WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — Williamson County has many reasons to boast: beautiful scenery, a growing parks system, a top-rated public school system and historic communities.

It's also home to the corporate headquarters for 40 companies, according to the Williamson County Chamber of Commerce.

"It really starts with our public school systems," Matt Largen with Williamson, Inc. told News 2. "It's what drives people here and people is what drives companies here. Companies follow talent and talent is driven here by our public school system. That is the biggest differentiator for Williamson County."

There are no industrial or warehouse facilities in Williamson County. Largen and his staff recruit only companies and headquarters — and the needs are different.

"It's probably less technical in terms of size of water lines, what kinds of connections you have — so there are probably less technical components to it and there's a bigger quality of life piece of it, like what's the airport connectivity for the other offices the company has — transatlantic and domestic? What are the neighborhoods like? Where's the executive housing?" Largen said. "Where's going to be your middle management housing? That's important; what does preservation look like? How much greenspace is in your community? I think there's a quality of life and place component when it comes to recruiting corporate headquarters specifically."

A company can find the true nature of the area by speaking with a company that has already been recruited and decided to locate in Williamson County.

"We'll have a Mars Petcare or a Nissan or a Tractor Supply Company sit down with the executives and talk about their experiences hiring in the market," Largen said. "We'll leave the room because we know a candid, honest conversation is going to be most beneficial to that company. We don't ask what was said; we want to put them in front of someone who has that experience hiring here."

A huge business attraction is the fact that Tennessee has no income tax. The question remains: why Williamson County instead of a county like Knox, Davidson or Shelby County?

"The better aspect is our public school system," Largen said. "That's it. You had leadership back in the '80s decide, 'We're going to put all our emphasis [and] we're going to put all our resources on our schools and build on top of that and it's worked really, really well. The county spends 70% of their budget on the schools for this very reason because we know that's a distinctive part of this community. That is the non-tangible asset that makes all the difference in corporate relocation."

Across the county line, Davidson County and Nashville are booming with tourism, sports, new neighborhoods and an expanded airport. All of those perks are viewed as assets by Williamson County.

"It's everything. Nashville is our brand. Nashville is part of Williamson County's brand — without question. And we understand that we rise and fall as a region," Largen said. "One of the other distinctive features of economic development for us is how well we work with our neighbors to the south, north, east and west. That matters [and it's] everything. A company doesn't see political or geographic boundaries — they want to know there's one team when it comes to relocation. And look: if a company chooses downtown Nashville, that's better for our residents than going to Charlotte, Atlanta or Chicago."

The area is not without its challenges. Better workforce development, high housing costs and a lack of regional transportation provide a few opportunities for Williamson County to improve. So what does the next decade look like for recruiting into Williamson County?

"I think it looks really good. I don't see why this would not continue to be a great place for businesses to invest and for families to invest here."

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/on-tour-middle-tn/williamson-inc/