Tennessee has approved a $30 million grant for Starbucks to build a new corporate headquarters in downtown Nashville. The move is provoking backlash from grassroots organizers who say taxpayer money should not subsidize a large corporation.
The Tennessee state funding board approved the grant Wednesday. The money will help Starbucks build a new corporate headquarters at the Peabody Union in downtown Nashville, offsetting expenses like building expansion and improvements. In return, Starbucks is pledging a $100 million investment and plans to create 2,000 new jobs in the coming years. The commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, Stuart McWhorter, say the average salary for those positions will be $125,000.
“This project helps attract more business, real estate activity and innovation to the region,” McWhorter said…