They chose the site near Savannah for their $62 million, 500,000-square-foot facility because of "the quality of people and the quality of life," says CEO John Patterson.

Of course, it didn’t hurt to have snared a site adjacent to both Interstate 95 an the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport, and a stone’s throw from the ports of the Savannah River.

All this transportation affects more than shipping, says Patterson. “This year we hosted 12,000 customers from around the country at our Savannah factory.” The visitors arrived via plane, car and cruise ship.

“At JCB our factories are sales tools, and Savannah is a nice place to visit. It definitely helps sell our products.”

Besides the customer-luring surroundings, Patterson has high praise for local workers and nearby technical education. “We work with Savannah Tech and Georgia Tech (Savannah campus) for workforce training,” he says. “We’re very satisfied with the workforce.”

A true global citizen, Patterson is also a collector of rare books and artifacts, an athlete and an avid sports fan. He enjoys “being able to live, work and play with gusto” in the same community.