July 10, 2008

Whirlpool Adds 500 Jobs in Cleveland

 

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber today heralded the announcement by Whirlpool Corporation that 500 new jobs will be created at the company's Cleveland, Tenn. manufacturing facility.  As Bradley County's largest employer, Whirlpool expects its Cleveland workforce - including manufacturing, engineering and call center employees - to grow to 1,650 by 2009.

"I thank Whirlpool for its ongoing commitment to Bradley County and its confidence in the local work force.  Today's announcement will strengthen the area economy and is a testament to the business-friendly climate we've worked hard to create in Tennessee," said Governor Bredesen.

Whirlpool will be consolidating the North American production of built-in ovens and cook-tops by moving operations from its Oxford, Miss. plant to the Cleveland, Tenn. facility. 

"The jobs created by this announcement represent the type of higher skilled, good paying positions Governor Bredesen and I believe are essential to Tennessee's economic progress.  We're grateful to Whirlpool for the company's continued investment in the people of Tennessee," said Commissioner Kisber. 

Whirlpool was recently named one of the World's Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere and Forbes magazines and one of the Top 50 Most Respected U.S. Companies by the Reputation Institute and Forbes. 

"Whirlpool has been a great corporate citizen for the constituents in my district.  I am honored to work with the company and will continue to help maintain and expand Whirlpool's presence in Bradley County," said State Rep. Kevin Brooks.

Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of approximately $19 billion, 73,000 employees, and 72 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world. The company markets Whirlpool, Maytag, KitchenAid, Jenn-Air, Amana, Brastemp, Consul, Bauknecht and other major brand names to consumers in nearly every country around the world. Additional information about the company can be found at http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com.


McKey Perforated Products

 

McKey Perforated Products Co. Inc. has announced an expansion of their current perforating operation located in the Coffee County Interstate Industrial Park. Currently McKey has 12 employees and will be increasing employment to 25 by the end of 2008.

McKey began operations in Manchester, Tenn. July, 2000 with a 20,000 sq. ft. facility on seven acres in the industrial park. The new addition will add 20,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space.

At the Manchester facility McKey manufactures custom perforated coils and sheets in all types of metals as well as perforated tubing. Calsonic-Kansei in Shelbyville, Tenn. is a major partner with McKey in the automotive exhaust system market. Beginning in September of this year with the expansion, McKey will add additional perforating, stamping and perforated tube making capabilities.

GATE Awards Taking Applications

 

Tennessee Economic and Community Development is still accepting applications for the Governors Award for Trade Excellence. The awards will be given at the 55th Annual Governor's Conference on Economic and Community Development at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville on September 15 and 16.

The awards are given to Tennessee companies that have shown strong growth in exporting in three categories: large companies (250 or more employees), medium sized companies (fewer than 250 employees) and small companies (25 employees or fewer). Companies may nominate themselves or be nominated by a trade association, customer or a person familiar with the company's achievements. Nominations can be submitted online at the ECD web site at www.tnecd.gov or an application can be downloaded and mailed to ECD. The deadline for applications is August 22, 2008.

Questions related to the application process can be directed to Nicole Gagliano at the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development by emailing Nicole.Gagliano@state.tn.us or by calling (615) 253-1390.

Tennessee Quick Facts

The Old Stone Fort State Park in Coffee County preserves a prehistoric enclosure consisting of embankments or "walls" constructed a period of nearly five-hundred-years from 80 A.D. to 550 A.D.

Source:
Tennessee Encyclopedia

Schedule Alert

There are no public events scheduled.

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

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News Briefs

Business Development

BERO

DOE Honors Oak Ridge Companies

Three Oak Ridge, Tenn. companies were among the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) winners of DOE's 2007 Secretarial Small Business Awards. DOE announced the winners during a ceremony for its 9th Annual Small Business Conference in San Antonio, Texas. 

The following Oak Ridge companies and individuals received honors:

1) Keith S. Joy, Program Manager, UT-Battelle, LLC, as the M&O Program Manager of the Year.  The award recognizes an individual who embodies the many facets of an energetic, forward-thinking small business program manager. Individual efforts exceed expectations in working with, advocating for, and assisting in the increased utilization of, small businesses.

2) B&W Y-12, DOE Mentor of the Year.  The award recognizes a DOE Mentor that enhances the capabilities of the student; improving their ability to successfully compete for federal contracts.

3) Rose Wood, President, Haselwood Enterprises, Inc., DOE Small Business of the Year.  The award celebrates the success of small business excellence through the DOE implemented Small Business Administration socio-economic programs or functional areas directly contributing to core DOE mission accomplishments.

DOE's Small Business Awards program was established to recognize performance by departmental offices, facility management contractors and small business ventures on an annual basis. Read the full release here.

Community Development

Grants and Loans

Cookeville Receives ECD Loans

The Cookeville/Putnam County Chamber of Commerce recently received assistance through the following ECD programs:  Local Government and Small Business Energy Loan Programs, the Biodiesel Infrastructure Grant Program and the Tennessee Clean Energy Technology Grant Program. These presentations were included in conjunction with the Tennessee Three-Star Program.

Local Planning

FIRM Process Continues

Last week FEMA's contract engineers provided Overton and Polk Counties with copies of new preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRM's). Local community officials will have until mid-August to review their respective maps. Meetings have been scheduled in Overton County on August 12 and in Polk County on August 13 for officials to meet with FEMA, study contractors and Local Planning staff to review these maps for problems and possible correction. The public will then have 30 days for map review and comment to FEMA.

FEMA has notified Lawrence County community officials that their preliminary maps have been assigned an effective date of January 2, 2009.  Each community will have the next six months to adopt these maps in order to remain in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

For additional information concerning these meetings, the FIRM mapping process or the NFIP contact Stanley Harrison at (423) 434-6476 or stanley.harrison@state.tn.us.

Recent News

Gannett: "Nissan's Tennessee Move Paid Off"

25 years after first cars made, Smyrna plant still a leader Nissan got a cold reception, in more ways than one, when the company broke ground on its auto manufacturing plant in Smyrna on Feb. 3, 1981.

"It was about 16 degrees that day," recalls Tommy Smith, who at the time served as chairman of the Rutherford County Industrial Development Board.

Even colder was the reaction by those who opposed the plant on the grounds that it amounted to a nonunion invasion by a foreign carmaker.

"A lot of people showed up and booed the speakers, but everybody got through their speeches just fine," Smith said. "Marvin Runyon (a retired Ford executive hired to oversee the new plant) came out in a pickup truck and the union folks cut the tires on it, threw rocks at it. We had to push him out on flat tires through a back exit."

Fast-forward to summer 2008, a season that marks 25 years since production started at the Nissan plant here, and the protests are forgotten.

Associated Press: "Census: Nashville Becomes 25th Largest City in U.S."

Music City has made the big time. Nashville-Davidson County, a single metropolitan unit since 1963, has broken into the ranks of the Top 25 most populous cities in America, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures released Thursday.

Tennessee's capital city has 590,807 residents, not counting one of its latest arrivals - star couple Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's new baby girl, Sunday Rose Kidman Urban, born Monday.

Nashville displaced Washington, D.C., at the No. 25 spot. The city added 5,212 residents over the previous 12 months, according to 2007 population estimates. That's less than a 1 percent gain. The figures do not account for populations in outlying suburbs.

More significantly, though, is Nashville's trend over the last seven years. The city added 44,878 residents, up 8.2 percent, since 2000. Meanwhile, Memphis ranked 18th, though its population of 674,028 continues to shrink.

And Clarksville, home of the U.S. Army's Fort Campbell, ranked ninth among the fastest growing cities with more than 100,000 population.

  To view last week's ECD Hot Sheet, click here. // Tomorrow Starts Today