feil, CEO of MAGE INDUSTRIE HOLDING AG headquartered in Germany; its Chairman of the Board, Kurt Rauch, as well as CEO of MAGE SOLAR GMBH, Norbert Philipp, also from Germany and other US company officials and employees of MAGE SOLAR, along with key community, political and a multitude of local, regional and international business leaders attended the momentous event.

That would be Dublin, with half the population of Valdosta, in Laurens County, with half the population of Lowndes County.

Dr. Markus Feil noted that back in February of this year, when MAGE SOLAR officials had the honor to present the project to Governor Perdue in Atlanta, he advised them to keep Georgia on their minds. “Good advice" according to Feil, who then pointed out that MAGE SOLAR not only kept Georgia on its mind, but decided to call Georgia home.

In an earlier version, they have a quote from DuBose Porter:

We in Laurens County and in the City of Dublin are excited to partner with MAGE SOLAR to become the center for renewable energy in our state and our country. —State Representative DuBose Porter

How big is it? Back to the press release:

It was in May of this year that the company announced its decision to set up the solar company’s North American headquarters and production facility for photovoltaic modules in Dublin, Georgia. In the meantime administrative operations have been fully implemented and preparation for its production facility and training academy are underway. MAGE SOLAR will invest $30 million to create 350 jobs within the next 5 years in the city of Dublin in Laurens County.

That's right, 350 jobs. Not initial construction jobs: ongoing jobs. And they're already hiring.

And how did that happen?

“To facilitate our continued growth, similar to what we have accomplished from our base in Germany in regards to our European expansion, it is vital that we chose the right partners to accompany us along the way. The leaders of Georgia and Dublin-Laurens made it clear that they mean business. We are confident that this partnership will prosper for the benefit of all,” said Norbert Philipp, CEO of MAGE SOLAR GMBH.

Hm, local leaders made it clear they mean business in real clean energy.

And a training school:

The MAGE SOLAR ACADEMY, initially scheduled for the fall of 2013 is now scheduled to open its doors in January of next year.

What will it do? According to a press release of May 17:

MAGE SOLAR also plans to build an academy for solar education to promote solid solar knowledge and training in the industry.

Solid solar knowledge about how to do it; not myths about how it can't be done.

-jsq