Maury County, TN: A Hotspot for Growth and Investment
The Nashville neighbor is ranked No. 1 for the most incoming investments in Tennessee.
Ranked No. 1 for the most incoming investments in Tennessee, Maury County enjoys prosperity thanks to its cities — Columbia, Spring Hill and Mount Pleasant.
Columbia: Strong Momentum
Already a thriving area in the city, the Columbia Arts District is getting even better. A streetscape project will include new sidewalks, public art opportunities and an electric charging station. The city recently approved an expansion of the district’s footprint to include The Mulehouse, a restored church turned into a music and event venue.
“The Mulehouse is one of the nicest music venues in the country,” says Columbia Mayor Chaz Molder. “It brings more promotion and excitement to the district.”
The revitalization of Columbia Mall is an important achievement for city leadership. The 35-acre retail center sat mostly empty for years while Columbia grew. Molder’s first call as mayor was to the property’s ownership group.
“Columbia had too much momentum and economic vibrancy for that structure to continue in that condition,” Molder says. “Now we are seeing a total renovated retail center with the opportunity to attract a national anchor tenant. We have a robust small business community and are excited for the opportunity to add national retail stores to the mix.”
Molder says Columbia is on the right path for the future. “We have a lot of momentum going for us.”
That includes JC Ford’s plan to build a manufacturing facility in the city. JC Ford, a leading manufacturer of high-speed corn tortilla production equipment, supplies its products to General Mills, Frito-Lay and Tyson Foods, among others. It has been providing equipment and service to the fast-growing Mexican food market since 1945 and has been under the current family ownership since 1990. JC Ford is investing $30 million to renovate two facilities and create 210 jobs in Maury County over the next five years. The company is actively hiring for positions.
“JC Ford has been very impressed with the strong support that we have received from the local and regional communities to expand our operations to Columbia,” company President Scott Ruhe said at the time of the announcement. “We look forward to working with this high-growth region and attracting the very best talent from the area’s strong manufacturing workforce.”
Also, Fiberon will create 310 new jobs over several years at its new distribution and manufacturing operations in Columbia. Production is set to begin in late 2024.
Founded in North Carolina in 1997, Fiberon is a leading manufacturer of wood-alternative decking, railing and cladding. The company employs more than 600 people across the country and has manufacturing and distribution operations in North Carolina and Idaho.
Mount Pleasant: Downtown Facelift
The historic downtown in Mount Pleasant is slated for improvement, including the renovation of building facades and new benches for the community’s central square. The $150,000 grant comes from the Tennessee Main Street program.
In addition to the grant, the city has plans for a larger project that will add green space, replace aging sidewalks and improve lighting. “The downtown revitalization and the grant go hand in hand to give a dramatic facelift to our downtown,” says City Manager Kate Collier.
Mount Pleasant received $1.25 million in grants in 2018 for downtown revitalization, and that project has grown to more than $2.5 million, Collier says.
“A new square, sidewalks, ornate street lights, etc., will create a huge change in our city,” she says. “The area from the Mt. Pleasant Grille to Church Street will be completely ADA accessible as well.”
Collier says the city is utilizing bond financing to pay for infrastructure improvements in water, sewer and gas lines to further support the revitalization efforts.
Spring Hill: More Jobs, Growth
Spring Hill has surpassed the 50,000 population mark and created new opportunities for its residents.
“In addition to new homes, neighborhoods and great amenities, the city is developing a diverse and thriving economy,” says City Manager Pamela Caskie.
Ultium Cells, a joint venture of LG Energy Solution and GM, announced in 2021 that it would invest $2.3 billion in Spring Hill. Just a few months later, the company announced that it would invest an additional $275 million and create 400 more jobs.
When it is fully operational, the facility is expected to employ 1,700 and supply advanced battery cells for the Cadillac Lyriq, the first EV produced at the GM Spring Hill plant, and other GM Ultium Platform-based electric vehicles. Production will begin in late 2023.
Investing in Maury County
Ultium Cells is investing more than $2.5 billion in Maury County for development of its electric vehicle (EV) battery plant. The facility will supply battery cells for EVs produced at General Motors’ Spring Hill Manufacturing plant.
“This investment will allow us to provide our customer GM more battery cells faster and support GM’s aggressive EV launch plan in the coming years. Ultium Cells is taking the appropriate steps to support GM’s plan for more than 1 million units of EV capacity in North America by mid-decade.
“We appreciate the support the state of Tennessee, Maury County and Spring Hill has shown Ultium Cells, and that support is playing an important role in making this expansion investment possible in our Spring Hill facility,” says Tom Gallagher, vice president of operations for Ultium Cells.
Ultium Cells’ Tennessee site, combined with facilities in Ohio and Michigan, will support GM’s electric vehicle production while supporting GM’s plans to supply other automotive companies and industries including rail, aerospace, heavy trucking and marine customers.
“Ultium Cells will play a critical role in making GM’s commitment to an all-electric future a reality. By expanding battery cell output at Ultium Spring Hill, this investment will help GM offer customers the broadest EV portfolio of any automaker and further solidifies our path toward U.S. EV leadership,” says Tim Herrick, vice president of EV launch excellence for General Motors.
Given recent growth in the region, Spring Hill leaders are arranging financing and seeking federal and state funds to complete large capital projects. The new Interstate 65 interchange is under construction, along with improvements to Buckner Lane in preparation for the June Lake mixed-use development.
– Bill Lewis contributed to this article.
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