Japanese Auto Supplier Comes to Dyersburg
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Governor Bredesen and ECD Commissioner Kisber joined NSK and Dyersburg officials at a ceremonial cherry blossom tree welcoming NSK to Tennessee. |
Governor Phil Bredesen and Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber joined officials from NSK Steering Systems to celebrate the grand opening of their new facility in Dyersburg. The 100,000-square-foot plant will house 140 employees and represents a capital investment of more than $6 million.
"The decision by NSK to come to Dyersburg illustrates just what can be accomplished when we work together to attract new industry," Governor Bredesen said. "The result is that today we’re celebrating the first Japanese-owned automotive supplier to make such a significant capital investment in rural West Tennessee. I want to say thank you to NSK for selecting Dyersburg, your confidence in this community’s workforce and your strong spirit of partnership in this project.
"This grand opening today is the culmination of a process which began with an initial site visit back in July of 2005 and has led us to where we are today," Commissioner Kisber said. "It’s a testament to the value of persistence of problem solving and of developing solutions that truly create a win-win situation for both NSK and for Dyersburg."
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| Governor Bredesen and ECD Commissioner Kisber toured the NSK Steering Facility at the Grand Opening last week. |
NSK is the first Japanese-owned auto supplier to locate in Dyersburg. West Tennessee as a region is a growing center of automotive manufacturing.
"The reception we have received in Dyersburg has been so open, and the assistance of the state and local government has been absolutely invaluable," said William Berry, president of NSK Steering Systems America. "We knew to come to Dyersburg would be to build on a tradition of excellence, and we have not been disappointed. The resources and the workforce here are exactly what we were looking for."
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development works routinely with new and existing businesses to establish and expand their presence in the state. For more information, visit www.tnecd.gov.
Chinese Medical Experts Visit Tennessee during Healthcare Exchange
A delegation of approximately 50 doctors, administrators and medical experts from China are visiting Tennessee through May 31 for the first ever Tennessee-China Healthcare Exchange. The exchange is a result of discussions held by Governor Phil Bredesen, ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber and officials of the Chinese Ministry of Health last October during Governor Bredesen’s trade mission to China. The delegates are divided into groups and spending several weeks at either the University of Memphis or East Tennessee, studying subjects like healthcare financing, rural healthcare delivery, healthcare management and epidemiology. The entire delegation will gather at Vanderbilt University in Nashville at the end of May for a symposium on healthcare issues before returning to China.
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ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber and Health Commissioner Susan Cooper addressed the Chinese delegation visiting the University of Memphis on Monday. |
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ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber addressed the Chinese delegation visiting ETSU in Johnson City on Monday. |
Lawrenceburg Begins Work on Spec Building
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ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber joined officials in Lawrenceburg, Tenn. to break ground on a speculative industrial facility in the North Lawrence Business Park Tuesday. Lawrenceburg hopes the deal-ready site will attract potential employers to the community. |
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Tennessee Quick Facts
The Walton Road, a principal early 19th-century migration route, passes through the length of Putnam County. Many families stopped at this point about midway between Knoxville and Nashville on their journey along the Walton Road.
Source:
Tennessee Encyclopedia
Schedule Alert
May 16
Nashville
Commissioner Kisber will speak at the Tennessee Basic Economic Development Course Graduation.
To request ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber to speak or attend an event,
please contact Jennifer Alward at (615) 2531852 or jennifer.alward@state.tn.us
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News Briefs
Business & Community Development
Main Street/BERO
Main Street, BERO to Host Consultant
Business owners in Tennessee will have the opportunity to hear nationally-known business consultant Jon Schallert when he conducts a series of seminars in Kingsport, Fayetteville and Dyersburg in June. Sponsored jointly by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s Business Enterprise Resource Office and Tennessee Main Street Program, Schallert will present his acclaimed business improvement session, "Increasing Sales and Profits by Becoming a Destination Business."
The seminars are free, but seating is limited and registration is required. Call 1-800-872-7201 to register and for more information about attending the upcoming seminars. Pre-registration is available and onsite check-in and registration will begin for each seminar at 7:30 a.m. with the presentation following immediately from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
During the final portion of each seminar, representatives from BERO will talk with business owners about resources available in the state to help implement Schallert’s strategies. Seminars will be held on the following dates in the following Main Street Communities:
Middle Tennessee: Wednesday, June 11
Fayetteville/Lincoln County Museum
521 Main Ave. South
Fayetteville, Tenn.
East Tennessee: Friday, June 13
Restoration Church
140 Broad St.
Kingsport, Tenn.
West Tennessee: Wednesday, June 18
Lannom Center for Business Development
2000 Commerce Ave.
Dyersburg, Tenn.
Schallert’s sessions teach independent business owners how to turn their businesses into consumer "Destinations" that attract customers from many miles away, past other competitive outlets.
"The challenge for any business today, regardless of its location and surrounding demographics, is to create such a compelling offering that it is repeatedly visited by consumers. For a business to be a true Destination, it must also be able to draw customers from other cities and towns, miles away, past other, larger, more dominant competitors," Schallert said.
To learn more about Schallert before his visit to Tennessee, log on to his Web site, www.JonSchallert.com. Business owners can subscribe to Schallert’s free "Reinvent Your Business" newsletter at the site.
In addition to the conference, Tennessee Main Street Program Managers from across the state will meet in downtown Columbia for the Summer Managers' Quarterly Main Street Meeting prior to the TPT Conference on Thursday, June 5. For additional information contact Kimberly Nyberg, Program Manager at kimberly.nyberg@state.tn.us.
Local Planning
Historic Estate Spared Demolition
Sabine Hill, a 190-year-old Elizabethton estate that saw two Tennessee governors born within its walls, has been saved from demolition. The owner of the property needed to sell, and the would-be buyer planned to build a medium-density housing development on the site. The State Historic Commission and State Parks placed Sabine Hill on the list of most endangered historic structures and wished to preserve the site as part of Sycamore Shoals State Park, but funding was not available to purchase the site.
The Historic Zoning Commission, the Elizabethton Planning Commissioner, city staff and the ECD Local Planning Office worked cooperatively to find a preservation solution. Ultimately, the chair of the Historic Zoning Commission, Helen Wilson, and a former Elizabethton Mayor, Sam LePorte, purchased the property for preservation until the state could afford to buy it. The state recently completed the purchase and the property will now become a part of the State Parks system. An estimated 300,000 visitors are expected to visit Sabine Hill each week.
The Johnson City Local Planning Office assisted in 2005 with the creation of Elizabethton’s Historic Zoning Commission. For information concerning the creation of local Historic Zoning Commissions, contact Tim Roach at 615-741-2211 or tim.roach@state.tn.us.
Energy
TEEN Hosts Annual Awards Luncheon
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ECD’s Tennessee Energy Education Network (TEEN) held their annual Energy Education Awards Luncheon on May 6 at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in Nashville. A total of 150 students and teachers statewide attended the event to recognize winners in TEEN’s bookmark and placemat design contests and the National Energy Education Development (NEED) Youth Awards for Energy Achievement Competition. Pictured above is the State and National Primary School of the Year - Huntingdon Primary School in Huntingdon, Tenn. |
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Recent News
Bristol Herald-Courier:
"FedEx to Build New Distribution Center"
Less than a year after announcing FedEx’s plans to bring 175 jobs to Kingsport, Tenn., the company is now looking to develop a site near the Tri-Cities Regional Airport.
Jack Lawson, economic development director for NETWORKS Sullivan Partnership, said Tuesday that FedEx Freight - which handles shipments weighing more than 150 pounds for the company - will build a new distribution center at the Partnership Park One industrial park, which is adjacent to the airport on Muddy Creek Road.
He said the new facility will employ 33 people when completed. Most will work as over-the-road truck drivers and earn $20 an hour.
Lawson said the park’s location had nothing to do with FedEx’s decision to develop the site, and the company had no immediate plans to use the airport in conjunction with their operations.
"This was just a central location for them," he said, adding the distribution center will occupy 17 of the park’s 105 acres. "We’re hoping that it will eventually lead to [an arrangement with the airport]."
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The pace of broadband Internet adoption in Tennessee has grown by 16 percent over the past six months, outpacing the national average of 8 percent, Connected Tennessee said Monday.
The second edition of Tennessee's Technology Trends study reveals that 50 percent of Tennesseans have broadband service at home, up from 43 percent six months ago. The study tracked the use of computers, Internet and broadband technology among Tennessee residents and businesses.
The survey was first conducted in July 2007, then in January 2008. The increase in broadband connectivity was especially "impressive" in rural areas with a 37 percent rise, Connected Tennessee stated.
"Technology is the key to the future and we want to make that future a reality for all Tennesseans," Gov. Phil Bredesen said in a statement. "Connected Tennessee's concentrated efforts in rural Tennessee have helped stimulate technology and broadband adoption in those areas of the state in recent months."
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