Good news all around for Nashville.
Earlier this week, Starbucks announced that the global coffee giant would be opening a new headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, a $100 million project that the company says “will be a complement to our global and North America headquarters in Seattle, where we will maintain a large presence.”
The southeast headquarters will be located at Peabody Union, just a few blocks from downtown Music City, and will open in 2027. The company will be adding or relocating 2,000 jobs to the new headquarters, the majority of which will be IT jobs.
During a press conference, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee expressed his excitement for the company to move to the Volunteer State:
“Tennessee is known nationwide for its strong values and fiscally conservative approach to business, and we are proud to add Starbucks to the strong roster of brands that place their trust in our business climate and skilled workforce. As Starbucks continues to shape their brand and expand their operations, we’re grateful that they have chosen to build a future here, creating up to 2,000 quality jobs for Tennesseans.”
And Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol called Nashville the ideal location for expansion:
“As Starbucks continues to expand across North America, Nashville gives us an opportunity to support that growth with great talent and proximity to our growing number of coffeehouses and suppliers across the Southeast. This city offers a deep, diverse talent pool and a strong sense of community, making Nashville another ideal place to invest for the long term.”
But apparently his employees aren’t so sure.
According to Bloomberg, Starbucks is having trouble convincing their employees to leave deep blue Seattle and relocate to a red state like Tennessee. Despite the offers of stock grants and even offering to reimburse up to $2,000 in travel costs for employees to take a trip to Nashville to check out the city, apparently many of the employees on the company’s 100-member sourcing team are refusing to make the move.
Starbucks has reportedly told many employees that their choices are to either move to Nashville or lose their jobs, and has offered bonuses for employees who won’t make the move but agree to stay on through the end of 2026.
Of course, the report also claims that employees were told they would have to accept a 5% pay cut if they move to Nashville due to the lower cost of living, which probably explains why the company is eager to get out of Seattle in the first place. Tennessee is obviously a more business-friendly climate than Washington, and has no state income tax, which has resulted in an influx of companies moving to Nashville in recent years, including Amazon, Oracle, and even In-and-Out Burger.
While Tennessee is obviously a conservative state, Nashville leans much more liberal – though I’m sure not as liberal as Seattle. And while I’m sure there are some who simply don’t want to relocate their family away from their home, apparently the politics involved is also causing problems.
Living in a conservative state, even if it’s in a blue city, is just too scary for some people I guess.
