Food + Beverage
Jump To: Chattanooga Region
Top Advantages
Located at the cross section of three major interstates—I-75, I-59 and I-24—the Chattanooga region is considered a logistical sweet spot. Less than a two-hour drive from metro Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville and Huntsville, the area enjoys easy access to some of the Southeast’s most flourishing markets and more than 150 transportation carriers. And with excellent north/south and east/west connectivity, companies can take advantage of one-day shipping to one-third of U.S. consumer markets. It’s no wonder the region is consistently named one of the top 10 distribution locations in the U.S.
When it comes to site selection, the Chattanooga region boasts numerous low-cost utilities—including one of the country’s foremost smart grids—and an abundant water supply from the Tennessee River. And with the availability of electric power that meets the needs of any size manufacturer, selecting one of the region’s numerous sites is easier than ever.
Manufacturing companies that choose the Chattanooga region benefit from not only a wide selection of strategically located sites and a well-prepared labor force, but tremendous cost savings. Property taxes are not collected on goods-in-process, inventoried finished goods, inventoried for-sale merchandise, goods in transit or government-required pollution control equipment. As further incentive, tax abatements allow qualified businesses to substantially reduce their property tax burden. Foreign Trade Zone opportunities, state training and infrastructure grants are also available throughout the region.
Bottling Innovation
with Coca-Cola
In 1899, two Chattanooga-based lawyers approached the president of Coca-Cola with a bold idea: selling bottles of the popular beverage.
You could say it was the first in a long line of major industry disruptions out of Chattanooga; at the time, the industry focused on fountain sales, but these Chattanoogans obtained exclusive rights to bottle the beverage and began selling the bottling rights to entrepreneurs.
Only 10 years later, in 1909, nearly 400 different bottling plants were operating around the country. Coca-Cola Bottling Company continues to operate in the Chattanooga region, maintaining a more than 110-year-old presence.
World-Class Workforce
and Training
Companies in the region benefit from a large pool of non-union workers with food manufacturing expertise. A boom to the continuous development of local talent, the region’s community colleges and 12 accredited higher education institutions offer customized technical training programs that have served more than 200 businesses and trained more than 12,000 workers in a variety of sectors.
In addition, the region’s proximity to universities such as Georgia Tech, Emory, Vanderbilt, Middle Tennessee State University, the University of Tennessee Knoxville and the University of Alabama in Huntsville allows for an expansive approach to recruitment.
DEGREES OFFERED
Chattanooga State Community College
- Food Science and Technology, Technical Certificate
Cleveland State Community College
- Agriculture, Associate’s Degree
Northwest Alabama Community College
- Agribusiness Economics, Associate’s Degree
- Animal and Dairy Science, Associate’s Degree
- Nutrition, Associate’s Degree
- Poultry Science, Associate’s Degree
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
- Food and Nutrition, Bachelor of Science