Akzo Nobel Coatings Inc., Nashville, announced at a groundbreaking ceremony on October 10th that it will name Nashville as its North American Powder Coatings headquarters and technical laboratories in 2007. The designation will add approximately 50 new high-value-added jobs to the Nashville area, including positions with the company's general management, finance, information management, R&D, customer service (inside sales) and purchasing departments.

A building expansion will add 10,000 square feet of office space to the company's existing Nashville manufacturing facility. The manufacturing site currently employs around 125 full-time employees.