KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – When you think of American manufacturing, your mind immediately goes to Detroit—the undisputed birthplace of the American automobile. But nestled along the winding waterways and scenic coves of East Tennessee, a different kind of manufacturing empire has quietly risen to prominence.
While Detroit rules the roads, East Tennessee has become one of the nation’s premier destinations for the water.
From luxury yachts and high-performance wakeboard boats to family runabouts and custom center consoles, Monroe, Loudon, and Blount counties have built a highly specialized hub for boat building. In Monroe County alone, the marine industry employs roughly 4,000 workers and pumps an estimated $800 million annual boost into the local economy, helping export a slice of the American recreational lifestyle all over the world…