Posted March 12, 2008

CHATTANOOGA, Tennessee -- Westinghouse Electric Company has announced plans to invest $9.45 million to establish a new services facility at its Chattanooga operation. The expansion will create 52 new high-value jobs for nuclear engineers and technicians.

Westinghouse’s Nuclear Services Business Unit will purchase the Metals USA building which has been vacant for over a year in the Centre South Riverport.

Westinghouse currently leases a building from Alstom on Riverfront Parkway, but Alstom had planned to discontinue the lease because it needs the facility for its $200 million expansion announced last December.

Despite the need to relocate its operations, Westinghouse Nuclear Services remained committed to continuing its presence in Chattanooga.

“Our people in Chattanooga made a substantial and well-founded case to maintain and grow our Chattanooga facility,” said Russell L. Bussard, facilities and real estate manager, Westinghouse Electric Company, in Monroeville, PA.

“The community’s central location, superior transportation network and highly trained engineers argued strongly on behalf of expanding in Chattanooga and growing with the fastest-growing metro city in Tennessee.”

Westinghouse Nuclear Services provides a wide range of inspection, maintenance, repair and refueling services to nuclear power plants around the world.  Additional activities include system components and nuclear safety analyses and licensing activities.

Bussard said he was extremely impressed by support for the expansion from Chattanooga City Mayor Ron Littlefield, Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey and the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.

“We have long touted Chattanooga’s many assets to businesses,” Littlefield said, “and the Westinghouse decision to expand here is confirmation of our message.  This expansion continues to move Chattanooga forward in the nuclear energy business.”

“We appreciate this vote of confidence in Hamilton County from Westinghouse,” Ramsey said. “We also appreciate the influx of more than 50 jobs that pay much better than the average for this area. This is very good news for the local economy.”

Trevor Hamilton, Chamber vice president for economic development, emphasized the cooperation among public officials, organizations and businesses that helped keep Westinghouse in Chattanooga.

“This community has a tradition of pulling together to achieve extraordinary business accomplishments and this is one of them,” Hamilton said. “One of the key players that made this project a success is Herman Walldorf and Company.  Benjamin Pitts, affiliate broker for Walldorf, worked diligently with the seller and buyer to bring about a real coup for Chattanooga.”

Hamilton also noted that Westinghouse Nuclear Services’ investment strengthens Chattanooga as a hub for the power generation industry.

Westinghouse Nuclear Services currently employs 75 people at the Riverfront Parkway facility.

The new facility is approximately 65,000 square feet and will more than double the company’s square footage in the Riverfront Parkway facility.  Westinghouse plans to occupy the new building by May 1, 2008.

Westinghouse Electric Company, a Toshiba Group company, is the world's pioneering nuclear power company and is a leading supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities throughout the world.  Today, Westinghouse technology is the basis for approximately one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants. 

For more information about the expansion, contact Gilbert Vaugh at 412-491-9820, or J.Ed. Marston at 423-763-4358.