Representing his institution, Dene Sheheane, vice president for government & community relations and interim vice president of Institute Communications at the Georgia Institute of Technology, cited “great alumni” who encouraged the university to expand in Cobb. In 2017, it moved forward on plans to purchase land and facilities on the northern portion of Lockheed’s property adjacent to Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, ultimately obtaining 52 acres for the Georgia Tech Research Institute, an applied research arm of the school.