Greenheck, an HVAC company, plans a new campus and 440 jobs in Knox County

A Midwest-based HVAC company plans to establish a corporate campus in Knox County with a $300 million investment and is looking for a tax freeze and a discount on valuable real estate to do so.

Dubbed "Project Emerald," Greenheck Group plans to establish a corporate campus at the Midway Business Park in east Knox County on Thorngrove Pike. The campus will include manufacturing, office, warehouse and training facilities.

It will be one of the largest job creation economic development projects in the county, Knoxville Chamber Vice President of Economic Development Doug Lawyer said at the April 22 Knox County Commission meeting.

Phase one of the project (expected to be done in 2029) will bring 440 jobs paying $75,300 a year. The project is expected to bring an additional 520 indirect jobs to the county.

Phase one will include building four manufacturing facilities and three professional facilities. Details of later phases were not provided during the commission meeting.

Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs called the project "transformational" for the county.

Greenheck wants to buy the entire 336-acre business park for $30,000 an acre. The property is valued at $60,000 per acre, according to Lawyer.

The company is also looking for a 10-year payment in lieu of taxes program. The County Commission unanimously approved a resolution to allow the Knox County Industrial Development Board to negotiate a PILOT.

If the company goes above the expected $300 million and 440 jobs, the PILOT could be extended to 15 years.

Greenheck Group is headquartered in Schofield, Wisconsin, and has over 5,300 employees. It has corporate campuses in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and King Mountain, North Carolina

Silas Sloan is the growth and development reporter. Email silas.sloan@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter @silasloan. Instagram @knox.growth.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: HVAC company Greenheck will bring 440 high-paying jobs to Knox County