Williamson County, TN, is Building on Success
A business-friendly environment and superb quality of life continue to draw investment to Williamson County, TN.
Companies from California, Colorado, New York, Florida, Illinois, Arizona and beyond are choosing Williamson County, TN, as the place to grow, attracted by a superior quality of life that makes it easy to recruit and keep talented employees looking for the right place to build their careers and life.
“Williamson County is a terrific place to do business and a wonderful community,” says Wayne Cavanaugh, CEO of Family Care Center (FCC).
Businesses arriving and growing in Williamson County include In-N-Out Burger and CSI Cos. Another organization, the New York/Nashville Business Alliance (NY/Nba), aims to foster opportunities and act as a resource for companies that are part of the growing commercial link between New York City and the Nashville area.
In addition to quality of life, employers arriving in Williamson County discover business-friendly assets, such as easy access to higher education institutions, financial incentives, an international airport and a steady pipeline of talent. More than 12 million people live within a three-hour drive of Nashville, and 75% of the U.S. population lives within a two-hour flight from Nashville International Airport (BNA).
FCC, Colorado’s largest provider of outpatient behavioral health services, opened clinics in Franklin and Brentwood as part of its national expansion. Clinics are also planned for Murfreesboro, Nashville and Clarksville.
“Our name, Family Care Center, highlights the family component of what we do. Our primary mission is to find ways to most positively affect the communities we serve,” Cavanaugh says. “Our clinics are designed to serve all age groups. That’s Williamson, a wide range of ages.”
Growing in Williamson County & Beyond
One of Williamson County’s newest businesses has its own fan club. In-N-Out Burger is investing $125.5 million in its new Eastern territory office in Franklin. It is part of the company’s first expansion east of Texas.
Even better news for hungry fans, In-N-Out plans to open future restaurants in the region, beginning with locations in and around Nashville by 2026. In-N-Out has 385 locations throughout California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon and Colorado.
“For many years, we’ve heard requests from our customers in Tennessee to consider opening locations near them, further east than we’ve ever been. Our customers are our most important asset at In-N-Out, and we very much look forward to serving them in years to come and becoming part of the wonderful communities in the Volunteer State,” says Lynsi Snyder-Ellingson, In-N-Out owner and president.
The new office will create 277 new jobs in Williamson County. In-N-Out plans to begin construction on its 100,000-square-foot office building by late 2024, with construction slated to be complete by 2026. The office will house positions that support various business functions, from operations management to HR and IT.
Electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla Motors recently opened a flagship store in Franklin. The 57,500-square-foot facility displays the automaker’s complete vehicle lineup as well as a service center and Superchargers. Tesla models sold at the flagship store include Model 3 and Model S electric cars as well as Model X luxury crossovers and Model Y compact crossovers. The dealership is located parallel to Interstate 65, putting it within a 15-minute drive from Brentwood, 30 minutes from Spring Hill and 30 minutes from downtown Nashville.
In addition, CSI Cos., a leading workforce solutions provider, opened its new office on Aspen Grove Drive in Franklin. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida.
CSI delivers strategic advisory, staffing, recruiting, and technology consulting services nationwide. CSI has been supporting clients in the Nashville area for 17 years. The new facility is expected to increase CSI’s presence and talent pipeline.
“We look forward to continuing to serve the local community by being a preferred employer and by propelling our health care, financial services and technology clients’ businesses through our personalized solutions,” says Brandy Kirby, CSI’s Professional Division president.
Also serving the local community is BNA. In fact, data from ZIP codes show that Williamson County residents make up nearly 20% of the airport’s passengers, or about 3.5 million of BNA’s 18 million annual passengers.
Especially convenient for businesspeople and leisure travelers, Nashville International is only a 20-minute drive from Williamson County. To keep up with demand from Williamson County passengers and others throughout the region, a pair of major construction projects at BNA are focused on expanding and improving the airport to better serve flyers.
The $1.5 billion BNA Vision plan, which began in 2017, is scheduled for completion in late 2023. Construction highlights include the opening of a new Grand Lobby with 24 TSA security screening gates and a BNA Marketplace. Also debuting is an on-site four-star Hilton hotel with 292 rooms and two restaurants.
Other BNA Vision projects include enlarging the existing ticketing lobby and baggage claim areas. A recently opened six-level parking garage has 3,000 parking spots. Another important part of the plan is opening a new International Arrivals facility with six gates that can process 1,200+ passengers per hour through Customs.
Airport officials say the next phase of construction at BNA is called New Horizon, scheduled to begin in 2024. Plans for that $1 billion+ initiative will include adding 10 gates to Concourse A, adding six gates to Concourse D and constructing a mall area in the center of the airport.
Today, BNA has 585 total daily arrivals and departures, with nonstop flights to 101 airports in North America and Europe. Nashville International is ranked No. 12 on J.D. Power’s 2023 list of Best Large Airports in America.
Welcoming Committee
Migration data, reported by the Williamson County Chamber and Economic Development, reveals that the counties with the most people moving to the region are in the states of California, Illinois, Arizona and Florida. The business community is also seeing a wave of new activity from professionals coming from New York.
The New York/Nashville Business Alliance was envisioned by Barton LLP, a New York law firm; Nashville attorney Marc Dedman, a partner in the firm; and businesses including AllianceBernstein, Ankura, FORVIS, The BC Team at Compass and John G. Brady Insurance.
“There are approximately 61,000 businesses in multiple economic sectors including health care and pharmaceutical, automotive, advanced manufacturing, music and entertainment, banking and finance, tourism and hospitality, printing and publishing, professional, warehousing, transportation, education, and scientific,” Dedman says of the region.
The NY/Nba grew from 26 people from 23 companies in January 2022 to approximately 300 people from almost 200 companies in mid-2023. Those involved in the NY/Nba include businesses ranging from internationally known names to small business, he says.
“The NY/Nba has become a vibrant outside-the-box thinking, but welcoming, business organization for those who seek to integrate more quickly into the region with the purpose of making themselves, the region, and the New York/Nashville business corridor better,” Dedman says.
Kevin Litwin contributed to this article.
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