Fitzgerald Collision & Repair, a Tennessee collision repair business that specializes in commercial trucks, announced that it will invest $9 million to expand its existing facility in Rickman, Tenn., and build a new facility in Sparta.
The expansion will create 220 new jobs, which caught Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam’s attention.
“We want to thank Fitzgerald Collision & Repair for its investment in the Upper Cumberland region,” Haslam said. “We’re proud that Tennessee is a place where entrepreneurs like Robert Fitzgerald can turn ideas into businesses that positively benefit our local communities.”
Founder and CEO Robert Fitzgerald launched the business in 2014 to address the needs of fleets that run large-volume Cascadia trucks.
“The Fitzgerald family has decades of experience in the commercial trucking industry and this most recent venture to provide best-in-class collision and repair service has been a tremendous success,” Fitzgerald said. “With growing demand for our services, we can think of no better place to invest and create more than 200 new jobs than the Upper Cumberland. I’d like to thank the state of Tennessee as well as our local partners in White and Overton counties that have offered support for Fitzgerald Collision & Repair’s expansion.”
Fitzgerald Collision & Repair will add 100,000 square feet to its existing repair facility in Rickman and establish a new facility in White County. The company said it plans to create 145 new jobs at its expanded operations in Rickman and 75 jobs at the new facility in Sparta.
Fitzgerald recently announced a new vocational program and partnership with the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) Livingston, which offers students training in commercial fleet truck maintenance and repair. With the Tennessee Promise and Tennessee Reconnect, Tennessee is the first state in the nation to offer all citizens – both high school graduates and adults – the chance to earn a postsecondary degree or certificate free of tuition and fees.
“There’s no question that the logistics and transportation industry is a crucial part of Tennessee’s economy,” Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe said. “Fitzgerald Collision & Repair is a homegrown success story that plays an important role in Tennessee’s growing transportation sector. We look forward to the impact this 220-job expansion will have on residents in White and Overton counties.”
