Tech Talent Is Thriving in Williamson County
With one of the country's best cities for STEM jobs and tech job growth across the board, Williamson County is becoming a high tech hotspot.
Growing companies need a talent pipeline. That’s especially true in the technology sector, where today’s breakthroughs are fueling tomorrow’s innovations. And it’s yet another area where Williamson County stands out as the place to be.
Williamson County has long invested in its tech infrastructure, from award-winning school systems to partnerships with both public and private technology organizations built to attract, support and retain top talent. By working with such organizations as Williamson, Inc. and the regional Greater Nashville Technology Council, for instance, local employers are ensuring that they’re tapped into the county’s talent pool.
A recent Williamson, Inc. survey showed that less than 10% of those polled were having any kind of problem finding the tech talent they needed. That’s down from 30% earlier — and in an area where unemployment has been routinely under 3% — making competition for skilled workers fierce.
Center of Innovation
To see the county’s tech success in action, look no further than the Franklin Innovation Center, which was opened by Williamson, Inc., in the fall of 2021. It beautifully incorporates the area’s historic past with its dynamic present, has seen steady growth since opening and is now supporting a variety of homegrown entrepreneurial efforts, says Nick Biniker, vice president of entrepreneurship and small business development at Williamson, Inc.
“Providing services and growth opportunities for small businesses has always been in our strategic plan,” Biniker says. “The Heritage Foundation of Williamson County bought the 5-acre Franklin Grove property to preserve and enhance the campus and wanted to partner with us to use the historic resources to benefit our business community. The home has been beautifully renovated, and businesses now can apply to lease one of our six office suites for a 12-month period as they grow.”
The center will soon launch its first graduates; in the meantime, all its occupants have expanded their staff. That’s a strong indicator of startup health and bodes well for what the facility will offer the county and the region as an incubator space going forward.
“Our hope is to give businesses the space they need to convene their teams and grow at a significantly reduced lease rate that allows them to put that additional money back into growing their businesses,” Biniker says. “By signing short 12-month leases, we’re not competing with the local commercial real estate market but rather giving businesses a place to convene before transitioning them into more permanent space. In the process, we hope they build friendships, exchange ideas, and build synergistic relationships with the other businesses operating in the center.”
Fertile Ground
Williamson County is also a thriving relocation destination for all types and sizes of businesses. A prime example is Americaneagle.com, which opened an office in May 2019 and then expanded into a larger space as operations grew. The international web design, development, hosting and digital marketing company is based in Illinois.
“As a company, we have benefited from the growth in this area in a few ways,” says Renee Nelson, director of marketing operations. “There has been an increase in overall quality available office space, which proved beneficial when we were looking for new office spaces in 2021. [Growth also] allows us to pull from a larger applicant pool to find new, potential employees.”
Another benefit is that from its Williamson County base of operations, Americaneagle.com can now spread its wings further.
“The area as a whole is starting to serve as a central hub for reaching other areas of the United States, allowing us to easily transport to client or partner locations,” Nelson says. “It is also rising in popularity for hosted trade shows, conferences, and events that we typically attend and/or host as well.”
Want to know more?
To learn more about the Williamson County area, check out the latest edition of Livability Williamson County, TN.
