TRICOR was created in 1994 by the Tennessee General Assembly and is governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the Governor. Our board members represent various fields including manufacturing, business and corporate law, fiscal management, human resources, agriculture, organized labor, the Department of Correction, and the Tennessee State Employees Association.

The agency was created to provide occupational and life skills training for Tennessee’s incarcerated population through job training, program opportunities, and transitional services designed to assist offenders with a successful reintegration into society.

TRICOR’s philosophy is to effectively manage revenue supported industry, agriculture, and service operations for the purpose of employing and training offenders, providing quality products and services, and assisting in transition services, all of which reduces the cost of government. The corporate level mission defines the purpose of TRICOR’s existence, our vision continues to act as the compass by which we look to the future, and our values are the principles that guide our actions.

Our Mission

TRICOR will provide an environment where offenders learn work ethics and marketable skills which will assist with a successful reintegration into society. Using sound business practices, TRICOR will manage a financially successful organization that provides quality products, services, and solutions for our customers.

Our Vision

To earn the trust, respect, and loyalty of our customers by exceeding their expectations with every order. Recognizing that people are our most important resource, we will create an environment which provides opportunities and career development for all employees and offenders.

Our Values

• Service: We are committed to providing the highest quality of service by identifying and exceeding our customers’ expectations. 
• Continuous Improvement: We encourage innovation and place no limits on improvement. We regard change as an opportunity to improve. Our environment supports personal and professional growth through education and training. 
• People: We believe that a diverse workforce that values individual differences leads to a stronger, more successful organization. 
• Ethics and Integrity: We value the courage and conviction to act with integrity and the commitment to behave ethically. 
• Communication: Communication is the lifeblood of any organization. We are dedicated to keeping our employees and stakeholders informed. We realize our potential through the free exchange of ideas in an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect.

TRICOR is financially self-supporting, generating 100 percent of our revenue through the sale of quality products and services. Our operations, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC), are located in 11 facilities throughout the state of Tennessee.

In Fiscal Year 2007, TRICOR provided occupational skills training to 1,168 offenders. Through this partnership with TDOC, TRICOR saves taxpayers approximately $3.6 million in supervision and programming costs per year. Through Prison Industry Enhancement partnerships and joint ventures, TRICOR’s offender workforce has cumulatively transferred approximately $554,000 from deductions in wages into the Tennessee Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund for victims’ compensation.

TRICOR operates in three spheres of influence which include business, social, and government. We must continually evaluate our performance in these sectors to assure the organization maintains its focus and balance, ensuring our double bottom line – working together to operate a financially sound organization while moving forward with the social mission of providing opportunities for people to make significant life changes – is met.

Over two million men and women are incarcerated in prisons and jails across this country. Of these extraordinary numbers, nearly 600,000 people are released annually; over 14,000 of those people are released from Tennessee prisons and jails. Of those men and women who are incarcerated, 97% will return home to our communities at some time. No neighbor or family is exempt from the impact of crime. TRICOR was established to assist in breaking the cycle of crime in Tennessee. On any given day, TRICOR works with up to 1,000 men and women to prepare and equip them to function more successfully while incarcerated and during reintegration into society.

TRICOR has chosen to become an organization of learning to meet these challenges and fully embrace our mission and realize our vision. We must link individual performance with organizational performance, which includes our entire workforce of both staff and offenders. Through our Workforce Development Initiative, we are providing individual and collective learning opportunities for the entire TRICOR workforce. The double bottom line of TRICOR reflects a mutually strong commitment to all the people who comprise our organization and to the customers we provide with quality products, services, and solutions. This systems-thinking approach has elevated TRICOR to a unique leader in the field of correctional industries.