Local Companies are Working Together to Bring Progress and Industry to Bainbridge

Flint Media, the parent company of local radio stations Live 1019, Rockin 106.3, Q92.3 and WMGR AM 930 and the website Sowegalive.com, recently made an investment into the Bainbridge community in an effort to clean up a blighted area of town and create progress and new industry.

The old Lynch Manufacturing buildings on Independent Street in Bainbridge have sat empty for nearly a decade.  What was once a thriving and bustling manufacturing area of town had become overgrown and dilapidated.  On one lot, there sat piles of rubble and debris where a local construction company had demolished a condemned building.  On the other, sat an overgrown lot that hadn’t seen traffic in years.  Flint Media President and CEO, Kevin Dowdy, saw potential.

“These buildings sit on two historic lots.  Where we stand used to be a thriving area that housed a train depot, an ice plant, turpentine barrel manufacturer, bottle washing facility and more.  Lynch

Machinery manufactured some of the first high definition televisions here and during World War II, ammunition for American forces.  To see it sit empty and continue to fall into disrepair would have been a shame.”

So Flint Media took action and purchsed the lots and buildings.  The first plan of action? Cleaning up.

This week, crews have been working to clear the incredible piles of rubble that contained everything from wood to busted bricks and rusted tin.  Landscaping crews have been busy restoring the green space.  It’s been a laborious process with lots of work left to do.  But progress is coming soon.

The Local Radio Station Studios are Moving In Soon

Flint Media will soon be moving their operations into the 23,000 square foot building that once housed the Lynch Machinery offices and assembly areas.  The building, located at 600 Independent Street, contains 12,000 square feet of office space split between a first and second floor.  “We will really only use the first floor office space for our operations” said General Manager Dustin Dowdy, “but this building is set up perfectly for our business.  We have room to grow and this space will allow us to be much more efficient.”

There is plenty of work to be done before the move can happen.  A small tower will need to be engineered and erected and the office space that sat empty for more than ten years needs renovating.  “We’ll replace carpet, paint the walls and make the place like home” said Kevin Dowdy.  “Once we’ve got it suitable for our operations, we’ll move into a location that we can grow into for years to come.  Our goal is to make this place a museum of sorts of Decatur County history. A place that the public will enjoy and a place that will allow us to continue to provide live and local content on the radio for our listeners in southwest Georgia for generations”.

Local Industry Moving in Next Door

Across the street from the new radio station headquarters, Gary Smith and Darrell King will soon open a manufacturing facility and reignite the industrial space that once was.  601 Independent Street will become the primary manufacturing facility for Bull Built Buildings.  Bull Built will also begin manufacturing roll off containers and dumpsters.  This manufacturing expansion will necessitate more employees than they currently have, so Bull Built will be hiring skilled workers too.  Those interested can call 246-2190.

Progress is Coming

As the cleanup continues, 600 and 601 Independent Street will soon become a bustling and thriving part of the community once again.  And with progress comes opportunity.  Stay tuned as we document the evolution and browse the photo album below to check out the progress made so far.