Valmont to Invest $45M, Add 84 Jobs at Jasper, Tennessee Plant

Valmont Industries plans to invest $45 million and add 84 jobs at its plant in Jasper, Tennessee, to build more engineered steel structures for electric transmission, distribution and substations. The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development announced the expansion on October 23, 2026, citing growing demand for power infrastructure (Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development).

It is at least the third publicly announced expansion of the Marion County plant since 2021, and by far the largest in dollar terms. The project is another sign that utility equipment makers are adding domestic capacity as transmission and substation spending rises, a trend we have tracked across the wave of new grid equipment factories.

What Happened

Governor Bill Lee and Deputy Governor and TNECD Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter announced the project with Valmont officials. The state said the investment will increase production of engineered steel transmission, distribution and substation structures for the utility industry (TNECD).

Chris Colwell, president of infrastructure at Valmont, said, "Expanding in Jasper allows us to build on the strength of our team and their track record of performance." Lee said, "All of Tennessee succeeds when rural Tennessee succeeds." The Tennessee Valley Authority and Marion County government were also partners in the announcement (TNECD).

The release did not give the size of any new building, a construction schedule or the value of state incentives (TNECD).

Key Project Details

• Company: Valmont Industries, founded in 1946 in Valley, Nebraska, and headquartered in Omaha, with more than 11,000 employees in 21 countries (TNECD).
• Location: The existing Valmont plant in Jasper, Marion County, East Tennessee (TNECD).
• Investment: $45 million (TNECD).
• Jobs: 84 new positions. The state's highlights round this to "80+" (TNECD).
• Products: Engineered steel structures for transmission, distribution and substations (TNECD).

Three Expansions in Five Years

The Jasper plant has grown in steps. In January 2021, the state announced a $15 million to $20 million expansion with 65 new jobs over five years. That project enlarged the existing 100,000-square-foot plant by more than 30 percent and turned an adjoining 11-acre lot into a laydown yard for equipment and materials. At the time, the plant made steel poles and structures for the utility and transportation markets (TNECD, 2021).

In May 2024, Valmont announced a second expansion of more than $6 million and 80 new jobs, including technical roles that require nationally recognized certifications and entry-level jobs with workforce training. The state said then that the plant employed 270 people (TNECD, 2024).

According to the new release, Valmont met the 2024 job goal nearly three years early, and the $45 million project builds on that expansion (TNECD). Taken together, the three announcements total roughly $66 million to $71 million in planned investment and more than 220 new jobs at one rural plant.

A Workforce Pipeline Built Locally

Valmont started a welding pre-apprenticeship program with local high schools in 2019, which the state describes as the first of its kind at a Tennessee manufacturing plant. More than 80 students have completed it, and 65 to 70 percent of graduates have been hired full time at Jasper (TNECD). Marion County Mayor David Jackson said the company has started "one of the first apprenticeship programs in the state" (TNECD).

For a fabrication plant, certified welders are the constraint, and a local training pipeline is one way Valmont has been able to hit hiring targets ahead of schedule in a small labor market.

Implications for Owners, Developers, Contractors and Subs

• Plant construction: A $45 million capacity project at a steel fabrication plant typically involves building additions, heavy crane runways, foundations for large fabrication and welding equipment, power upgrades and expanded yard space. The state has not released a building size or schedule, so contractors in the Chattanooga region should watch for permits and bid activity.
• Utility supply chain: More domestic output of transmission and substation structures could help utilities and their contractors with long lead times on steel poles and structures. Similar capacity is being added in transformers, including Hitachi Energy's planned Mississippi factory.
• Industrial owners: Valmont has added capacity in phases at an existing site rather than building a new plant, an approach that can keep individual projects smaller and simpler to permit.
• Workforce: Plants competing for welders and fabricators in the same region as construction projects will tighten the local skilled labor pool.

What to Watch

• Building permits, site plans or a construction timeline for the Jasper expansion.
• Any state incentive figures disclosed later.
• Hiring progress toward the 84 new jobs.
• Further capacity announcements from other transmission structure makers.

Bottom Line

Valmont is putting $45 million into its Jasper plant to build more steel structures for the power grid, its largest commitment there yet after expansions in 2021 and 2024. The project ties a rural Tennessee fabrication shop directly to national demand for transmission and substation work.

Related Coverage

• Grid Equipment Factory Wave: Seven U.S. Plant Projects Total $1.84 Billion
• Hitachi Energy Plans $528M Mississippi Transformer Factory as Grid Demand Grows
• Update: Niagara Power Transformer Breaks Ground on $71M Cheektowaga Expansion

Image credit: Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. Image from the source article.

Sources

• Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, "Valmont Industries to Expand Manufacturing Presence in Marion County": https://tnecd.com/news/valmont-industries-to-expand-manufacturing-presence-in-marion-county/
• Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, "Governor Lee, Commissioner McWhorter Announces Valmont's Plan to Expand Jasper Operations" (2024): https://www.tn.gov/ecd/news/2024/5/7/governor-lee--commissioner-mcwhorter-announces-valmont-s-plan-to-expand-jasper-operations.html
• Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, "Governor Lee, Commissioner Rolfe Announce Valmont Industries to Expand Marion County Operations" (2021): https://www.tn.gov/ecd/news/2021/1/25/governor-lee--commissioner-rolfe-announce-valmont-industries-to-expand-marion-county-operations.html