Ceramic tile manufacturer Portobello America, Inc. will locate its new U.S. headquarters and first U.S. production facility on the Tennessee Motor Speedway site in Baxter, Tennessee. The approximately $150 million investment is expected to create 220 jobs in Putnam County.

Portobello, headquartered in Brazil, is the largest tile manufacturer in Brazil. The company serves countries on five continents and internal markets through multi-brand retailers, the Portobello Shop franchise and sales channel for engineering. Construction on the facility is set to be complete by 2021.

“Growing and developing in the American market, incorporating the local culture, generating job opportunities and investments through an integrated business model, from production to partnership with distributors, is what guides this new challenge,” Portobello President Cesar Gomes, Junior said. “We are proud to present Portobello America. We believe in the strategy, the market potential and, above all, the combination of our know-how with the American team and culture."

“Portobello’s decision to locate its new production facility and U.S. headquarters and create more than 200 in Baxter will be transformational for the community,” Governor Bill Haslam said. “In Tennessee, we have created a business-friendly environment that promotes growth in all of our communities across the state and I appreciate Portobello for seeing what great assets Tennessee and Putnam County have to offer. I look forward to seeing this company succeed in our state and with investments like this, Tennessee will lead in the creation of high-quality jobs.”

“I appreciate Brazil-based Portobello for selecting Tennessee as the home of its first U.S. production facility and its new U.S. headquarters,” Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe said. “Tennessee places a major emphasis on foreign direct investment and Brazilian companies have been a great investment partners in Tennessee. There are 13 Brazilian companies currently located in our state, employing approximately 2,000 Tennesseans. I thank Portobello for making this major announcement in Baxter and for creating 220 new high quality, family-wage jobs in Putnam County.”

“Portobello represents the largest capital investment for a manufacturing project in our county’s history, and we thank them for becoming our newest economic development partner,” Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter said. “I’m proud of all the work that went into getting us to this point and our team is ready to continue working with Portobello for many years to come.”

“We thank Portobello for committing to investing in our region and for the over 200 jobs they will be creating. We’ve had our eye on this market segment for some time and we couldn’t think of a better company than Portobello to join our community,” Highlands Economic Partnership President and CEO George Halford said.