Ron HarrHalfway through its four-year job-growth campaign, Chattanooga’s chief economic development group says it’s on target to meet most of its goals even if Volkswagen’s new SUV project goes to Mexico.
The only lagging category so far is capital investment, officials said, but the VW plant landing another vehicle to produce could push the needle off the dial.
“It would move all the needles in wonderful ways,” said Ron Harr, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce’s chief executive, citing other targets such as direct jobs, number of new slots created using a multiplier, and added payroll.
However, in the wake of landing Volkswagen, Amazon and other companies in Enterprise South industrial park, Hamilton County has a lack of industrial sites, and that’s seen as a drag on growth, officials said.
“We are working on things quietly,” said Harr about finding more sites. “I can’t say what we’re looking at.”