Smith & Wesson To Relocate South
Smith & Wesson Brands is relocating its corporate headquarters from Massachusetts to Tennessee, according to The Wall Street Journal.
According to the article the company will be joining other firearms manufacturers that have moved from the mid-Atlantic and Northeast to Southern states with less restrictive gun laws.
The company will invest more than $125 million to relocate its headquarters and some operations from Springfield, Mass., where it has been based for generations, to Blount County, Tenn., near Knoxville. It will create 750 jobs in the area, according to the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development.
The lower cost of living was a factor in the move, Chief Executive Mark Smith said in a statement.
Springfield, MA Mayor Domenic Sarno said in a statement the city will be losing 550 jobs, which he described as devastating news for the families involved. City officials would work with the company to try to retain about 1,000 remaining jobs, he said.