Several industry expansions, representing $16.5 million in local investment and more than 350 jobs retained in Greene County, are supported by tax abatement PILOT programs approved last year.
Construction is underway in Mosheim for a new facility for Big G Express trucking operations in Shelbyville in East Tennessee, an expansion of the local Premium Waters facility began and was completed in 2021 and a Parkway Products’ expansion of local operations announced in January is also underway. supported with a DRIVER.
PILOT, or payment in lieu of taxes, helps businesses expand their business locally because it allows the payment of increased property tax values to be delayed. Instead, under a PILOT, the Greeneville and Greene County Industrial Development Board takes possession of the expansion or equipment purchased under the PILOT program and leases it to the company. for seven years, while the company continues to pay property tax on the pre-expansion assess.
“The value is that it’s in exchange for the creation of additional jobs, including construction, power, and any supplies impacted by the expansion,” Greene County Partnership President Jeff Taylor explained. in May, when pilots for Big G and Premium Waters were approved. “Not all communities have a PILOT program, which gives us an advantage when it comes to recruiting and retaining jobs.
GRAND G EXPRESS
Big G intends to move its operations from Hamblen County to Greene County when the new Mosheim facility is ready, and company president and CEO Greg Thompson said the location is ideal for several reasons.
“As we grew, we kind of outgrew our place on the road in Russellville, so we were looking for a bigger footprint when we found this place in Greene County,” Thompson said. “We have a lot of employees in that general area anyway, and it’s not far from the highway and close to industries, so it was a good fit for us.”
Thompson said all employees currently based in Russellville will be offered the opportunity to transfer, and the expansion will create new jobs with Big G.
“We plan to close this location in Russellville and move everyone to the road. I anticipate everyone moving, and we have more than enough room to grow in this location, so we will definitely be looking to hire additional staff,” he said.
Construction on the $8.5 million project began in October, and Thompson said he’s on track for Big G to move this summer despite recent weather-related delays.
“We’ve had a few woes with the weather, but other than that it’s progressing well,” Thompson said. “The lot is paved, and the building is up and has a roof over it, so we’re moving right in, and we plan to move in by mid to late summer.”
Thompson said he’s excited for Big G to expand into East Tennessee.
“We look forward to getting in there and meeting everyone, and hopefully we can attract new employees and grow in the area,” he said.
PREMIUM WATERS
The expansion of Premium Waters, which adds storage space for the private label water bottle company to hold customer orders until they are ready for collection or delivery, began in February and ended in December.
Greeneville plant manager Don Myers said the addition of 53,000 square feet makes the company’s shipping process much more efficient.
“Before we had the space here to hold it, a lot of our product would go in a truck, we would have to drive it about half a mile to a warehouse and unload it, then load it again when the customer comes. to pick it up,” Myers explained. “This space allows us to store items ready to go out within the next seven days.”
He said eliminating the need to truck orders away from the facility to store them elsewhere makes operations more sustainable and will ultimately help keep Premium Waters in Greene County.
“It would take 7,500 external transfers to move product to an external warehouse in a year, which creates less of a footprint, and one of our core values is to work on sustainability,” Myers said. “Ultimately, it allows us to grow and become more efficient, so I really think that will keep us here in Greeneville for the long term.”
The $2.3 million project ended in December.
“We had some weather delays, and it was supposed to be over sooner, but a very rainy February last year put us about a month behind, but that’s over,” Myers said. “We are grateful that the PILOT program we have received has allowed us to make this expansion which allows us to become more efficient and stay here for future growth.”
Premium Waters’ Greeneville plant is located at 1616 Industrial Road. For more information, visit www.premiumwaters.com.
The Greeneville and Greene County Industrial Development Board, which is separate from the board formed to make decisions about the former Greene Valley Development Center, approved pilots for Big G and Premium Waters in May. A third PILOT program was also approved at that time for Jost, which Taylor said the company chose not to use.
PARKWAY PRODUCTS
Plastics maker Parkway Products, which celebrated 75 years in business last year, announced plans in January to invest $5.7 million in its Greene County plant, creating 160 jobs over the of the next five years.
CEO Andrew Green visited the local facility, one of 10 across the continent, in 2021 and said at that time the business as a whole was growing, and that includes Greene County .
“We are excited to invest in Greene County, TN due to the strong growth we have seen in our loyal equipment manufacturer customer base, productivity and the commitment of a great team. of Parkway associates in Greeneville and the support of local government that respects the contributions made by Parkway and the industrial supply chain to the local economy,” said Green.
Taylor said the project will also be supported by a PILOT program approved in June by the Greeneville and Greene County Industrial Development Board.
A representative for Parkway Products could not be reached for comment.
Parkway Products is located at 1609 Industrial Road.
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