Montgomery County has again been on the sidelines as dozens of major corporate headquarters have made relocation decisions in early 2019. Moribund MoCo, now at rock bottom in the D.C. region in virtually every economic development indicator, just got iced out of another one. While our corrupt elected officials were dozing at the switch, high-energy Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee closed a deal for the ICEE headquarters. The beloved frozen beverage firm is moving its California HQ to La Vergne, in Rutherford County Tennessee.
"It's such a business-friendly spot," ICEE President Dan Fachner said of La Vergne, according to the local
Daily News Journal. The deal also includes a distribution center, and a requirement to
create 207 additional jobs with an average salary of $60,152 within the coming five years. In exchange for a relatively-paltry $690,275 tax break, La Vergne, Rutherford County and Tennessee will get a $10.3 million project, and all of the tax revenue and collateral economic benefits.
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| Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) |
"ICEE's decision to bring its corporate headquarters to La Vergne highlights how
Tennessee's low taxes, skilled workforce and quality of life continue to attract world-class businesses, said Bob Rolfe, the commissioner of the state's Department of Economic and Community Development," the
Daily News Journal reported.
Once again, transportation infrastructure also played a big role in the decision. While not mentioned in media coverage of the ICEE deal, the City of La Vergne upgraded Mason Road and its utilities near Bain Drive during the year-long ICEE HQ decision process in 2018. And what do you know? That's exactly where ICEE is going to locate its HQ and distribution center.
Contrast that show of infrastructure investment and goodwill by Tennessee to the moronic decision by the Montgomery County Council to cancel the biggest infrastructure project in White Flint on the very day that Amazon executives were touring White Flint for their HQ 2 search. Along with the enablers in our obsequious and apologist local media, it couldn't be more clear why Montgomery has lost every single major corporate headquarters contest over the last two decades.
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Google Maps image shows 13-minute trip to
the closest airport from the future ICEE site |
The La Vergne site also sits
right off of Interstate 24, and along a major rail line.
Smyrna Airport is only 13 minutes away from the future ICEE property, and the major Nashville International Airport is only 18 minutes away, according to Google Maps. Meanwhile, Montgomery County officials have actively blocked any attempt to build a new Potomac River crossing that would provide direct access to Dulles International Airport, leaving all major airports a long, congested drive for busy executives - which is one reason those executives always pass over MoCo in location decisions. In fact, Montgomery lost the Discovery HQ to Knoxville, Tennessee, where Discovery chose a site with similar direct airport and interstate access.
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The brain freeze of an ICEE isn't nearly
as cold as the one you'll get from the latest
Montgomery County Council tax increase
this year |
While Montgomery County's corrupt, developer-controlled Council and Planning Board were busy converting MoCo's office parks to residential housing for their developer sugar daddies, Tennessee state and local officials were readying theirs for household-name tenants and success. While states like Tennessee and Virginia add highway capacity (and high-wage jobs and corporations follow), Montgomery County politicians in Rockville and Annapolis are aggressively fighting Gov. Larry Hogan's Express Lanes plan for the Beltway and I-270.
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An ICEE chill settles over Montgomery County,
now the moribund bedroom community for booming
job centers elsewhere in the D.C. region |
“With our top-rated school district, affordable cost of living and strong local economy, companies like The ICEE Company are choosing to relocate and put down roots in our community,” Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron said in a statement. Contrast that with Montgomery County's rapidly-declining public schools, high cost of living and record-high taxes, and moribund local economy. It's not a winning formula, to say the least.
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The clock runs out on the
Montgomery County cartel |
The ICEE victory again shows how attracting one major employer has a multiplier effect. Attracting Nissan to that same part of Tennessee decades ago fueled explosive economic growth in the area. Having traveled to Nashville many, many times as a professional musician, I've been surprised at how many people I've encountered there over the years are employed by Nissan or Nissan-related businesses. Some of them live in wonderful, new suburban neighborhoods developed as a result of the Nissan facilities. 520 new Nissan-related auto parts manufacturing jobs have been added in Smyrna in the last year alone, the
Daily News Journal reported. Nashville also recently became home to the parent company of Hardee's and Carl's Jr,. another corporate HQ that MoCo didn't even compete for.
We won't attract that first breakthrough corporate headquarters with the super-low-energy, Berzerkley-inspired, anti-business "new" County Council that took office just over three months ago. They haven't acted on a single one of the major crises Montgomery County faces in the many weeks since. Their press release output in recent weeks features no Bill Lee-style announcements of new high-wage jobs, but instead highlights an "Islamophobia" resolution, an outdoor patio smoking ban, and a "Racial Equity and Social Justice Policy."
Res ipsa loquitur, indeed.
The area is nothing like this area. It's an area with lots of room to grow. They're still at stage one in building. It'll be years before those get torn down for mid-rise and even more years before they're ready for high-rises. THEN, the area fill be like ours is NOW.
ReplyDeletePopulation was 32,588 at the 2010 census and 34,423 in 2018.
La Vergne lies within the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area
You do know that MOCO has many of the leading Bio Technology Companies that are located out on 270 in Rockville and Gaithersburg? I guess you’re such a moron that you never leave Bethesda to see this for yourself. smh.
ReplyDeleteWow, a “wonderful new suburban area” and a new sugar water distrubution center, sounds like the perfect place for you Robert. Think of all the great YouTube videos you could do on the new frozen ICEE drinks, from your spacious new 1/4 acre suburban home.
ReplyDeleteThe Va Vergne Suburban News Network, all the news you need know (about suburban sprawl, vehicular orientated design and tips on how to contract Type II Diabetes’s). Better start working on Nashville Bob’s southern drawl.
Looks like Virginia was "ICEEd out" of the decision, too.
ReplyDelete"Google Maps image shows 13-minute trip to the closest airport from the future ICEE site"
ReplyDeleteExcept that Smyrna Airport has no scheduled airline service, Dummy.
ICEE is a terrible product.
ReplyDeleteDoes Dyer get some sort of pleasure out of blatantly trolling with nonsensical stories like this?
ReplyDeleteyummmmmmm reeeetard likes iceeeeeee, retard want iceeee to come to Maryland becasuse reeetard loves slurpeeee.... Why can't coco get iceee to come, this make reeeetarrrrd very upset!!!! Reeeetard does not care fore boomed, retarrrrd wants slurpeeeee!!!!!
ReplyDelete"Nashville also recently became home to the parent company of Hardee's and Carl's Jr,."
ReplyDeleteYes, the company that destroyed the first generation of Roy Rogers restaurants in our county, as well as Burger Chef two decades before that.
This legitimately could be an Onion piece.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile on the EastMucus blog:
ReplyDelete"If you live near Wheaton Plaza, you have another option to receive your orders from Amazon. Amazon Lockers have just been installed near Dick's Sporting Goods. It was not clear if packages were being received yet, but confirmation will be clearly shown when you select your desired location on Amazon.com.
"We lost very badly to Virginia in the Amazon HQ 2 race thanks to our inept and business-unfriendly Montgomery County Council - but, hey, we got some more Amazon Lockers. Heckuva job, Brownie!"
Bitter never-employed dude whining as he wanders aimlessly around a mall. LOL
10:12 AM Montgomery County government gave Amazon all of our proprietary data and all we have to show for it are Amazon Lockers :/
ReplyDeleteThey are convenient!
A company like ICEE needs a distribution network that allows product to move freely throughout the country. Putting your HQ with distribution in a more central location with respect to highways is important. It is the reason many retailers have their distribution centers based in places like Columbus, OH. ICEE needed a better geolocation for distribution than any city on the coast can give them.
ReplyDeleteThis is just the most inane argument. Icee? What? I mean it's not like we lost out on Auntie Anne's Pretzels. Also your post says "207 additional jobs with an average salary of $60,152" How could anyone live in Bethesda on that salary.
ReplyDelete@ 11:31 AM: "A company like ICEE needs a distribution network that allows product to move freely throughout the country. Putting your HQ with distribution in a more central location with respect to highways is important."
ReplyDeleteYes. According to the article which Dyer cited but did not bother to link:
"La Vergne offers a central location for Icee, with 75 percent of the company's customers being within 1,000 miles, Fachner said."
https://www.dnj.com/story/money/2019/02/27/rutherford-county-jobs-la-vergne/3002136002/
Also, the article was dated February 27.
Yeah, I lost a lot of Detective work on ID Channel when SirensMedia went belly up and ½ of Discovery Communications moved to Knoxville, TN where those bastards at Jupiter Entertainment will produce all those shows and get all of those true crime jobs... Thanks MoCo... Oh, and BTW, look for a heated community MTG tomorrow at the ImaginationStage concerning Battery Lane apts managed by Aldon and property owned by Brown.
ReplyDelete4:36: Good point again about all of the collateral economic activity that firms like Discovery create(d).
ReplyDelete12:56: With a range of 1000 miles, how would MoCo be much different - if we had completed our master plan highway system, that is?
10:12: What evidence do you possibly have that I have "never been employed?"
9:49: Any Jennifer Barrios article about the County Council would also qualify as potential Onion reports. The difference is, my articles are actually fact-based.
9:22: I love the fact that all of the negative troll comments can't actually dispute the facts of my article, and attack me on other issues. You just got served.
5:59: The only way that will happen is if more refugees from blue states like Maryland keep fleeing to Tennessee, and take their low-information voting habits along with them.
7:04: What do you figure the runway at Smyrna is for, Einstein?
6:31: Yes, but those were the result of decisions made twenty years ago, not by our current Council of corrupt dunces. And as I've reported, Virginia is rapidly catching up on biotech, and are about to erase that very small advantage we had.
The Barrios envy continues.
ReplyDeleteSmyrna airport is a military and general aviation airport, with only a part-time control tower.
Most of it's use is by the National Guard. It's similar to our Martin State Airport, although last I remember Martin was getting a new 200' runway. You need al least 6,000 ft for commercial airliners.
Again, it's also an area just building out, not already crowded, like here.
ack!! its not it's. I know better!
ReplyDelete"With a range of 1000 miles, how would MoCo be much different - if we had completed our master plan highway system, that is?"
ReplyDeleteWow, you really are stupid. The center of population, depending on how it is defined, is in either southwestern Indiana or southern Missouri. Nashville is 600 miles west of the Washington DC area and thus much closer. No amount of freeway building locally is going to change that.
The photos with this article imply that ICEE causes obesity.
ReplyDelete