The economic success continued last week for Baxter with 56 new high-paying jobs on the way.
Putnam County Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Amy New said the high quality of life and available property in the industrial park contribute to the success. New said the Chamber and government officials worked with the state to make the Anatolia deal happen.
“This project is kind of rare because other projects kind of come down from the state, and then we actively will say we are interested in this one, we are not interested in this one,” New said. “And ones that we are interested in are those ones that are paying high wages, that meet the needs of our community.”
New said Baxter has land for projects. New said accessing interstates and highways is important for manufacturers, as the majority of projects want to locate around Hwy 111 or I-40. New said close proximity to roadways makes transporting items in and out of the area easier.
With Baxter’s success, New said there is an appetite for further infrastructure improvements, such as state industrial access roads into the industrial park in the city.
“There will need to be the expansion of those roads as we continue the growth of both retail and actual projects that are creating manufacturing or logistical type jobs,” New said.
New said Baxter will continue to see growth as people continue to move to Putnam County.
“People continue to move to this area because of it’s natural beauty, our schools,” New said. “There are so many reasons. Also, Tennessee Tech is a big, big tool in our tool box.”