CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – With the opening of LG Chem, Dongwha Electrolyte and others, an estimated 1,075 jobs are being added to the local economy in 2025, and a total of 3,000 new direct jobs are expected by 2029. But the next challenge is to train and attract the workers to fill them.
The jobs will come from new companies and expansions, according to Clarksville-Montgomery County Industrial Development Board Director of Workforce Development Chris Self.
For 2025, he estimated that LG Chem to have 144 openings next year, while Amazon is anticipated to have 250 openings and Dongwha Electrolyte is expected to have 11. Meanwhile, Hankook Tires is set to double their workforce by 2028, with around 415 of those hires coming in 2025, due to their increase in production.
Self said there’s expected to be another 520 jobs made available during 2024, and 547 in 2026.
With all of the incoming jobs, it’s part of the IDB’s role to help Clarksville residents train for and fill the open positions.
Current career opportunities
Self told Clarksville Now he works with companies coming to Clarksville, or who are in Clarksville already, looking to fill their work force. Self and his team gives companies resources to find the right candidates for job openings.
One way the IDB does this is by listing job opportunities on the Clarksville is Hiring website. Currently, there are 745 openings. Self said data comes from “Jobs in Tennessee,” then the majority of opportunities outside of Clarksville are filtered out.
One company that has around 20 openings is Microvast, an electric vehicle batter maker looking for engineers and technicians. LG Electronics and Hankook Tire are also hiring.
LG Chem and Dongwha workforce preparation
To help fill these jobs, Self has been building relationships with local and regional universities and others to provide specific types of training.
For example, Austin Peay State University doesn’t have a dedicated chemical engineering program. This prompted Self to visit Vanderbilt University and Lipscomb University, while communicating with Fisk University and Tennessee Tech about upcoming opportunities with LG Chem and Dongwha.
Self said he wants young students, especially freshmen and sophomores, to know they don’t have to leave Tennessee for quality engineering jobs with competitive pay.
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The IDB also connected LG Chem and Dongwha with local institutions, such as APSU, Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) and Nashville State Community College, as they prepare future candidates interested in technician roles.
Representatives from each of these institutions visited South Korea with the IDB to meet with leaders at LG Chem and Dongwha headquarters and receive technician training information.
Self said representatives from LG Chem came to Clarksville last year to visit TCAT, and they were pleased with the programs at the institution. LG Chem is reviewing their own curriculum and comparing it to TCAT’s to see if any changes need to be made to support future workforces.
“So, not only are the universities available for the high-end engineers, but also we have the local technician and two-year programs we can provide,” Self said.
Company selection process
Not every company is a good fit for Clarksville, and the IDB has two standards among the criteria they look at: jobs per acre and hourly pay.
“We like to see four to five jobs per acre, which may not seem like a lot, but it is,” Self said.
The IDB in recent years has been actively working to raise the per capita wages in Clarksville, with around $20 per hour being the floor of what they’re willing to accept for a new industry.
“Every company we bring in, we ask ourselves, ‘How does that improve Clarksville when it comes to wages and benefits?'” Self said.
Self said making these job requirements part of PILOT programs happened thanks to the leadership of Executive Director Josh Ward and his predecessor, Shea Hopkins.
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