August 28, 2008

Kisber Tours McKee Foods Plant

Commissioner Kisber traveled to Collegedale, Tenn. Thursday to tour the McKee Foods Plant with company officials and colleagues from the Department of Economic and Community Development.

McKee Foods is best known for its market leading line of Little Debbie® snack cakes.  Little Debbie® is America’s leading snack cake brand with annual sales of approximately $1.1 billion.  Company headquarters and production facilities are located in Collegedale, employing 3,100 Tennesseans.  Additional production facilities are located in Gentry, Ark. and Stuarts Draft, Va.  During the past year McKee Foods’ Collegedale operations contributed $225,003,772 to the local economy through employee payroll and purchases from area suppliers.

In the photo at left, pictured are (left to right): Randy Smith, Plant Manager, Tennessee Operations, McKee Foods; Steve Hiatt, Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce; Scott Cooper, Economic and Community Development; Wes Hughen, TDOT Project Manager, Region 2; Jennifer Hagan-Dier, Asst. Commissioner of Revenue; Bob Brown, TDOT Director of Region 2; Matt Kisber, Commissioner of Economic and Community Development; Mike McKee, President & CEO, McKee Foods; Mark Drury, Asst. Commissioner of Economic and Community Development; Connie Vaughan, Government Relations Manager, McKee Foods; Paul LaGrange, Asst. Commissioner of Economic and Community Development.

Register Now for the Governor's Conference!

Online registration for this year's Governor's Conference will only be open for two more weeks. Register now to receive the $50 early bird discount.

This year's Governor's Conference will include a host of never-before-offered opportunities, including one-on-one meeting time with ECD's representatives from China and Canada and Stamp Your Passport, an exhibit hall giveaway featuring top-quality prizes.

For more information about meeting with a Chinese or Canadian representative, contact Andrea Fanta at andrea.fanta@state.tn.us. The representatives will be taking appointments Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning. Appointments are required, and space is filling up.

Governor's Conference giveaway information is coming soon to the Governor's Conference Web site, where you can also find more information, register for the conference and make your travel plans.

Ryan Gooch Appointed to DOE Advisory Board

Ryan Gooch

Ryan Gooch, energy policy director for the Department of Economic and Community Development, has been appointed to a three-year term on the State Energy Advisory Board (STEAB) by U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman. STEAB is a 20-member national board that develops recommendations for the U.S. Department of Energy and Congress regarding initiation, design, implementation and evaluation of federal energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.

"I am grateful for this opportunity to serve on the State Energy Advisory Board at a time when energy is universally considered one of the most important issues facing the country," Gooch said. "I look forward to working closely with the leadership of DOE to develop programs and initiatives that will make a difference to both Tennessee's and our country's energy future."

As Director of Energy Policy, Gooch oversees all energy-related initiatives at ECD.  His responsibilities include working closely with the Governor's Office and other cabinet-level state agencies on a variety of energy-related issues including the Governor's Task Force on Energy Policy and the Governor's Task Force on Alternative Fuels.  In addition to his departmental responsibilities, Gooch is a member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of State Energy Officials and serves as Governor Bredesen's Alternate to the Southern States Energy Board.

Kisber To Speak At First Southern Auto Conf.

Commissioner Kisber has been invited to speak at this year's first ever Southern Automotive Conference in Huntsville, Ala. November 6-7. This conference marks the first-ever meeting of the automotive associations from Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi. The conference is expected to draw more than 300 attendees, including corporate consultants and economic development leaders from the entire Southeast. Kisber will speak on the growth of the automotive industry in the southeast region. Tennessee's Department of Economic and Community Development is a proud sponsor of this conference. Information of this conference can be found at this Web site.

Ground Broken for Children's Services Facility

ECD Jobs Development Specialist Tracey Exum joined Paris and Henry County Leaders and developers last week to break ground for a new Tennessee Department of Children's Services facility on Culley Drive.

Henry County provided Tennessee with three governors: Isham Green Harris, James Davis Porter and Thomas Clarke Rye. The county has also produced a number of university presidents, including Dr. C. C. "Sonny" Humphreys of Memphis State University, Dr. Thomas D. Jarrett of Atlanta University, Dr. Mordecai Johnson of Howard University; and Dr. Joe Morgan of Austin Peay State University.

Source:
Tennessee Encyclopedia

Thursday, August 28
Collegedale, Tenn.
Commissioner Kisber will tour the McKee Food Apison Pike Plant at 1:30 p.m.

Friday, August 29
Nashville, Tenn.
Commissioner Kisber will attend a funding board meeting at 2 p.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.

Community Development

Local Planning

Local Planning To Host Farm Session

Discover how to make your farm or the farms in your community a lasting legacy at the upcoming Tennessee Farmland Legacy Conference October 9 and 10 at Montgomery Bell State Park in Burns, Tenn. Farmers, landowners and community leaders will have the opportunity to learn about protecting and growing today's farms for tomorrow's families and communities. For more information about the conference, including an agenda, visit the official Web site.

ECD's Office of Local Planning will co-lead a session on Conservation Design for new developments, a methodology of development that preserves the unique and sensitive features of property in a way that minimizes the infrastructure required to serve the property, lessening the maintenance for future landowners and citizens.

Early registration is available through September 22. The cost is $25 for farmers and $50 for other attendees, plus lodging at Montgomery Bell. 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.