Why organic food manufacturer picked Wilson County for $78M expansion to add 219 jobs

Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean
Updated ·2 min read

An organic food company based in Oregon will expand to Lebanon and Wilson County with a $78.3 million investment that will create 219 jobs.

Bridgetown Natural Foods announced plans on Wednesday to expand with a manufacturing and distribution facility at 8051 Eastgate Boulevard off Interstate 840.

Food production is targeted to begin in July as Bridgetown Natural Foods will start hiring in about four weeks, said company CEO Dan Klock.

Bridgetown Natural Foods CEO Dan Klock, left, speaks with Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto, center, and Lebanon Mayor Rick Bell, right, at the Made In Tennessee Building at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center on March 20, 2024.
Bridgetown Natural Foods CEO Dan Klock, left, speaks with Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto, center, and Lebanon Mayor Rick Bell, right, at the Made In Tennessee Building at the James E. Ward Agricultural Center on March 20, 2024.

Bridgetown considered eight states before picking Tennessee and Wilson County. Other buildings in Tennessee were also considered, Klock said.

"(The) location is great, it can service the Midwest, Southeast, East Coast, Northeast, all big regions for us with growing opportunities," Klock said on why Wilson County was ultimately chosen.

The Wilson County facility is expected to help Bridgetown shorten delivery times and decrease shipping costs.

A supportive business economic development climate, quality of life for employees and the community feel are also reasons the company decided on Tennessee. Klock described the local business support as "the best of anywhere we met with."

Local tax incentives are approved and are still being finalized, Joint Economic & Community Development Board of Wilson County Executive Director Corey Johns said.

Bridgetown Natural Foods will lease an existing 300,000 square foot building from Prologis that will house multiple manufacturing lines and produce nearly 100 million pounds of food. The company specializes in all-natural, organic and gluten-free snack brands. Bridgetown now produces about 55 million pounds of food annually.

Bridgetown will eventually employ more than 600 people across its Oregon and Tennessee plants.

In other business-expansion news, electrical equipment will also soon be manufactured in the area.

Schneider Electric announced in March plans to expand with 355 new jobs moving into a new facility on Maddox Road in Wilson County along with an additional 100 jobs at its Smyrna location in an $85 million investment.

"A lot of activity," said Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter.

Reach Andy Humbles at ahumbles@tennessean.com or 615-726-5939 and on X, formerly known as Twitter @ AndyHumbles.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Bridgetown Natural Foods brings 219 jobs to Lebanon in TN expansion