Author Archives: Daryl Phillips, CEcD

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.

Regional, really?

Visitors don’t care where the county lines are and they don’t get into the local community rivalries: Regional Flavor Strategies for Rural Area Tourism Development

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Financing your start up business

There will still be people who call looking for free grant money to start their business. Who knew a guy with punctuation on his suit could be taken seriously and help create the urban myth. This article, Financing your start … Continue reading

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Broadband gaps hurt state business growth – Bangor Daily News

Broadband gaps hurt state business growth – Bangor Daily News Whether in Maine or in Hickman County, gaps on broadband access impacts economic development. It’s a little like the weather, hard to change, but easy to complain about it.

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Maybe I am a little wonkish

Today, I bought a copy of Governor (and former health care CEO) Phil Bredesen’s book, Fresh Medicine: How to Fix Reform and Build a Sustainable Health Care System, and began reading it. So far, it is an interesting description of … Continue reading

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Grinders Switch Radio Hour to be on TV?

Ready or not prime time, Hickman County’s homegrown Grinders Switch Radio Hour will be featured on WNPT’s Tennessee Crossroads TV show on October 21st at 7:00 pm with an encore showing on October 24th at 10:00 am.

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Centerville Marketplace is on the map (so you can see how easy it is to get to)

I encourage every business in Hickman County to use as much technology as they can stand. Not everything is worth the time for every business, but websites, email marketing, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Flicker, Google, other social media, etc., etc. can … Continue reading

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Survey says…

Last week’s Middle Tennessee Workforce Summit was the occasion for the release of the study Leveraging the Labor Force for Economic Growth: Assessing the Nashville Economic Market Area’s Readiness for Work after the Recession. The focus of the study was … Continue reading

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And the best banana pudding award goes to….

The 2010 National Banana Pudding Festival was held in Hickman County, Tennessee on Saturday. A good time was had by all, especially the winner of the best banana pudding – a foodie from New Jersey. You’ve got to check out … Continue reading

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That’s the way the ball bounces…

Every football fan in Tennessee this weekend has heard or seen and complained about too many men on the field, an inopportune pass interference, and/or the botched kickoff return. In Tennessee football, a misstep isn’t any secret. The competition of … Continue reading

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Rural business success

“Entrepreneurship: What do young people need to hear?” For young and old entrepreneurs, a story of a woman from a small town with a passion for her business and the will to learn how to write and implement a business … Continue reading

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Let the info sink in about LinkedIn

LinkedIn is social media for professionals — all networking and no Farmville, excess cloud cupcakes, ‘see what Sesame Street character are you?’, fans, friends, likes, etc. The blog post, “5 Ways to Develop Meaningful LinkedIn Connections” offers some great advice … Continue reading

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National Banana Pudding Festival October 2, 2010

I received a couple of calls today and I thought it might be helpful to post this. For VIPs coming in to the National Banana Pudding Festival in Centerville, Tennessee: From Nashville International Airport, follow I-40 West to exit 148 … Continue reading

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Quote of my week..

“It’s not that they are stupid. It’s that they are actively against knowledge.” David Sedaris

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General Mills to invest $100M in Murfreesboro, add 80 jobs – Nashville Business Journal

General Mills to invest $100M in Murfreesboro, add 80 jobs – Nashville Business Journal …been waiting on this announcement awhile. Love the fruit in their yogurt.

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A Journey of a 1000 miles (and a few detours) starts with a single step

I read a lot of stuff. Sometimes for fun, sometimes to learn something (or at least stimulate) and sometimes to renew my faith in this world. I just read a blog post tonight from Reimagine Rural that does a little … Continue reading

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The last one…

Hickman County has been recertified as a Tennessee Three-Star community by Governor Bredesen and Tennessee Economic & Community Development Commissioner Kisber.

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Look out for all the banana peels

Next Saturday, October 2nd, will have a lot of things to do in Hickman County — there must be something that would appeal to you. The Civitan “Centerville in the Fall” Car Show, the Quilt Show, a Hickman County Art … Continue reading

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Looking for work and knowing what to do when they find it.

The New York Times featured Hickman County, Tennessee’s neighbor Perry County in an article “Job Loss Looms as Part of Stimulus Act Expires” in today’s newspaper. Too many members of our quality area labor force are eager for a job. … Continue reading

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Tennessee Farmland Legacy Conference

The Farmland Legacy Conference will convene on November 11-12 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. “Farmers, landowners and community leaders will have the opportunity to learn about protecting and growing today’s farms for tomorrow’s families and communities.” Fred and Faye Baker on … Continue reading

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Don’t look up, their download speed is really fast.

“British pigeons faster than rural Internet speed” — The Rural BlogIn some places, that is still true. Better broadband availability and more technology utilization continues to be pursued by a few of us out in the rural areas.

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Industrial Development Board

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Tired of reading about Tennessee economic development? Listen to this:

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has a series of economic development podcasts. One of them, “Closing the Deal: Effective Incentives during Fiscal Challenges“, consists of an interview with the former commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Revenue, Reagan Farr, … Continue reading

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If sales don’t fall in a rural area, does it make a sound?

Tennessee Department of Revenue recently released August local sales & use tax collections data and collections for Hickman County is up from August of last year, making this the fifth straight month of positive growth. Yes, I know what you’re … Continue reading

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Retail Development – Test… Test… Is this thing on?

For optimum results, retail development as an economic development effort takes a collaborative effort from economic development professionals, government officials, landowners, developers, entrepreneurs, real estate professionals and the community. We tried this a couple of years ago without gaining much … Continue reading

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All the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average…

“More than half the students in Tennessee public schools failed state tests last spring based on new proficiency standards,” reported Memphis, TN’s The Commercial Appeal. Individual student test scores will go out to parents in Hickman County and the rest … Continue reading

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I started with nothing and I still have most of it…

I was reading an article last night in the Nashville Business Journal titled “Passing down a family business is tricky but critical in rocky economy“. It is something we all should think about as business people — succession planning. I’d … Continue reading

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It’s about the people, contributing

The blog entry, “It’s Not the Economy, Stupid“, on The Rurban Fringe offers some insight on the question, “How can you cultivate, attract and keep highly skilled individuals within your community?”

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Retail Development – Is anyone out there?

For optimum results, retail development as an economic development effort takes a collaborative effort from economic development professionals, government officials, landowners, developers, entrepreneurs, real estate professionals and the community. We tried this a couple of years ago without gaining much … Continue reading

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Yes, I am current and compliant

Most non-religious tax exempt organizations are required to file something with the IRS every year. Those organizations that fail to comply with the annual filing requirements for 3 consecutive years automatically lose their tax-exempt status. The IRS is providing one-time … Continue reading

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Permit me to talk about permits and licenses for businesses

I am convinced, technology make our life easier. Back in the old days (pre-internet), entrepreneurs had to burn shoe-leather trying to jump through all those hoops of starting a business. Unless one was lucky, a hoop was missed, wasting time … Continue reading

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