A few weeks ago, East Chattanooga celebrated a historic day that was years in the making.
Nippon Paint (USA) Inc. joined city and county officials to announce its plans to invest more than $60 million to build a new state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in East Chattanooga’s Avondale neighborhood.
Nippon plans to create 150 jobs at the new plant, which local officials consider a spark that will rejuvenate the neighborhood and provide families access to quality jobs.
“This represents the first major economic development deal in this neighborhood since 1917, when the hosiery that become Buster Brown was located here,” Chattanooga Mayor Berke said. “102 years.”
The effort to reel in an investment like this took city and neighborhood leaders several years. Back in 2014, the city of Chattanooga acquired the former Harriet Tubman public housing site. Since then, the city has made numerous investments in the Avondale neighborhood – in new sidewalks, a community center, and other infrastructure improvements.
All along, the centerpiece of these efforts was to attract a business to build on the former Harriet Tubman site, which would place quality jobs within walking distance for many residents in the neighborhood.
“We always knew a plant like this was the goal,” Mayor Berke said of Nippon. “There’s a big piece that’s been missing. If you’re struggling, your life can change if there’s a living wage job just around the corner. That’s been missing until now. These jobs are going to pay an hourly wage of $15 to $16. That gives workers the kind of earning power that they need so they can have real stability.”