GOVERNOR HASLAM, COMMISSIONER BOYD ANNOUNCE MULTIMATIC TENNESSEE LLC TO LOCATE NEW FACILITY IN LEWISBURG

Global Automotive Parts Manufacturer to Invest Over $20 Million, Create 181 New Jobs

 

NASHVILLE — Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd along with Multimatic Tennessee LLC officials announced today the company will locate new automotive manufacturing operations in Lewisburg. Multimatic will invest more than $20 million in building upgrades and new robotic welding infrastructure and create 181 new jobs in Marshall County.

“We want to welcome Multimatic to Tennessee and thank them for the investment in Marshall County and the new jobs that will be created in Lewisburg,” Haslam said. “Here in Tennessee, we work to create a business-friendly environment that attracts new companies to the state while helping them grow and succeed, and today’s announcement brings us one step closer toward our goal of becoming the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”

“Home to more than 900 automotive suppliers and manufacturers, Tennessee is known worldwide for its strength and momentum in the automotive sector,” Boyd said. “It means a great deal when a global company like Multimatic chooses to grow its operations and invest in our state, and we thank the company for creating these new jobs in Lewisburg and Marshall County.”

Multimatic is a global corporation supplying engineered components, systems and services to the automotive industry. Products to be made at the Lewisburg facility will include instrument panel structures, rocker braces and upper and lower tie bar supports.

“We were initially drawn to Tennessee to support the production and supply requirements of an important customer to Multimatic,” Sam Bozzo, vice president, Multimatic Structures and Suspension, said. “From the time that a site was identified in Lewisburg, our team has been impressed with the city and the support received from the state and the Department of Economic and Community Development.”

"We are proud to welcome Multimatic to our industrial family," Lewisburg Mayor Jim Bingham said. "Multimatic is a great company providing high-quality jobs to our community. The state of Tennessee continues to prove that it is the best state for automotive, and Lewisburg is pleased to play its role in attracting automotive companies to the state and region."

Multimatic’s core capabilities include the engineering and manufacturing of complex mechanisms, body hardware, suspension systems and body structures, as well as the design and development of lightweight composite automotive systems. In addition, Multimatic delivers niche vehicle design, development and production for road and race car applications.

Multimatic is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, and has manufacturing operations and engineering facilities in North America, Europe and Asia, with alliance partner relationships in other automotive markets. For more information, visit multimatic.com.

A listing of available positions at Multimatic’s Lewisburg facility can be found atcareers.multimatic.com.

Lewisburg and Marshall County are represented by Sen. Jim Tracy (R – Shelbyville) and Rep. Billy Spivey (R – Lewisburg) in the Tennessee General Assembly.

About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development

Tennessee was named 2014 and 2013 “State of the Year” for economic development byBusiness Facilities magazine. The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies which help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. The department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Find us on the web: tnecd.com. Follow us on Twitter: @tnecd.  Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd. 

Tourism Revenues in Marshall County Up 2.4%

GOVERNOR BILL HASLAM AND TENNESSEE TOURISM

ANNOUNCE RECORD-BREAKING ECONOMIC IMPACT NUMBERS

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Governor Bill Haslam and Commissioner Kevin Triplett, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, today announced during a special event at the Ryman Auditorium that tourism’s direct domestic and international travel expenditures reached $17.7 billion in 2014, up 6.3 percent, and an all-time high for the state. Tourism-generated jobs for Tennesseans reached 152,900, an increase of 2.8 percent. State and local sales tax revenue for the industry topped $1.5 billion, up 7 percent over 2013, and the ninth consecutive year tourism topped $1 billion, according to the latest statistics from the 2014 Economic Impact of Travel on Tennessee as reported by U.S. Travel Association.

For the first time in history, travel to Tennessee topped 100 million, achieving 101.3 million person stays, a 5.1 percent increase over 2013. International travel increased 8.4 percent, reaching $576.5 million in economic impact. All 95 counties in Tennessee had more than $1 million in direct travel expenditures, 19 counties saw more than $100 million, and three counties, Davidson, Shelby and Sevier, had more than $1 billion in economic impact. Knox and Hamilton Counties round out the Top 5 with nearly $1 billion in economic impact. Tennessee is ranked in the Top 10 destinations in the U.S. for total travel.

Tourists spent a total of $21.57 million in Marshall County in 2014, an increase of 2.4% compared to 2013, generating a total of $1.26 million in state and $0.57 million in local tax revenues, increases of 3.2% and 2.6%, respectively. A total of 146 Marshall Countians are employed in tourism-related fields.

“This increase in tourism across the board is a result of the strategic work of Tourist Development, the Tourism Committee, and the entire tourism and hospitality industry,” Haslam said. “We want Tennessee to be a place people from all over the world want to visit. The data shows that’s happening, and more jobs and $1.5 billion in sales tax revenue is good news for every Tennessean.”

Tennessee’s customer satisfaction landed at an impressive 8.5 out of 10. The satisfaction scores are greater than those of the average U.S. destination.

“Tourists are drawn to Tennessee for our world-renown music, outstanding attractions, stunning scenic beauty,” Triplett said. “But, at the end of the day, people keep coming to Tennessee for our authenticity and exceptional, Southern hospitality. That is the ‘made in Tennessee’ brand delivered to our visitors every day by our communities and partners.”

The Tennessee Tourism Committee, appointed in 2011 by Gov. Bill Haslam, is made up of tourism leaders in both the public and private sectors. TTC is chaired by Colin Reed, Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc., and co-chaired by Jack Soden, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. and Sande Weiss, president of Music Road Resort.

For more information contact Cindy Dupree, director of public relations for the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, at 615-418-5752 or by email at Cindy.Dupree@tn.gov.

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Explore more at tnvacation.com and join other Tennessee travelers by following “TNVacation” on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube.

Congressman Desjarlais Visits Meiwa and Nichirin in Lewisburg

Congressman Scott Desjarlais (R-TN-4th District) came to Lewisburg on Monday, August 17, 2015 to visit with representatives from Meiwa Industry North America and Nichirin Tennessee.
The congressman heard about the companies' success since moving to Lewisburg, from growth in employment and customer bases, to their upgraded processes to become even stronger competitors in the automotive supplier markets.
At Meiwa, Rep. Desjarlais learned first hand the manufacturing process that allows Meiwa to produce high-quality interior linings for many automotive OEMs and the company's plans to expand their customer base to more automotive manufacturers in America and across the globe.
At Nichirin, Rep. Desjarlais watched the processes that allows the company to produce high-quality hoses for many automotive manufacturers around the world and other types of vehicles from ATVs to heavy equipment.
The congressman also spoke with company representatives about the challenges each faces from global market forces to government regulations and workforce issues.

Click to see a storyboard of the Congressman's visit to Meiwa and Nichirin in Lewisburg.

August Weekend Events in Lewisburg

August has been a great month for events in Lewisburg from the bringing together of our college-aged kids to biking with Mayor Jim Bingham to the upcoming farm-to-table Dinner on the Square event. 

On August 1, several Marshall Co. kids home from college for the summer came to the Kid Again Festival at Rock Creek Park in Lewisburg to play games, listen to music and win prizes. During the event, kids provided ideas to make Lewisburg better on Post-It notes on the big idea board.

Some of the provided:

• Smoothie / Coffee relaxing chill hangout
• More pretty landscape, flowers, trees
• Community field day
• Community pot luck dinner
• Another addition to walk on, hiking trails
• Themed movie night
• Community wide scavenger hunt
• More places to eat, more to do, places to hang out, and shopping places
• More community / environmental activities
• I’d like to see more done with the Recreation Center, a skate park would be a great addition, with
• lights and set hours
• We need places to eat, not fast food.
• More projects like this (Kids Again Festival) to show people that they have opinions again

On Saturday, 10 people put on their riding helmets, hopped on their bikes and took a 20-Mile bike ride with Lewisburg Mayor Jim Bingham. Mayor Bingham is an avid bike rider and wanted to share a good ride with citizens from the Community. The ride began at the Lewisburg Recreation Center and riders pedaled their way to New Lake Park for a water and snack break. The group then pedaled to the Recreation Center where Director of Parks and Recreation Cary Whitesell treated the riders to watermelon. 

This Saturday, August 22, 100 people will gather on the Lewisburg Square to enjoy a farm-to-table dinner provided by the Marshall Co. Young Farmers and Ranchers and Ladies of the Farm Bureau. Michael Wealth Management is sponsoring wine from local winery Picker's Creek Winery as David Liggett will play guitar to entertain the crowd.