ANDERSONVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A United States gun importer and manufacturer can now call East Tennessee home after a ribbon-cutting on Wednesday.
Israel Weapon Industries U.S. (IWI US) invested $15.7 million to move its headquarters from Pennsylvania to Andersonville. Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank praised the move, saying the company will bring really good-paying jobs to the community. Casey Flack, CEO of IWI US, added that they only brought four employees from Pennsylvania to the new headquarters, with the rest being hired locally.
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“There were three main reasons [for choosing East Tennessee], number one for us is risk mitigation through legislation, whether it came from individual states or through the federal government. We felt like this was the best location for us to mitigate that risk. Number two is a business environment where it is easier and more profitable for us to operate the company. And the third is the availability of the workforce,” said Casey Flack, CEO of IWI.
“This is a community and a state that really supports defense, security, it’s a community that understands personal protection and governmental protection and law enforcement protection, so it’s just a natural and wonderful fit for the people who call our state home,” said Frank.
IWI US started operating in 2013. Its parent company began in Israel. It specializes in making firearms for commercial sale, including the semi-automatic version of the Uzi, as well as for law enforcement and the government. The new facility will be used for manufacturing, production, and assembly, as well as ammunition storage…