Regional Headquarters

Regional headquarter companies

The 15-county Knoxville-Oak Ridge region has a strong corporate office sector with a rich and diverse talent pool, proximity to many universities and colleges including the University of Tennessee, advanced communications infrastructure and ready access to world-class technical expertise and technology transfer opportunities.  Key advantages include:

• Competitive, pro-business environment
• High-bandwidth telecommunications
• Central location with convention and cost-effective transportation
• Low cost of living
• Unmatched quality of life

Business Climate  
Pro-business environment - Favorable business tax climate consistently in the top 1/3 of U.S. states

• Attractive state, local, and utility incentives for new job creation and capital investment
• State taxes ranking among the nation's lowest 
  • No state property tax 
  • Competitive corporate taxes 
  • Available targeted jobs tax credit
• Competitive gas, water, and sewer rates   
  • Electricity generated by the Tennessee Valley Authority at rates 19% below the U.S. industrial average 
  • Electricity reliability at 99.999% since 2000
• Available Buildings and Sites
  • Building costs 19% below the national average (RSMeans Construction Index 2012) 
  • Competitive lease rates
• Right-to-work state

Talent 

• Flexible, growing workforce of 570,000 in 15-county region
•  Workforce of 780,000 in 32 laborshed counties
•  A large and growing student population from the University of Tennessee,  along with 12 other 4 and 2 year colleges in the region 
• Average wage 19% below the national average  (BLS 1Q 2011)
• An underemployed adult workforce in technical and professional positions
• Fastest growing metro area in the State of Tennessee
• Competitive workers compensation rates
• Customized workforce training
• Transferable skill sets
• Available part-time & full-time workers
• University of Tennessee's highly ranked College of Business on the  flagship campus in Knoxville 
• University of Tennessee's MBA program ranked 9th among public schools (Forbes)  Accounting; special graduate program

Accessibility

• Major regional airport with more than 120 flights daily to 19 major U.S. destinations
• Located at the juncture of three major interstates I-40, I-75 and I-81
• 70% of the US market within a day's drive
• Robust telecommunications infrastructure

Technology

• Home of the Knoxville-Oak Ridge Technology Corridor
• State-of-the-art telecommunications capabilities comparable to the Silicon Valley and Research Triangle
• Advanced communications infrastructure that supports the Oak Ridge National Laboratory available to companies
• Redundant fiber and electric power available