Spotlight On: Nick Masino, President & CEO, Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
May 2025 — Nick Masino, CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, spoke with Invest: about the chamber’s vital role in the growth of the county. “We are the largest suburban chamber in the United States, with the largest chamber building in the country. We offer connectivity and programming to educate businesses,” he said.
What have been the main highlights and key milestones for the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce in the last 12 months?
In 2024, the Partnership Gwinnett team made 14 announcements of company expansions and relocations totaling over 1,600 jobs and over $275 million in investment, resulting in another great year. We have a traditional suburban mall making great progress toward redevelopment. The Rowan 2,000-acre development continues to make progress to be an impactful innovation district located in eastern Gwinnett County along the University Parkway/Georgia’s Innovation Corridor. Rowan will become a global hub for education, research, and innovation. Gwinnett’s 17 cities are making tremendous progress with infrastructure and creating walkable downtowns. Gwinnett is home to 1 million people — twice the size of Atlanta, and has a workforce reach of over 2.5 million potential employees.
What is your overview of the economic and business landscape in Gwinnett County and the Greater Atlanta region at the moment?
There is a talent war in the United States, and we’ve been winning it for 40 years. Gwinnett is the fastest-growing part of the region. Our population has been growing between 15,000 and 20,000 people every year. With the population growth we’ve had, businesses continue to relocate and expand here to follow the talent. Hartsfield-Jackson Airport connects us to the entire planet and is a crucial component of the growth of the region. We’ve seen no slowdown, and in fact, we are accelerating.
To what extent is the Gwinnett County area benefiting from the Atlanta region’s strategic location as a business and logistics corridor?
We have the largest concentration of logistics operations in the state. We have 150 million square feet of flex-industrial space for warehousing and manufacturing close to the airport. We have the largest logistics cluster in the state. The Port of Savannah is working on an inland port along the I-85 corridor up to Gainesville to benefit the entire region, which will get truck traffic off the roads and utilize more rail lines.
Advanced manufacturing and supply chain logistics are a huge part of our industry. We have one of the world’s largest manufacturers in advanced communications, a niche industry that uses satellite and satellite receiver technology. On the life sciences side, we are strong in hematology and genetics. The CDC is based in Atlanta, and Emory University is one of the preeminent partners in genetics, and many of the professors and scientists live in Gwinnett County.
What are the main membership advantages that businesses obtain when joining the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce?
Depending on what their challenges and needs are, we have many opportunities to assist. One is the pure connection to the community if you’re a new company. We have 25,000 businesses that operate here, and we’re a great place to network within the business community. We are the largest suburban chamber in the United States, with the largest chamber building in the country. We offer connectivity and programming to educate businesses on tariffs and other topical issues. We also do business recognition through awards and programming.
What are the primary challenges facing the Gwinnett County region, and how is the chamber working to address these?
Inflation has been an issue since COVID, but has been subsiding over the past year. The workforce is always going to be a challenge. We have no shortage of people as companies are moving here, so we are in a strong position to supply a workforce. We always have to keep that machine going and balance businesses and people growing, moving, and living here. It’s important for companies to be innovative, offer competitive pay and benefits, and create a great culture.
What new financial education measures, programs, or initiatives is the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce implementing?
We have two programs in our school system starting in grade five, whereby students can learn how to pay for rent or mortgage and how to balance a checkbook. By the time they reach grade eight, we teach kids how businesses open and operate. Many nonprofits and government agencies aid financial literacy in our schools, and we help businesses learn and accelerate growth.
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