NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and the Department of Economic and Community Development announced Tuesday that LG Electronics Inc. will build a new home appliance manufacturing facility in Clarksville.

The announcement at the Tennessee State Capitol outlined LG’s $250 million investment into the facility that will create at least 600 new jobs in Montgomery County.

It will be the South Korean company’s first production facility in the U.S. and will be located in the Clarksville Montgomery County Business Park, near the Google Data facility.

“LG’s decision to establish new manufacturing operations in Tennessee is a testament to the business-friendly environment, ideal location and highly-skilled workforce we offer to companies around the globe,” said Gov. Haslam. “Tennessee is the top state in the nation for advanced industry job growth, an accomplishment that would not be possible without the many successful companies that choose to do business here.”

According to Mike Evans, Executive Director of the Montgomery County Industrial Development Board, the first phase of the project includes construction of the 829,000-square-foot facility that will begin in late 2017. Starting in 2019, the factory will initially produce front- and top-load washing machines. Longer term, the 310-acre site offers the potential to expand for production of other home appliances.

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Mayor Kim McMillan, who took part in the announcement ceremony at the Capitol, said the City of Clarksville was excited that LG had selected the community for its new plant.

“We’re happy to welcome another large company from South Korea to Clarksville,” Mayor McMillan said Tuesday. “We look forward to a long and successful partnership with LG for many years to come.

“Clarksville continues to prove itself as a great home for manufacturers that need a large and skilled workforce, shovel-ready industrial sites and outstanding infrastructure,” McMillan added. “This level of investment and new jobs shows that Clarksville is living up to our commitment to be a great place to live, work and raise a family.”

Dan Song, the president of LG’s home appliances division, called Tennessee the “clear choice” for the new plant after a national search dating back six years.

Tennessee was ranked No. 1 among all U.S. states for foreign direct investment (FDI) job commitments in 2015, according to the 2016 IBM Global Locations Trends report. South Korea is among the top five countries for foreign investment in Tennessee, with Korean companies investing nearly $1 billion and employing more than 1,700 Tennesseans.

“On behalf of all of Montgomery County, welcome LG! While we are always pleased to see more growth in our industrial park, we are especially pleased to see the results of our investment in the northeast expansion come to fruition,” Montgomery County Mayor Jim Durrett said.

The Haslam administration declined to detail the incentive package offered to LG because the contacts had not yet been finalized.

WKRN, The Associated Press, and Tennessee Department of Economic Development contributed to this report