Joplin's billion dollar pitch for Tesla plant grabs national media's attention

The City of Joplin's $1 billion pitch for a new Tesla plant, revealed by Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce President Toby Teeter during the COVID-19 briefing Monday has grabbed the attention of the national media.

Teeter tweeted the information (that's how everybody does it these days) to Tesla CEO Elon Musk caught the eye of national reporters.

From CNBC:

So Joplin, Missouri, has since put together a package of what it claims are more than $1 billion in incentives and savings to lure that factory, according to a website it built to convince Tesla. The package includes a discount on a 1,042-acre site with retail access, as well as a slew of state and local tax credits.

The state is also emphasizing the low cost of labor in the region, favorably comparing the city’s median hourly wage of $27.86 to higher wages in Nashville, Tennessee, and Austin, Texas. 

From Bloomberg News

The city, which is home to a pair of industrial-battery production facilities, has taken its campaign directly to Musk, with Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce President Toby Teeter appealing to the chief executive officer Monday on Twitter. Tesla didn’t respond to a request for comment on Joplin’s proposal.

@elonmusk, Joplin is offering a $1 BILLION package of incentives and savings to land @Tesla's new #gigafactory that will manufacture batteries and #Cybertrucks. Tesla should #ChooseJoplin, the home of battery technology. Offer: https://t.co/FgMqGVYQhN

— Toby Teeter (@tobyteeter) April 13, 2020