Rowen Foundation

An Ecosystem for the Essentials

The Rowen Region offers a prime location at the intersection of three dynamic metropolitan areas—Atlanta, Gainesville, and Athens—which collectively generate an annual GDP of $479 billion. Within an hour’s drive, businesses have access to over 50 research and educational institutions and are in proximity to 32 Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 company headquarters. With such a hearty economic base, the Rowen Region is primed for continued growth, expected to account for 43% of Georgia’s population increase between 2023 and 2050. Much of this expansion will include individuals in their prime working years, offering a young and highly skilled workforce that supports the area’s forward momentum.

The Rowen Region stands out for its rich diversity and educational attainment:

• More than half of local degree holders identify with minority backgrounds, and the region celebrates its many cultures with over 100 languages and dialects spoken among Gwinnett County K-12 students. 
• Over 55,000 higher education degrees were completed in 2022 alone, primarily in business, computer science, healthcare and engineering—fields that are essential to Rowen’s mission and the area’s growth sectors. 

Connectivity is another key advantage for the Rowen Region:

• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport provides a global gateway with more than 150 domestic and 70 international destinations. With Atlanta just a two-hour flight from 80% of the U.S. population, the airport ensures efficient travel to anywhere in the U.S.
• A comprehensive highway network of six major interstates seamlessly links the region to surrounding markets. 
• The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) is one of the largest ground transit authorities in the United States. On a daily basis, more than 550 buses service 100+ routes throughout Metro Atlanta, with 3.5 billion passengers served since the turn of the century.
• Georgia provides its businesses with the most extensive rail system in the southeastern U.S. — including two Class 1 railroads (CSX and Norfolk), 23 short-line railroads and 4,600 miles of track statewide.
• Port of Savannah is the second-fastest growing port in the U.S. and is home to the single largest container terminal in North America. The 104-acre Blue Ridge Connector in Hall County adds a direct link to the Port of Savannah.

Communal Work and Wellbeing

We’re building a dynamic environment where people, ideas, and inspiration converge to advance science, business and culture. Rowen’s first phase of infrastructure, completed in 2024, debuts access to its first 800-acres. This land is fully-entitled for development providing two miles of Greenroads Certified complete streets with utilities, trails, smart city infrastructure and landscapes featuring 100% native plantings. 

The Rowen Village, at the heart of the campus, will feature a blend of office spaces, multi-family residences, community spaces, parks, recreation, hospitality, entertainment, restaurants and the arts — creating a vibrant, walkable community where diverse residents, researchers, entrepreneurs and visitors come to live, work, connect and explore. The campus is equipped with utilities and infrastructure designed to support research and commercialization in Rowen’s key sectors of medicine, agriculture and environmental sciences. 

Upon full build-out, Rowen is expected to generate 100,000 jobs in Gwinnett County and contribute $8-10 billion annually to the state economy, making it a cornerstone of both scientific and economic growth in Georgia.

Embedding Sustainability into Daily Life

Rowen’s sustainability initiatives are rooted in a deep commitment to preserving its 2,000-acre landscape while advancing our understanding of agriculture, food production, environmental health and life science’s impact on daily life. By thoroughly evaluating the land’s history and unique features, the Rowen Foundation developed a strategic framework for planning, design and placemaking. This framework safeguards Rowen’s natural environment, ensuring resource conservation and development while emphasizing the community’s responsibility in stewarding this land thoughtfully.

Partners like the University of Georgia, Emory University and Georgia Tech bring cutting-edge research in agriculture, health and environmental sciences to Rowen, applying technologies such as:

• AI
• Robotics 
• Drone technology 
• Microelectronics
• Advanced Sensors

Through Rowen’s Living Lab platform, Rowen has formally partnered with UGA’s Georgia Network for Electric Mobility to strengthen the innovation ecosystem of the region. An important initiative of this partnership is to engage with the Safe and Green Living Lab Consortium to leverage the Rowen site for innovation and experimentation and host autonomous mobility solutions, smart city infrastructure, environmental stewardship projects and clean energy communities — all aimed at promoting sustainable practices and showcasing the future of green technology. Building on our engagement with diverse partners, Rowen is also partnering with Curiosity Labs to integrate smart city technologies, creating experiential learning opportunities for researchers and students. Rowen is also reaching beyond Georgia through partnerships with the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Engine Grant, a multistate initiative focused on user-inspired research, innovation and workforce development in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.