Tenn. Hopes To Attract Toyota Plant

Governor Phil Bredesen says the biggest asset in attracting a Toyota plant to Tennessee is the quality of the state’s workforce.

Bredesen told the Wall Street Journal over the weekend that Tennessee is on a shortlist of sites being considered by Toyota Motor Corporation.

Bredesen says he has asked the state Department of Economic and Community Development to “respond aggressively” to large factory bids.

“I want to get out there. I want to be competitive. It’s a little bit of a numbers game and you just try to take some swings at some balls and see if you can connect, and you know, there are a lot automotive companies looking at locating plants right now and Toyota is one of them and we’re going to swing at that ball.”

Tennessee’s proposed sites are near Alamo in Western Tennessee and near Chattanooga. Bredesen says Tennessee doesn’t have the “richest package in America” but calls the package competitive among a relatively small number of sites nationwide.