Hankook Tire To Invest $5M, Move North American HQ To Tennessee

Hankook Tire America Corp. will relocate its North American headquarters in Nashville, TN. The global tire manufacturer will invest approximately $5 million and create up to 200 jobs in Davidson County.

Hankook Tire Nashville“I am delighted to announce that Hankook Tire will move our American headquarters to Nashville later this year,” Hankook Tire Vice Chairman and CEO Seung Hwa Suh said. “We believe by relocating our headquarters to Nashville, Hankook Tire can benefit from the people, resources and infrastructures of Tennessee, and we hope it will provide job opportunities and contribute to the Tennessee economy.”

Hankook Tire was established in 1941 in South Korea and entered the U.S. market in 1981. Hankook is one of the leading and fastest growing tire companies in the world, with over 20,000 global employees. This is the second facility in Tennessee for Hankook. In 2014, the company broke ground on a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Clarksville that will be completed by the end of this year.

Hankook plans to relocate its headquarters from New Jersey to Tennessee to service North American markets. The company is in the process of looking for space for its headquarters in downtown Nashville.

Hankook Tire Nashville
Gov. Bill Haslam and Hankook Vice Chairman and CEO Seung Hwa Suh at a previous press conference announcing the company’s $800 million tire manufacturing plant in Clarksville,TN. (Photo: The Leaf-Chronicle/Jimmy Settle)

“By choosing Nashville for the location of its North American headquarters, Hankook Tire continues to help make our state known as a worldwide leader in the automotive sector,” said Gov. Bill Haslam. “This will be the company’s second facility in Tennessee – an investment that brings us closer to our goal of becoming the No. 1 location in the state for high quality jobs, and we thank Hankook for its commitment to creating jobs in Tennessee.”

“Hankook Tire could choose anywhere to locate its North American headquarters, and it says volumes about Davidson County and Tennessee that they chose us,” said Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd. “Hankook Tire is an innovative leader in its industry, and we are proud that they now call Tennessee home for the new headquarters.”

“TVA and Nashville Electric Service congratulate Hankook Tire on the decision to locate its new corporate headquarters and bring quality jobs to Nashville,” said TVA Senior Vice President of Economic Development John Bradley. “We are pleased to partner with Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to help companies like Hankook Tire create new jobs and prosperity in the Valley.”

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