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PBR North America, Integrity Nutraceuticals move to Tennessee

November 21, 2006 — Two companies have recently announced moves to Tennessee locations. Auto parts manufacturer PBR North America will move its headquarters from Detroit to Knoxville, and Integrity Nutraceuticals will relocate from Florida to Spring Hill, outside Nashville.

PBR, which makes brakes for original equipment manufacturers, will build a $500,000 office expansion at its plant in Westbridge Business Park in west Knox County. The company has also acquired a 60,000-square-foot distribution center at Forks of the River Industrial Park in Knoxville.

"Knoxville is centrally located, and we've had a long-standing facility here, so it made sense to move the headquarters here," said Pres Lawhon, who was named vice president of operations for the headquarters operation.

PBR Knoxville is a business unit of PBR International, a subsidiary of Pacifica Group Ltd. of Australia, which supplies brake parts to original equipment manufacturers worldwide. In addition to its plants in Knox County and Columbia, S.C., PBR International has production facilities in Germany, Italy, China, Thailand, and Australia. PBR presently employs 350 workers in the Knoxville area and the expansion will add about 20 new jobs. TVA assisted with the recruitment of the company.

Integrity Nutraceuticals, a supplier of bulk nutritional products, plans to build a 34,000-square-foot research and distribution facility in the Parkway Business Center in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The company sells bulk amino acids and herbal extracts, including a cinnamon extract that is being studied by USDA and the University of Hawaii for its beneficial effects on diabetics.

The Maury Alliance, the state of Tennessee, and TVA were involved in the recruiting process for the Integrity project, which will bring 40 jobs and a $3.5 million capital investment. "The business-friendly community has been an encouragement to us and reaffirms that this will be a beneficial move for the community as well as for us as Integrity continues to grow," said Integrity president Lloyd Slabach.