We've had the opportunity to tour a couple of places this last month that I want to mention briefly. They are free, super interesting, and well worth your time if you're ever in the area.
Our first stop was Freightlighter Custom Chassis in Gaffney, SC. Established in 1995, Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation has been a leading and trusted manufacturer of RV, walk-in vans, commercial buses, and school bus chassis.
With approximately 289,000 sq. feet featuring three production lines and more than 600 employees, the 45-minute tour was a really neat experience. We had a wonderful guide who has worked on the floor for several decades alongside several of her family members. She patiently answered all our questions.
Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures while touring, but suffice it to say that the manufacturing floor felt like a world of organized chaos. Loud, bustling, efficient, and intense. Definitely not an environment I would want to work in, but I have a lot of respect for those who do.
Our second March tour was the Bush Beans factory in Dandridge, Tennessee, where all those delicious baked beans come from! While the production plant itself is not open to tours, there is a visitor's center, gift shop, cafe, and small museum onsite.
Bush Brother's and Company was formed in 1908 out of A.J Bush's desire to pour into his community and create job opportunities for the young men in Chestnut Hill, Tennessee. Created in cooperation with his two sons, the company originally canned tomatoes until 1920, when they expanded to include other products such as corn, hominy, blueberries, and various meats.
Bush's Best Baked Beans wasn't produced until 1969, when overproduction and low prices threw Bush Brothers and Company in for a tough time. During brainstorming, family stockholder Condon Bush hit upon the idea of producing a new product that would appeal to a wide audience based on his mother's secret recipe. Within two years, nearly a million cases of this popular new baked bean were being sold yearly.
Although the plant was originally built in Chestnut Hill, Tenessee, Bush's headquarters is in Knoxville, TN and they have another plant in Augusta, Wisconsin.
We've learned so much through the various tours we've had the opportunity to take while on our trip. If you are ever in South Carolina or Tennessee and looking for a way to spend a couple of hours, both of these places were fun stops along our trip.
Until next time, God bless!
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