April 3, 2008 |
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Governor Bredesen Announces Inaugural Orange Carpet Tours
Governor Phil Bredesen and ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber joined local officials Monday at three ceremonies across the state to sign agreements acknowledging the communities' participation in the inaugural Orange Carpet Tour. The program is designed to acquaint veteran site selectors with development opportunities in Tennessee's rural communities and to give communities the opportunity to gather feedback from veteran business consultants. "Each of these communities has demonstrated a willingness to collaborate and work together on a regional basis," Bredesen said. "At the end of this process, these communities will see how they are perceived by highly regarded site selection experts and how to use that knowledge to make themselves more competitive." The signing ceremonies took place in Covington, Decherd and Rockwood. The initial round of Orange Carpet tours include five groups comprised of three counties each:
The tours, patterned after traditional economic development red carpet tours employed by many urban chambers of commerce, were announced as part of Bredesen's Rural Opportunity Initiative (ROI) in September. The ROI strategy is a three-pronged approach to increasing economic development efforts in the state's more rural areas. In addition to the tours, the initiative includes an expanded series of tax incentives for companies investing in rural communities with historically high unemployment and the Rural Opportunity Fund, a new source of capital available to rural Tennessee businesses.
The project involves a two-day, intensive site selection visit in which the communities will organize a full-scale, detailed presentation to the consultants. Upon conclusion, the consultants will provide community leaders direct feedback, including detailed information on strengths and weaknesses of the area, especially as they relate to those elements of most interest to relocating companies. "The work won't end when the Orange Carpet Tour is over," said Commissioner Kisber. "Our department is ready to work with each of these communities to develop solid action plans based on the feedback they receive." Commissioner Kisber said ECD will be working closely with nationally recognized consulting firms like Chicago-based Plante Moran to conduct the tours. Dates for each community's tour will be announced at a later time. Tennessee Cities Featured in ForbesTennessee cities Knoxville and Chattanooga are featured in the April 7, 2008 issue of Forbes magazine's Best Places section. Knoxville was ranked 10 on the Best Places for Business and Careers list, noting business costs are 14 percent below the national average. The Forbes rankings cover the 200 largest metro areas with populations over 240,000. For the complete list, visit www.forbes.com/bestplaces. Chattanooga's growing economic development and favorable business climate were the subjects of a feature article. Several local businesses were highlighted, along with the city's many revitalization efforts. Knoxville Named One of 12 Solar
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Project partners include TVA, KUB, the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, the Public Building Authority, Knoxville Area Transit and Ijams Nature Center.
Other 2008 Solar America Cities include: Denver, CO; Houston, TX; Milwaukee, WI; Minneapolis & St. Paul, MN; Orlando, FL; Philadelphia, PA; Sacramento, CA; San Antonio, TX; San Jose, CA; Santa Rosa, CA; and Seattle, WA.
Meigs County is home to the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge, a favorite stop each fall and late winter for more than 50,000 migrating sandhill cranes. These birds make the Hiwassee Refuge their stop from nesting grounds in the north to wintering spots in Florida and Georgia, creating a magnificent sight for bird watchers and nature enthusiasts. Fossils indicate the sandhill crane dates back 14 millions years and is one of the oldest living feathered relatives of dinosaurs.
Source:
SoutheastTennessee.com
April 4
Maryville
Commissioner Kisber will attend the DENSO Grand Opening at 10 a.m.
April 7
Nashville
Commissioner Kisber will meet with the Romanian Council of Young Political Leaders at 8:30 a.m.
Nashville
Commissioner Kisber will attend the Funding Board Meeting at 10 a.m.
April 8
Nashville
Commissioner Kisber will attend the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame reception and dinner.
April 9
Nashville
Commissioner Kisber will attend the 2008 Red Cross Breakfast at Lipscomb University at 7 a.m.
Fayetteville
Commissioner Kisber will attend the Goodman announcement 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
We invite your thoughts on the ECD Hot Sheet. Please click here to contact ECD Communications with any questions, concerns or suggestions you may have.
Save the dates for the upcoming workshops in Clarksville, Cookeville and Chattanooga on how to do business with the government. Attendees will learn valuable tools and insights to enable them to more successfully work with federal, state and local governments and agencies.
WHAT: Doing Business with Federal, State and Local Governments
WHEN: April 22, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. with a Federal Procurement Session from 2-3 p.m.
WHERE: Wingate Inn, 251 Holiday Dr, Clarksville, Tenn.
WHO: Small business, woman-owned, minority-owned and rural businesses interested in working with the government.
The workshop is free of charge, but reservations are required and seating is limited. To register contact Stacy or Katie at 931-221-7816. For more information click here.
WHAT: Doing Business with Federal, State and Local Governments
WHEN: May 6, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
WHERE: Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce, One West First Street, Cookeville, Tenn.
WHO: Small business, woman-owned, minority-owned and rural businesses interested in working with the government.
The workshop is free of charge, but reservations are required. To register contact the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce at 931-526-2211.
WHAT: Doing Business with Federal/State/Local Governments
WHEN: May 22, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
WHERE: DRC (Development Resource Center) at 1250 Market Street, Chattanooga, Tenn.
WHO: Small businesses, woman- owned, minority-owned and rural businesses interested in working with the government.
BERO is partnering with the Knox County Purchasing Supplier Diversity Program to host the first Knoxville Small Business Expo April 22 in celebration of National Small Business Week. The event will give small business owners the opportunity to discuss financing needs one-on-one with lenders. Business owners will also be able to speak with resource partners, procurement agencies and staff from the Small Business Administration. Session topics will include working capital loans, rural loans, export working capital loans, government contracting and surety bond financing.
The expo will be from 12-7 p.m. at the Knox County Health Department, located at 140 Dameron Avenue in Knoxville. There is no charge for the event. For more information, call (865) 215-5754 or (615) 736-7427.
ECD Assistant Commissioner Rick Meredith and Grants and Loans Director Paula Lovett attended the joint Appalachian Regional Commission and National Geographic Society launch of the new ARC Driving Tours Appalachia Map.
Twenty-eight driving tours of the Appalachian region are featured on the map, with two in Tennessee entitled "Furs to Factories" and "Tales and Trails."
For more information on each of these drives go to www.visitappalachia.com. Maps will be distributed by the Department of Tourism at sites across the state.
Unicoi, Carter and Warren counties have been assigned effective dates for their new preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps. Unicoi's will become effective on September 3, 2008, while September 26, 2008 will be the effective date for Carter and Warren.
Each county and their respective communities will have until the above dates to adopt the new maps to remain in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
For additional information concerning the NFIP or the Tennessee Map Modernization process contact Stanley Harrison at 423-434-6476 or stanley.harrison@state.tn.us.
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Associated Press:
"State Helps Rural Counties Recruit Small Companies" Gov. Phil Bredesen says large-scale projects such as auto plants remain the state's top targets for economic development, but that the state also needs to emphasize lower-tier projects that have a greater likelihood of relocating to Tennessee. Gov. Bredesen on Monday toured the state in support of a new program called the "Orange Carpet Tour" to help rural counties hone their sales pitches for economic development opportunities. The initiative is designed to teach officials in rural areas the methods used by larger cities to attract investment. The state has contracted with Chicago-based consulting firm Plante Moran to evaluate and suggest improvements on proposals, and to teach communities how best to market themselves to site-selection consultants. "There's nothing like a practice run to get it all down and get it all working," Bredesen said. "I think this could be a very powerful tool." Bredesen said the state would still focus on large projects such as auto plants when the opportunity presents itself. "The answer is that when one becomes available in the South, we're going to compete for it." |
Daily Times: "Gov. Bredesen Among Guests Expected for DENSO Opening"Gov. Phil Bredesen and Tennessee Commissioner of Economic and Community Development Matt Kisber will be among the guests Friday when DENSO Manufacturing Tennessee Inc., celebrates the opening of a $185 million expansion of its electronics division. The event will include plant tours for invited guests and ceremonies by the governor, DENSO President Mack Hattori and other dignitaries. The new "Plant 203" is located on 33 acres off Middlesettlements Road. DENSO's electronics division currently manufactures about 40 different automotive components ranging from keyless entry systems to engine control units. The new plant, which provides 210,000 square feet of space, is the largest expansion project in DENSO's 16-year history. Employees are already occupying the new plant and the company has transferred some of its key production lines from the existing electronics division.
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