Comments:  90,000 sf Manufacturing-Warehouse facility with 10,000 sf Office in one of the lowest per capita tax burdens in the U.S., a business-friendly culture with low unionization and low turnover/absenteeism. In addition, Tennessee’s right-to-work policy promotes the open-shop philosophy. Talent pool draws from more than 400,000 people who work in the 12 counties immediately within the commuting area, and wage scales in Tennessee are 12 to 15 percent below the U.S. average, with high-tech scales 7.7 percent below.

In Smoky Mountain region of East Tennessee in the heart of the Technology Corridor - Great location for defense industry related businesses - Near Y-12 Defense Center and BWXT. Railroad spur adjoins property.

Manufacturing

The region has all the right resources for manufacturing. The opportunities are limitless for manufacturers and suppliers in the 16-county Knoxville-Oak Ridge-Smoky Mountains Region of East Tennessee. Companies prosper with our extraordinary combination of location, workforce, technological resources and business incentives. 

The Technology Corridor

The area is home to more than 1,000 high-tech companies, 45,000 high-tech professionals, 3,500 Ph.D.s and more than 15,000 college students majoring in information technology, science, math or engineering. on the worldwide forefront in nuclear physics, environmental technology, advanced materials, information technology, biomedical technology, transportation research, and measurement and controls.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is the only national laboratory in the Southeast. It conducts basic and applied research and development to improve the nation's energy sources, environmental quality and scientific knowledge, while contributing to educational foundations and industrial competitiveness. ORNL boasts a variety of core competencies and is home to:

Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Project: an accelerator-based neutron source being built by the U.S. Department of Energy. The SNS will provide the most intense pulsed neutron beams in the world for scientific research and industrial development. When completed in 2006, SNS will give scientists detailed snapshots of the structure of even the smallest materials.

Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences: a collaborative nanoscience user research facility for the synthesis, characterization, theory/ modeling/ simulation, and design of nanoscale materials.

Laboratory for Comparative and Functional Genomics: the $14 million, 36,000-square-foot research facility houses 60,000 mutated mice that are used to study radiation biology and mammalian genetics.

One of the fastest supercomputers: At a speed of 2.3 teraflops - or 2.3 trillion calculations per second - ORNL's "Cheetah" is the eighth fastest supercomputer in the world. It has recently been used to run a new climate simulation model that basically doubles the detail of previous models.

Materials Science: Development of advanced materials may be ORNL's strongest suit. For decades the lab has produced ever lighter and ever stronger materials to meet the government's needs, whether it's shielding for nuclear reactors or leadless bullets that reduce the cost of cleaning up military firing ranges. The material needs of the terrorist age will be many, and ORNL is at work on several projects including a lightweight, high-strength composite with aluminum substrate that appears ideal for cockpit doors.

Homeland Security:  ORNL is responsible for several critical national defense initiatives, including sensors and detectors for chemical and biological warfare agents ranging from nerve gas to anthrax, as well as explosives; studies involving threat analysis and consequence management; the development of advanced materials as mentioned above; and information technologies, including database work and document scans and analysis.

Oak Ridge Associated Universities  Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) partners federal laboratories with universities to develop technologies that improve existing products and manufacturing processes. ORAU brings together thousands of scientists, engineers and students from its 87 member institutions that engage in R&D efforts funded by the state.

Technology 2020  Technology 2020 is an economic development laboratory serving four main objectives: to grow new technology businesses in Oak Ridge and East Tennessee; to develop a high-speed telecommunications network in the area and help companies take advantage of these technologies; to establish a pipeline of talented professionals trained in using information technology systems; and to market these economic advantages to the rest of the world.

Science Alliance The Science Alliance enriches the Oak Ridge scientific community through a collaborative effort between UT and ORNL. The cornerstone is the Distinguished Scientist Program, which recruits top scientists and gives them full professorship at UT and the status of senior scientist at ORNL. These scientists bring their own funding for research, which is used to increase economic development in the region through shared information with private companies.

Oak Ridge Center for Manufacturing and Material Science Located at the Oak Ridge Y-12 plant, Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing and Material Science (ORCMMS) has evolved into a high-precision manufacturing assembly and inspection facility. ORCMMS applies the skills, capabilities and facilities developed over the 50-year history of Y-12 to help industries answer manufacturing questions and develop new products from the concept and design stages to building prototypes and configuring manufacturing processes.

Tennessee Technology Development Corporation: The Tennessee Technology Development Corporation (TTDC) assists businesses interested in commercializing new technologies and helps scientists bring ideas to the marketplace. TTDC's primary initiatives are to:

• Establish seed capital to assist in converting new technology into business.

• Assist in the transfer of technology from the public to the private sector (patent licensing, intellectual property access).

• Create high-tech business incubators across the state to ensure that a high percentage of start-up companies survive.

Tennessee Biotech Association: The Tennessee Biotechnology Association (TBA) is a statewide organization of leading scientists, researchers, academicians, clinicians, legislators and business professionals working to foster, develop and support the life sciences in Tennessee. The TBA serves as an information-clearinghouse that supports life science education, research, health care and technology-transfer programs. The organization also works to enhance access to capital for existing biotechnology companies, as well as support business recruitment to Tennessee, or outside investment in Tennessee companies, research and technologies.

The state of Tennessee has an enviable biotechnology infrastructure with an advantageous business environment for life sciences, coupled with an exceptional quality of life. Specifically, the Oak Ridge area represents established and substantial research centers. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by Battelle and the University of Tennessee, along with the UT Medical Center and the UT Environmental Biotechnology Center, are encouraging biotechnology development and commercialization.