The Rockdale County Development Authority approved an incentive package of a six year tax abatement and $3 million bond for the relocation of the Volume Transportation trucking company from DeKalb to Rockdale County.

The package passed Tuesday with a 3-0 vote, with the newest member, county Chief of Staff Gerald Sanders, abstaining and members John Hurt, Roland Vaughn, Ed Cowan voting for the package.

Volume Transportation, Inc. is a 225-plus employee dry van and refrigerated trucking company that started in 1992 in Georgia and is currently headquartered in Lithonia.

The company is making a $3 million investment in Rockdale and recently purchased three parcels of land totaling about 21 acres off of Plunkett Mill Road - one vacant parcel of about 11 acres where they plan to build a 5,000-6,000 square foot shop building and two 5 acre parcels that already have office buildings.

Volume Transportation's President Larry Sellers said in a released statement, "Rockdale County is a great location. It offers a safe working environment for our people - it's very pro-business. Truly we are excited about our move and want to especially thank the leaders of the county who have made us feel so welcome."

Conyers Rockdale Economic Development Council Director Marty Jones said the company reached out to CREDC around Thanksgiving of last year.

"I have really enjoyed getting to know the folks at Volume Transportation and believe they will be great corporate citizens," said Jones.

Jones pointed out that the tax abatement would be on real estate property but the county would still be able to collect taxes on the equipment and the sales tax on fuel purchased.

After the vote, Development Authority Board Chairman Mike Sullivan explained, "When they're moving into existing buildings, there's not much you can do. But new stuff coming out of the ground, then you can work with people. That's bringing jobs."

Another incentive discussed with the company was possible involvement with Rockdale Career Academy, whose students are involved with many companies in Rockdale.

The board also voted to reappoint Robert Maddox as its attorney and Jones McKnight Edmunson as its accounting firm.

The board's newest member, Gerald Sanders, described his economic development background with DeKalb County and Fulton County and asked the other board members if there was any type of company they were looking to attract into Rockdale. "My feeling is we ought to have a variety," he said, adding that there also needed to be something to attract millennials to want to work in Rockdale. He also reiterated that he was an independent thinker and that "this had nothing to do with the (County Commission) Chairman (Richard Oden)."