August 21, 2008 |
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Energy Task Force Convenes in Memphis
Governor Phil Bredesen convened the fourth meeting of the Governor's Task Force on Energy Policy Friday as part of the ongoing effort to develop a new state energy plan.
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| Governor Bredesen and ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber announced the location of the inaugural Orange Carpet Tours in March 2008. |
The Orange Carpet Tour program, part of Governor Bredesen's Rural Opportunity Initiative, continued this week with a tour in Lincoln, Franklin and Coffee Counties. Consultants from the Detroit-based site selection firm Plante Moran visited the region to offer feedback on the communities' readiness to recruit industrial expansion projects.
The project involves a two-day, intensive site selection visit in which the communities organize a comprehensive tour and presentation for the consultants. Consultants evaluate the communities' strengths and weaknesses and provide community leaders with direct feedback, including detailed information on potential improvement, especially in areas of highest interest to relocating companies.
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development will work with local leaders at the conclusion of the tours to assist them in implementing strategic recommendations based on the feedback.
Governor Bredesen's Rural Opportunity Initiative is a three-prong approach to increase economic development efforts in the state's more rural areas. In addition to the tours, it includes an enhanced series of tax incentives for companies investing in rural Tennessee and the Rural Opportunity Fund, a new source of capital available to rural Tennessee businesses.
Discover how to make your farm or the farms in your community a lasting legacy at the upcoming Tennessee Farmland Legacy Conference on October 9th and 10th at Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, TN. Farmers, landowners and community leaders will have the opportunity to learn about protecting and growing today's farms for tomorrow's families and communities. View the agenda here.
Early registration is available through September 22. The cost is $25 for farmers and $50 for other attendees. Register online, call (865) 974-0280, or mail or fax your completed registration form to UT Conference Services, P.O. Box 2648, Knoxville, TN 37901, Fax: (865) 974-0264.
For more information about the conference, contact Jane Howell at the Tennessee Department of Agriculture at (615) 837-5104 or jane.howell@tn.gov.
| The theme from last year's Governor's Conference was "From Paper to Power." This year's theme is "Mapping Our Success." |
Attendees at this year's Governor's Conference will have the chance to meet individually with ECD's representatives from China, Japan, Germany and Canada to discuss business opportunities overseas. The representatives will be taking appointments Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. Appointments are required, and space is filling up. To secure a spot on their schedule, contact Andrea Fanta at andrea.fanta@state.tn.us.
Additionally, ECD will be giving away a golf weekend, a GPS navigational device, and a Hartmann Luggage item to the winner of a drawing on Tuesday at the Governor's Luncheon. To be eligible, participants must visit a required number of booths in the conference exhibit hall and receive a stamp on their Governor's Conference passport.
Featuring a new venue, new networking opportunities and new chances to take home prizes, this year's Governor's Conference will be different than any you've been to in the past. Register and reserve your hotel room now. Visit the Governor's Conference Web site for more information, to register and to make your travel plans now.
Hamblen County is home to the Mountain Makins Festival, which is a recipient of the Southeast Tourism Award of Excellence for 2004, listed as a Great Escape by the New York Times in 2002, and honored by the Southeast Tourism Society with a Top 20 Event In The Southeast designation for October 2001. The festival is celebrated at Rose Center, an 1892 school building that is now an historical museum and cultural arts center in Morristown.
Source:
Rose Center
Thursday, August 21
Nashville, TN
Commissioner Kisber will attend the Tax Update Conference at 12:15 p.m.
Friday, August 22
Nashville, TN
Commissioner Kisber will attend the Connected Tennessee Steering Committee Meeting at 1 p.m.
Tuesday, August 26
Pickwick Landing
Commissioner Kisber will attend the Tennessee Association of Assessing Officers Annual Conference at 6 p.m.
Wednesday, August 27
Blountville, TN
Commissioner Kisber will attend the Regional Alliance Board Meeting 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.
Global Entrepreneurship Week is November 17-23, and partners across the country are already gearing up for a swath of business-themed competitions and celebrations. The official blog for the Week recently featured a submission from BERO Director Michelle Proctor showcasing a sample of the events Tennesseans are planning. Read the blog here.
For more information about participating in Global Enterpreneurship Week, contact Michelle at michelle.proctor@state.tn.us.
The nine Retire TN communities met August 13 in Crossville for their first meeting of the year. The Crossville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce hosted the meeting. ECD's Research Department offered a recap of the first two years of the pilot program, revealing a significant increase in leads received, packet responses sent and Web site traffic.
Last year, the Retire TN program attended three Live South Real Estate Trade Shows, the Life@50+ AARP National Event & Expo, the Indianapolis Golf Show and the Tennessee Sampler. The program advertised in the Florida Southern Living November issue, the Southern Living Travel Directory in 10 states, the TN Vacation Guide, Retirement Lifestyles, Western North Carolina magazine and Ideal Living Magazine.
Daniel Kier, Regional Manager for RPI Media, which conducts the Live South Real Estate Trade Shows, also attended the meeting. Visitors to the Live South shows are a median age of 56, bring in an average household income of $250,000 and are worth roughly $2 plus million in assets. Kier touched on a survey of their Ideal Living readers that asked what baby boomers want in retirement, which revealed the following results:
*91.5% are interested in purchasing real estate
*63.2 are interested in learning more about "green" products
*86.3% report walking as their recreational activity of choice
*77.9% look forward to travel in retirement
For more information on this program contact Ramay Winchester at ramay.w.winchester@state.tn.us or (731) 336-2630, or contact your Regional Economic Development Specialist.
| Philip Trauernicht, second from right, of the Grants and Loans Division, recently toured the new S&S facility. |
Philip Trauernicht, Administrator for the Grants and Loans Division, recently joined G.C. Hixson, Diane Fletcher, Leanne Cox and S&S Industries, Inc. officials for a tour of the new S&S facility. The Mt. Juliet company's previous facility was destroyed by fire in January 2007, and the new facility was rebuilt near the old site in the Mt. Juliet industrial area. ECD provided FastTrack Infrastructure Development Program monies to assist the community with utility extensions and site drainage improvements for the new facility site. S&S Industries, Inc. produces fabricated insulation products for the appliance industry and currently employ 60+ persons in the Mt. Juliet and Wilson County area.
The following individuals have been appointed to serve on the 2008-2009 Three-Star Advisory Council:
Walt Wood,
Bedford County
Amy Conley-Moore,
Bradley County
Sherry Butler,
Cocke County
Judy Taylor,
Franklin County
Anne Banks,
Haywood County
Daryl Brady,
Hickman County
Daryl Phillips,
Hickman County
Laurel Baes,
Rutherford County
Stephen Bilbrey,
Pickett County
Jennifer Wheatley,
Henry County
Rachel Baker,
Hardin County
Alan Birdwell,
Washington County
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Nashville Business Journal:
"Florida Manufacturer Expands Into Nashville"
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Memphis Business Journal: "IPS Expanding Collierville Facility"IPS Corp., a California-based building materials manufacturer, has expanded its distribution center in Collierville.
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