Nashville Box to bring jobs to Lebanon

Dec. 9—While the general public may not be as familiar, Scott Lawrence has an intimate knowledge of corrugated packaging.

"I spent 10 years of my career in corrugated at a couple of large companies," Lawrence said. "The main one was Georgia Pacific.

"My background goes all the way from the raw material at the supply chain, to the end user ... I've been in every aspect of it. At Georgia Pacific, I personally spent most of my time in corrugated sheet marketing."

Lawrence's experience has now led him to embark on his own start-up venture in corrugated packaging as Nashville Box is expected to be in full operation by Jan. 1.

"It's an exciting endeavor," Lawrence — the president and CEO of Nashville Box — said. "For our leadership team, there is no plan B. We're going to make this thing happen. Between all the key metrics out in the market and the things we see happening, the sky is the limit in my opinion. I haven't really looked back."

Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe and Nashville Box officials announced on Monday that the company will invest $3.3 million to establish new operations in Wilson County.

"We're excited," Lawrence said. "The Nashville Box team is excited. We also try to do a good job of mitigating risk. With the market we're approaching, we feel like it has limited risk, and we feel like we can provide our team members with some sound employment."

Lawrence indicated that the corrugated-packaging industry is continually growing.

"I've been around it a long time," Lawrence said. "It managed the 2008 recession. The packaging industry did not take a hit. People still have to buy things. The housing market may take a hit, but people still have to buy toilet paper.

"I don't know of a corrugated-manufacturing facility in this country that is not busier than it's ever been."

Lawrence indicated that the continual trend to consumers purchasing more goods that need to be shipped has impacted the demand for corrugated packaging.

"There's quite a bit to it," Lawrence said. "It's a multi-step, supply chain.

"Now, we live with corrugated packaging in our faces all the time. The shift of brick-and-mortar to online has changed things. Buyers are needing more service and needing somebody who knows what they need. There's so much demand out there right now."

That heavy need leaves Lawrence confident that Nashville Box will flourish.

"Nashville Box was created basically because of demand," Lawrence said. "The market shift ... in certain markets in this country, the secondary markets are feeling a pinch. A big company comes in and sucks up a lot of the large box makers' volume. Then, the major-market players who have traditionally been the big fish get pushed to the wayside."

Nashville Box plans to utilize an integrated business and manufacturing approach to service businesses with high-volume, corrugated-packaging needs at both a regional and national level.

"Tennessee's geographic location is a major advantage when it comes to connecting to customers and suppliers quickly," Lee said in a press release. "Nashville Box's decision to locate in Lebanon will help the company serve its regional market, while creating nearly 50 new jobs in Wilson County.

"I thank the company for choosing our state and look forward to seeing its success in Tennessee."

Rolfe added, "With companies investing more than $12 billion in our state since 2016, the manufacturing industry is essential to Tennessee. We are proud to partner with Nashville Box as the company locates its first manufacturing operations in Lebanon, which will serve as a driving force behind one of our largest sectors."

Nashville Box is located at 6960 Eastgate Blvd. in Lebanon, within the Eastgate Business Park.

"I am very pleased that Nashville Box has chosen Lebanon for its operations, which will help businesses in our region deliver products to consumers," Sen. Mark Pody (R-Lebanon) said. "This investment is great news for Wilson County. It shows that our economy is strong and positioned for future growth.

"I appreciate the work of local and state officials who helped secure this investment and look forward to Nashville Box's future success in Wilson County."

State Rep. Clark Boyd (R-Lebanon) added, "Wilson County continues to be a top choice for companies looking to establish or expand their business. This demonstrates how our investments in education, infrastructure and workforce development results in job creation. We're proud to welcome our newest employer to Wilson County and appreciate their investment in our community."

The Nashville Box facility suffered tornado damage on March 3, 2020, when it was the home of L & W Engineering. Those damages have since been repaired.

"G.C. Hixson, executive director of the joint economic and community development board, helped us get situated with the state locally," Lawrence said. "(Mayor) Rick Bell ... I'm looking forward to working with him and city of Lebanon."

Nashville Box is already considerably immersed in the hiring process.

"We have a mixture of local folks and a mixture of out-of-state business partners," Lawrence said. "Fortunately, we were able to convince our business partners that this was the right location for us.

"We are finding that the workforce in Wilson County is very strong. We are pulling in from a couple of outside counties. For a decent wage, people are happy to offer their services and come be a part of our team. We are trying to offer people a competitive wage and benefits. We haven't had an issue filling roles."

It is expected that the company's opening will eventually result in 48 jobs.

"We are going to grow our operation into that hiring," Lawrence said. "We'll hire half of those by the end of 2022.

"We have actually started pre-manufacturing, pre-producing. We are in the facility. We will be in full swing on Jan. 1."