Audio clip
Matt Winn
Thunder Enterprises has bought about 8,800 acres in Marion County, Tenn., where it already has large holdings.
John “Thunder” Thornton, the company’s president, said there are no definite plans for the property.
“We’ll study a lot of different options,” the Chattanooga real estate developer said. “It’s too premature at this point.”
Mr. Thornton said the land is on the plateau and side of Jasper Mountain near Kimball, Tenn.
“This is a great piece of land I’ve had my eye on for a while,” he said. Mr. Thornton declined to reveal the purchase price.
Matt Winn, the company’s vice president, said the site is on the Cumberland Plateau and has views of the Tennessee River Gorge and Nickajack Lake.
“It is almost a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said.
Mr. Thornton said the company bought the Marion County property from AbitibiBowater Inc. and American Timberland.
The acquisition is the latest transaction for Thunder Enterprises, which also is shifting its headquarters to larger facilities near downtown Chattanooga.
Mr. Thornton said the company plans to move into offices at 720 McCallie Ave. near UTC Place from its Hixson Pike location.
“We’re growing and we needed more space,” he said, citing projects in Wyoming, Montana and Hawaii as well as in Marion County.
He said the company has about 10 people working at its Chattanooga headquarters.
“We’ve assembled a great staff,” Mr. Thornton said, citing Mr. Winn along with relative newcomers Kevin Whiteside, Steve Williams and Larry Hill.
The developer said Rarity Club at Nickajack in Marion County is progressing with pavement down on a number of roads and the starting of an 18-hole golf course designed by Lee Trevino. The 600-acre tract is to have nearly 1,000 home sites.
“Marion County is one of the most beautiful parts of the country,” Mr. Thornton said.
Mike Pare, the deputy Business editor at the Chattanooga Times Free Press, has worked at the paper for 27 years. In addition to editing, Mike also writes Business stories and covers Volkswagen, economic development and manufacturing in Chattanooga and the surrounding area. In the past he also has covered higher education. Mike, a native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., received a bachelor’s degree in communications from Florida Atlantic University. he worked at the Rome News-Tribune before ...
