January 16, 2008 |
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Humphreys County Center for Higher Education Breaks Ground on Facility Expansion
Matt Kisber, commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development joined officials from Humphreys County and Nashville State Community College Thursday, January 10 for a groundbreaking ceremony at the Humphreys County Center for Higher Education, which has begun work on a 10,000 square-foot expansion. The learning center, which is a branch of Nashville State Community College, will offer a new Associates Degree Program in Industrial Process Control Technology when the addition is complete. Local business partners of the degree program include the Tennessee Valley Authority and DuPont, which recently undertook a $30 million expansion at their plant in New Johnsonville. "Governor Bredesen and I have met with business leaders from China to rural Tennessee, and the consistent message we hear is that access to a steady, skilled workforce is a primary decision-making factor for a company considering relocating or expanding," Kisber said. "Jobs with today's manufacturers are more technical and specialized. We must invest in opportunities to best train Tennesseans for those employment opportunities. Thanks to Governor Bredesen's dedication to promoting lifelong education among Tennesseans, projects like this one are making our state much more competitive." The project is primarily funded by a FastTrack Infrastructure Development Grant from ECD. FIDP Grants are given to communities for specific projects that improve local infrastructure and encourage business investment. The expansion is scheduled to be complete in fall of 2008. ECD Announces Increase Grants for Tennessee Main Street CommunitiesThe Department of Economic and Community Development announced it is increasing the Tennessee Main Street Innovation Grant to $23,000 to support innovative programs and activities around the state's 21 Main Street Program communities. The announcement was made by Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber last week during the Tennessee Main Street program's quarterly meeting in Jackson, Tenn. The Department also announced that $3,000 of the grant monies will be allocated for an additional training component. These monies can be used by Tennessee Main Street communities to participate in training sessions and conferences sponsored by the National Main Street Network, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Participation in this network by communities is a requirement of the state program and necessary to earn national accreditation. The grants will be administered from March 2008 through June 2009. "The Tennessee Main Street Program continues to be a key component of the state's economic development efforts," Kisber said. "Governor Bredesen has been a strong advocate for investment in historic downtowns, and I believe this financial commitment to the revitalization and prosperity of downtown districts makes good business sense. It provides immense entrepreneurial opportunities and enhances the quality of life for a community. Tennessee has a tremendously successful Main Street Program and we look forward to seeing even more great improvements through these grants." The Main Street Innovation Grant requires a 20 percent match by the local Main Street Program. The training component to the grant does not require matching funds. "This grant allows certified Tennessee Main Street Communities to achieve creative and forward-thinking solutions to downtown revitalization," said Kimberly Nyberg, director of the Tennessee Main Street Program. "It can serve as a catalyst to create innovation within our historic downtowns, while seeing tangible results and ultimately improving quality of life and economic growth." The Tennessee Main Street Program provides assistance to communities in revitalizing their downtown and central business districts, which are vital components of economic development and job growth. The Program assists communities across the state with technical assistance and expertise in developing long-term strategies that promote economic growth and development. For a list of certified Tennessee Main Street communities and to learn more about the program, visit www.TNECD.gov. |
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Tennessee Quick Facts
Schedule AlertThere are no public events scheduled for Commissioner Kisber this week. 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 FeedbackWe invite your thoughts on the ECD Hot Sheet. Please click here to contact ECD Communications with any questions, concerns or suggestions you may have. |
News BriefsBusiness Development
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| ECD's Sammy Duke presents a Small Business Energy Loan check to Clark Lumber Company Owner Hugh Clark. |
Clark Lumber Company, Inc., a sawmill facility located in the Macon County area, is the latest Tennessee business to benefit from the Small Business Energy Loan Program.
After discussing the details of the program with ECD and listening to Clark Lumber Company's concerns about its high energy cost, a free energy audit was ordered from the University of Memphis.
The energy audit recommended the company replace its propane-fired boiler with a sawdust-fueled boiler. The energy efficient improvement cost was $300,000, while the estimated annual energy savings is $266,000.
| Clark Lumber Company's new sawdust-fueled boiler. |
The renovations are complete and Owner Hugh Clark has already seen a positive difference to the company's bottom line. The company is looking forward to the continued energy savings the project is projected to deliver.
Call ECD's Program Management Division at (615) 741-6201 for a free energy assessment of your small business building and become part of the energy efficient solution to help build a better world.
Floodplain Management Training Held Jan. 7-10
The Federal Emergency Management Institute's "Managing Floodplain Development through the National Flood Insurance" course was held January 7 - 10 at Nashville State Community College. Co-sponsored by FEMA and ECD, the class was designed to assist local codes officials and floodplain managers with better understanding and implementing their local regulations governing floodplain developments.
FEMA instructors included Senior Engineer Mark Vieira and Floodplain Management Specialists Janice Mitchell and Bob Durrin. ECD's Director of NFIP Services, Stanley Harrison, served as the course instructor representing the state.
Twenty-two local government officials from throughout Tennessee attended this class. Cheatham County had the strongest representation with attendees from not only the county, but all municipalities as well. Other counties represented included Carter, Cocke, Greene, Marion, Marshall and Tipton. In addition to the Cheatham County municipalities, representatives from Centerville, Dayton, Fayetteville, Gatlinburg, Jonesborough, Lewisburg and South Fulton also attended.
This is only the second time the course has been offered in Tennessee. For further information concerning floodplain management training opportunities contact Stanley Harrison at 423-434-6476 or stanley.harrison@state.tn.us.
Tennessee Main Street Program Managers meet in Jackson
Tennessee Main Street Program Managers from across the state met in Jackson for the Winter Managers' Quarterly Main Street Meeting on January 9-10, 2008. The day and a half event included a welcome and presentations from local officials and guests, the Main Street Exchange, Tools for Downtown and a progressive tour of historic architecture in downtown Jackson.
Presentations were made by Jonathan Harlan, Founder of the Aeneas Internet and Telephone and Sharon Taylor McKinney of ECD's Business Enterprise Resource Office. A special presentation was made by ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber and Assistant Commissioner Rick Meredith announcing the 2008-09 Main Street Innovation Grants, which will be increased from $10,000 to $23,000.
Main Street managers, board members and volunteers enjoyed some of Jackson's preservation successes, which included: a tour and reception at the Painted Lady, a late Victorian residence, that is now a restaurant, gift and art gallery; a dinner meeting at Cafe Capone's in the newly renovated Neely House; meetings in the former First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, which is now Aeneas Internet and Telephone; and a new managers' roundtable held in the Discovery Children's museum - all in downtown Jackson.
Guests joining the group included: Jackson Mayor Jerry Gist, Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce President Paul Latture, Downtown Jackson Development Corp. President Gary Grisham and members of the Board of Directors of Jackson Downtown Development Corporation.
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Tennessean:
"GM Hopes to Push Ethanol under $1" GM Chairman and Chief Executive Rick Wagoner said that the automaker had entered into a partnership with a startup company called Coskata Inc., which hopes to use a new process that will allow it to make ethanol fuel for under $1 a gallon. "We must find a better way to make ethanol," Wagoner said, adding that extensive use of the bio-fuel could cut American dependence on imported oil by more than a third. Wagoner's remarks came as GM followed through on the show's "green" theme by introducing a new, smaller Hummer concept, the Hx, that runs on up to 85 percent ethanol. GM also unveiled a flex-fuel crossover utility vehicle from Saab, the 9-4x BioPowe. Mark LaNave, GM's North American marketing chief, vowed that all Hummer vehicles developed from now on would be "smaller and more fuel-efficient."
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Times Free Press: "Local Leaders Eager to Import Retirees"Since 1995, Tennessee has seen a 27 percent increase in out-of-staters moving here to retire, according to an expert who tracks demographic trends. Among the 17 states in the South, Tennessee ranks sixth in importing retirees, according to studies by Charles Longino, a gerontologist at Wake Forest University and author of "Retirement Migration in America." Local leaders are eager to leverage the trend. Hamilton County and Chattanooga recently launched promotions asking out-of-state seniors to keep the Volunteer State in their sights. Local leaders are advertising in regional magazines to attract many of these retirees. Last month, the city's Choose Chattanooga program received about 1,000 requests for information from seniors looking to move, up from about 40 per month last year, said J.Ed. Marston, vice president of marketing for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. In 2005, Tennessee gained $198 million from retiree migrants, Georgia gained $123 million, Alabama gained $72 million and North Carolina gained $290 million, according to the researchers at the University of North Carolina-Asheville. Each migrating retiree household creates two to four family-wage (middle-class) jobs, Mr. Marston added. |