Electric vehicle maker Rivian said it is working to secure and maintain the site of its planned Georgia factory, as well as preparing the land for vertical construction as soon as it can move forward with the $5 billion project.

Electric vehicle upstart Rivian, which recently put on pause plans to build a Georgia factory, said in mid-April it is laying off more workers as it cuts costs to buttress its balance sheet.

On Dec. 14, Rivian announced that telecommunications giant AT&T will purchase Rivian electric vans as well as vehicles in its R1 platform of trucks and SUVs.

A development authority east of Atlanta has voted to approve an “economic development agreement” for the planned $5 billion Rivian factory, outlining terms with the electric vehicle company, including environmental standards and taxpayer-backed incentives.

Railroad giant Norfolk Southern held a ceremonial turning of dirt March 26 to mark construction of the company’s new Midtown Atlanta headquarters, but the process of moving personnel from Virginia to Atlanta already is underway.

Georgia’s seaports shook off fears of global trade tensions and the early days of the partial government shutdown to post another record year of freight traffic in calendar year 2018, a sign the economy remains sound despite recent turmoil.

On March 27, the Georgia Ports Authority held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the $126.7 million Mason Mega Rail Terminal, a sprawling rail yard GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch said will provide better connections to the main CSX and Norfolk Southern rail networks as well as provide direct access to coveted Midwestern cities such as St. Louis and Chicago.

Georgia’s ports enjoyed a record-breaking year for cargo in the past fiscal year, and that growth is a driver for private investment expected to bring hundreds of new logistics jobs to the Savannah region.

If you live near Atlanta or other parts of the Southeast, chances are the shoes you bought from Amazon, the chandelier from Home Depot or the shower curtain from Wal-mart probably spent at least some of its life at a metro distribution center.

Shipping giant UPS Inc. could receive an incentive package totaling more than $27 million for a new regional distribution hub near Fulton County Airport that will create mostly part-time jobs, according to an analysis by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.