The three businesses in East Tennessee that suffered significant damage due to Hurricane Helen in fall 2024 will each receive a substantial $1 million grant to help rehire staff and restart their operations.

Governor Bill Lee, alongside Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWater, announced that grants totaling over $4 million will go to a factory in Unicoi County. These funds are aimed at retaining and retraining employees who lost their jobs when the hurricane brought devastation in September.

In a statement, Lee said, “Hurricane Helen is an unprecedented disaster for our state, and a year later, many Tennesseans will remain forever changed by the loss of life and severe flood damage.”

All three companies are situated along the Norichikki River within the Irwin Riverview Industrial Park and are reportedly in the early stages of planning their reopening, according to state officials.

McWhorter mentioned that this funding was specifically allocated by the economic and community development department to assist businesses in maintaining and retraining their workforce after such natural calamities.

The businesses benefiting from these grants include:

• Foam Products, which manufactures foam insulation and packaging, has invested $4.4 million and currently employs 47 people. They estimate a $20 million loss should they need to fully rebuild their facility.
• Plastiexports, a plastics company from Mexico, has invested $7.4 million and retained 53 employees. Their losses are over $14 million.
• Polypipe, dedicated to polyethylene pipe manufacturing for natural gas, has invested $27.1 million and employs 66 individuals. Unfortunately, the storm completely wrecked their building.

Mark Brennon, CEO of Polypipe, reflected on the situation: “The devastation from Hurricane Helen was different from what we faced in our company’s history. This grant isn’t just about fundraising; it’s our lifeline for employees, customers, and our future here in Irwin.”