March 13, 2008 |
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Lisega, Inc. Will Expand and Relocate
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Sevier County EDC President Allen Newton, Lisega General Manager Bob Beldyk, State Rep. Eddie Yokley, Cocke County Mayor Illif McMahan and Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters at the Lisega announcement on March 7. |
Lisega, Inc. announced on Friday that the Newport, Tenn. company will invest $10 million in a relocation project in Sevierville, Tenn., creating 100 new jobs and retaining 124 current employees.
"Lisega's expansion and relocation plan indicates the strength of Tennessee's business climate and speaks to the quality of our workforce," Governor Phil Bredesen said. "I appreciate the company's efforts to retain its current employees as it also creates new jobs and investment in Sevier County."
Lisega's Tennessee presence is currently the German company's only manufacturing facility in the United States.
"We are thrilled to relocate to Sevier County," Bob Beldyk, Lisega general manager said. "This relocation is the best scenario for all parties. It allows Lisega to maintain its current productive workforce while maintaining our ties to the Newport community. Furthermore, it achieves the goals of the company while retaining jobs for East Tennessee and provides the necessary environment for our future growth. Our increased business makes it necessary for us to build new facilities and significantly increase our workforce."
| Lisega General Manager Bob Beldyk. |
The company will build a 100,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility in the Smith-Thomas Technology Park near Interstate 40.
"This relocation project is a great example of regionalism," Tennessee ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber said. "Cocke and Sevier Counties worked in close collaboration to keep these jobs in the same division of the state, and their efforts represent perfectly the kind of cooperation among counties that Governor Bredesen and I are trying to develop."
"In order to retain these jobs for the people of Cocke County, we partnered with Sevier County with the assurance from Lisega that anyone wanting to retain their job could do so," said Cocke County State Representative Eddie Yokely. "The State of Tennessee should be applauded in this situation because of the quick action and help they will be providing for this relocation. I would like to personally thank Governor Bredesen and Commissioner Kisber for their assistance in helping us retain Lisega in East Tennessee and keeping them from moving out of state."
Lisega, Inc. Capital Investment: New Jobs Created: Jobs Retained: |
Lisega, a worldwide leader in pipe support systems, is headquartered in Zeven, Germany and was founded in 1964. Their standard products range from hangers, spring hangers and heavy-duty shock absorbers to individual customer-related products, such as special hangers and structural adaptations for the power generation market.
"This is a very unusual situation, when a company re-locates to a neighboring county, and both counties worked together with the State to insure that the move would be successful," said Iliff McMahan, Cocke County mayor. "It could not have worked out better for the people of Cocke and Sevier Counties. I want to thank Governor Bredesen, ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber and State Representative Eddie Yokely for encouraging our two counties to work together in partnership to save existing jobs, create new jobs and help a company expand to realize their full potential."
"We are very pleased to welcome Lisega to our county," said Larry Waters, Sevier County mayor. "Not only will they keep their current workforce, but they will also provide over 100 new year-round jobs with benefits to the people of Sevier County. I want to thank the staff of the Sevier County Economic Development Council for their leadership in successfully coordinating all aspects of this project."
| JETRO Business Advisor Kazumi Iino at an earlier "Gateway to Japan" seminar. |
The Tennessee office of the Japan External Trade Organization will once again co-sponsor a seminar entitled "Gateway to Japan: Business Links for Tennessee Companies" on March 19 in Johnson City, Tenn. The seminar will focus on how and why many United States companies are entering Japanese markets.
Seminar presentations will present effective strategies for Tennessee companies seeking to do business in Japan. Kazumi Iino, JETRO business advisor, will present an overview of the Japan-Tennessee relationship, Japan's economic environment and JETRO services for Tennessee companies. Representatives from the Export Assistance Center in Knoxville will also be present to provide information on market-entry services of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Former U.S. Trade Representative Chief of Staff Jim Frierson will moderate the event.
MountainSouth World Trade Center is organizing the seminar, which is being co-sponsored by JETRO and the U.S. Export Assistance Center. The event will be at the Millennium Centre in Johnson City, located at 2001 Millennium Place. Registration begins at 1 p.m. and the seminar will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 5.
For more information on the "Gateway to Japan" seminar, contact Finley L. Green at the Regional Alliance for Economic Development, Northeast Tennessee - Southwest Virginia at (423) 323-8107 or fgreen@allianceTNVA.com. More information on JETRO can be found by contacting Kazumi Iino via e-mail at kazumi.iino@state.tn.us.
| The Appalachian region includes parts of Tennessee and 12 other states. |
Commercial News USA, the official export promotion magazine of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is planning a special Global Appalachia section as part of the July/August 2008 issue. The section will provide an opportunity for exporters to promote their products, services and investment opportunities to 400,000 readers in 176 countries. Parts of Middle and East Tennessee are located in the Appalachian region.
Advertisers in the Global Appalachia special section are offered a $500 discount on ads and a free upgrade to color. The deadline for space reservations is May 9. To learn more about advertising rates and take advantage of this offer call 1-800-581-8533 or email advertise@thinkglobal.us.
The Ladies Rest Room in Marshall County is Tennessee's first known independent building to provide a place for country women to relax, rest and eat when visiting the town square in the early twentieth century. Built in 1924, the Ladies Rest Room is listed on the National Register and remained in service until the end of the century.
Source:
Tennessee Encyclopedia
March 12
Shelbyville
Commissioner Kisber will speak to Leadership Bedford County at 9:30 a.m.
To request ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber to speak or attend an event, please contact Jennifer Alward at (615) 253-1852 or jennifer.alward@state.tn.us
We invite your thoughts on the ECD Hot Sheet. Please click here to contact ECD Communications with any questions, concerns or suggestions you may have.
ECD's Business Enterprise Resource Office will co-sponsor upcoming SBA loan workshops with SCORE, Counselors to America's Small Business.
The loan workshops will instruct business owners in the step-by-step process of applying for SBA Community Express Loans, which range from $5,000 to $25,000.
WHAT: Community Express Loan Workshop
WHEN: Wednesday, March 19; 2-3:30 p.m.
WHERE: Cheatham County Chamber of Commerce, 575 S. Main Street, Suite 101, Ashland City, Tenn.
WHO: Full- and part-time businesses are eligible for the loan
For more information contact the Cheatham County Chamber of Commerce at (615) 792-6722.
WHAT: Community Express Loan Workshop
WHEN: Thursday, March 20
Morning Session: 10-11:30 a.m.
Afternoon Session: 2-3:30 p.m.
WHERE: 2200 Rosa L. Parks Blvd. (was Metro Center Blvd.),
Nashville, Tenn.
WHO: Full- and part-time businesses are eligible for the loan
Reservations are not required. For more information, please click here.
Save the dates for the upcoming workshops in Clarksville and Cookeville on how to do business with the government. Attendees will learn valuable tools and insights to enable them to more successfully work with federal, state and local governments and agencies.
WHAT: Doing Business with Federal, State and Local Governments.
WHEN: April 22, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. with a Federal Procurement Session from 2-3 p.m.
WHERE: Clarksville, Tenn.; venue TBD.
WHO: Small business, woman-owned, minority-owned and rural businesses interested in working with the government.
The workshop is free of charge, but reservations are required. Further registration and location information will be announced soon. Click here to check the calendar.
WHAT: Doing Business with Federal, State and Local Governments.
WHEN: May 6, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
WHERE: Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, One West First Street, Cookeville, Tenn.
WHO: Small business, woman-owned, minority-owned and rural businesses interested in working with the government.
The workshop is free of charge, but reservations are required. To register contact the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce at 931-526-2211.
ECD's Local Planning Office is teaming up with the University of Tennessee's Municipal Technical Advisory Service to offer "Subdivision Regulations and Infrastructure," a course that is part of the Planning and Zoning Training Program for municipal officials and staffs. Local planning will offer seven four-hour sessions throughout the state. ECD Local Planning Director Tim Roach and local regional planning office directors will teach the courses. Registration is online here. For more information, contact Tim Roach at (615) 741-2211 or tim.roach@state.tn.us.
Class schedule (all classes begin at 8:30 a.m.):
March 18, Knoxville
March 19, Johnson City
March 27, Franklin
March 28, Cookeville
March 31, Collegedale
Three-Star communities may now apply to become part of the Retire Tennessee program. Please contact your Regional Economic Development Specialist or Ramay Winchester at 731-336-2630 to learn more and receive the Steps, Criteria and the Inventory and Assessment Form.
Tennessee is one of the few states recognizing retirement migration as an economic development strategy. Retiree spending can create jobs and opportunities that bring new wealth to communities.
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Knoxville News-Sentinel:
"Jobs Not Scarce in Knox Area" The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey says 32 percent of those surveyed plan to hire more employees from April to June, while 5 percent plan to reduce payrolls, 56 percent expect to maintain current employment levels and 7 percent were uncertain. The optimistic forecast contrasts sharply with Manpower's national survey, which projects a slowing pace of new hires. The survey also provides good news for the entire state at a time when much attention is being given to a souring economy. All of Tennessee's major cities are projected to have increased hiring percentages. "Employers are slightly more optimistic about hiring activity as compared to one year ago, when 30 percent of companies surveyed planned to increase staff levels and 5 percent expected to cut payrolls," Manpower spokesperson Jamie Jones said. |
Murfreesboro Post: "Murfreesboro MSA Makes Top 10 "Tennessee has claimed a top honor in the 2007 Site Selection Governor's Cup rankings, a 30-year tradition published by the magazine to honor states with the most new and expanded corporate facilities as tracked by Conway Data Inc.'s New Plant Database. Tennessee placed third with 293 corporate location projects. "This is good news for Tennessee, and confirms that our state continues to build on its reputation as one of the most business-friendly states in the country," said Governor Phil Bredesen. "Site Selection's Governor's Cup rankings reflect Tennessee's commitment to driving economic growth and developing a world class workforce through education and training." The survey also ranked metro areas, broken down into four categories by size, based on their number of job creation projects. Tennessee had four cities on the top 10 metro lists, more than any other state. Nashville-Murfreesboro ranked sixth for metro areas of more than 1 million, Knoxville ranked tenth for metros between 200,000 and 1 million and in the 50,000-200,000 metro category, Morristown ranked second and Johnson City ranked fourth. |