More than $1 billion in new business investment plans were announced within the 16-county Chattanooga region last month.
Thrive 2055, a citizen-led, public-private endeavor to plan the region's growth over the next four decades, tallied $1.05 billion of new investment announcements during June in its 16-county region. The projects ranged from the Gestamp automotive supply plant in Alabama to a pulp and paper facility in Calhoun, Ga., to a new Google data center in Bridgeport, Ala. Such projects are projected to create up to 700 direct new jobs and hundreds more spinoff jobs.
"When Thrive 2055 was first launched in 2012, the Chattanooga region had experienced $4 billion in new business investments over a four year period, between 2008 and 2012," said Bridgett Massengill, project manager for Thrive 2055. "That remarkable achievement also brought awareness to the growth our region was experiencing, particularly in light of the economic downturn the rest of the country was going through. Now we've seen over $1 billion in one month alone."
Massengill said the level of investment in the region " is all the more reason for our 16 counties to work together toward the future. A win for one is a win for all."