Tom Edd Wilson, president/CEO of Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, will speak at a reception and continental breakfast Thursday, Sept. 18, in the Estes Williams Business Center at Leslie Town Centre, 1 W. First St. in Cookeville.

The reception and breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. and the one-hour presentation by Wilson will start at 8 a.m.

In mid-July, Volkswagen Group of America Inc. announced it would build an automotive manufacturing plant in Chattanooga that is expected to employ approximately 2,000 workers.

An additional 10,000 to 14,000 jobs could be created from the ripple effect of suppliers and other vendors that will be needed to support the new facility.

The 1,350-acre site is due to open in 2011 and will produce a mid-sized sedan designed specifically for the North American market.

Initial production capacity for the facility is projected to be 150,000 vehicles, with sales expected to reach 800,000 units by 2018.

Highlands Partners are eager to capture a sizable share of the high-tech manufacturing and other business and industry jobs that will be needed to support Volkswagen’s growth.

“We have a significant opportunity to attract a portion of the tier-2
and tier-3 suppliers,” said George Halford, president/CEO of the
Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce. “We also believe we have an opportunity to attract tier-1 suppliers.”

Volkswagen plans to use tier-1 suppliers that are within a 60-mile
radius of Chattanooga, which covers Sparta and portions of White County.

Tier-2 and tier-3 suppliers will be within a 150-mile radius, which covers
all of the Highlands – Overton, Putnam and White counties – and the entire Upper Cumberland.

“We must work to accelerate our growth plan to attract 21st century
jobs,” said Halford.

“We have a workforce and quality of life in this region that is second to none.

Now we have a great opportunity to capitalize on those assets by developing quality sites and attracting top rate suppliers and good jobs for our residents.”