Site Selection’s Second Annual “Big Muddy Cup” Goes to Dyersburg, Tennessee

Press Release

Site Selection’s Second Annual “Big Muddy Cup” Goes to Dyersburg, Tennessee

Atlanta, March 12, 2015: Dyersburg/Dyer County, Tenn., is the recipient of the Big Muddy Cup, an award from Site Selection magazine recognizing the top metro area along the entire length of the Mississippi River for private-sector facility projects per capita.

The award from the 61-year-old Atlanta-based magazine is based on new and expanded corporate facilities tracked over the 18 months ending Dec. 31, 2014, by Site Selection publisher Conway’s proprietary New Plant Database. Corporate projects in the Dyersburg area, which totaled 14 in 2014, are coming from such companies as Nortek Global HVAC (featured in the article), PolyOne, Eaton and NSK Steering Systems.

“There’s a culture of manufacturing here that has persisted over the last 50 years, and by design we try to keep it diverse so we’re not dominated by just one industry,” Allen Hester, president and CEO of the Dyersburg/Dyer County Chamber of Commerce for the past 14 years, told Site Selection.

Ranking just behind Dyersburg/Dyer Co. were Natchez, Miss.-La.; last year’s Big Muddy Cup winner Dubuque, Iowa; and Burlington, Iowa-Ill. A Top 10 list of per-capita leaders and a list of the top areas in total projects appear below.

Site Selection’s New Plant Database focuses on new corporate end-user facility projects with significant impact. New facilities and expansions included in the analyses must meet at least one of three criteria: (a) involve a capital investment of at least US$1 million, (b) create at least 20 new jobs or (c) add at least 20,000 sq. ft. (1,858 sq. m.) of new floor area.

Site Selection magazine, published by Conway, delivers expansion planning information to 49,000 executives of fast-growing firms. The senior publication in the development field, Site Selection is also available via Site Selection Online. The publication also publishes or co-publishes e-newsletters, including The Site Selection Dispatch, Life Sciences Report, Aerospace Report and Energy Report; Site Selection International; The FDI Report; and TrustBelt.com.

Conway is an international publishing, consulting and association management company headquartered in Atlanta. Conway owns and manages Conway Lead Generation; London-based Conway Events, organizer of worldwide FDI events; Berlin-based Conway Advisory; New York-based Conway PR & Marketing, a leading PR and lead-generation firm; and manages the Industrial Asset Management Council and the Global FDI Association. Early in 2015 Conway signed an exclusive agreement for US location advisory services with Silverlode Consulting. Conway’s Custom Publishing Division since 2013 has published major economic development guides for California, Kentucky, Mississippi, Iowa, Oklahoma and Wyoming, and later this year will publish the second edition of “The World’s Most Competitive Cities” report.

Top 10 Mississippi River Corridor Metros, Per Capita Corporate Facility Projects

Top Five Mississippi River Corridor Metros, Total Corporate Facility Projects