Scripps Networks Interactive Sets Up Knoxville Hub

KNOXVILLE: Scripps Networks Interactive is establishing a global headquarters in Knoxville, where the majority of the company’s operations are based.

This coincides with the completion of a new 150,000 square-foot operating facility in West Knoxville. About 850 of the company’s 1,950 employees worldwide are working in Knoxville, where HGTV and DIY Network are based. The company’s technical center is also in Knoxville. The company will maintain a substantial presence in Cincinnati, where it has been headquartered since becoming an independent, publicly traded company in 2008.

“Knoxville is where it all began and where the company’s future is being charted,” said Kenneth W. Lowe, the chairman and CEO of Scripps Networks Interactive. “We’ve come a long way since launching HGTV and our Knoxville operations have become increasingly important. Making Knoxville and Tennessee the focal point of our global operations is a logical step in the company’s ongoing evolution.”

“Our decision to establish the company’s headquarters in Knoxville is an affirmation of the positive business climate that exists here in Tennessee,” added John Lansing, the president of Scripps Networks. “It’s an acknowledgment that our company has found fertile ground here that has contributed greatly to our growth and success.”

“We highly value our legacy as a Cincinnati-based corporation and care deeply about the community and its future,” Lowe added. “Our announcement today does not diminish our commitment to civic involvement in Greater Cincinnati and to our many employees who make this great region their home. But it’s clear to us that the center of gravity for our company, by necessity, has shifted to Knoxville as we’ve expanded and grown our lifestyle content businesses.”