Beretta officials announced today that the company will expand its U.S. operations by building a new firearms manufacturing plant in the Gallatin Industrial Park, located in Gallatin, Tenn. The Italian-owned company-which also has a facility in Accokeek, Md.-will invest $45 million in a state-of-the-art manufacturing and R&D facility.
Beretta is expected to complete construction on the facility this year. The factory will create 300 new jobs in Tennessee, and has been wholeheartedly embraced by the state's governor, Bill Haslam.
“Beretta is one of the world’s greatest companies, and their decision to expand into Tennessee speaks to the standards of craftsmanship and quality our state’s workforce embraces every day,” Haslam said. “Attracting a legendary company like Beretta reinforces our goal of becoming the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high-quality jobs. I want to thank the Beretta family for their substantial investment in Tennessee and the 300 jobs they’ll create in Sumner County.”
Jeff Reh, Beretta USA general counsel and vice-general manager, said that the Beretta family initially decided around March 2013 to expand its manufacturing and business operations outside of Maryland. Only states that had a consistent history of support for and a likelihood of future support for Second Amendment rights were considered. Gallatin was one of 80 sites (in seven states) that had been considered.
“When Beretta chooses a location for its business, we start with the possibility that we will be in that location for decades, if not hundreds of years, to come. We move forward with confidence knowing that Tennessee is a great place to do business. We look forward to our opportunities here and we look forward to working side-by-side with our new Tennessee neighbors,” Reh said.
For more information, go to Beretta.com.