When German representatives from Volkswagen hopped into a TVA helicopter almost two decades ago to get a bird’s-eye view of Enterprise South Industrial Park, they generally liked what they saw.
But they couldn’t get a thorough sense of the site because of the dense foliage and trees that obscured much of the land.
After hearing their feedback, Ron Littlefield, Chattanooga’s mayor from 2005-2013, said he and the then-Hamilton County Executive Claude Ramsey diverted their combined public works crews to Enterprise South to help clear the site. They had about 10 days before the Volkswagen delegation returned for another peek at the property, Littlefield recalled in a phone interview.
At the time, Littlefield said, practically every city in America was courting automotive manufacturers in the hopes of bringing a plant to their community — a win that many hoped would induce the creation of thousands of good-paying jobs. In February 2007, Chattanooga had missed out on a chance to attract Toyota to the Scenic City, losing the manufacturer to Tupelo, Mississippi. This time, leaders hoped to prevent another company from slipping through their fingers.
(READ MORE: Remember When? First VW rolled off the assembly line here)