The future is wow for the Williamson County business community, with several success stories to choose from. More than 50 percent of the largest publicly traded companies in Middle Tennessee call Williamson County home, and Franklin has been named one of the Top 10 U.S. Cities for Startups by BusinessWeek.com.

Here are some Williamson County business success stories. The following four companies have at least 1,000 employees:

Community Health Systems

CHS is one of the leading overseers of hospitals in the United States. The Cool Springs-based organization's affiliates own, operate or lease 123 hospitals in 29 states, with an aggregate of approximately 18,000 licensed beds. In 65 percent of the markets served, CHS-affiliated hospitals are the sole provider of health-care services.

Nissan North America

The automotive manufacturer has 1,300 employees at its corporate headquarters. Many of them are designers and engineers for the company's product line, which includes the Xterra SUV, Altima sedan, Cube compact SUV and Frontier pickup. Nissan North America also oversees the Infiniti brand of cars.

CoolSprings Galleria

The 1 million-square-foot shopping complex is one of the biggest and most successful retail centers in the Southeast – and the largest annual tax generator for Williamson County. It remains a huge draw, with 13 million annual visitors and yearly sales topping $400 million. CoolSprings Galleria has five anchor stores and an additional 150 specialty stores and restaurants. The Galleria has 3,500 employees.

Williamson Medical Center

The 185-bed hospital has nearly 1,300 employees; its physicians represent more than 50 specialties. All specialists have many years of additional education after completing medical school. Services at Williamson Medical include a breast health center, cancer care, cardiac services and a sleep center.

Other Top Companies

Additional large and successful Williamson County companies include Verizon Wireless (900 employees) Hospital Corporation of America (HCA)
 (physician services and medical patient accounting), Comdata Corporation (payroll services), Jackson National Life Insurance, AIM HealthCare Services, Ford Motor Credit, Mars Petcare and Tractor Supply Company.

Discover more of Franklin, TN's top employers.