Sen. Corker Welcomes New Manufacturer; Comments on Presidential Race

Tennessee U.S. Senator Bob Corker was back in his home state this morning to welcome a new manufacturing plant to Cleveland, Tennessee.

Corker welcomed the Polartec company and praised the leadership for choosing to move from Massachusetts to this area.

But, his trip inevitably turned to politics and the presidential race.

A former knitting plant in Cleveland will now become the U.S. headquarters of Polartec.

That’s a textile manufacturer known for creating clothing for the military and for most outdoor sports.

GARY SMITH  “Polartec, our brand equity is built on an active lifestyle. And so to be in a part of the country where its universally recognized as being a sportsman’s paradise …that’s just bonus and hopefully folks are glad to have Polartec here.”

CEO Gary Smith led Cleveland mayor Tom Rowland, and Bradley county mayor Gary Davis and other local officials through the plant which will bring many good paying jobs to the area.

GARY SMITH, CEO, POLARTEC  “We started with about 65 employees, We’re up to about 150 right now and we’re looking to go well over 200.”

Smith says wages will be comparable to what his company paid in Massachusetts.

GARY SMITH  “It’s not about this myth that people here will work for lower wages..that’s not the case , right. The United states is th United States…again its about the mind-set, the attitude, the flexibility of the workers ..A can do attitude…and again energy costs are a factor.”

But the visit ended with Senator Bob Corker answering questions about the presidential campaign and the controversial heads of each ticket.

SEN. BOB CORKER, (R) TENNESSEE  ” I think for any candidate whether republican or democrat, to win this race they’ve got to substantially address that are important to Tennesseans and people all across the country in a real way. Not rhetorically but in a real way.”

Corker also passed on a possible opportunity to be part of the Trump ticket.

SEN. BOB CORKER  “I just knew that in this race, at this time, that ..you know…being a vice presidential candidate was not the right thing for me…nor for them. Very quickly for them, I withdrew my name.”

The former Chattanooga mayor is spending much of this month touring the state and talking to voters.

Polartec plans to spend 10-million dollars to upgrade the Cleveland facility.