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CLINTON—Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty, along with SL Tennessee LLC officials, announced Friday that the company will build a new 250,000 square foot building to join its two existing facilities in the Clinton/I-75 Industrial Park, a Select Tennessee Certified Site. The South Korean automotive parts manufacturer will invest $80.5 million and create 1,000 new jobs in Anderson County. Located in Clinton since 2001, this will be the company’s fifth expansion.
“I want to congratulate SL Tennessee on its latest expansion and thank the company for the 1,000 new jobs created in Clinton,” Haslam said. “SL Tennessee has been an outstanding corporate citizen in Anderson County for nearly 15 years, and we are grateful to the company for bringing us one step closer to our goal of making Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.”
“Tennessee has the greatest concentration of automotive industry employment in the South and with the addition of 1,000 new jobs from today’s announcement, we continue to build on this momentum,” Hagerty said. “Upon completion of this project, SL Tennessee will more than double its workforce, making it the largest employer in Clinton and one of the largest in Anderson County. I appreciate SL Tennessee’s continued investment in our state and for providing quality jobs to our citizens.”
This is the second 1,000 plus jobs announcement in the past two weeks in the automotive sector. Last week, Volkswagen announced a $600 million investment in Tennessee and 2,000 new jobs being created in Chattanooga.
“Once again, SL Tennessee is proud to announce that Clinton has been chosen as the newest site for expansion to help fulfill the global vision of SL Corporation,” SL America President Y.K. Woo said. “Several key factors played a role in SL Corporation’s decision to expand its Clinton location. First is the support we have received from the state of Tennessee, the city of Clinton, Anderson County, Tennessee Valley Authority, Clinton Utilities Board, and the Anderson County Economic Development Association. Second is the quality and availability of labor at our Clinton facility. Finally, SL Corporation has chosen Clinton for this latest expansion because the business climate in Tennessee and Anderson County has enabled us to be successful. We hope to build on that success and continue to grow in the future.”
SL Tennessee will begin construction in August 2014 with a goal of being fully operational by April 2015.
The new facility will manufacture and produce head lamps and tail lamps for the automotive market. With the addition of the building, the company will also be consolidating its data infrastructure for North America to the Clinton location.
“In just the past two years, the automotive parts manufacturing sector has announced the creation of nearly 1,300 jobs and the capital investment of $200 million in Anderson County,” Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said. “SL’s expansion is proof of their hard work and commitment to quality, as well as a testament to the economic development team’s desire to assist our existing industries. I could not possibly be any prouder to have SL choose Anderson County as the place to grow their business.”
“This announcement represents the largest creation of new jobs in the history of Clinton,” Clinton Mayor Scott Burton said. “SL will become our largest employer in Clinton. We cherish our long-standing relationship with SL Tennessee. They have been an outstanding corporate citizen and a great community supporter.”
“TVA and Clinton Utilities Board congratulate SL Tennessee on its vibrant growth and commitment to Clinton,” John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of Economic Development, said. “Automotive manufacturing and suppliers are vital for our region’s prosperity. That’s why our economic development partnerships with the state of Tennessee, Anderson County EDA and city of Clinton are so important to foster the fast-paced job growth of existing companies like SL Tennessee.”
A list of available positions can be found at www.jobs4tn.gov. Applications will also be accepted at the facility.
About SL Tennessee LLC—SL America Corporation, headquartered in Clinton, is a leading supplier of exterior lighting and chassis components in the global marketplace. Areas of expertise include gearshift systems, exterior lighting, and pedal assemblies. SL-America Corporation, which is part of SL Corporation, has three facilities in North America, 22 facilities globally, and more than 12,000 employees worldwide.
About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development—Tennessee was named “2013 State of the Year” for economic development by Business 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 them on the Web at tn.gov/ecd. Follow them on Twitter at @tnecd. Like them on Facebook at facebook.com/tnecd.
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