Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Status of Women in Tennessee Counties: Indicators of Economic Strength and Freedom by County published by the Tennessee Economic Council on Women reports that Cheatham County ranks second (2nd) best overall for economic strength and freedom for women among Tennessee’s … Continue reading →

Increased broadband availability and more technology utilization should be a part of any rural community’s economic development strategy. I recently spoke on a panel with Bobby Goode with USDA Rural Development and Chris Percy with AT&T that lead a discussion on … Continue reading →

The Ashland City Times reports: The Ashland City Council plans to cut water and sewer tap fees as well as building permit fees in half for six months. The decision comes after the council was recently asked by the developer … Continue reading →

“Tennessee is launching export development offices overseas to promote more exports, according to Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty,” from the Nashville Business Journal.

NYTimes.com has a great article this morning on our area, “Nashville Takes Its Turn in the Spotlight“, that tells a little about the environment for success that the Nashville region has created.

The blog post, “Spending time immersed in nature can increase creativity and critical thinking, study confirms“, from The Rural Blog tells of the value of spending time in natural areas like those in abundance in Cheatham County, Tennessee.  Just to … Continue reading →

I spent most of the holiday nursing a cold, resting and drinking plenty of fluids.  I took the opportunity to watch the holiday classic movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. I am always impressed by how much George Bailey and the Bailey … Continue reading →

Expanding on their successful Tennessee Basic Economic Development Course, the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services has announced the Tennessee Certified Economic Developer (TCED) Program. This new state-wide certification program provides high quality training, continuing education and professional development … Continue reading →

Wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving with lots to be thankful for, a Black Friday with value for customers and profit for retailers, and a successful Small Business Saturday this week.

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and his Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development will host the 59th Annual Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Economic & Community Development on Thursday and Friday this week, October 18th and 19th. The theme will be … Continue reading →

The University of Tennessee Institute for Agriculture will present the 2012 Tennessee Farmland Legacy Conference at Montgomery Bell State Park on November 1st and 2nd. Held every two years, this will be a great opportunity for those involved in agriculture … Continue reading →

Congratulations to my brother Steve who learned Friday that he passed the Tennessee bar examination. I bet he and all the others who passed (list at www.state.tn.us/lawexaminers/success.html) are enjoying a weekend without studying the law.

Starting my second week as Director of Economic Development with the Cheatham County Joint Economic & Community Development Board, I am enjoying working for the community and getting to know new people.  This is a great community and I look … Continue reading →

I have been busy and have had a hard time getting motivated to take the time to post something new.  As it is early morning and the alarm will be unforgiving in a few hours, my thoughts only thought is … Continue reading →

The 2012 Tennessee Governor’s Conference on Economic & Community Development will be held at the Nashville Convention Center on October 18th and 19th. This will be the 59th annual conference and will be titled, Global Reach, Local Impact.  Registration, session … Continue reading →

Tennessee is a great state to do business. Check out Governor Bill Haslam on YouTube giving reasons that Tennessee is the top state for business and then cast your vote in the CNBC’s America’s Top States for Business 2012 coverage by … Continue reading →

My wife and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary last night.  Thursday was our actual anniversary date, but I had to be at the office to let the volunteer fire department leadership group in for their meeting, then be off to … Continue reading →

Intellectual Property Webinar Series – free, authoritative, monthly 90-min webinars covering all aspects of patenting, IP tactics and strategies Information covered in this series will be particularly helpful for those who are pursuing growth projects that may develop or make use of … Continue reading →

I will be in Canada in a few days, but the story of how Tennessee sells its as a great business location by creating and maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship with prospective and existing industry has already made it north of … Continue reading →

According to Google, today is the 79th anniversary of the first drive-in movie theater.  The Pink Cadillac Drive-in Theater is still operating in Hickman County, Tennessee at 2506 Highway 100, Centerville, TN.  Why not step into the wayback machine to … Continue reading →

Want to learn a little about economic development, industrial development boards or tools such as TIF (tax increment financing), PILOT (payment in lieu of tax) agreements or industrial revenue bonds in Tennessee? There is probably more than any elected or … Continue reading →

“Our View: Connected Tennessee a Valuable Service” article in the Jackson Sun tells of some of the benefits of this program.  Connected Tennessee promotes expanding access, adoption and use of broadband.

For more on the activities of SBA Small Business Week and to learn about how to make your small business more successful, check out the Small Business Adminstriation website.

Governor Bill Haslam signed this week the legislation passed by the Tennessee General Assembly that will expand the FastTrack incentive program.  The legislation creates the FastTrack economic development program, which would provide grants and loans to local governments, industrial development boards, … Continue reading →

It is not every day that my knowledge of grunge or punk rock comes up in conversation now, but it did this morning.  The Dead Milkmen’s ‘hit’, “Punk Rock Girl”, mentions Hickman County’s hometown girl from Grinders Switch, Minnie Pearl. By the … Continue reading →

I messed up the link to the Hickman County Arts and Ag Tour Blog in an earlier post, so this correction gives me an excuse to give the day a new plug. Farms and arts studios will be open for … Continue reading →

Startup America Partnership compiles great deals to help entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. A resource for helpful business information worth checking out can be found on the Hickman County Business Website.

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam signed into law the Tennessee Unemployment Insurance Accountability Act today.  The bill makes it more difficult for those terminated with cause to successfully file a claim and tightens the requirements for the unemployed to search for … Continue reading →

Chief Executive magazine’s eighth annual survey of CEO opinion of Best and Worst States in which to do business named Tennessee as one of the top 4 BEST states to do business.  Texas earned the number 1 position.  Maybe we … Continue reading →