Our business climate, infrastructure, and workforce have put Tennessee and our region in the driver’s seat of the auto manufacturing market.

Today, the state is home to many major auto manufacturing plants and their auto suppliers. And our community is strategically located in the midst of the Southern Automotive Corridor. In just a 250-mile radius of Lincoln County, 15 automotive assembly plants are located or are under construction. And all of them are connected to Lincoln County via our roadways and interstates.

We offer

• More than 15,000 auto manufacturing employees in the 45-minute region including team assemblers, electricians, industrial engineers and production workers.
• 500+ Manufacturing Engineering Technology graduates each year from John C. Calhoun State Community College.
• 6.6% turnover rate in manufacturing lowering your training costs and human resource expenses.
• The cost of living of the 45-minute region is approximately 10% lower than the national average – meaning your dollars go further in our community.
• Access to U.S. Highways 64, 231, and 431. Interstate I-65 is 16 miles west of Fayetteville, and I-24 is 45 miles northeast of Fayetteville, via the recently widened four-lane U.S. Highway 64.
• 4 assembly plants (Nissan – Smyrna, Tennessee, GM – Spring Hill, Tennessee, Mazda Toyota, Huntsville, AL and the new Volkswagen plant – Chattanooga, TN) are located within 90 miles.

Speed, access, connectivity and costs are all critical to helping your transportation, logistics and distribution needs. Our region serves as Tennessee’s southern gateway giving you access to major infrastructure corridors, intermodal centers, airports and ports. Within 250 miles or roughly four hours, you can reach more than 25 million people and major markets such as Atlanta, Greenville, Memphis and Louisville. Our location and assets offer your business a market with reach without the regulatory burdens seen in larger metros.

We offer

• 9 motor freight companies with routes in the community, many with terminals in Fayetteville
• 2,300+ heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at an average wage of $40,300 lower than state and national averages
• 3% private sector union manufacturing rate – half of the national average of 6.2%
• #1 state In U.S. for Employment Concentration in Distribution and Logistics Industry
• $3.4+ billion capital investment from state distribution and logistics projects since 2015
• #5 Best State for Infrastructure – CNBC, 2019

Located in neighboring Madison County, just outside of Huntsville, Alabama is the Redstone Arsenal (RSA) – a garrison for various tenants across the Department of Defense, Department of Justice, and NASA. For more than 50 years, RSA’s 38,248 acre campus has served as the Army’s center for missile and rocket programs. Within a 40-mile radius, the population includes 850 Active Duty, 35,500 plus Department of Defense Civilians and contractors, and 15,000 Retirees and Family Members.

Home to the Arnold Air Force Base and its more than 4,400 employees, Lincoln County’s military community is a proven location for the multifaceted defense and aerospace sectors. With nearly 23,000 employees in the defense sector, our workforce is trained and growing in top industries such as aircraft engine and parts manufacturing, ammunition manufacturing and computer systems design. In computer systems design alone, we have more than 8,700 employees – a growth of 6.3% over the last five years alone.

Bolstering our aerospace sector is the Arnold Engineering Development Complex, which operates more than 68 aerodynamic and propulsion wind tunnels, rocket and turbine engine test cells, environmental chambers, arc heaters, ballistic ranges, sled tracks, centrifuges and other specialized units.

We offer

• 450+ exiting military each year in the region, providing a skilled and reliable talent pool for your operations
• 1,600 aerospace engineers and more than 9,000 aviation, aerospace and space employees in the region overall
• 4.9% increase over the last 10 years in our regional manufacturing of radio and television broadcasting and wireless communications equipment
• 9,700 private defense employees in the region who are trained and ready to work in a cross-range of sectors
• $34+ million in arms and ammunition exports in the state in 2019
• $1+ billion aerospace products and parts exported annually from Tennessee

We work hard in Lincoln County, but we also love where we live. We are a community of makers and builders, leveraging generations of creativity into new products and passions. When it comes to whiskey making, we are quite famous. We are the birthplace of the charcoal filtering method known as the Lincoln County Process, a mellowing process unique to Tennessee whiskey.

Today, Lincoln County is home to Prichard’s, Jackson Morgan and Southern Pride distilleries spanning back five generations to a small batch artisanal spirit company that began less than 10 years ago. In addition, our location along the Elk River and its more than 30 species of fish provides an endless number of recreational activities. Our small-town, rural lifestyle offers big city convenience to help your creative or outdoor business start, locate or grow.

We offer

• 4 industrial parks offering opportunities for growing industries, large or small
• 5.5 miles of greenways and trails, along with Elk River which provides 30 miles of blueway that support, grow and sustain outdoor businesses and industry
• More than 40,000 students enrolled in regional higher education institutions given you proximity to a young and active population
• Just a few hours’ drive to major markets of Atlanta, Greenville, Memphis and Louisville giving your access at a fraction of the cost
• $3.4+ billion in new capital investment from recent food and agriculture projects in the state
• 5-fold increase in jobs from breweries, distilleries and wineries since 2010 in Tennessee