Guild, Tenn. – Thunder Enterprises, the development company behind Jasper Highlands, held its ceremonial groundbreaking in Marion County this week for its most recently announced residential community situated on Aetna Mountain in Marion County. John “Thunder” Thornton, CEO and Founder of the company, was joined by Governor Bill Lee, County Mayor David Jackson and company President Dane Bradshaw speaking to what the development sought to bring to the area. An assembly of local officials, employees of Thunder Enterprises, and other dignitaries joined together for the event off the scenic bluff which is expected to house the publicly accessed portion of the development.
After a brief introduction from County Mayor David Jackson and Thunder Enterprises President Dane Bradshaw, Thornton addressed the crowd. “We started Jasper Highlands a decade ago. Dane and I sat down and we said look we’ve got to really price these lots aggressively and we’re going to price thirty bluff lots cheap, at $99,900 and all thirty are going to be at that price and sixty eight interior lots at $29,900 a piece. Now, that was in 2012 so get those prices out of your mind,” he conceded to audience laughter. “But we do have the same kind of theme up here. It took us a year to generate $1,000,000 in revenue by selling all 98 of those lots, it took us a year to do that. We just had a very soft opening a week ago Monday here and we sold over $10,000,000 in ten days. That’s pretty remarkable, but that doesn’t represent two percent of the number of lots we’ll have out on this mountain. We’re going to have right a twenty-five hundred lots.” Thornton went on to reminisce about his affection for “every mile and mountain in Marion County” and the “natural beauty” of the area. He also estimated that the population boost from this development could be 5,000 more people to the Marion County area. In a one-on-one conversation, Thornton was quick to answer how Marion County has proven to be such a fertile ground for developments such as these. “Overall, I just think it’s scenic beauty and what we’re looking at here today, this magnificent waterway, the Tennessee River, the Tennessee River Gorge, Nickajack Lake, and just below that, Guntersville makes for fabulous bass fishing and recreational opportunities, but I think beyond that, it is the friendly people. We’ve recruited people from Jasper Highlands from 48 different states and eight different countries and they all would tell you the same thing: what we love about Marion County is how friendly the people are. It’s just a wonderful community,” Thornton said.
Following Thornton, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee took the stage. Lee focused on the importance of rural communities’ success to the overall financial strength of the state’s economy. “When I came into office, we talked a lot about rural Tennessee and why rural Tennessee matters to everyone in the state,” Lee continued, “As a matter fact, my first Executive Order required that every department of state government develop a strategic plan delivered to me on how they would positively impact life in rural Tennessee over my administration.” However, Lee conceded that he does not think the onus of that success is on government. “The other thing I say frequently is government is not the answer to the challenges that we face in our day. Government can’t make rural Tennessee prosperous; people can do that. Government can put a focus on it We can create an environment for that, but it takes the private sector.”
Lee also addressed the very environment that serves as the bedrock for such an ambitious residential development in the state. “There is a reason that we’re the most moved to state in America right now. There are more people moving to Tennessee per capita, depending on the statistic you look at, but we are arguably the most moved to state in America,” Lee stated. He acknowledged the aesthetic attractivenesss of the state but fully appeared to understand the most attractive carrot. “There’s a reason for that. We talked about tax structure in this county and in other counties around it, when you create an environment that’s attractive for people…we have no income tax in this state. In fact, as citizen of Tennessee, as a percentage of your personal income, we are the lowest tax per capita state in America. Not only so, we are the lowest debt per capita state in America.” Lee circled back around and explicitly state how that was benefiting rural communities. “They are looking for a state that is just as beautiful as Wyoming or Montana but has a whole lot more advantages than either one of those places and that’s why they find themselves in a place like Jasper Highlands and this River Gorge Ranch,” Lee said.
There was no timeline offered on when the anticipated end of built on the community would be, but with water supply anticipated from Jasper Water and Sewer and roads poised to see an increase in traffic, at least a portion of the anticipated tax revenue will likely come with expectations for infrastructure enhancements from the residents of the new development. The road from the development’s current entrance, extends almost another 20 minutes from the nearest state road. No mention during the presentations was made as to fire prevention coverage which Thunder Enterprises ended up erecting and administrating a new volunteer fire department for the Jasper Highlands community which has answers multiple mutual aid calls for other departments in the area.
The sales office for the River Gorge Ranch will be at what most locals have long associated as the Anchor Inn gas station and restaurant at 11009 Highway 41 in Guild. Residents can take comfort that the Anchor Inn is reportedly building a new facility just up the road toward Jasper on 41 closer to the entrance to Marion County Park.