In April 2018, AGC of America's Chief Econonomist Ken Simonson presented an outlook of construction for Tennessee and the U.S. to the AGC of East Tennessee membership. Among the findings, the report details which sectors are likely to grow, decline and stay flat over the coming years based on recent trends. East Tennessee is seeing the highest rate of construction growth in the state with Cleveland at a 13% increase, followed by Knoxville (10%) and Chattanooga (6%). As a General Contractor's prospective here is some of the best places to build just outside of Knoxville
Alcoa, 12 miles south of Knoxville, has 10 businesses per 100 residents. The city was originally a company town built for workers of the Aluminum Company of America, which is now called Alcoa Inc. The major employer here is McGhee Tyson Airport. Alcoa is part of the Blount Partnership, a chamber of commerce for businesses in Blount County. Other resources include the Small Business Development Center at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville and Knoxville Entrepreneur Center, a regional business accelerator. The city’s Pellissippi Place — a mixed-use community designed for technology businesses and research companies — features hotels, conference centers, residential space, retailers and more.
Pigeon Forge, in Sevier County, five miles from Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is a mountain resort city built on tourism and hospitality. Major attractions and businesses include Dollywood, outlet malls, resorts, a museum dedicated to Elvis Presley and a range of music theaters. The Pigeon Forge Chamber of Commerce actively promotes the small businesses that help the city thrive, and the Pigeon Forge Hospitality Association works to protect the local service industry.
Crossville, in Middle Tennessee, is known as “the golf capital of Tennessee” for its 10 championship golf courses. It’s a retirement and tourism destination for the museums, county playhouse and shopping. As the name suggests, Crossville is at the intersection of two major stagecoach roads, which connected Knoxville to Nashville. Among the biggest employers in Crossville are Aviagen, Dana Corp., Durable Products, Rockwell Automation and Timken. Resources for business owners include the Crossville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce, Cookeville’s Small Business Development Center at Tennessee Tech University and The Biz Foundry, a regional business accelerator in Cookeville.
Lebanon, the county seat of Wilson County, is about 30 miles east of Nashville, in Middle Tennessee. Here, there are 13 businesses per 100 residents and nearly 30% of all businesses have paid employees. Major employers include restaurant supplier PFG Customized Distribution and Cracker Barrel’s corporate headquarters. It’s also home to the popular Wilson County Fair and Cumberland University. City businesses are served by the Lebanon Wilson County Chamber of Commerce, and those seeking additional resources will find help at two Small Business Development Centers — one in Nashville at Tennessee State University and also in Murfreesboro at Middle Tennessee State University. The closest regional business accelerator is the Nashville Entrepreneur Center.
Bristol, which lies on the border of Virginia and shares a sister city of the same name, is part of the Northeast Tennessee Tri-Cities region, which includes Johnson City and Kingsport. The two Bristols also share the five-star U.S. Chamber of Commerce-accredited Bristol Chamber of Commerce. The chamber arranges meetings with Score counselors for small-business advice. Bristol is home of the Bristol Motor Speedway and is known as the “birthplace of country music.” Top employers in the Tri-Cities region include Mountain States Health Alliance, Eastman Chemical Co. and Wellmont Health System.
Brentwood, a wealthy suburb of Nashville in Williamson County, boasts the lowest unemployment rate on our list at 2.8%. It also has the highest annual median income, $100,954, and the highest median monthly housing cost of $2,119. Top employers include Comdata, Tractor Supply Co., AT&T, DaVita, Brookdale Senior Living and LifePoint Health. Brentwood businesses can join the Williamson Chamber and promote their companies for free at ExploreBrentwood.
Greeneville is a rural town in northeastern Tennessee. Its ratio of 15 businesses per 100 residents is 50% above the statewide average, and nearly 32% of businesses have paid employees. Those workers will find low median monthly housing costs — at $516, the lowest among the top cities on our list — while the median annual income is about $35,991. Retailers are plentiful and the largest shopping center is Greeneville Commons. Local businesses are featured on both Greeneville.com and Growingreene.com. The Greene County Partnership/Chamber of Commerce organizes programs and events. The closest regional business accelerator is in Johnson City at AccelNow.
Pulaski, one of the smaller cities on our list, has the second-lowest median monthly housing cost on our list at $557. The city is part of the Giles County Chamber and the Economic Development Commission offers additional resources for starting a business. The closest regional business accelerator is about 60 miles away, in Tullahoma, at the Southern Middle Tennessee Entrepreneur Centers.
Franklin is 21 miles south of Nashville in Williamson County. The largest city in the list also has the most businesses of those top cities. Residents here pay the second-highest housing costs on our list at a median of $1,328, but they also enjoy the second-highest median income of $60,586. The closest Small Business Development Centers are in Nashville and Murfreesboro. The Williamson Chamber promotes businesses throughout the area. The top employers in Franklin include CoolSprings Galleria, Community Health Systems, Williamson Medical Center and Nissan North America. Local businesses are promoted on DowntownFranklinTN.com and VisitWilliamson.com.
Sparta, in White County, is known as “Bluegrass, USA.” Here, there are over 16 businesses per 100 residents. Small businesses are promoted on SpartaTN.com and through the Sparta and White County Chamber of Commerce. Some of the biggest employers are THK Rhythm North America, Federal-Mogul Corp., Moeller Marine Products and Tri State Distribution Inc.
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P.O. Box 732 Alcoa, TN 37701