Lifetime Products Celebrates Groundbreaking BY: KAYLA WITT
On May 25, Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett along with company officials from Lifetime Products gathered to break ground on the company’s new manufacturing and distribution facility in Knox County’s Eastbridge Business Park. The new 720,000 square-foot facility represents an investment of $115 million and 500 jobs for Innovation Valley. Lifetime Products is the leading manufacturer of blow-molded plastics products. Its products range from plastic folding tables and chairs, basketball hoops and outdoor sheds, to kayaks and paddleboards. “We spent over a year researching different locations on the east coast,” said Richard Hendrickson, president and CEO of Lifetime Products. “Tennessee was obviously the best option. Not only will Lifetime be able to meet shipping demand for customers on the east coast, but we are thrilled to be facilitating the creation of hundreds of jobs for the people of Knoxville and the state of Tennessee.” This new facility will produce the company’s water sport products including kayaks and paddleboards, as well as its outdoor Play System line of products. It will also allow Lifetime to meet its customers’ increasing demand for faster shipping times. The company hopes to open its facility in April 2017. “We are excited to welcome Lifetime to Knox County. It’s always great to announce a new business is moving to our community, but especially when it comes with such a significant investment,” Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett said at the initial announcement last fall. “Along with investing millions in the Eastbridge Business Park, Lifetime will create hundreds of new jobs in our area. I look forward to the positive impact they will have on our
community.” The Innovation Valley economic development team along with the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, TVA, and the Knoxville Utilities Board, among others, worked for over a year to recruit the company to the region. Lifetime Products joins many other successful manufacturing companies in Innovation Valley like Keurig Richard Hendrickson and Bob Adams of Lifetime Green Mountain, Bush Products, flank Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett at the company’s groundbreaking ceremony in May. Brothers and Co., and Radio Systems Corporation. Manufacturing and distribution is one of Innovation Valley’s target recruitment clusters because of its strong pipeline of workforce and the areas proximity to more than 60 percent of the United States population within one day’s drive.
Chamber Ambassadors Recognized at Annual Luncheon BY: JESSICA KARSTEN
The Knoxville Chamber honored its Ambassadors at the annual appreciation luncheon at the Square Room on June 7. The Chamber’s Ambassador program currently has 47 members who have volunteered countless hours to assist the Chamber and further its mission. “Our Ambassadors are an integral part of the Chamber,” said Katie Wells, member services manager for the Chamber. “We wouldn’t be able to produce more than 70 events each year without their dedication to the program, and we greatly appreciate their willingness to commit so much time and energy to our organization.” During the luncheon, each Ambassador was recognized with a certificate for his or her service. Christa Early was named “Ambassador of the Year” for her dedicated service. Early, who works as area market development manager for StaffingSolutions, has been a Chamber Ambassador since 2012. Co-chairs of the program, Marc Archer of Archer Design & Marketing and Sherry McHaffie of Pinnacle Financial Partners, thanked the Ambassadors for their hard work and expressed their gratitude for all they do. Archer and McHaffie were recently reelected to serve a second term as co-chairs. “This is a time I look forward to every year,” Archer said. “We are so busy working hard at events that it can be difficult to really get to know one another. The luncheon is a great time to just relax, share stories, and connect with the other Ambassadors.”
Chamber Ambassador program co-chairs Marc Archer of Archer Design & Marketing and Sherry McHaffie of Pinnacle Financial Partners address the crowd at the annual Ambassador appreciation luncheon on June 7.
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