The Georgia Association of Manufacturers (GAM) is hosting a nonpartisan Gubernatorial Candidate Forum on April 21 from 12:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Comcast Central Division HQ at The Battery, where candidates can talk about plans for manufacturing in the “number one state to do business.”
The forum is the first event of its kind ahead of a gubernatorial primary; it is being hosted in tandem with several partners, including the Georgia Paper and Forest Products Association (GPFPA), Georgia Mining Association, Cobb Chamber of Commerce, and the Georgia Forestry Association.
“It’s such a crowded field on both sides for the primary, and we really just wanted to educate our members on what these candidates stand for, and let them make an educated decision when they go to the polls,” said Brittney Hull, vice president of Government Affairs for the Georgia Association of Manufacturers.
All candidates will be asked the same set of questions regarding their positions on topics as they relate to manufacturing. Those topics are found below:
- Energy and infrastructure
- Environment and regulatory
- Taxes and economic policy
- Education and workforce development
“We’ve had the strong leadership of Governor Kemp for eight years now, and the state has done quite well. There are challenges that manufacturers continue to face, from workforce development, taxes, energy costs,” said Clay Jones, vice president and general counsel of the GAM. “We know there will be plenty of gubernatorial debates and lots of political ads of course, but we wanted an opportunity for our members to have the candidates focus on manufacturing, which we believe is critical for the future of our state.”
The GAM celebrated 125 years of manufacturing advocacy in 2025; to commemorate the milestone year, it released a 110-page document called The Georgia Association of Manufacturers Insights Report,
The report details the importance of manufacturing to the state’s economy — $77 billion a year — as well as chronicles the story of manufacturing in Georgia, most produced goods, how the state stacks up against neighboring states, and other insights into the state sector.
The report also discusses the challenges and opportunities in the manufacturing world. Challenges include truck traffic, ship docking and port capacity.
One of the biggest challenges, though, is workforce development and filling open roles.
“If you ask any manufacturer what their number one challenger is right now, it’s finding more people… finding that durable workforce is a current challenge they’re facing quite often,” Jones said.
The answer may be, at least partially, in the digital age with automation and AI. The increasing presence of automation and AI, however, will allow for more machines to do repetitive and more dangerous tasks, ultimately helping manufacturing become more efficient while not replacing jobs, said Jones.
“It frees up workers to do things that are less repetitive and safer, and gives them an opportunity to really focus on quality and strategy, building a great product,” Jones said.
And while concerns with job security are real when AI enters the conversation, AI can be used to help folks in the manufacturing sector, Hull said.
“We don’t look at AI as replacing jobs,” Hull said. “We look at it as upscaling the folks that are already there, and using AI to help fill jobs that we can’t fill right now.”
Candidates will have an opportunity to talk about all things automation, manufacturing and their future in Georgia at the forum — one that the GAM says it is grateful for the number of candidates who committed to attending. The following candidates are scheduled to be in attendance on April 21:
- Geoff Duncan
- Jason Esteves
- Michael Thurmond
- Derrick Jackson
- Chris Carr
- Rick Jackson
- Brad Raffensperger
- Burt Jones
