LA VERGNE, Tenn. (WKRN) — La Vergne recently took a big hit with the announcement that Bridgestone is laying off hundreds of workers. But, city leaders say that knock is certainly not taking them down. They are already getting interest from other companies.
“I believe there is tremendous quality of life here in La Vergne and that’s something we are actively pursuing – and want to raise and keep the standards as high as possible,” said Thomas Broeker, director of La Vergne’s Office of Economic Development.
Broeker believes deeply in La Vergne’s future. In his years of public service, he’s seen the demographics transform
“We changed from a blue-collar town to – don’t know if people know this – but we are 60%, 70% white-collar. So, we are a young, white-collar town. It’s changed in that regard. We’re trying to bring amenities, we’re trying to get opportunities that match our demographic,” said Broeker.
It’s estimated 43,000 people live in La Vergne, but nearly 30,000 travel in every day for work. That’s 70,000 people that need restaurants, grocery stores and places to shop. In fact, around 7,000 new homes are going up on the southwest side of town. According to Broeker, businesses are taking notice. Expect to see redevelopment as new grocery stores and restaurants move in.
“Companies are seeing it and saying, ‘Hey, we want to be here. It’s a market that’s untapped,” said Broeker. “I believe there is a lot of opportunity for people here and we are seeing a lot of interest right now.”
And for the city, that sales tax revenue is unmatched. It helps offset property taxes. In fact, La Vergne estimated more than $1 billion of sales tax dollars is lost every year to surrounding communities in Rutherford County.
“We’re trying to plan for the future. We’re trying to plan whether it be housing, whether it be jobs, and certainly the amenities,” explained Broeker. “We want to have the sales tax base that comes in here that we can set our standard and keep it high for all the people that live here and will live here in the future.”
So, it was quite a shock when Bridgestone announced its closing the plant this year; 700 people will be out of a job.
“Devastating news,” said Broeker. “They wanted to run their business more efficiently and they thought that closing La Vergne would do it. We hate that. We certainly hate it for the 700 employees and their families. If there’s good news – we have been inundated with calls from industry around the country looking at that property.”
The city says it’s not all doom and gloom at the Bridgestone plant. They are receiving a lot of interest from other employers outside the state.
“Where La Vergne sits, we’re within 10 miles of the 65, the 40 and the 24 – we’re centrally located. People have always loved that… Just yesterday, I got calls from Texas, California, New York, South Carolina,” he said.
As for infrastructure, expect to see a big focus on Old Nashville Highway and Waldron Road as the population and the amount of traffic grows
