Global medical manufacturer Baxter International will build a $1 billion manufacturing center in Newton and Walton counties and hire around 1,500 full-time workers by 2018, giving an area that has been primed for growth its first major win. The manufacturing plant will be the first to be built in the pre-planned, 1,620-acre Stanton Springs industrial park, located just west of Interstate 20 exit 101 at the intersection of Newton, Walton and Morgan counties. The park, which was developed in 2000 and is jointly owned by Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton counties, has been a finalist on several