Tennessee touted for auto industry work

Friday, January 13, 2012, Vol. 36, No. 2

NASHVILLE (AP) - A manager for an automotive supplier says Tennessee is rapidly becoming a major hub for the industry.

Brad Pepper of Topre America Corp. said that choosing the Nissan plant in Smyrna, Tenn., for a new company location was an obvious choice. The company, based in Tokyo, also has a production and sales subsidiary in Cullman, Ala., which is its first location in the U.S.

The Tennessee facility represents a multimillion-dollar investment and the creation of 25 jobs.

Gov. Bill Haslam said Tennessee hopes to become the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.