Volkswagen Chooses Chattanooga

Chattanooga has arrived! The Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. announced in July that it has chosen Chattanooga for its new $1 billion U.S. plant. Volkswagen’s announcement is more than just good news for our region: It brings an economic boom of up to 14,000 jobs to our area and places the Scenic City at the forefront of automotive development. It validates everything we have been working for over the years.

The process began more than a dozen years ago when I worked with city and county officials to have the vacant Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant (VAAP) declared excess by the U.S. Army so the land could be purchased and developed into a first-rate industrial park. After the release of the VAAP land, nearly $24 million in federal funding was secured to develop Enterprise South, including infrastructure improvements to connect the site to Interstate 75 and workforce development programs.

This new partnership with Volkswagen showcases Chattanooga’s position as a manufacturing giant in the Tennessee Valley Technology Corridor. Volkswagen will benefit from Chattanooga’s high-skilled, educated workforce, the region’s research capabilities and our incredible quality of life. VW chose the best city in America to call home. One hundred years ago, our region was known for illiteracy and poverty, and today Chattanooga is the place that this global manufacturer chose to make the vehicles of the future.

A major manufacturing plant for advanced transportation systems will have generational benefits in Tennessee and help establish Chattanooga as the manufacturing center of the South once again. The Tennessee Valley Technology Corridor is thriving and Volkswagen is our latest and greatest success story. Many people deserve a lot of credit because they have worked for years to bring about this day.