 
Tennessee: Looking for a Few More “Volunteers” (cover) A Record-Setting Year Western Tennessee Middle Tennessee Eastern Tennessee Request Information |
Eastern Tennessee
Eastern Tennessee rises up to the Blue Ridge Mountains, offering some of the most scenic terrain in the state. The region has a number of manufacturing centers, drawn to the region by a lower cost of living and easy access to the Southeast, the Midwest and the Eastern Seaboard.
Located in the state's southeast corner, Chattanooga (population 155,000) has a growing tourism and convention business and strong manufacturing and distribution industries. A major downtown revitalization initiative includes new hotels and a conference center, and a new baseball stadium was recently completed on the Tennessee Riverfront.
Civic leaders have recently organized the Chattanooga Regional Growth Initiative for sustainable growth. "We have identified the strongest industry clusters, and we plan to work hard to bring in new companies and their support companies," says Walter Sprouse, vice president, economic development, Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce. "Even though we will be focusing on these clusters, we'll still be working hard to diversify the economy."
Chattanooga's target industries include:
"Our economic development people continue to work with companies once they locate here," Sprouse adds. "We're a dynamic city with good sties and buildings. Our workforce is superb, and our quality of life can't be beat."
Northeast of Chattanooga lies Knoxville (population 167,000), home of the Univ. of Tennessee and a growing cluster of technology companies. "The university has a nationally known sports program and sometimes our great academic program is lost in the shadows," says Tom Ingram, president and CEO, Knoxville Area Chamber Partnership.
One of the Knoxville area's unique assets is the U.S. Dept. of Energy's National Laboratories at nearby Oak Ridge (population 27,000), where atomic research began in the 1940s. Last December, Vice President Al Gore, a Tennessee resident, helped break ground for the Spallation Neutron Source project, a $1.4 billion facility that will be the world's premier center for advanced materials research and will serve as a catalyst for technology-based businesses. Oak Ridge also has several biomedical research institutions and the Oak Ridge Centers for Manufacturing Technology, which house a number of incubator facilities and business parks. For example, the Fairview Technology Center has assisted technology-based businesses since 1986.
Downtown Knoxville is in the midst of a $500 million public-private investment program that includes a new convention center, office tower and hotel facilities, as well as the renovation of a 40,000-sq.-ft. (3,700-sq.-m.) downtown building called Digital Crossing. "We hope this will be the first of several facilities for young high-tech companies, from Web site development to media production to Internet content," Ingram says.
New technology companies include iPIX and Knology, a broadband fiber communications company. Scripps Howard has based its TV production and Web hosting businesses in Knoxville, along with its "HGTV" and "Do It Yourself" cable channels.
Marriott International's new financial service center is bringing 250 jobs to Knoxville, and Nova Information Systems, which services credit card accounts for banks and businesses, added 500 new jobs last year. Continental Express Airlines has announced a major maintenance facility at McGhee Tyson Airport. Knoxville is also home to the corporate offices of Kimberly Clark, H.T. Hackney, Regal Cinemas and Goody's.
The Development Corp. of Knox County owns more than 1,500 acres (607 hectares) of business and office parks in Knox County and maintains a complete inventory of industrial property throughout the community.
"We think this is one of the best places in the world to live, and we're working hard to make it just as good a place to do business," Ingram says. "We feel like we're on the verge of breaking out to a new level here," says Ingram.
In Tennessee's eastern tip, the Tri-City communities of Johnson City and Kingsport, along with Bristol, Va., were designated as an All-America City in 1999. More than 160 manufacturing firms produce everything from snow plows to hardwood flooring. One of the largest manufacturers is Willamette Industries, which recently announced a $475 million investment in its Kingsport paper manufacturing facility.
"Our target industries include plastics, auto aftermarket, high-tech industries, and medical companies," says P.C. Snapp, executive director, Johnson City, Jonesborough and Washington County Economic Development Board. "We're also interested in wholesaling and regional distribution centers."
To meet workforce needs, the Northeast Tennessee Career Center opened in Johnson City in 1999 to streamline labor market services, and East Tennessee State Univ. has an award-winning skills-gap assessment service. Says Snapp, "We'll look at the labor force to determine what needs to be done to bring skills up to the level that our employers need." SS
©2000 Conway Data, Inc. All rights reserved. SiteNet data is from many sources and is not warranted to be accurate or current.
|