Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey, Chamber President Tom Edd Wilson, former State Representative David Copeland, Aerisyn President Marlin Laidlaw and TN Department of Economic Community Development Matt Kisber gathered for Aerisyn's announcement.


Posted February 2005

Officials of Aerisyn, LLC, an alternative energy company founded last year, announced that the company will begin operating the first automated wind tower production facility in North America at the Alstom Building at 1025 19th Street West in Chattanooga, Tennessee this summer.

The company, which is investing more than $7 million in equipment and capital improvements to the building, expects to start manufacturing the tower structures for wind turbines in this facility in June, according to Marlin Laidlaw, Aerisyn president.

Aerisyn will create 75 new jobs initially and could employ as many as 150 people within three years’ time.

"As the Governor aggressively focuses on job creation and retention, we are pleased that Aerisyn has decided to locate in Chattanooga and bring these quality jobs to Tennessee," said Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matthew Kisber. "We believe our continued team approach coupled with our efforts to prepare a better-trained and skilled workforce in the coming year will benefit companies like Aerisyn long into the future as they seek to grow here. We are excited about welcoming them to this state and supporting them further as an existing industry."

"We are thrilled that Aerisyn is expanding into Chattanooga and bringing good-paying, high-tech jobs that will employ heads of households throughout our community," said Mayor Bob Corker. "We have focused on taking advantage of our location within the Tennessee Valley Technology Corridor, and the recruitment of Aerisyn is a great indicator that our efforts are paying off."

"Aerisyn is a welcome addition to our business community," said Hamilton County Mayor Claude Ramsey. "By combining this cutting-edge company with our community’s long-standing manufacturing tradition, we’re creating 21st century jobs while supporting the effort to produce clean, sustainable sources of energy."

"Aerisyn will strongly contribute to the successful high-tech industry in the Tennessee Valley and its ability to lead the country in developing and manufacturing energy-efficient products and technologies," said Congressman Zach Wamp. "This is not only an investment in Tennessee's skilled workers and economic growth, but also an investment in America's goal to quench the flow of terrorists' oil revenues by asserting our own energy independence. As co-chair of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus and author of the House Republican Policy Committee's energy paper, I am working towards wind-generated technologies playing a more prominent role in our energy supply and security."

Aerisyn has a lease on 155,000 square feet in the Alstom facility with an option to expand their production to 250,000 square feet.

Wind turbines, which provide a clean and renewable source of electric power, constitute the world’s fastest growing energy source, Laidlaw said.

From 2002-2004 wind generation capacity was installed to power over 600,000 homes in the U.S, he said. Laidlaw also pointed out that 4,100 wind turbines had been installed across the U.S. by the end of 2004. But demand is increasing so rapidly that an additional 2,500 units have already been installed so far this year in the U.S.

Aerisyn expects to manufacture up to 200 towers during its first year of operation in Chattanooga. The wind towers that support the rotor and generator of the wind turbine will be 200 feet to 300 feet tall and up to 15 feet in diameter at the base.

Crucial to Aerisyn’s decision to locate in Chattanooga was finding a manufacturing facility that was large enough to accommodate the tower manufacturing process in one building and that contained the crane capacity to facilitate the process, and was also located next to a barge port. The barge port is pertinent to expansion of Aerisyn’s business to off-shore projects as well as becoming a supplier to foreign customers. Europe and Asia are embracing wind power even more enthusiastically than the U.S., and thus the ability to ship economically to these markets is an important attribute of the Chattanooga facility.

"Finding a facility that can handle a 300-foot tower is rare," says Tom Kale Jr., CCIM, of NAI Charter Real Estate Corporation, the company that negotiated the lease contract with Alstom. "Alstom is located in the former Combustion Engineering plant where they processed nuclear reactors. It has 1,000 foot long bays and an 800-ton crane. It also offers easy access to the river with a port that can handle the heaviest tonnage north of New Orleans."

Aerisyn concludes that wind-generated electricity is cheaper to produce per kilowatt than new-installation, electric generation facilities utilizing either coal or nuclear fuel. Additionally, the time to project completion for wind generation is faster than other conventional generation sources. Wind is now economically competitive with other power generation sources due to advances in turbine design and manufacturing efficiencies.

Currently, there are four or five other manufacturers in the U.S. who supply towers for the wind industry, Aerisyn officials said. These entities are booked to capacity, thus opening up the opportunity for Aerisyn to join in supplying the industry. With Aerisyn’s automated tower manufacturing line, it is possible to be competitive in the world market by reducing the labor costs of manufacture while maintaining a high level of quality control.

"Wind energy allows us to meet the increase in power consumption requirements in the U.S. and at the same time increase our reliance on green power," Laidlaw said. "California already has a significant portion of their energy generated as green power, with some proponents seeking up to a 25% reliance on green power within a few short years. Many other states are following the lead of California and Texas, with 16 states currently having a Renewable Portfolio Standard in place, whereby a portion of all energy consumption is green power."

Aerisyn has already begun exploring additional partnerships in Tennessee with the Oak Ridge National Laboratories, the UT Sim Center at Chattanooga, and eSpin, a nano-technology company.

Aerisyn has met with officials at TVA which is operating three turbines, located in Anderson County and installed in 2001. Last fall TVA began adding 15 more wind turbines in support of its Green Power Switch alternative energy program. Green Power Switch is a renewable energy initiative that allows consumers in the Tennessee Valley to buy green power – electricity that’s generated by cleaner, renewable resources such as solar, wind and methane gas.

"Aerisyn is a substantial addition to Chattanooga’s existing high-tech manufacturers that support the community’s efforts to assume a leadership role in energy conservation enterprises," said Trevor Hamilton, Vice President of Economic Development for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. "Additionally, it is great to see a former manufacturing space be brought back to life for this unique and exciting industry."

The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce is the leading business and economic development organization for the Chattanooga region. For over 100 years, the Chattanooga Chamber has provided community engagement and opportunities for businesses, large and small, including networking, business promotion, business discounts, and public policy advocacy, as well as leadership development and training opportunities.

In addition, the Chattanooga Chamber is a one-stop-shop for site selectors and business decision-makers considering investments and job creation projects in the Chattanooga region. The Chattanooga Chamber is also responsible for marketing Enterprise South Industrial Park, a top-tier industrial park that offers significant strategic business advantages. In addition, the Chattanooga Chamber administers the Chattanooga Hamilton County Business Development Center, the largest business incubator in the U.S. in terms of the number of start up companies it houses, and the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth, an innovative effort to nurture technology-based start-up companies.

As the first stop for people interested in moving to the Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Chamber provides a range of relocation information including demographics, informational videos, connections to Chattanooga Area jobs, and frequently asked questions.