Governor Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Southern Champion Tray (SCT) officials announced on Tuesday that the company will expand its Chattanooga operations by investing $84.9 million in a new manufacturing facility in the Centre South Riverport Industrial Park. SCT’s purchase of the property is subject to the completion of due diligence which is expected to be complete by early first quarter of 2021.
As part of the expansion, SCT will create more than 120 new jobs in Hamilton County over the next five years.
The new manufacturing facility will convert paperboard into packaging products.
Construction will begin in early 2021 and is expected to be complete by early 2022. In addition to this building, SCT will maintain three other facilities in Chattanooga.
SCT manufactures and distributes paperboard packaging products including food sleeves, trays, window boxes, cupcake inserts and others. More recently, the company has created a new tamper-evident packaging system for use by restaurants and food delivery services. The Guarantab, dubbed “Fort Knox in a box,” securely locks the container so that customers will know their food has not been disturbed during the delivery process.
Headquartered in Chattanooga, SCT is a third generation, family-owned company. SCT employs more than 750 people and produces over 500 stock products for customers in the foodservice and baking industries. In addition, the company provides custom packaging solutions for customers across a number of industries.
Since 2015, TNECD has supported 45 economic development projects in Hamilton County, resulting in approximately 6,700 job commitments and $1.8 billion in capital investment.
Governor Lee said, "Tennessee’s economy will continue to rebound because companies continue to invest and create jobs in our state. Southern Champion Tray’s expansion will provide a boost to Hamilton County and surrounding areas, and I appreciate the company for choosing to grow in Tennessee.”
Commissioner Rolfe said, “Products manufactured at Southern Champion Tray’s Chattanooga operations can be found in homes and businesses across the country. We are proud of the success this family-owned company has seen over the years and thank them for providing the citizens of Hamilton County with quality job opportunities.”
Brian Hunt, chief operations officer, Southern Champion Tray, said, “We at Southern Champion Tray are extremely appreciative of Mayor Coppinger, the Chattanooga Chamber, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development along with TVA, for the support in our company’s growth. This is a vote of confidence for every current SCT employee, as well as the 120 new employees that we will be adding. After 93 years of continuous growth, we are excited to build another facility to support many more years of serving customers with Great Packaging and Distinctive Service.”
County Mayor Jim Coppinger said, “Southern Champion Tray is a Hamilton County legacy company. I’m thrilled about their decision to expand into Centre South Riverport Industrial Park, bringing over 120 jobs and over $80 million in investment. Southern Champion Tray’s expansion and investment will contribute to Hamilton County’s growth for years to come.”
John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of Economic Development, said, “TVA and EPB congratulate Southern Champion Tray on its decision to expand operations in Chattanooga. It’s always an exciting day when we can celebrate a company’s commitment to continued growth in the Valley. We are proud to partner with Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, and Hamilton County to help further companies, like Southern Champion Tray’s continued business success.”
Senator Todd Gardenhire said, "We are very excited and pleased that Southern Champion Tray is expanding its operations in Chattanooga. This significant investment not only shows Hamilton County is a great place to expand operations, it is a testament to the extraordinary people who make up our workforce. I congratulate our local officials and economic development leaders, Governor Lee and Commissioner Rolfe and his team for bringing these jobs home. I am very honored to partner with them to make our state more attractive to economic development and job growth."
Rep. Yusuf Hakeem said, “It’s exciting to see Southern Champion Tray expand its Chattanooga operation. The new facility, with its promise of bringing over 120 additional jobs to the Centre South Riverport Industrial Park, will be a great shot in the arm to the local economy. Congratulations to all of the local leaders and the people at the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development for their hard work in order to make this happen.”