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Wlaf1450‘There are some exciting times ahead for us’- Jay Willoughby, Chairman of the JECDB
By Charlotte Underwood
LAFOLLETTE, TN (WLAF)- At Thursday’s meeting, Joint Economic Community Development Chairman Jay Willoughby gave an update on United Rare Earths, saying the company has leased office space and hired Campbell County native and JECDB secretary Amanda Grodeman as an operations manager. Willoughby also reported on the industrial park that is in the works for the county.
“United Rare Earths has now leased space (in the upstairs of Community Trust Bank Jacksboro) to get them started until they get their facilities up and running and have their own offices. That office at the bank in Jacksboro is being set up now and they have officially hired their first employee in Campbell County, and she is sitting right here. We can congratulate Amanda on that, and she will do a great job,” Willoughby said.
According to Willoughby, the property where Rare Earths is building on the original 39 acres purchased from the city of Caryville, “has been tied up due to some wetlands”, with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and “had to be brought up to standard.
“The utility and the City of Caryville have been working on that and it’s close to being completed. Once that’s completed, they can start to scale up, and “United Rare Earths CEO” Jeff (Willis) told me that construction will begin within 90 days on their first facility up there which is a magnet recycling facility,” Willoughby said.
Frank Wallace with Caryville-Jacksboro Utility Commission (CJUC) said that the issue with the wetlands had been completed and that the state would be writing a letter to United Rare Earths Jeffrey Willis telling him he could go ahead and begin construction and that a state employee had already passed the state tests 100 percent.
“This whole process has been geared towards the industrial park and to make sure United Rare Earths is going to the new county park,” Wallace said.
Wallace also said that they had “poured 240 yards of sand and cement in the bottom of it to bring it up to where it can be built on to put the water tanks that should there ever be a water line break in the water supply to the industrial park, these tanks will provide back up.
“It’s an emergency backup and we will have two tanks with all the water an industry could need and in case of a fire, it will have the big pumps to pump,” Wallace said.
He also reported that this week, they would be choosing the site to place four construction trailers for construction of United Rare Earths and choose the site to put the wastewater/sewer pump station that they are going to need and where their water taps will need to be.
Willoughby also reported on the Campbell County Industrial Park, which is in the works.
“We have acquired the 232 acres officially, the IDB (Industrial Development Board) owns it at the 141-exit adjoining the Collins Industrial Park… the grant to run the sewer, the road, water and infrastructure should be in the $25/26 million dollar range and it’s been handed over to the EDA for some changes and will be ready to be processed soon. Hopefully we will get it or at least a good portion of it,” Willoughby said.
He also said that the county had other companies interested in the property.
“There are some exciting times ahead for us,” Willoughby said. (WLAF NEWS PUBLISHED-05/19/2026-6AM)