Greater Chattanooga Manufacturing Fuels Regional Growth
Across the vast Greater Chattanooga 16-county region, midsized companies have found the region’s rural setting and proximity to metropolitan areas to be ideal for their manufacturing facilities. With support from the surrounding communities, including Jasper, Dayton and Pikeville, these companies have become manufacturing hubs while giving back to the region that they now call home.
Quality-of-Life Draw in Pikeville
Midsized companies find Greater Chattanooga appealing for several reasons. For Dean Virnig, who founded Virnig Manufacturing along with his wife, Lois, expanding into Pikeville meant the opportunity to take advantage of lower operating costs, tax incentives and workforce stability that would enable the company to succeed.
Yet the quality of life offered to Virnig’s employees was another essential factor.
“I believe quality of life is one of the greatest strengths of rural communities,” Virnig says. “Many employees appreciate shorter commutes, a lower cost of living and the opportunity to raise their families in close-knit communities where people know and support one another.”
Founded in 1989 and specializing in the design and manufacturing of attachments for compact equipment, Virnig expanded in Pikeville in 2021 to meet a growing demand for its products.
The 62,000-square-foot facility was an important piece of Virnig’s plans to grow in the Southeast and beyond its existing market in the Midwest. Proximity to Chattanooga, Knoxville and Nashville, and major interstates like I-40 and I-75, means that Virnig can continue to grow while employees can enjoy a slower pace of life in a rural community.
“There is a strong sense of pride and connection in communities like Pikeville,” Virnig says.
Jasper’s Skilled Workforce
Valmont Industries has grown from its humble 1946 roots as an Omaha, Nebraska, machine shop into a $4.3 billion global company supporting 11,000 employees globally, which includes staff at its Jasper manufacturing plant. For over 20 years, the Jasper facility has been a critical part of Valmont’s infrastructure sector, manufacturing transmission and substation structures. Recent expansions at the facility have set the company up for even more growth.
“The performance of the facility and the culture of the workforce, and those relationships that we have in the community, were the reason why Jasper was a top-of-the-list factory to plan for capacity increases,” says Shannon Eggert, senior vice president of operations for Valmont in North America.
The 2024 expansion was just a warm-up for future expansions in Jasper. Valmont Industries plans to invest over $40 million in the Jasper facility over the next year, increasing the factory’s size by 20% to 40% and investing in new equipment for material handling and safety.
Valmont has continuously invested in the local workforce as well, sponsoring a trade program in partnership with schools like Chattanooga State Community College to grow and keep talent in the area.
“Jasper is a good, wholesome town with a great work ethic,” Eggert says.
Dayton’s Community Partnership
With roots in Finland that date to 1898, Nokian Tyres found its first North American foothold in Dayton, Tennessee, in 2019.
The area proved to be an ideal location for the factory thanks to strong local support, educational institutions and the quality of life offered to employees.
“The greater Southeast Tennessee area has a strong manufacturing history and a strong base of skilled professionals, along with great support from local institutions and training partners around the area,” says Hans Dyhrman, director of marketing for Nokian Tyres in North America.
The $360 million facility employs around 450 people, with a maximum capacity of 4 million tires a year.
In partnership with higher education institutions like Bryan College, Chattanooga State and Cleveland State, Nokian offers workforce development programs, along with a scholarship for Rhea County High School students, that help enable 75% of its workforce to come from Rhea County.
“We are a large employer in that market, and want to make sure that we’re part of the community, supporting our own growth and supporting the community as well,” Dyhrman says.
Whether local hires or transplants, employees can also enjoy the annual Strawberry Festival, the Nokian Tyres Summer Nights concert series and initiatives through the Tennessee Aquarium sponsored by Nokian in an effort to give back to the community they call home.
These investments reflect a momentum that has stretched across the entire region over the last decade, echoed by other major projects like GE Appliances’ $180 million expansion in LaFayette, Georgia, Qcells’ massive solar manufacturing buildout in Dalton, Georgia, and McKee Foods’ $500 million bakery expansion in Collegedale.
Together, these expansion projects showcase how the synergy between dedicated local communities and forward-thinking businesses continues to drive long-term economic vitality and exceptional quality of life across the thriving and ever-growing Greater Chattanooga region.
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