Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Plans Major Expansion; Create 300 New Jobs

An empty 334,000-square-foot building and an eager workforce explain only in part why Vermont-based Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. chose the Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley of Tennessee for a major expansion site that eventually will employ 300 workers.

"The central location makes us more efficient, reduces our transportation and distribution costs and shortens delivery lead times of our products," according to Jon Wettstein, GreenMountain's vice president for supply chain operations.

But he says a well-coordinated economic development community also helped seal the deal.

The Knoxville-OakRidgeInnovationValley economic development partnership between the Blount County Chamber of Commerce, Knoxville Chamber, Loudon County Economic Development Agency, Oak Ridge Economic Partnership, the Roane Alliance, and Tellico Reservoir Development Agency, Wettstein says, "provided an incredibly efficient process."

Quality of life considerations also played a major part in attracting the socially-conscious coffee roasting and distributing company. Knoxville has fared well in recent polls by Forbes, Inc. and Site Selection magazines.

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