A pair of companies plans to create about 220 jobs at the former Alstom site on Chattanooga's waterfront as the property's new owners redevelop the 112-acre tract on the city's Westside.
Micronics Engineered Filtration Group, a New Hampshire-based business, is slated to start production this summer at the Riverfront Parkway location and employ 140 people.
"Micronics' new filter media manufacturing facility in Chattanooga will strengthen our ability to consistently exceed customer needs and minimize delivery time," said Glenn Gertridge, the company's vice president of operations.
Jimmy White, president of Urban Story Ventures LLC stands in an area that used to have hundreds of Alstom employees. He has plans to bring new manufacturing and other jobs the property. / Staff file photo by Tim BarberAlso, Team Title Services, which supports real estate buyers and sellers, plans to employ 80 people. The company was launched in December and already has 23 people working in temporary office space at the former Alstom property.
Jimmy White, the Chattanooga real estate developer who purchased the former Alstom factory site along with hotelier Hiren Desai for $30 million in 2018, said their redevelopment plans are off to "a good start."
The new jobs nearly match the 235 workers Alstom had in 2016 when then-owner GE Power announced it was shutting down the steam turbine manufacturing facility and boiler service center.
White said his group is in negotiations with other companies which could bring more than 600 additional jobs.
"We think there will be thousands of jobs on site when it's all said and done," he said.
Micronics plans to take up 56,000 square feet of office and manufacturing space.
Micronics, Inc. is a global expert in liquid and solid separation. Incorporated in 1983 and founded by Barry Hibble, Micronics is owned by the Los Angeles private equity firm of Vance Capital. In 2014, Micronics expanded into dry filtration and air pollution control products and services with the acquisition of Southern Filter Media, which has a facility in Hixson. C.P. Environmental (CPE), United Process Control (UPC), and AeroPulse joined the Micronics Engineered Filtration Group in 2015.White's company, Urban Story Ventures, is upgrading one of the buildings to include sprinklers, conditioned shop space and two new loading docks.
White said he understands that Micronics is moving some workers from New Hampshire and Chicago. The new plant will complement existing company facilities in the Northeast U.S., Mexico and England.
Team Title was started last year by Web Raulston, the company's CEO, said Chloe Brackett, the venture's communications director.
The company plans to convert 20,000 square feet of space for its offices in a lease-to-own deal, White said.
Raulston said plans are to expand the Team Title business nationally over the next few years and "having a headquarters that can facilitate our anticipated growth plans is huge for us."
White has said that the proposed redevelopment of the Alstom property, dubbed the West End, could bring $2 billion to $3 billion in investments, add over $11 million in tax revenue annually for Chattanooga and Hamilton County and spur more than 5,000 jobs.
In March, after a lengthy planning effort, Urban Story Ventures revealed possibilities for the tract including a 10,000-square-foot food hall and music venue, townhomes, workforce housing, a canal, brewpub, child care center and more.
Manufacturing on the site goes back more than 100 years. For decades, it held Combustion Engineering's operations.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318. Follow him on Twitter @MikePareTFP.