When Gilmer Warehouse & Logistics cut the ribbon on its new corporate headquarters at 598 Third Street this past June, it was easy to see the beauty of the moment first.
The renovated downtown space spans approximately 8,000 square feet. It is bright, open and built for the way teams work now, with collaborative areas, lounge spaces and outdoor working spots that give Gilmer’s leadership team room to gather, plan and grow. But the bigger story is not the building; it’s the choice behind the new location.
Gilmer, one of the Southeast’s largest family-owned third-party logistics providers, moved its headquarters from Perry to downtown Macon-Bibb during the same year it celebrates its 40th year in business. That kind of move is a statement. It says that a company with deep Middle Georgia roots sees Macon-Bibb not only as a place to operate, but as a strategic place to lead from.
Founded in 1986 by Tom Gilmer, the company began with a single warehouse and a commitment to service. The company’s early years were as a small family operation, with Tom and his children learning the business together. Today, the company has grown into a logistics provider with more than 150 team members, 14 facilities across Georgia and Louisiana, and more than two million square feet of warehouse capacity.
None of that growth happened by accident, but rather from the kind of steady, practical work that does not always make headlines: warehousing, fulfillment, contract packaging, transportation, reliability and long-term relationships with clients in consumer packaged goods, food and beverage, automotive manufacturing and general manufacturing.
Those industries are not abstract economic development categories, but part of the everyday movement of goods that keeps households, businesses and manufacturers running. For a logistics company, location, timing and access matter. That is part of what makes Gilmer’s relocation to downtown Macon-Bibb so significant.
Macon sits at one of Georgia’s most important logistics intersections, with I-75 running north and south and I-16 connecting the region east toward the Port of Savannah. The Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority points to the county’s location 1.25 hours south of Atlanta, two major interstates, four deep-water ports within five hours, Norfolk Southern Railroad’s largest switching yard in the Southeast and three nearby airports as part of the local transportation advantage.
Choose Macon also identifies transportation and logistics as one of the region’s key industry strengths, noting Macon’s position at the crossroads of I-75 and I-16 and the way companies use that central location to reach Atlanta, Savannah and broader markets.
For Gilmer, the downtown headquarters places the company’s leadership team close to the corridors that help define its business. For Macon-Bibb, it brings a growing logistics headquarters into the urban core at a time when the community is working to tell a stronger story about talent recruitment and retention, investment and long-term business growth.
Gilmer’s move is not simply a celebratory milestone; it’s part of a larger growth strategy. Over the past year, the company announced the acquisition of PowerOne Logistics, giving clients access to freight brokerage services across North America. It expanded its regional trucking capacity by more than 30 percent and began implementing a new enterprise-wide technology platform.
“Our new facility reflects our commitment to Middle Georgia and to our own growth,” said Satu Mehta, CEO of Gilmer. “In addition to providing an exceptional workplace for our team, we want this opening to announce to business leaders across the region that Gilmer is ready to grow and offer superlative logistics support to both established and growing partners.”
There is more to celebrate here than just a ribbon-cutting on a new building. Companies pay close attention to where other companies choose to locate leadership. A headquarters carries weight with decision-making, visibility, visitors, professional talent and civic presence, broadcasting the message to clients, employees and future partners about where a company sees itself going next.
For downtown Macon, the investment of a renovated headquarters brings daily activity into the city center. It gives employees and business partners another reason to spend time downtown. It turns a once-upon-a-time location into a once-again working part of the business community.
For Macon-Bibb County, it strengthens a larger case: that this region can support companies that are local in their roots and far-reaching in their impact, and that is the balance Gilmer represents well.
The company’s story is still personal and its move is a win for downtown, but it is also a signal to the broader business community. The logistics sector is growing. Middle Georgia’s location remains a competitive advantage, and Macon continues to be a place where family businesses, established industries and expanding companies can choose to build what comes next.
That is also the story behind Choose Macon. Gilmer’s investment reflects the kind of momentum the initiative is working to elevate: companies choosing Macon, talent finding opportunity here, and business growth strengthening the region’s future. To learn more about the work underway through Choose Macon 2030 and how to support it, visit ChooseMacon.com.
