Wacker PolySi

Wacker Polysilicone has donated $3MM to support training for its future workers at Chattanooga State Community College, the TFP reports. Oh.. and the State's giving Wacker $5MM in cash and $29MM in bonds, in gratitude for Wacker's recently announced expansion of its capacity and workforce, the TFP also reports.

Wacker Workers

Wacker Chemical Corp.'s planned hiring of up to 650, with 70 lead operators upfront, has brought out throngs of jobseekers. The TFP reports.

Wacker Chem advances

Construction at Wacker Chemical in the Chattanooga area is moving along brisky, the TFP reports.

Chu: Solar silicon not clear winner

US DOE Secretary Steven Chu makes clear that silicon and downstream manufacturers need to find cheaper ways to make photovoltaics, to spur adoption of solar power. The MDN reports. Tennessee, of course, has made major plays to attract Hemlock and Wacker, key polySi manufacturers.

Chattanooga allowed to smile on Jobs growth

Signs of the epochal Great Recession remain, but Chattanooga and Cleveland and environs have reason to smile, with The Noog recording more that 7,000 net jobs growth in the past year, thanks in part to newly announced investments. Read the Times Free Press' summary. (Related story on local consumer restaurant spending.) Meanwhile, nationally analysts see signs of traction, bullishness for 2011, says The New York Times (free registration). Of course, if you're unemployed, you see prospects quite differently, says the NYT, reporting results from Rutgers, full report here. NBJ reports on Tennessee joblessness - it remains a mottled picture statewide, but at least "mass layoffs" have abated, a bit.

Bredesen views Solar, industrial investments with pleasure

Gov. Phil Bredesen told West Tennesseans (Commercial Appeal) the Solar Farm and industrial park he drove to completion are in-train for completion, and praised Chattanoogans' (Times Free Press) ability to leverage their region's assets and maintain strong state-local partnerships.

Wacker investment drives Chatta. Community College expansion

Chattanooga State Community College is expanding by 15 acres its campus, thanks in part to a $3MM contribution from Wacker Chemie, which is building a presence in the Noog, the TFP reports.

TN: Silicon State

Last week's announcement that Confluence Solar is going to Clinton, Tenn., got play -- thanks largely to the reach of The Associated Press -- worldwide. We enjoyed this blog, with its reference to TN as the Silicon State. As we write this, it does occur to us this could be mistaken as a reference to cosmetic surgery. But, we digress.

More Solar investment in TN debuts today

Gov. Phil Bredesen, ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber and officials from Confluence Solar Inc. are set today to announce formally Confluence's investment in a new facility at Clinton, Tenn. A projected 250 jobs are slated for the $400MM facility that makes products for the photovoltaic sector that is becoming an anchor of Tennessee's new economy. Our story is here. Confluence may seek TNInvestcos' investment, as part of its recently launched capital round. The investment complements the Bredesen-driven Solar Institute, new megasite developments, as well as investments announced earlier by Hemlock Semiconductor and Wacker Chemie. The KNS has a related item this morning, triggered by VNC's report.

Tennessee Solar market needed

Larisa Brass reports for KNS on the ripple-effects created by Hemlock Semiconductor and Wacker Chemie's investments in Tennessee. One source explains that Tennessee must not only serve as the beginning of a Solar supply chain, but must also create market-demand within the state for solar products for residential and commercial use.

TN will honor ECD commitments

Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber told the Times-News the State will honor all the incentive and support commitments it has previously made to new industry, including Volkwagen and Wacker.

'Wacker mag Dich'

We think that means "Wacker loves you," but Wacker Chemie execs' comments about waiting for market conditions for polysilicone to stabilize have sent a few tremors through Chattanoogans, who're hoping the Munich- (or, Munchen-) -based company follows-through on its announced plans for a $1BN factory in Hamilton County, where about 500 would be employed, beginning in 2011. State ECD says not to worry, alles gut. The Times Free Press reports.

TFP: State has strong foothold in Green industries

The Times Free Press' Dave Flessner provides one of the more comprehensive reviews of the state's recent industry-recruitment and green-industry initiatives. The TFP photo at left shows Revenue Commissioner Reagan Farr (left) and ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber during their interview. They were scheduled to depart Nashville today for Europe, accompanying the governor on a Green-industry hunting expedition.

Chattanooga attracts another power player

Power-generating Burns & Roe, which has an office at Oak Ridge, announced it'll hire up to 200 for its new outpost in Chattanooga. With other energy-related investments in the region -- Wacker Chemie, Alstom and let's toss in VW -- there's little doubt Chattanooga and Hamilton County are riding the Energy Bubble. And, all this adds further weight to the rationale for Gov. Bredesen's team trip to Germany, Poland and Switzerland, which begins Sunday. The B&R news comes, unfortunately, just as Chattanooga's DJO Chattanooga, a medical-devices maker, announced laying-off 300.

Relocations, consolidations

Two separate Nashville operations are consolidating in Chattanooga offices: Platinum Financial Funding, a mortgage-loan packager, is moving its HQ into existing Noog offices, to better reach markets in Tennessee, Georgia and Florida, according to reported comments by Founder-President Chris Payne, who had been based here. Elsewhere, at least 11 have been laid off in Nashville and Loudon, as nationwide metals distributor Ryerson Inc. consolidates in Chattanooga, citing cost-cutting and efficiency. No word on whether the Volkswagen-Wacker Bubble may be tilting consolidation decisions in favor of Chattanooga, but there is mounting evidence that companies plan to get by with fewer outposts. A third company, multilevel marketer Ecoquest International, based in Greeneville, Tenn., has been bought by Dallas-based Aerus Holdings, and layoffs are apparently in prospect following integration of operations. Ecoquest apparently had FTC legal problems, earlier this decade.