BY GOV. BILL HASLAM
We have seen a surge of job announcements in our state in the last several weeks, yet another sign that Tennessee will lead the nation in workforce development.
While Nashville made a big splash this month by landing a new corporate headquarters for global asset management firm AllianceBernstein, bringing more than 1,000 high-quality jobs to the state capital, many of our other job announcements recently have been in some of the state’s more rural areas.
Most notably, since April 30, in West Tennessee alone:
• In Lake County, Excel Boat Company announced it would invest $9 million and create nearly 200 jobs in Ridgely over the next five years.
• In Weakley County, home appliance and automotive supplier Dong-A Hwa Sung said it will locate its first U.S. operations in Martin, creating more than 200 new jobs and investing $13 million. That move, by a South Korea-based company, shows continued foreign direct investment in our state. We have more than 140,000 Tennesseans employed in foreign-owned companies.
• In Hardeman County, defense contractor Chemring Group said it would expand its Kilgore Flares operations, investing $40 million and creating approximately 100 jobs in Toone. That was a great example of an existing Tennessee business staying put and expanding right where it is.
• In Shelby County, Engineered Medical Systems, a medical equipment manufacturer, said it would invest $10.5 million and create 40 high-quality jobs in Bartlett.
• In McNairy County, we celebrated the expansion of a manufacturing facility by Monogram Refrigeration, which is creating approximately 200 jobs in Selmer, an investment of $9.3 million that was announced last year.
Elsewhere in the state, RMC Advanced Technologies said it will locate its U.S. headquarters and establish a manufacturing facility in Surgoinsville in Hawkins County. Pet products manufacturer Ware Manufacturing, also in Surgoinsville, announced it will expand there on a $1.1 million investment. Black Rifle Coffee Company will locate its new operations in Manchester in Coffee County, creating more than 50 jobs.
Smalticeram USA, a ceramic and tile ink, glaze and pigment producer and distributor, will invest $4 million and create 26 jobs in Mount Pleasant in Maury County. Petoskey Plastics will invest $29.6 million to expand in Morristown in Hamblen County. Coil Design Corporation will invest $3.4 million to establish its corporate headquarters and create nearly 70 jobs in Dayton in Rhea County.
These are all part of our success in attracting more than 414,000 net new private sector jobs since we took office in 2011. They are also examples of why we must not let up, and we must not slow down. In Tennessee we have momentum and we intend to maintain it.
Early in May, Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and I traveled for a week to Europe, visiting the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany and Austria in search of even more opportunities and to share the appeal of Tennessee with even more businesses. We departed, by the way, from Nashville on the new British Airways nonstop flight to London’s Heathrow Airport, a connection that will boost relationships between Tennessee and businesses overseas.
We’re eager to tell the world about Tennessee, but the last few weeks have told us that businesses already see the great benefits of doing business in our state. They have shown not only that we are a business-friendly state welcoming more investment, but proof positive of exactly why we say Tennessee will lead.