September 10, 2008

Governor's Export Award Winners Announced

Tennessee Commissioner of Economic and Community Development Matt Kisber this week announced three innovative Tennessee companies will be honored next week with the second annual Governor's Award for Trade Excellence September 16th at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. The awards will be given by Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen as part of the annual Governor's Conference on Economic Development.

Nominations for the awards closed on August 22nd. Companies can either nominate themselves or be nominated in one of three categories: large (250 or more employees), medium (25 to 250 employees) or small (25 or fewer employees).  The winners of this year's awards are:

Large business category: The 2008 GATE award in this category was won by the Procter and Gamble plant in Jackson, Tennessee. One of only two plants in the world manufacturing Pringles brand potato chips, this facility ships to 180 separate countries and provides marketing materials in at least a dozen different languages. The facility employs more than 800 Tennesseans and exports account for nearly a quarter of the unit's sales. Procter and Gamble's only other manufacturing facility for this product line is in Belgium and the Jackson facility recently added an additional 600,000 shipments to western Europe to support growing demand for the company.

Medium business category: The 2008 GATE award in this category goes to Fillauer, LLC in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This company began in 1914 as a pharmacy company and has grown to be one of the nation's leaders in the design and manufacture of orthotic and prosthetic devices. With a growing presence in countries like Jordan, Venezuela, India, Haiti and Iraq, Fillauer experts have traveled extensively to consult with doctors around the world on best practices in patient care. Fillauer employs 84 people at its Chattanooga facility and exports account for approximately 19% of sales volume.

Small business category: The 2008 GATE award in this category goes to The Pasta Shoppe, LLC of Nashville, Tennessee. Owner John Aron and his wife, Casey have been longtime figures within the international business community of Nashville, with John serving as chair of the Nashville Chamber of Commerce's International Business Council. This company of 23 employees manufactures dried pasta in a variety of standard and made-to-order shapes with exports to North America, Asia and Europe. In response to demand from the Japanese market, Pasta Shoppe installed "clean room" manufacturing equipment and procedures in 2007, which increased shipping volumes by 50%. In total, exports account for 12% of the company's sales.

Governor's Conference Launches Next Week

ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber at last year's Governor's Conference.

The Governor's Conference is upon us. Monday and Tuesday of next week, local leaders and economic development professionals from across the state and the country will convene for the 55th Annual Governor's Conference in Nashville.

This year'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.

The registration desk will now be open at Gaylord Opryland this Sunday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. for attendees who wish to check in early. Also please note a change in time for the Three-Star and Tennessee Main Street Program photo-op with Governor Bredesen to Tuesday immediately following the Governor's Luncheon. The Three-Star and Tennessee Main Street Program reception will still take place Monday evening as planned from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

For a complete, up-to-date schedule of the conference, visit the Governor's Conference Web site, where you can also find answers to common questions.

We look forward to seeing you next week!

Visitors to Humphreys County can view a working grist mill at Enoch's Grist Mill located just outside McEwen.  The mill uses the power from Little Blue Creek to continue the centuries-old tradition of grinding grain.

Source:
Humphreys County Chamber

Sept. 6 - Sept. 13
Stockholm and Berlin
Commissioner Kisber will participate in the Nashville Health Care Council Trade Mission in Sweden and Germany.

Sept. 15 - Sept. 16
Nashville, Tenn.
Commissioner Kisber will host the 55th Annual Governor's Conference at Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center.

Sept. 17
Clinton, Tenn.
Commissioner Kisber will attend the Aisin Grand Opening from 11:30 a.m. to 1 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.

Business Development

BERO

Business Counseling Available

New Small Business Counseling opportunities are on the BERO calendar. Check out the ECD Upcoming Events Web page for details.

Community Development

Retire Tennessee

Retire TN Exhibits in D.C.

The Retire Tennessee booth at the Life@50+ National AARP Expo in Washington D.C. last week.

The Retire Tennessee Program took their booth to Life@50+, AARP's National Event and Expo held in Washington D.C. Sept. 4-6. The 2008 Life@50+ event marked the culmination of AARP's 50th Anniversary celebration.

As the world is redefining what it means to turn 50, so is AARP. More than 31,000 people attended the three-day event and found out quickly why many were finding Tennessee as an up and coming retirement destination. Beth Alexander, President and CEO of the Crossville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce, and Ramay Winchester, Retire Tennessee Program Manager, attended this event to promote Tennessee as a wonderful place to retire. For more information on Retire Tennessee, please go to www.RetireTennessee.org or call Ramay Winchester at (731) 336-2630.

Grants and Loans

Business Counseling Available

The Appalachian Regional Commission, the Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration and the National Business Incubation Association will host a seminar and facilitated discussion program entitled 'Best Practices in Business Incubation' on Thursday and Friday, November 6 and 7 in Chattanooga. The local host for this event is the Southeast Tennessee Development District.

The program will feature Dinah Adkins, president and CEO of NBIA, and Chuck Wolfe, principal, Claggett Wolfe Associates. Adkins and Wolfe are co-authors of the NBIA publication Best Practices in Action: Guidelines for Implementing First Class Business Incubation Programs. The goals for this training event include strengthening links between incubators and increasing understanding of incubator best practices.

The program is available for $50 to incubator managers and individuals representing communities or organizations that are considering or currently in the process of developing incubators. The day and a half of training and discussion will end at noon Nov. 7. Additional information about the venue of the training and hotels will available shortly.

For further information or questions about the upcoming ARC/EDA training, email dadkins@nbia.org.