Business-friendly, hard-working hospitality next door to Nashville "A low cost of living with a great quality of life," cites a California executive who relocated major corporate holdings to Rutherford County, Tennessee “T he very best thing about Rutherford County from a business perspective is that the quality of the work force is here at all levels." Strong words from Byron Smith, Executive Vice President with Asurion, a major telecommunications employer that got its start in Silicon Valley and now has 5,000 employees worldwide. Asurion established significant operations in Rutherford County in 2002 and ultimately moved its corporate headquarters to middle Tennessee from San Francisco.    "The workforce here is easy to recruit and easy to retain," added Smith, "and the fact that we have a high quality large university makes a big difference. It's an anchor for quality of life."    Come see for yourself, because Rutherford County, Tennessee, is ready. Industrial, commercial and land offerings are available throughout Rutherford's landscape of 200,000+, just 13 miles southeast of Nashville.    Rutherford County is 15 minutes from Nashville, but far enough away to have its own hometown identity, low crime rate, rolling green hills, strong public/private partnership, friendly people, access to multiple interstates and excellent telecom access.    It's largely about location, and Rutherford County is blessed with it in abundance. The county lies between Nashville and Chattanooga on a direct route from Chicago to Atlanta and within a day's drive of 75 percent of the U.S. population. You can be up the road in 20 minutes to an NFL Titans game, a NHL Predators clash or Nashville Superspeedway race on the area's expansive interstate system. Tennessee's road system is ranked in the top five in the U.S.    Rutherford County is the fifth largest and fastest growing county in a state long considered one of the South's friendliest to business. Kiplinger Magazine and Travel & Leisure recently dubbed the area one of the country's "coolest" and "friendliest." Why? One big reason is the $2B music industry. Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) is known internationally for its recording industry major, one of a handful of such programs in the nation. MTSU attracts students from all over the U.S.; regional universities and colleges turn out nearly 100,000 graduates annually.    Daily, more than 35,000 highly skilled workers stream to jobs in Nashville – but they'd rather work nearer their homes, according to officials.    "Byron Smith is exactly right. Rutherford County has a ready-made work force for employers," says Holly Sears, Economic Development Director, Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce. "Our citizens are highly skilled and highly educated, and right now many of them drive to Nashville to work." Public/Private Partnership Strong and Welcoming    Rutherford County has adopted an aggressive economic development strategy, bringing together the public and private sectors to fund a comprehensive economic development initiative termed "Destination Rutherford." The red carpet is rolled out jointly by both private leaders and public officials to help new employers make a smooth entry into the area. Murfreesboro: "Most Livable Town in Tennessee"    The Murfreesboro Gateway is the region's hottest new master planned development, offering Class A office, corporate headquarters, residential and retail. Gateway construction is booming on a new Middle Tennessee Medical Center and nearly 300,000 square feet of Class A office space.    Under construction is an 800,000-square-foot lifestyle retail development, The Avenue Murfreesboro, heralded as one-of-a-kind in the Southeast. Next door to the lifestyle mall will be a new 80,000-square-foot conference center and 283-room all-suites Embassy Suites hotel.    The city just invested in a $13M state-of-the-art soccer complex and park and continues to invest in its Main Street District, site of one of six of the oldest antebellum courthouses in Tennessee, dating back to pre-Civil War times. Smyrna's experiencing a retail "explosion"    Smyrna is home to Nissan, an 8100-person manufacturing employer, and hub of a number of spillover auto-related industries. The Smyrna/Rutherford County Airport is one of the busiest general aviation facilities in the Southeast, and its recent business park is attracting international attention and tenants with choice sites for office development and aviation- related companies. The city also is experiencing a retail explosion of nearly 1 million square feet along key route Sam Ridley Parkway, home to StoneCrest Medical Center, just two years old and already undergoing an expansion. La Vergne: home of state's largest industrial park    La Vergne, the county's closest city to Nashville, is a mecca of distribution centers and industrial space, with Interchange City, a 1,200-acre industrial park which is the largest in the state. Centre Pointe, another distribution center located right on I-24, is home to Hot Topic and more than 500,000 square feet of opportunity in warehouse distribution, retail space and Class A spec office space. The city also hosts companies like Bridgestone/ Firestone, Ingram Book Group and Borders Group. Eagleville: Pastoral country setting still exists    In this, the smallest of cities in Rutherford County, Eagleville still maintains that small-town country feel while within easy distance to the amenities of urban life. With its own hometown school for kindergarten through 12th grade, city leaders are readying regulations in preparation for the sure growth coming their way.    Throughout the county, there are division and regional offices of companies like State Farm Insurance, Verizon Wireless, Cardinal Health, Nissan, General Mills, Starbucks and many more. If you're like they were – looking for an expansion or relocation destination – Rutherford County should top your list of Southern sites.