Being designated an essential industry has helped make the Tractor Supply Company distribution center in Franklin an essential part of the Simpson County economy.

Approved for state tax incentives in 2018 that helped the center in the Sanders Industrial Park implement an $8.5 million expansion, Tractor Supply’s 850,000-square-foot distribution center has hardly experienced a hiccup as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that has handcuffed many businesses.

The distribution center, in fact, has added more than 140 jobs this year and is still growing.

“When we went into the climate of COVID, people like me were fretting that the plant might have to cut back,” said Ronda Ruane, general manager of the center.

But, as a supplier of important livestock and pet products and hardware used in agriculture, Brentwood, Tenn.-based Tractor Supply and its 1,800 retail stores across the U.S. have continued to thrive.

“It’s amazing,” said Ruane. “We’ve been able to increase employment through this climate.”

Opened in 2012, the Tractor Supply distribution center is equipped with five miles of conveyer belts and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Three years ago we went to seven days a week,” Ruane said. “It has worked out really well.”

Ruane said this year’s job increases have built the plant’s employment to about 675. She expects it to reach as high as 725.

“Store volume and e-commerce are both driving our growth,” said Ruane, who pointed out that animal food has been a big seller even during the pandemic.

Ruane said the Franklin distribution center services TSC retail stores in Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas and North Carolina.

Founded in 1938 in North Dakota, Tractor Supply now has more than 32,000 employees nationwide and reported revenue of $8.3 billion last year.

Simpson County Judge-Executive Mason Barnes said the growth of Tractor Supply is a big reason the county’s economy has remained strong.

“It’s good to have a company like Tractor Supply that’s growing,” Barnes said. “They will emerge as one of the top employers in Simpson County.

“Even in the middle of a pandemic, our economy is still pretty strong. There are a number of jobs to be had.”