January 9, 2008

2008 Governor's Conference Dates Announced

 
Governor Bredesen speaks at his luncheon during the 2007 Governor's Conference in Nashville.

This year's Governor's Conference on Economic and Community Development will be September 15 and 16, 2008 at Gaylord Opryland in Nashville. Hundreds of community leaders, economic development professionals and business owners will convene to participate in informative sessions on growth and industry, as well as network with like-minded colleagues. Information on the keynote speaker, session topics and registration will be available soon. For more information, call (615) 741-1888.

Participate in the 2008 International
Poultry Expo

 
2007 International Poultry Expo

The 2008 International Poultry Expo will be held in Atlanta, January 23-25, 2008, at the Georgia World Congress Center.

The International Poultry Expo provides a tremendous opportunity for networking, as every segment of the poultry and egg industry is represented: feed milling, live production, hatchery, processing, further processing, packaging, commercial egg, marketing and all support activities.

The Department of ECD is offering for Tennessee community and business representatives to participate in the state's booth free of charge. Participants will not have large shift requirements, leaving ample time to walk the trade show floor or make appointments with consultants in the Atlanta area.

The 2008 IPE will again be co-located with the International Feed Expo. For the second year, the trade show will be included in the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Buyer Program.

If you have an interest in attending and working with the Department of Economic and Community Development, please contact Brenda Pfeiffer at (615) 253-1913 or Brenda.Pfeiffer@state.tn.us. 

Tennessee Quick Facts


Lake County, located in West Tennessee, was formed in 1870 from Obion County. It was named for Reelfoot Lake, which was created in the 1811-12 earthquakes.

Source:
Lake County Homepage

 

Schedule Alert

Jan. 10
Waverly, Tenn.
Commissioner Kisber will participate in a groundbreaking ceremony at the Humphreys County Center for Higher Education at 10 a.m.

To request ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber to speak or attend an event, please contact Jennifer Alward at (615) 253-1852 or jennifer.alward@state.tn.us

Feedback

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News Briefs

Business Development


Business Enterprise Resource Office (BERO)


BERO to Co-Sponsor SBA Loan Workshop

BERO is co-sponsoring a workshop to teach business owners the step-by-step process of applying for an SBA Community Express Loan of between $5,000 and $25,000.

WHEN: January 24, 10 am - 12 noon or 2 pm - 4 pm.
WHERE: Middle Tennessee Career Center at Metro Center
2200 Rosa L. Parks Blvd. (formerly Metro Center Blvd; off Athens Way), Nashville.
WHO: Full- and part-time businesses are eligible for the loan.  Reservations are not required. For more information, click here or contact SCORE at (615) 736-7621.

BERO Holding Upper East Tennessee Counseling

BERO will conduct counseling on technical assistance, finances, procurement and partnering agencies in Johnson City and Kingsport. For more information, contact:

Johnson City Development Authority
207 East Main St.
Johnson City, Tenn.
Peggy Borden
(423) 928-2988

KOSBE Kingsport Chamber
151 E Main St.
Kingsport, Tenn.
Vanessa Bennett
(423) 392-8811


Community Development

Grants and Loans

CDBG Application Deadline Approaching

The 2008 Community Development Block Grant regular round applications are due to the Department of Economic and Community Development's Office of Program Management on February 28, 2008. The last date to have the local public meeting is January 28, 2008. If you need assistance with applications, please contact Paula Lovett, Jamie Bedgood, Shelley Fugitt or Rice Pritchard at (615) 741-6201.

Energy

DOE Offering Free Energy Assessments

The U.S. Department of Energy is offering free industrial energy assessments to any facility that consumes at least 300 billion BTU, British thermal units, of combined energy per year, or its equivalent, as part of the Save Energy Now program. A 2005 study for DOE found almost 100,000 megawatts of untapped industrial waste energy across the U.S., equivalent to 19 percent of energy demand and almost equal to the output of U.S. nuclear power plants. To apply for an assessment, click here.

Recent News

Tennesseean: "California Company to Bring 100-plus Jobs"

A California company is relocating its headquarters to Lexington, Tenn., bringing more than 100 jobs to the area, city officials announced Friday.

HTI Technology and Industries will move from Los Angeles to the Neisler Building in the Timberlake Industrial Park. The company's founders joined Lexington Mayor Bobby Dyer in announcing the move on Friday.

HTI Technology and Industries specializes in manufacturing electric motors for appliances, said company president Lily Lu. The company will have job openings for customer service, sales, marketing, engineering and warehouse positions for shipping and receiving products, Lu said.

The company may add accounting and manufacturing jobs in the future, said Joe Lomicka, vice president of engineering. The company looked at locations throughout the state over a two-year period before choosing Lexington, Lomicka said.

The location was an advantage, he said, since many of HTI's customers are within a day's drive. The company moved its first product into its Lexington warehouse Thursday and is looking at expanding the 40,000-square-foot facility, Lu said.

Daily Herald: "GM Plant to Produce Hybrid Engines"

General Motors' revamped product line produced two finalists for 2008 North American car of the year, including the Malibu with a locally made engine.

The 2008 Cadillac is the other nominee. The winner will be named on Jan. 13 at the Detroit Auto Show. The 2.4-liter engine made at the GM Manufacturing Facility in Spring Hill will be joining a hybrid battery system in the 2008 Malibu, Plant Manager Rodney Black said.

An optional 2-liter turbocharged motor will also be available, he said. While the engines have been manufactured for Saturn vehicles in the past, the new motors will be the first step in the company's energy goals for 2008-2010.

"Our goal is the displacement of petroleum as the major fuel in our cars," Black said.

The engines won the coveted Harbour Award and earned the factory the title "Most Productive Engine Plant of 2007," beating Toyota's Buffalo, W.Va., plant which had won the award for five straight years.

Combined with a battery-driven hybrid system, the 2008 Malibu will save gasoline by using electric motors to give the car a boost from a stop. Once it's rolling, the car's engine takes more of the load and, the nickel-metal hydride battery is charged.
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