Food Processing

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Our Food Processing Cluster

Our food processing cluster is substantial, consider the following:

• We have over 4,000 people employed in the sector in the labor shed
• We have seen a 36% job growth in Soft Drink Manufacturing job growth from 2011-2016
• Food service contractors have seen 87% job growth from 2011-2016
• We are above the US average in the number of companies in our labor shed by the following percents:
  • 9 times more Dried and Condensed Evaporated Dairy Product
  • 5 times more Bottled Water Manufacturing
  • 2 times more Soft Drink Manufacturing
  • 2 times more Ice Manufacturing
• We have over 14,000 people employed in transportation & logistics in the labor shed
• The University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech have a Department of Food Science and Technology which provides many advantages for labor and research for food companies

Skilled Labor

• Under 3.5% of employees in Sullivan County are a member of a union
• Tennessee is a Right-To-Work state
• The labor shed features the following:
  • 5,671 Team Assemblers
  • 2,476 Maintenance and Repair Workers
  • 1,462 Food Preparation Workers
  • 1,416 Light Truck Drivers
  • 1,379 First Line Supervisors of Food Preparation
  • 791 Electricians
  • 678 Machinists
  • 544 Industrial Engineers
  • 406 Packaging and Filling Machine Operators
  • 288 Bakers
  • 174 Chefs and Head Cooks
  • 123 Chemical Engineers
  • 118 Food Batchmakers
  • 114 Electrical Engineers

Unskilled Labor

• 4,202 Temporary Help

Major Food Companies in the Area

Leclerc Foods

Located in Kingsport in 2009 Announced expansion in 2012 Family owned company founded in 1905 in Quebec Manufactures granola bars and crackers in Sullivan County 90 employees

Pure Foods

Headquarters and manufacturing facilities located in Kingsport in 2015 Allergen Controlled Snack Manufacturing Plant Manufactures nutrient dense and low fat speciality snack foods 273 employees

Shearer's Foods

Water and Wastewater Capacity

• Over four million gallons per day of excess water system capacity in the City of Bristol
• Over five million gallons per day of excess wastewater system capacity in the City of Bristol

• Over 13 million gallons per day of excess water system capacity in the City of Kingsport
• Over four million gallons per day of excess wastewater system capacity in the City of Kingsport

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Colleges/Universities with Food Processing Programs

University of Tennessee in Knoxville has an enrollment of 27,171 and is located 98 miles from Sullivan County The University of Tennessee has a Food Science and Technology program which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, research, and an extension program This program offers access to a packaging and processing pilot plant, among other resources ranging from financial assistance to food safety regulatory assistance

Virgina Tech University in Blacksburg, Virginia has an enrollment of 29,684 and is located 125 miles from Sullivan County Virginia Tech University has a Food Science and Technology program which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, research, and an extension program This programs offer access to a packaging and processing pilot plant, among other resources ranging from financial assistance to food safety regulatory assistance Virginia Tech’s Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise routinely works hand-in hand with Food Sciences and Technology to jointly address issues on nutritional value and product development/packaging

Northeast State Community College is located in Blountville, with regional campuses in Kingsport and Bristol Northeast State Community College is beginning a Culinary Arts program within the next year Northeast State Community College has ample space to train your workforce in their RCAM (Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing) by way of recruiting, screening, and customized training

Transportation

• Interstates 81 & 26 Intersect in Sullivan County
• Sullivan County is served by 2 Class I Railroads - CSX & Norfolk Southern
• Tri-Cities Regional Airport
  
  • Served by Delta Airlines, US Airways, and Allegiant Air
  • Nonstop Access to: Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando, and St. Petersburg
  • Primary Runway - 8,000' x 150'
  • Upgraded Instrument Landing System
  • More than 200,000 passenger boardings per year

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Buildings and Sites

Gateway Commerce Park		Phipps Bend Industrial Park		Partnership Park II
60 Acres Located on Interstate 26 Zoned Business/Industrial 12 inch water main		550 Acres Rail served by Norfolk Southern 10 inch water line 12 inch gas line 4 inch sewer		204 Acres 0.3 miles to four-lane highway Zoned M-2 General Industrial 2 & 4 inch gas line 36 inch water line
Click Here for More Info		Click Here for More Info		Click Here for More Info

Support Services

• There are 5 Packaging Companies in our labor shed
• 184 Electrical Contractors
• 125 Long-Distance Trucking Companies
• 98 Industrial Machinery and Equipment Merchants
• 67 Machine Shops
• 35 Industrial Supply Wholesalers
• 23 Fabricated Structural Metal Manufacturers
• 9 Sheet Metal Work Manufacturers
• 7 Conveyor and Conveying Equipment Manufacturers
• 4 Machine Tool Manufacturers
• 3 Cutting Tool and Machine Tool Accessory Manufacturers

Construction Costs

• According to RSMeans Construction Cost Data, Sullivan County is less expensive than the following:
  • $22/sq. ft. less than the US average to build a manufacturing facility and $16/sq. ft. less to build a warehouse
  • $9/sq. ft. less to build a manufacturing facility than in Nashville and $6/sq. ft. less to build a warehouse than in Nashville
  • $11/sq. ft. less to build a manufacturing facility than in Atlanta and $8/sq. ft. less to build a warehouse than in Atlanta
  • $13/sq. ft. less to build a manufacturing facility than in Lexington, Kentucky and $10/sq. ft. less to build a warehouse than in Lexington, Kentucky
  • $15/sq. ft. less to build a manufacturing facility than in Cincinnati, Ohio, and $11/sq. ft. less to build a warehouse than in Cincinnati, Ohio

Low Natural Disaster Risk

• According to usa.com, Sullivan County has a 34.60 Tornado Index which is much lower than the US average of 136.45 and Tennessee’s average of 175.35
• According to usa.com, Sullivan County has a 0.16 Earthquake Index compared to a US average of 1.81.

Additional Information

• Primary and Secondary Education

• Taxes and Business Cost

• Incentives