Manufacturer relocating division HQ to town

Unit coming here from Southern California -- UPDATED with details on jobs and real estate search

Email | Print By Geert De Lombaerde

Lennox International announced this morning it is moving the headquarters and research and development staff of its hearth-making relocating to Nashville.  The move from Orange, Calif., involves 60 employees and is expected to be completed by early next year.

Lennox officials also are consolidating Lennox Hearth Products’ customer and technical service departments in Union City, where the company centralized its U.S. hearth manufacturing operations 18 months ago. Wendy Howells, general manager of Lennox Hearth, said the relocations will “ensure the long-term health of our business,” which is part of Lennox’s $1.5 billion residential heating and cooling division.

Texas-headquartered Lennox is scouting the area for 20,000 square feet of space, but Ozzie Buckler, director of communications and PR for the company, said it is not yet making public where it is intends to settle. Buckler also said he was not aware of the details of any incentives Lennox received as part of its move; calls to state officials requesting details about incentives were not immediately returned Wednesday.

Local public officials, who have of late been making more optimistic noises about Nashville's ECD pipeline, are understandably pleased about the move. Mayor Karl Dean said Lennox’s decision “will go directly to strengthening our city’s economic core” while state economic development commissioner Matt Kisber said his team is “especially gratified” that Lennox moved “research-oriented headquarters positions” to the state.