UPDATE: Governor Leads Mitsubishi Electric Groundbreaking in Suwanee

Updated Jan. 28, 2012

The Suwanee area was high in the thoughts of Gov. Nathan Deal on Friday ... and at other times too.

He was on hand on Satellite Boulevard near I-85 for a groundbreaking for Mitsubishi Electric's new heating and cooling division. And he will be carrying good thoughts about the area back to the Capitol.

"There has been so much growth in Gwinnett County that people think there's no opportunity to expand," Deal told Suwanee Patch after the groundbreaking event. "This shows that is not the case at all."

The new 550,000 square foot facility is expected to bring about 200 six-figure jobs, and also will keep Mitsubishi Electric in its current facility, nearby on Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road. The company relocated to Gwinnett from Orange County, Calif., 19 years ago; in that time, the company has expanded 20-fold, Mitsubishi Electric VP Bill Rau said.

"Nick (Masino, Gwinnett Chamber VP for business development) does a good job attracting business to Gwinnett County, but he doesn't get as much publicity for the people he keeps here," noted Jay Mitchell of IDI, the developer that will construct the facility.

During the ceremony, referring to an earlier reference to the Hawaiian language made by Rau, Deal said, "I don't speak Hawaiian, so in Georgia we say, 'We're just glad y'all came.' "

IDI is expected to begin construction this week on the 33-acre property and finish in December, according to Senior VP Jay Mitchell. The site is in unincorporated Suwanee on Satellite Boulevard, near Old Peachtree Road and I-85.

Masino, a Suwanee resident and former Suwanee mayor, led Friday's ceremony, which was also attended by Charlotte Nash, chairman of the Gwinnett Board of Commissioners.

"I grew up on a farm," Nash said, "and I learned that you can pull more of a load when more of a team is in harness. I'm delighted for Mitsubishi to do this project here."

Also attending the event were Gwinnett Commissioners Lynette Howard and Mike Beaudreau, Suwanee City Council member Jace Brooks, Gwinnett developer Emory Morsberger, and Gwinnett Convention & Visitors Bureau CEO Preston Williams.