Reporting from Area Development, with earlier project figures from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.
Valmont Industries is putting $45 million into its plant in Jasper, Tennessee, and expects to create 84 jobs in Marion County. The work at Jasper is steel: transmission, distribution and substation structures for electric utilities.
This is the third time in a little over five years that Valmont has grown the Jasper plant. Every round has added jobs.
What Happened
Area Development reported the announcement on October 25. The project raises production capacity for the engineered steel structures that hold up power lines and frame substations.
Chris Colwell, Valmont's president of infrastructure, said the expansion "will help us meet our customers' growing needs for utility infrastructure to support a stronger grid." He gave the credit to the people already on the floor. "Expanding in Jasper allows us to build on the strength of our team and their track record of performance," he said.
Three Expansions in Five Years
The Jasper plant has been on a steady climb, according to the state's own announcements.
- January 2021: Valmont announced a $15 million to $20 million expansion and 65 new jobs over five years. The 100,000-square-foot plant was set to grow by more than 30 percent, with an adjoining 11-acre lot turned into a laydown yard for steel and equipment.
- May 2024: Valmont announced more than $6 million in new investment and 80 new jobs. At the time, 270 Tennesseans worked at the Jasper location. The state said the new roles included highly technical positions requiring nationally recognized certifications and entry-level roles that come with workforce training.
- October 2026: $45 million and 84 jobs.
Add the three announcements together and Valmont has committed 229 new jobs to Marion County since 2021. Those are announced figures from the company and the state. They show the direction a rural plant has been moving for five years.
What Comes Out of Jasper
The structures made in Jasper are the steel poles and frames that carry transmission and distribution lines and hold up equipment inside substations. They are engineered for each project, sized to the voltage, the span and the terrain they will stand on.
Building them is skilled industrial work. Steel plate gets cut, formed into tapered shapes, welded, coated and inspected before it leaves on a truck. When the state announced the 2024 expansion, it said some of the new roles would require nationally recognized certifications. Welding is the obvious one. Those are trade jobs that travel with a worker for a career.
Training Its Own Workforce
The detail worth noting in this round is how Valmont plans to fill the seats.
Colwell pointed to the company's pre-apprenticeship program. "We're proud of the investments we've made to develop the skilled workforce that makes this growth possible through our pre-apprenticeship program," he said.
Stuart C. McWhorter, Tennessee's deputy governor and commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development, singled out the same thing. He described the project as "a successful company that continues to expand, a strong commitment to a rural community and, perhaps most importantly, an outstanding partnership with local schools to train future workers."
That is the earn-and-learn model the skilled trades movement has been pushing nationally. A student in Marion County can see a path from a local classroom to a welding or fabrication job at a plant that has been hiring for five straight years.
The Power Partners
TVA and Sequatchie Valley Electric Cooperative serve the plant and joined the announcement.
Heidi Smith, TVA's vice president of economic development, said TVA and the co-op "congratulate Valmont on its decision to expand operations in Marion County," and said they are proud to partner with Marion County government and the state "in our shared commitment to fostering job opportunities and investment in the region."
Why It Matters for the Grid
Every new transmission line needs structures to carry it. Every new substation needs steel to frame it. When utilities talk about building out the grid, a share of that work lands in plants like Jasper, where crews cut, weld and ship the hardware.
McWhorter put Valmont near the top of his list. "When I think of the types of companies we're proud to partner with in Tennessee, Valmont is one of the first that comes to mind," he said.
The Demand Behind It
Valmont's own numbers show why the company keeps adding capacity. In its third quarter results released October 20, the company reported North America Utility sales of $469.6 million, up 23 percent from the same quarter last year, on higher volumes and strong market demand.
The company spent $45.6 million on capital projects in the quarter, mostly to add capacity in that utility product line. CEO Avner M. Applbaum said, "To support continued infrastructure demand, we are focused on increasing capacity and improving throughput."
The Jasper expansion fits that plan.
What to Watch
Area Development did not report a start date, completion date or hiring schedule for this round. The next markers are the hiring postings and the pre-apprenticeship class that feeds them.
Valmont has been in business since 1946. In Jasper it is writing its third chapter in five years, and every chapter has been more jobs.
Sources
- Area Development News Desk, "Valmont Industries Expands Jasper, Tennessee, Production Operations," Area Development, October 25, 2026.
- Valmont Industries, third quarter 2026 results, Form 8-K exhibit, October 20, 2026.
- Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, "Governor Lee, Commissioner McWhorter Announces Valmont's Plan to Expand Jasper Operations," tn.gov, May 7, 2024.
- Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, "Governor Lee, Commissioner Rolfe Announce Valmont Industries to Expand Marion County Operations," tn.gov, January 25, 2021.
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Tips and corrections: amos.snead@positivecurrent.com
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