Furniture supplier for Ikea building factory in Dandridge
Tuesday October 07, 2008
East Tennesseans will soon be building furniture for Ikea...
DANDRIDGE (WATE) -- East Tennesseans will soon be building furniture for Ikea. BJS, the main supplier for the Swedish furniture giant, is announcing plans for a new factory in Dandridge.
The company plans to locate the facility in the Jefferson County Industrial Park, just off Highway 92.
In the midst of the economic slowdown, Jefferson County officials decided to come up with a strategic action plan so they'd be ready when the economy picked up again.
But as they started planning, they got a surprising phone call.
"Things like this don't happen every day," says Don Cason, president of the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce.
"In today's market and the down economy, it means the community is feeling really good about the new jobs that are coming," Cason adds.
BJS wanted to come to East Tennessee and called Cason. "This is something thatJefferson County needs. It's also something that East Tennessee needs," he says.
The chairman of the Jefferson County Industrial Board, Ed Stiner, says the deal is a true blessing.
"BJS was going to be going over to Virginia. We were able to bring them this way," Stiner says. Now, the plans will mean more employment and more revenue for Jefferson County.
"There's a lot of local talent and we look forward to hiring as many local people as we can," says Dale Dennis, the local representative for BJS.
The plant in Dandridge is going to manufacture furniture, ship furniture and even have a furniture show room. The chamber of commerce says it's going to be a one-of-a-kind.
Groundbreaking is expected in late October or early November.
The facility will boast 91,000 square feet of office and building space. It will bring up to 150 new jobs over a three year period.
Source: WATE
