McMinn County Economic Development Authority

Industrial services

Industrial services assistance is available to businesses looking to locate in McMinn County as well as local industries wanting to expand. No matter what size business or the items manufactured, you can count on assistance from the McMinn County Economic Development Authority. Industrial parks in McMinn County are ideally situated in regards to transportation, visibility, support services and utilities. Property currently is available in three of the four parks within the county.

Additional assistance is available from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development and the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services - the industrial extension program of the University's Institute for Public Service. The Center for Industrial Services strengthens the competitiveness of Tennessee manufacturers by helping them:

     • Increase profits;
     • Develop new products;
     • Access technology and research;
     • Boost productivity;
     • Improve quality;
     • Stay current.

Utilities

Electricity, natural gas, water and sewer services are all available from local municipal and cooperative utilities in McMinn County. Most utilities offer discount programs to major industrial users.

Power for McMinn County and the entire region is produced by the Tennessee Valley Authority which operates several hydroelectric dams in the area. The Watts Bar hydroelectrical plant, and the nearby Watts Bar Nuclear Plant, produces much of the power consumed in McMinn County.

Three utilities - Athens Utilities Board, Etowah Utilities Board and Volunteer Electric Cooperative - provide power distribution in McMinn County. All three agencies provide Economic Surplus Power, or ESP. The program allows significantly reduced power rates to industries that are able to curtail power usage on notice.

Comparison of regional electric bills. Athens, Etowah and Englewood provide natural gas service to residential, commercial and industrial customers. Both Athens and Etowah market natural gas outside their cities' corporate limits.

Water and sanitary sewer service is provided in Athens, Etowah, Englewood and Niota. Water service only is provided by Calhoun. Most municipal utilities provide water service outside of their corporate limits. Other unincorporated areas are served by utility districts.

The Hiwassee Utilities District, which was formed by a joint effort of local governments in McMinn and Bradley counties, wholesales potable water to several area utilities either as a primary supplier or as a reserve supply.

McMinn County works with local utilities and residents to acquire grant funds and extend water lines into areas in the county not served by the municipalities.

Jobs training

Training for workers is available at a variety of levels, including high schools, on-the-job programs, vocational centers, community colleges and universities. Whatever specialized needs your industry might have, state and local governments are willing to assist in helping find avenues of workforce training.

The Federal Workforce Investment Act program is administered locally by Cleveland State Community College and works closely with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development to provide jobs and educational opportunities. Through the program, employers are paid a portion of a training wage if they agree to hire and train workers.

The Department of Labor and Workforce Development serves as a screening agency for Job Corps, a work training program designed for 16- to 21-year-olds who are economically disadvantaged or handicapped. The department also provides state-wide listings of jobs and administers the unemployment insurance program in McMinn and Meigs counties.

The Tennessee Technology Center at Athens provides valued skills training in several job fields and offers evening and day classes. Courses of study at the school include auto body and mechanics, drafting, electronics, machine shop, practical nursing, business systems technology and welding.

Trade services

Many industrial support services can be found locally or within the Interstate 75 corridor from Knoxville to Chattanooga.

Tool and die, foundry, heavy hardware, hydraulics, metal stamping, sheet metal, lubrication and welding supplies can be found within McMinn County. Heat treating and chrome plating services are available in Chattanooga.

Contract arrangements can be made with the Tri-County Center's Industrial Services division's sheltered workshop program. Several local industries have relied upon the center for packaging, light assembly and shipping.

Locations

There are five industrial parks in McMinn County, and other industrial areas and sites are available. Industrial space is available in the McMinn County Interstate Industrial Park, the North Etowah Industrial Park, the South Etowah Industrial Park, and the Mt. Verd Interchange Industrial Park.

The two largest industrial parks are the 350-acre (230 remains available) Athens/McMinn Interstate Industrial Park in Athens and the 200-acre (90 remains available with an additional 400 optional acres) North Etowah Industrial Park. The Interchange Industry Park contains 223 acres. In addition to being specifically engineered for industrial uses, these sites feature the added benefits of high visibility and easy access to major transportation routes.

Being located alongside one of the major north-south motor routes in the United States, the Athens/McMinn Interstate Industrial Park offers excellent visibility to traffic with 4,800 feet of interstate frontage. The North Etowah Industrial Park adjoins the CSX Transportation railroad and U.S. Highway 411 and plans are underway to add 400 acres to the North Etowah Industrial Park in 100-acre increments over the next few years. The Mt. Verd Interchange Industrial Park is less than a quarter mile from an interchange of I-75, and has immediate access to Tennessee State Route 305.

Also located in Etowah is the South Etowah Industrial Park, a 43-acre development just off of U.S. Highway 411. Like North Etowah Industrial Park, the CSX rail is nearby.

Northridge Industrial Park in Athens is the oldest of McMinn County's four parks and was completely filled in 2001.

Although not located in developed industrial parks, there are ideal Free Standing industrial sites in McMinn County located throughout the Interstate 75 and U.S. Highway 411 corridors.

Wages

Wages in this part of the state are competitive with any other area of the country. The wage rate was cited by local industrial leaders as one of the top four business features in McMinn County.

As in many areas, manufacturing wages vary widely. Hourly wages in McMinn County range from the minimum wage, or less in some jobs such as restaurant servers, to a high of $29.05 per hour with the overall average being $16.09 per hour, and the average starting wage at $10.67 per hour.

Fire protection

According to the Insurance Services Organization, Athens is ranked Class 4, Etowah is Class 5 and Englewood is a Class 4 in fire protection services. Unincorporated areas throughout the county range from Class 7 to Class 9.

Waste services

Two Class A sanitary landfills are operated in McMinn County. The county-operated McMinn County Landfill accepts primarily residential household refuse collected in the county, but the facility also accepts some commercial and industrial wastes. A private landfill, Mine Road Landfill, accepts some industrial and commercial wastes.

Support

Any questions? Feel free to call the Economic Development Authority at (423) 745-1506 and our local Chambers of Commerce.

The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce can be reached at (423) 745-0334 while the Etowah Area Chamber of Commerce can be reached at (423) 263-2228. Both Chambers provide information concerning the business climate, available industrial locations and the community. Business owners and managers are kept informed on trends, planning and marketing through seminars and workshops hosted by the Chambers.