Tennessee Economic Development Guide

Tennessee has used its numerous cost, logistical and innovative advantages to attract some $26 billion, 42 corporate headquarters and 163,000 new jobs – two-thirds of them from expansion of existing business - in the last five years alone. The state has made major inroads as a hub of auto-related manufacturing - it is North American headquarters for Nissan - and it boasts a burgeoning renewable energy sector. German-based Wacker Chemie chose Bradley County for a $1 billion facility to raw material used in solar panels and semiconductors. Hemlock Semiconductor selected Clarksville for a silicon plant, a potential investment that could top $2 billion. And Volkswagen will open a $1 billion assembly operation in Chattanooga in 2011. Tennessee is home to such corporate heavyweights as FedEx, HCA, AutoZone and Dollar General. The state is a health-care innovator in research, delivery and management, and includes renowned facilities such as St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis and Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. The state's wide range of high-quality public and private colleges and universities, including the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, are augmented by major research facilities, such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Tennessee offers a rich and diverse cultural landscape, from Beale Street blues in Memphis to country music's Nashville roots at the Grand Ole Opry to bluegrass and Americana music in East Tennessee. The state is a scenic wonder, with mountains and waterways providing countless recreation options from the Smoky Mountains to the Mississippi River.