Economic growth doesn’t always rely on something brand new.
At BPS Companies of East Point, sometimes it’s about reinventing your business to make the most of a new opportunity.
That’s what BPS did a few years ago with movie and TV productions, a booming industry that’s responsible now for $8 billion in economic impact across the state.
BPS is a 64-year-old company with 95 employees. During the economic
BPS is primarily a used auto parts distribution and light manufacturing business. It had locations across metro Atlanta and wanted to consolidate.
“We knew we would lease some of the space, and that was about the time that the movie business starting moving in here,” recalls CFO Debra Stanley.
Now much of the big building is steadily rented out to companies in the entertainment industry. It’s mostly used for warehouse space to store equipment and to build sets, Stanley says.
“The building stays leased out between good tenants in other industries and the entertainment business,” she says. “We have welcomed the entertainment business and they pay well.”
East Point is a frequent location for movies and TV shows, including the Oscar-nominated hit “Hidden Figures” and Netflix’s “Stranger Things.”
Its convenient location near downtown Atlanta, major highways and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport makes it appealing to studios. And the East Point government works hard to entice productions for the city’s benefit.
“The boom in the entertainment industry has been an advantage for us, because we rarely go without rent,” Stanley says. “We have been able to have someone move in by the time the other ones are going out.”