Sevier County Expansions: Parker Trutec and KaTom Restaurant Supply announce expansions

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Parker Trutec MMI, Inc. officials announced the company will expand its manufacturing and distribution operations in Sevier County by adding a new facility in Kodak.

Parker Trutec will invest $12 million and create 48 new jobs over the next five years.

To meet growing customer demand for its products, Parker Trutec, which currently operates at 134 River Bend Drive in Sevierville, will construct a new 54,000-square-foot facility at the I-40 Industrial Park in Kodak.

Parker Trutec’s Kodak site will specialize in surface treatment and cleaning operations for the automotive industry. The company also plans to dedicate 5,000 square feet of its new facility to warehousing and distribution.

Founded in 1988, Parker Trutec, a subsidiary of Nihon Parkerizing Co., Ltd., strives to provide its customers with solutions to minimize or eliminate inherent metal limitations. The company currently employs roughly 500 people across its operations in Arkansas, Tennessee and Ohio.

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and KaTom Restaurant Supply, Inc. officials announced the company will invest $7.5 million to expand its distribution operations in Kodak, Tennessee.

The wholesale food service and equipment supplier will create 120 new jobs in Sevier County over the next five years.

KaTom will expand its Kodak operations by adding an additional 100,000 square feet of space to its existing warehouse fulfillment center. The project will help strengthen KaTom’s ability to meet its growing food service customer demands for restaurant, kitchen, bar and pizza equipment and supplies.

Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Kodak, Tennessee, KaTom is one of the nation’s largest restaurant equipment suppliers with more than 130,000 items on its virtual and physical shelves that can be shipped within one day from the company’s East Tennessee operations. Today, KaTom employs more than 200 at its sole facility in Kodak.

In the last five years, TNECD has supported nearly 70 economic development projects in the East Tennessee region resulting in more than 9,600 job commitments and nearly $3 billion in capital investment.

Source: State of Tennessee ECD

The East Tennessee Economic Development Agency markets and recruits business for the 15 counties in the greater Knoxville-Oak Ridge region of East Tennessee. Visit www.eteda.org

Published March 25, 2022