Bob Rolfe officially exited the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) to enter the private sector Friday with a farewell message shared to social media. Rolfe has served as TNECD Commissioner since March 2017, when he was appointed by former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam.
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Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced his departure Tuesday from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) in order to enter the private sector, according to a press release by the department.
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Ariens Company officials announced Thursday that the company will invest $38 million to locate its new manufacturing and warehouse facility in Tennessee, according to a press release by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TDEC).
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Ultimate Linings, LLC officials announced Tuesday the company will relocate its chemical manufacturing facility from Bedford, Texas, to Lebanon, Tennessee, according to a press release by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD).
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Permobil, Inc. officials announced the company expects to invest $15.5 million to expand its manufacturing operations at the company’s North American headquarters in Middle Tennessee, according to a press release by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD).
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On Wednesday, Governor Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Bob Rolfe, and ATC Drivetrain officials announced the company has selected Knoxville as the location for its newest manufacturing facility.
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On Wednesday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Bob Rolfe, and Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC) officials announced the company will establish new manufacturing operations in Oak Ridge.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced Wednesday that Iron Galaxy Studios, LLC will invest $950,000 to establish a new video game development studio in Nashville. As part of the company’s expansion to Davidson County, Iron Galaxy will create 108 new tech jobs over the next five years, according to a press release by TNECD.
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On Friday, Governor Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced that Wall Innovations, LLC has chosen Bolivar to relocate from Long Island City, New York for its U.S. manufacturing and distribution base.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced Thursday that Chick-fil-A Supply® selected Antioch as the location for its fourth U.S. distribution center in the state. The facility will begin operations later this year, according to a press release by TNECD.
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Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe, and Macy’s, Inc. officials announced Wednesday that the company will expand operations in Robertson County.
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On Monday in a press release, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe announced that they recently approved $28.5 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), which will assist communities with infrastructure improvements, housing rehabilitations and health and safety initiatives.
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Governor Lee and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development awarded a dozen grants to communities across the state to assist economic development programs.
The grants, which total $8 million, are to be used for infrastructure and engineering improvements on industrial sites throughout the state.
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The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development awarded more than $108.5 million in FastTrack economic development grants between 51 businesses in the first half of 2021, according to a database from the department.
The largest was a $60 million grant to Ultium Cells for its $2.3 billion investment to create 1,300 jobs with its 2.8-million-square-foot plant in Spring Hill to build vehicle battery cells.
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FedEx filed a $212 million building permit Tuesday for a new package sorting facility and hub in Memphis, MyNorthwest reported.
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Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Lee and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe have announced that 59 counties will receive $2.4 million of taxpayer money for various community development initiatives. State officials are disbursing this money through what is known as a ThreeStar grant program. These community development initiatives include local workforce training, health, and economic development initiatives, according to an ECD press release. The Tennessee Star contacted officials in 10 of the 59 counties and asked how they plan to use this money. We also asked whether this investment of money will exceed the benefits to taxpayers. Of the 10, officials in only four of those counties responded. Grundy County Mayor Michael Brady said he oversees “a distressed, rural community” and he and other county officials will use the $50,000 they receive to offer workforce development classes. “We used that money before to buy equipment, and we started a welding program after hours for adults and our high school graduated 12,” said Brady, whose county currently has about a 7 percent unemployment rate,” Brady said. “I know of at least five of those folks that found employment after they graduated.” Meanwhile, in Wilson County, ThreeStar Coordinator…
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The Memphis Regional Megasite, which has already cost Tennessee taxpayers more than $140 million is reportedly three years away from completion, according to The Jackson Sun. Justin Owen, president of The Beacon Center of Tennessee, a Nashville-based free market think tank, previously called the megasite “an empty field of broken promises.” This, Owen said, despite “big talk by state officials” to bring thousands of jobs to a downtrodden area. The Jackson Sun quoted Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe as saying the eminent domain process will take several more months. The wastewater pipeline process, meanwhile, will take 18 to 24 months, the paper quoted Rolfe as saying. “The largest hurdles facing the Megasite right now are the approval of permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, and using the eminent domain process in order to lay the wastewater pipeline,” according to The Jackson Sun. According to the paper, the ECD has hired the consulting firm Gresham Smith “to determine what company would be best for managing the utilities on site.” Gresham Smith has received roughly $500,000, the paper said. Quoting TNECD Deputy Commissioner of Business Community and Rural Development Allen Borden, The Jackson Sun said the site will…
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The decision to give away more than $100 million in corporate welfare to lure Electrolux to set up shop in Memphis was so bad it was “the worst such deal in Tennessee history,” according to Bloomberg.com. In an article released this week, the national financial news website held nothing back criticizing the deal. As The Tennessee Star reported last month, Electrolux officials announced they will shut down their Memphis plant sometime next year, despite taking all that money from Memphis, Shelby County, and the Tennessee governments eight years ago. The Memphis Electrolux plant employs about 530 people, all of whom will likely lose their jobs when the plant closes. Despite that, Bloomberg said this disaster still won’t stop other government entities from handing out even more subsidies in the future. Bloomberg opinion columnist Joe Nocera interviewed Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe for his piece. “When I mentioned to Rolfe the idea — much favored by academics and journalists — that perhaps communities should stop offering subsidies to lure (or keep) companies, he laughed,” Nocera wrote. “That would be unilateral disarmament,” Nocera quoted Rolfe as saying. Nocera then opined that “it’s foolish to think that subsidies…
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Tennessee officials reportedly made concessions to Volkswagen to get the company to construct a new electric vehicle plant in Chattanooga, according to The Chattanooga Times Free Press. But, as the paper went on to say, state residents may not yet see a list of those concessions, which are apparently financial. For that, they will have to wait until new Republican Gov. Bill Lee presents his first proposed state budget in March, according to the paper. Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe told the paper Lee will deliver that proposed budget March 4. “Rolfe’s comments came following his budget presentation to Lee in which he asked for a $126.2 million increase in departmental spending for the 2019-2020 budget, which would take effect July 1,” according to The Chattanooga Times Free Press. “The VW project wasn’t included. The commissioner said the amount was determined as part of the negotiations with the German auto manufacturer.” Rolfe told the paper that Volkswagen officials “wanted a definitive number before they made a commitment to expand in Tennessee.” “We are aware they (Volkswagen) had conversations with a couple of other states.” Rolfe told The Chattanooga Times Free Press. As The Tennessee Star reported, last…
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