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A year ago, international missions group Africa Inland Mission had international mobilizing offices in Canada, Europe, Korea, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, and New York. Those offices sent over 950 missionaries to the field in Africa.

Their mission was effective, but their U.S. headquarters location in Pearl River, New York, where they had put down roots for over forty years, was no longer ideal. AIM U.S. Director Dr. Ted Barnett said, “It did not allow us to exercise optimal stewardship over our assets.”

Because of housing prices in Pearl River, AIM’s U.S. office staff couldn’t afford to buy homes. According to Dr. Barnett, “The mission bought houses for our staff to live in. Our assets were wrapped up in housing for our staff. We thought we could make better use of our resources in moving to an area of the country where they could buy their own housing.”

Barnett looked at four areas of the country that fit his criteria for a lower cost of living: Dallas-Fort Worth, Orlando, Charlotte, and Atlanta—specifically South of the airport, because of reputed traffic congestion on the North side. The top considerations were proximity to an international airport, a building with meeting space for training, and an abundance of housing within a half-hour proximity of the new headquarters.

Real estate agent Debby Stephens facilitated Africa Inland Mission’s acquisition of their new headquarters building.

Stephens, with the help of the Fayette County Development Authority and Peachtree City, helped AIM understand the potential of Georgia, and specifically Peachtree City.

Stephens showed commercial buildings and homes in metro Atlanta’s Southern Crescent that were within a half-hour drive time of Hartsfield-Jackson International airport. In addition to airport proximity and available building space, “AIM’s priorities were community, housing, quality of life, and healthcare,” she said.

Africa Inland Mission found the perfect building in Peachtree City’s Westpark Corporate Office Park at 600 Westpark Drive. It was 25 minutes south of Hartsfield airport with direct four-lane access making it easy to transport staff and missionaries back and forth. That helped seal the deal for making the move to Fayette County.

They purchased a 22,000 square foot building, previously the corporate headquarters for Goody’s Family Clothing retail chain. AIM received immediate assistance from Peachtree City Planning and Zoning as they built out a large conference, kitchen and dining area where they gather, eat and hold their training events. Debby Stephens said, “It’s the heart for fellowship and prayer time.”

All around, the move to Peachtree City was a blessing. “We were able to sell our main campus in New York for more than we asked for, and the economy created a favorable housing situation in this market,” said Barnett.

Moving to Georgia freed up mission assets wrapped up in staff housing and also enabled staff to have the opportunity to buy their own housing, which was much more affordable in Georgia than it was in New York.

Seventeen of their staff made the move to Georgia and they found qualified employees in the local market who were excited about the mission and vision of AIM. One of those was their real estate agent, Debby Stephens, who joined as Director of Development for AIM US. Now approximately thirty-five local staff make AIM’s Peachtree City headquarters home.

Barnett made his actual home in Fayetteville, which affords a comfortable commute time to the office in Peachtree City.

Advising other international companies, he said, “Peachtree City should be perhaps their first or second consideration in terms of a place to move. It fit all of the criteria that we had. All of the people who have moved here love it in Fayette County.”

He continued, “There are so many amenities. The people are friendly. Housing prices for staff are excellent. The community has a lot to offer. And it’s a very pretty area of the country.”

“It’s an excellent place for a business,” said Barnett. With 20 or 30 people flying to or from Africa every month, the close proximity of a major international airport has made things much easier. With all those airport trips and out-of-town guests, they’ve forged alliances with a taxi company and the Holiday Inn in Peachtree City. The Holiday Inn provides free shuttle service and free golf cart use to AIM visitors.

With this big office, AIM’s largest in the world, they are looking to make a greater impact on Africa.

“The reason we exist is to see Christ-centered churches established among all the peoples of Africa. There are still over 940 unreached people groups just in Africa. We’ve identified 100 of those people groups that we’d like to reach, and we’re active in about 35 of them. We’ve established many churches there. There are millions of Africans worshiping in the denomination we established. The Africa Inland Church members number three to four million,” said Barnett.

Approximately 575 full term missionaries are sent through the U.S. Office and about 135 short term missionaries per year minister in Africa. AIM operates in 22 countries of Africa.

The ribbon cutting for Africa Inland Mission’s new U.S. Headquarters was Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 10 a.m. The new headquarters is located at 600 Westpark Drive, Peachtree City, GA 30269. For more information on how you can support AIM email or call Debby Stephens at debby.stephens@aimint.net or 1-800-254-0010

The Fayette County Development Authority (FCDA) welcomes nonprofits and corporations searching for a location for their headquarters. Fayette County offers the best quality of life and location in Georgia. For more information about making Fayette County home base for your business, contact FCDA President/CEO Matt Forshee at 770-461-5253 or mforshee@fayettega.org or visit their website at www.fayettega.org

Thank you to the Fayette County Development Authority for this news article.  It was written by Ellie White Stevens.