State and local officials, including Gov. Bill Haslam, were in Rhea County Wednesday to break ground on a new tire manufacturing plant moving into the area. Nokian Tyres is investing $360 million in the facility going up in Dayton and will create at least 400 new jobs in the area. This is the Finnish company’s first plant in the United States. According to reports, Rhea County relinquished millions of dollars in property taxes in order to draw the company into the area which is a common practice in building economic relationships. Gov. Bill Haslam noted that “this is the biggest foreign investment package to ever hit Rhea County.”