Lisega, Inc. will expand and relocate to Sevier County
Friday March 07, 2008
Lisega, Inc. announced today that the company will invest $10 million in a relocation project...
NEWPORT, Tenn. - Matt Kisber, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, and Bob Beldyk, general manager of Lisega, Inc., announced today that the Newport, Tenn., company will invest $10 million in a relocation project in Sevierville, Tenn., creating 100 new jobs and retaining 124 current employees.
"Lisega's expansion and relocation plan indicates the strength of Tennessee's business climate and speaks to the quality of our workforce," Governor Phil Bredesen said. "I appreciate the company's efforts to retain its current employees as it also creates new jobs and investment in Sevier County."
Lisega's Tennessee presence is currently the German company's only manufacturing facility in the United States.
"We are thrilled to relocate to Sevier County," Beldyk said. "This relocation is the best scenario for all parties. It allows Lisega to maintain its current productive workforce while maintaining our ties to the Newport community. Furthermore, it achieves the goals of the company while retaining jobs for East Tennessee and provides the necessary environment for our future growth. Our increased business makes it necessary for us to build new facilities and significantly increase our workforce."
The company will build a 100,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility in the Smith-Thomas Technology Park near Interstate 40.
"This relocation project is a great example of regionalism," Commissioner Kisber said. "Cocke and Sevier Counties worked in close collaboration to keep these jobs in the same division of the state, and their efforts represent perfectly the kind of cooperation among counties that Governor Bredesen and I are trying to develop."
"In order to retain these jobs for the people of Cocke County, we partnered with Sevier County with the assurance from Lisega that anyone wanting to retain their job could do so," said Cocke County State Representative Eddie Yokely. "The State of Tennessee should be applauded in this situation because of the quick action and help they will be providing for this relocation. I would like to personally thank Governor Bredesen and Commissioner Kisber for their assistance in helping us retain Lisega in East Tennessee and keeping them from moving out of state." Lisega, a worldwide leader in pipe support systems, is headquartered in Zeven, Germany and was founded in 1964. Their standard products range from hangers, spring hangers and heavy-duty shock absorbers to individual customer-related products, such as special hangers and structural adaptations for the power generation market.
"This is a very unusual situation, when a company re-locates to a neighboring county, and both counties worked together with the State to insure that the move would be successful," said Iliff McMahan, Cocke County mayor. "It could not have worked out better for the people of Cocke and Sevier Counties. I want to thank Governor Bredesen, ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber and State Representative Eddie Yokely for encouraging our two counties to work together in partnership to save existing jobs, create new jobs and help a company expand to realize their full potential."
"We are very pleased to welcome Lisega to our county," said Larry Waters, Sevier County mayor. "Not only will they keep their current workforce, but they will also provide over 100 new year-round jobs with benefits to the people of Sevier County. I want to thank the staff of the Sevier County Economic Development Council for their leadership in successfully coordinating all aspects of this project."
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development works routinely with and existing businesses to expand their presence in the state. For more information, visit www.tnecd.gov.
Contacts:
LISEGA, INC: Bob Beldyk
(423) 625-2000
SCEDC: Allen Newton
(865) 428-2212
STATE OF TENNESSEE ECD: Michaela Jackson
(615) 253-4897
michaela.jackson@state.tn.us
