Trip Tollison was at the airport, anxiously awaiting to see who was getting off the plane.

It was January 2022 and the president of the Savannah Economic Development Authority was about to meet an official from a company that had expressed interest in the megasite.

That company was unknown.

Tollison knew the move would change the identity of the Savannah region forever once the name was revealed, bringing in countless revenue and employment opportunities that did not exist before.

“We didn't know who the company was at first because it was all very secretive,” said Tollison. “When I saw Jose Munoz get off the plane, I still didn’t know who he was. Then I saw the word 'Hyundai' on his backpack. I got excited after that.”

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At the SEDA Annual Meeting Tuesday, Tollison addressed a large crowd at the Savannah Convention Center, recalling what was a historic year for local officials and Hyundai. In just one year, they celebrated a major announcement, groundbreaking ceremony, clearing of the site and held a community celebration.

Here’s a look back at how it all started.

Birth of the Savannah JDA

Anna Chafin, CEO of the Bryan County Development Authority, has a knack for seeing the bigger picture. Her vision for the megasite was bolder than her peers, which was evident when she proposed forming a four-county coalition to attract projects of regional significance.

Tollison did not need much convincing, but it took a dinner meeting between Chafin and Benjy Thompson, CEO of the Bulloch County Development Authority, to get him on board.

He also had two provisions he needed Chafin to agree on.

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“Whatever resources Bulloch County puts into the joint development authority, I want us to have an opportunity to get a return on those resources and I want all the counties involved to be in a special place relative to suppliers to whoever comes to the site,” said Thompson.

The decision to come together was made before Brandt Herndon, CEO of the Effingham County Development Authority, came on board. But his cooperation allowed the quartet to move forward with Chafin’s goal for the megasite.

From there, the Savannah Joint Development Authority was born.

‘This is God’s handiwork’

Before Tollison met Munoz, SEDA was in talks with VinFast, a Vietnamese automaker who specializes in luxury electrical vehicles. Tollison said they were deep into negotiations, but once Hyundai called, they quickly switched gears. He still reflects on what would have happened if things would have progressed with VinFast.

“I do think about it because if we would have struck a deal with VinFast, Hyundai would have never happened,” said Tollison.

Word began to spread that Hyundai was going to build a plant at the megasite, but without confirmation, it was just speculation.

He described the aftermath of the agreement as a “fast-moving train”. Everything from workforce housing to job training has been at the top of their to-do list.

That all changed May 20, 2022.

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That day, Gov. Brian Kemp, the Savannah JDA and local officials announced Hyundai would invest $5.5 billion into its first EV plant in the U.S. Tollison said the move was “God’s handiwork” and a “symbolic day” that was a reward for all of their hard work.

“Everybody gets excited about the project,” said Tollison. “But after people get done celebrating, then you start thinking oh my goodness, what are we going to do about the workforce and the housing?”

‘This region is perfect’

Clearing of the site began Aug. 1. It was a monumental effort that took several companies coming together to form MegaCivil LLC. The company pulled their resources together to get the 3,000-acre patch of land cleared for the next phase.

October was a month that saw two huge milestones. The Savannah JDA, Kemp, Hyundai and local officials held a groundbreaking ceremony complete with a community celebration to commemorate the project.

As he reflected on the strides made in 2022, Randy Parker, CEO of Hyundai Motor America and keynote speaker at the SEDA Annual Meeting said, “This region is perfect for developing the future of transportation.”

What’s next?

In the next few months, 15-20 suppliers are expected to come to the region. Local officials are working on a plan for workforce housing and a firm was hired to conduct a workforce study. Tollison said while the two are crucial in getting ready for opening day, they are putting an emphasis on having enough laborers to run the plant.

“I'm not saying housing will take care of itself, but the workforce stuff, we have to accomplish that fast,” said Tollison. “We hired a premier consulting firm to tell us what we need to do. That's going to be our blueprint for how we're going to work on the workforce.”

Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Hyundai, local officials reflect on progress of Bryan County GA plant