Haslam to attend Hankook groundbreaking ceremony

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gov. Bill Haslam is scheduled to attend a groundbreaking ceremony for the Hankook Tire plant to be built in Clarksville.

The event is set to start at 11 a.m. on Thursday.

Hankook, the world’s seventh-largest tire maker, announced last year that it will build the $800 million facility in Clarksville. It’s expected to create 1,800 jobs. The Tennessee State Funding Board approved $16 million in incentives for the project Wednesday.

Hankook officials plan to begin making high-end performance tires by early 2016.

Clarksville is also home to a steel cord plant for Japanese tire maker Bridgestone, which has its Americas headquarters in Nashville.

Nissan, General Motors and Volkswagen have assembly plants in Tennessee, and more than 900 further automotive sector companies are active in the state. Ford, GM and Toyota build vehicles in neighboring Kentucky.

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