In the blog post from The Rural Blog, “Salazar, Vilsack will be Cabinet’s rural voices“, and in an article in The Iowa Independent, “Vilsack the pragmatist: Incoming agriculture chief knows how to make friends on both sides of the aisle“, those who are not familiar with former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack can see a glimpse of the nominee to become Secretary of Agriculture in President Barack Obama’s administration. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plays an important part in rural communities such as Hickman County, not only for its agriculture assistance, but also its role in rural economic development.
According to The Iowa Independent, “Vilsack’s most noticeable impact on rural Iowa (during his two terms as Iowa’s governor) did not involve changes to agricultural policy or stricter environmental regulations, but rather tax credits and business incentives. His economic development efforts — most notably the Iowa Values Fund, which was designed to create grants, loans, and tax incentives for businesses who choose to locate in the state — have been credited for short-term successes in many corners of the state…”
From all indications, USDA and USDA Rural Development will continue to be a strong supportive partner in Tennessee and Hickman County economic development.
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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.
