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Energy Task Force Convenes
ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber attended the second meeting of Governor Phil Bredesen's Task Force on Energy Policy Friday as a part of the ongoing process to develop a new state energy plan. The 17-member panel, which met in Chattanooga, includes key state officials as well as representatives of business, environmental and other interests. The main objectives of the task force are to help Tennessee become a leader in energy efficiency and conservation, use of alternative fuels and renewable energy sources and the development of clean-energy technology.
Headlining the meeting was Joe Hoagland, vice president of energy efficiency and response for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the nation's largest public power company providing power to 8.8 million residents in the Tennessee Valley. Hoagland provided an overview of TVA's efficiency goals and ideas.
The Governor and the task force members also discussed ways state government can do a better job "leading by example," particularly in managing its buildings and vehicle fleet. Darren Springer, senior policy analyst for the National Governors Association (NGA), spoke on the best practices emerging in other states.
The meeting was Web cast, and the video can be viewed here. For more information on the Energy Task Force click here.
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Tennessee Quick Facts
Union County is the home county of distinguished UT alumnus Horace Maynard. Maynard, a Tennessee congressman for 14 years, was a close associate of President Andrew Johnson, appointed to a diplomatic post by President U.S. Grant and a cabinet member of President Rutherford B. Hayes.
Source:
Tennessee Alumnus Online
Schedule Alert
June 15-17
Savannah, Ga.
Commissioner Kisber will be attending the
SEUS-Canadian Provinces Alliance First Annual Conference.
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
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News Briefs
Business & Community Development
Main Street/BERO
Ebony Managing Editor will Speak at BERO-Sponsored Event
Women who own a business or plan to start one will receive advice, information and opportunities at the Third Annual Women Business Owners Opportunities Conference (WBOOC) on June 19-20 at Southwest Tennessee Community College Macon Cove Campus. The conference is co-sponsored by ECD's Business Enterprise Resource Office.
The WBOOC "power luncheon" on Friday will feature Lynn Norment, managing editor of Ebony magazine, as keynote speaker. A native of Bolivar, Tenn., Norment worked for the Commercial Appeal and is a graduate of Memphis State University. During her career at Ebony, Norment has interviewed a variety of celebrities and news makers, including Will Smith and Janet Jackson.
A full range of topics will be covered at the conference, such as writing a business plan, assessing personal finances before starting a business, determining who your customers are and delivering great service to them. For those who are more business savvy, business expansion and renovation and where to get money will be discussed. In addition, existing business owners will meet one-on-one with corporate and government buyers to discuss contracting and procurement opportunities.
Registration for the event is $50. For more information contact Deborah Reed at (901) 333-4592.
Jon Schallert Seminars Underway
Two seminars remain in business consultant Jon Schallert's tour across the state to train small business owners in becoming Destination Retail outlets. The seminars, sponsored by ECD's Main Street and BERO programs, are free to the public, but registration is required and seating is limited.
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. Remaining seminars will be held on the following dates in these Main Street Communities:
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.
To learn more about Schallert, log on to his Web site, www.JonSchallert.com. Business owners can subscribe to Schallert's free "Reinvent Your Business" newsletter at the site.
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Recent News
Chattanooga Times Free Press:
"Nuclear May Power Local Jobs"
Chattanooga is going back to the future to reclaim part of its manufacturing base.
Economic recruiters hope the Tennessee Valley can capitalize on the predicted revival of nuclear power to regain some of the engineering, construction and manufacturing jobs the region shed after utilities quit ordering new plants more than three decades ago.
With up to $50 billion of nuclear plant construction and maintenance proposed over the next 30 years, Chattanooga again is trying to stake its nuclear claim.
“There’s a lot riding on this area in terms of nuclear power in the future,” said U.S. Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., a former Chattanooga mayor who favors more nuclear power. “TVA has the ability to lead the way and, if they can show leadership in the partnership they’ve created and actually produce a new unit that makes sense, that will cause nuclear power to break away even more.”
Sen. Corker said Chattanooga is at the hub of the technology corridor that stretches from the NASA rocket building facilities in Huntsville, Ala., to the pioneering nuclear research done in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
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In my five years as commissioner of Economic and Community Development in Tennessee, I've learned the important role air service plays in a company's decision to locate or expand.
In a global economy, the ability to travel to customers around the world or to ship products to far-flung destinations is a key component of any corporate executive's thinking.
For Gov. Phil Bredesen and me, the first priority is to grow and preserve jobs in Tennessee, and that's why I believe the merger between Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines will be good for Tennessee.
The two airlines employ about 4,000 Tennesseans, primarily in Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga and the Tri-Cities. The good news is that both companies have promised to initiate no involuntary furloughs as a result of the merger and have committed to retain all current workers who want to stay with the combined airline.
In an era of rising fuel costs and airline bankruptcies, that's important to both airlines' Tennessee employees.
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