How we got here….

Posted on August 4, 2008 by Daryl Phillips, CEcD

It is Sunday night and am doing what I call my stream-of-conscienceness web surfing. From looking for antique barrister bookcase parts, to reading about what a friend is doing on a mission trip to El Salvador, to shopping for cool cuff links, to reading about the state’s political climate, to economic development (and to my point.) Yes, it does come a little too close to actual work, but in this case, it appeals to my academic/research side — something that unfortunately can get lost in the day-to-day, hard fought quest for job retention and creation in my regular job. However, this blog post and article I came across, The ‘Big Push’ and Economic Development in the American South is an interesting exploration of how the South became competitive in economic development post-WWII and the important role public investment played. I might add that public investment goes hand in hand with making industrial prospects comfortable…. whether it is with air conditioning, quality education, cultural opportunities, or our natural Southern hospitality.

About Daryl Phillips, CEcD

I am a professional economic developer. I presently work for communities and companies in developing and implementing workforce and economic development solutions as CEO of Phillips Economic Development Solutions (Phi EDS). Prior to September 2017, I was the economic development professional who served a community team of elected officials, business people, community leaders and dedicated stakeholders for economic development in Cheatham County, Tennessee (pop. 39,880) and its four towns. During my five-year tenure, I served the team as Cheatham County grew over 1,700 jobs, turned around population declines at the start of this decade into healthy population growth, increased tourism expenditures 20.3% and local tax revenue from tourism 25.4%, grew sales tax revenue 36%, focused on developing the local workforce and was recognized by SmartAsset as having the 9th highest Incoming Investment Index of all the 95 counties in Tennessee. I am a member of International Economic Development Council, Southern Economic Development Council, Tennessee Economic Development Council and International Council of Shopping Centers. I have earned the designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) from International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) certification from National Development Council and hold a Master of Business Administration from Tennessee Technological University.
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