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.

Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development launches statewide assessment of broadband access and usage

Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Randy Boyd announced today (news story) the launch of a statewide assessment of broadband access and usage in Tennessee.  For this initiative, it is important for them to receive as much information … Continue reading

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It’s a Wonderful Life, the Holiday Story of Community Economic Development

Watching the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life is a holiday tradition for a lot of us. We just saw a Christmas Eve screening of it at Belcourt Theater tonight and was reminded how much George Bailey and the Bailey Bros. … Continue reading

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Small business development, looking back to see ahead

It is that time of year to look back and reminisce.  In my job, that also applies.  I have begun working to update our Business Resource Guide that I developed and send out to our industrial companies every year.  I … Continue reading

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Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.  If you are looking to burn off some of that turkey, there are great places to get away and enjoy our glorious Tennessee outdoors in Cheatham County this weekend, including Small Business Saturday … Continue reading

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Happy National Rural Health Day!

Today is the 5th annual National Rural Health Day, which is “an opportunity to ‘Celebrate the Power of Rural’ by honoring the selfless, community-minded, ‘can do’ spirit that prevails in rural America, but it also gives us a chance to bring … Continue reading

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State of State Business Incentives 2015

The Smart Incentives, Sound Decisions Blog recently reported on an annual update completed by C2ER to its State Business Incentives Database.  C2ER researched every state’s and territory’s programs and what was added, repealed or changed during its most recent legislative session.  Check out … Continue reading

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Google puts small businesses on the map

Google puts small businesses on the map and you can help get accurate information on businesses on the web.  Businesses can go to www.gybo.com to find ways to get their information on the Internet using Google and connect, communicate and … Continue reading

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Cheatham County Growth Rate for New Home Permits Highest in Region

In a recent Nashville Business Journal, Cheatham County was reported to have the highest rate of growth in new home permits in the Nashville region.  We are a small county and our number of new home permits is low compared to … Continue reading

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ECD Conference fast approaching

Economic development professionals, business leaders, community leaders and elected officials (including some from Cheatham County) will be attending the 62nd Annual Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Economic & Community Development on October 13th and 14th, 2015 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in … Continue reading

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Cheatham County students’ ACT scores are on the rise!

“County’s ACT scores on the rise” – Ashland City Times Education/workforce development being one of the pillars of our Three Star Award efforts, this is a sign that the Cheatham County community and its high school students are making progress … Continue reading

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Success noted

I was recently reading Municipal Boundaries in Tennessee: Annexation and Growth Planning Policies after Public Chapter 707, a report of the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations.  In it, I ran across a piece on the Cheatham County Joint Economic & … Continue reading

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How Siri can help small town businesses make more sales

Source: How Siri can help small town businesses make more sales

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Cheatham County Businesses & Burgers

If you are looking for two good things that should go together, visit the Cheatham County Fall Business Expo and Burger Cook Off to be held September 26th from 1:00 to 5:00p.m at Riverbluff Park in Ashland City, Tennessee.  Cheatham … Continue reading

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Farmer’s Markets near Nashville and Clarksville

If you are looking for fresh, local food along with fresh, local experiences, take a look at Cheatham County’s farmer’s markets and see what kind of local food and crafts you won’t be able to live without. Ashland City Farmer’s … Continue reading

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Vantage Pointe Village Senior Living Community holds Grand Opening

Vantage Pointe Village Senior Living Community hosted its Grand Opening last Tuesday.  It is a beautiful facility that offers assisted living and memory care with plans for independent living in the future.  Nestled in a cozy, peaceful rural setting only … Continue reading

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Middle Tennessee Workforce Study Released

Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce released a workforce study of the Nashville area, which includes Cheatham County, titled Strengthening the Middle Tennessee Region 2020: Building a Vital Workforce to Sustain Economic Growth and Opportunity. It is a comprehensive analysis of the … Continue reading

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Getting and Keeping a Small Town Grocery Store

The Center for Rural Affairs recently posted an informative blog post on the importance of the rural small town grocery store and some tips to sustaining a successful store as a source of nourishment for the body and the community. … Continue reading

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Travel and tourism revenue increases in Cheatham County again for 2014

The Economic Impact of Travel on Tennessee Counties 2014 from the Research Department of the U.S. Travel Association in Washington, D.C. was recently released by Tennessee Department of Tourist Development.  In the report, Cheatham County, Tennessee exhibited a 3% increase from 2013 to 2014 in Direct Domestic Traveler Expenditures … Continue reading

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Governor’s Conference on Economic & Community Development 2015

Economic development professionals, business leaders, community leaders and elected officials (including some from Cheatham County) will be attending the 62nd Annual Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Economic & Community Development on October 13th and 14th, 2015 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel in … Continue reading

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Cheatham County Mentors Needed For Tennessee Promise

Cheatham County has already begun recruiting mentors for the Tennessee Promise program that will help our high school seniors achieve their goals of higher education and also help maintain the quality of our workforce as they meet the requirements of … Continue reading

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Connect to retail and commercial property in Cheatham County

Cheatham County, Tennessee has many opportunities for commercial and retail growth. Cheatham County retail supply and demand, retail leakage, traffic counts (AADT), psychographics, demographics, income levels, population, etc. can be found on retail.cheathambiz.com and some of the available commercial and … Continue reading

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Places to Dove Hunt in Cheatham County / Nashville Area 2015

Dove season opens September 1st at Noon and runs to September 28th.  The season later runs from October 10th to November 1st and from November 28th to January 4th. More information on dove hunting in Tennessee can be found on … Continue reading

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Prestigious gathering of economic development professionals in October

It looks as though I will be one of the speakers presenting at the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) Annual Conference again this year.  An IEDC annual conference is the largest annual gathering of economic development professionals in the world … Continue reading

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Riverbluff Triathlon & Festival canceled for 2015

We just learned that the 5th Annual Riverbluff Triathlon and Festival scheduled for August 8, 2015  has been canceled. For more information on the race cancellation, go to the  Riverbluff Triathlon website. The race in the past began at the Ashland City … Continue reading

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Kingston Springs to Host Forums for Local Realtors and Businesses

The Town of Kingston Springs are hosting two forums next week.  The first one, Local Realtors Forum, will be held on Tuesday, July 28th from 8:00 to 9:10 a.m. at L.L. Burns Park Activity Center.  The second, Area Business Community … Continue reading

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Tennessee Marketing & Attraction Course will be held on August 13-14

The Tennessee Marketing & Attraction Course will be held on August 13-14, 2015 in Jackson, Tennessee. University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services (UT CIS) will offer a Tennessee centered course on the fundamentals of developing and implementing a marketing and … Continue reading

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Happy Independence Day

Wishing you a safe and happy celebration of the 4th of July!

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Economic Development Incentives

International Economic Development Council (IEDC) recently released a report titled, “Incentives for the Twenty-First Century“.  The report looks a economic development incentives and what they can accomplish in addition to business attraction. IEDC Board Chair JoAnn Crary, CEcD stated, “When used … Continue reading

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Registration is now open for Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Economic & Community Development

Economic development professionals, business leaders, community leaders and elected officials will be attending the 62nd Annual Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Economic & Community Development on October 13th and 14th, 2015 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel just a few miles from … Continue reading

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Returning to North Carolina to Talk Economic Development

I am looking forward to participating in the National Association of Counties (NACo) 2015 Annual Conference held in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 10-13.  I will be part of a panel in a session on Sunday, July 12th  called “County … Continue reading

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