A DIVERSE INDUSTRIAL BASE
The MSA has a strong, stable economy, composed of (1) an extensive base of manufacturers; (2) a core of technology-based employers; and (3) an expanding service sector.

The diverse industrial base includes production of medical products, pharmaceuticals, golf carts, chemicals, industrial tools, textiles among others.

Health care, a technology-based employer in the region, employs more than 25,000 medical professionals. The Medical College of Georgia (MCG) is ranked as one of the top 20 medical schools in the nation and is Georgia’s Health Sciences University. MCG has schools of Dentistry, Allied Health Sciences, Nursing and Graduate studies, as well as Medicine. A pioneer in telemedicine, MCG has received national recognition for its efforts in this field. MCG serves patients from all over the southeast, with over 80 clinics centrally located within one building. More than a dozen other major medical facilities are located in the region.

The U.S. Army Signal Center and Fort Gordon, the largest communications electronics training center in the world, rounds out Augusta’s technology-based economy. The center has advanced communications technology, adapting the telephone to military usage by incorporating satellite communications and computer technology.

In addition, Fort Gordon is home to the Army’s Computer Science School and home to a joint services intelligence organization that supports the Department of Defense. The teaching facilities at Eisenhower Army Medical Center (EAMC) serve as a regional tri-service medical center serving 5 southeastern states and Puerto Rico.

At the center of the technology-based employers is the Savannah River Site (SRS), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility, which comprises a majority of the MSA’s economy with over 13,000 employees. The Site’s mission is to reduce nuclear danger by transferring applied environmental technology to government and non-government entities cleaning up the site, managing the waste and forming economic and industrial alliances.

SRS has a significant economic impact across the two states, affecting more than a dozen counties. The current annual budget of SRS is $1.6 billion, including a payroll of approximately $900 million.

Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the nuclear facility. Other major contractors on the site include Bechtel Savannah River Inc., Babcock & Wilcox Group (B & W Savannah River Company) and British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL Savannah River Company).