Governor Honors Hickman County with Three-Star Award

On September 16th, Governor Phil Bredesen presented the Tennessee Three-Star Award for Community Economic Preparedness to Hickman County. Hickman County was one of only 3 communities to achieve Tier II in the program (five earned Tier III and the bulk of the communities only met the first tier.)

Hickman County works hard to improve economic and community development in our community and appreciates this recognition from Governor Bredesen and the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development.

Conducting Economic & Community Development

Like most of us in economic development, our schedules change to respond to the needs of our communities and to the busy schedules of prospective business and industry. Such was the case on Saturday as I had the opportunity to again present our community. So, I was ready for a diversion as my wife and I attended the Nashville Symphony performance on Saturday night.

While enjoying the performance, I was thinking (daydreaming, really --- symphony time is such great daydreaming time for me....) how much the conductor is like the economic developer. No matter how much preparation and rehearsal time there might be, he (or she) steps out front, turns his vulnerable back to the crowd, and puts his success into the hands of many diverse players. No matter how frantically or cajoling he waves that baton, the end product is ultimately dependant on the performance of others. Sure, he takes that first bow, but then relinquishes the accolades to the collaborative group.

Willkommen! Hickman Grafschaft, Tennessee - Plätze für Fabriken mit Qualitätsarbeitskräften

Hickman County welcomes Volkswagen to Tennessee. As other manufacturers take a look at Tennessee, Hickman County is preparing to be receptive in showing off our industrial sites and quality labor force. I am working on preparing basic economic development information in German. My version is crude, but my experts should provide a better version very soon.

http://www.hickmantn.org/Deutsch.htm

Article about Hickman County on BusinessWeek.com

In an article titled "Bringing Broadband to Rural America" on BusinessWeek magazine's online edition, BusinessWeek.com , Hickman County was highlighted by technology writer Arik Hesseldahl. Hickman County Economic & Community Development Assn. has been working with Connected Tennessee in increasing technology availability and utilization in our county. This issue not only has immediate importance to our economic development, but impacts the future skill level of our labor force. As one can see from our higher education website, there are numerous educational opportunities that are difficult to access without an adequate connection to technology.

I appreciate the time Dwight Sullivan with Coldwell Banker Signature Realty and Sandra Thornton with Southeastern Pant spent talking with Mr. Hesseldahl and participating in our efforts to improve Internet access in Hickman County.

Buffalo/Duck River RC&D Council to Host Regional Tourism Workshop

Four-County Workshop Focuses on "The Economics of Tourism"

The Buffalo/Duck River RC&D Council will be hosting a workshop for Hickman, Lewis, Perry and Wayne Counties on Tuesday, October 7th - 6:30 PM at the Community Development Center in Linden. Entitled "The Economics of Tourism", the workshop will be hosted by Dr. Steve Morse, Director and Economist of The University Tourism Institute- Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism in the Department of Retail, Hospitality, and Tourism Management. Morse is also responsible for tracking trends in the U.S. and Tennessee’s hotel, restaurant and tourism industries and works on a day to day basis with the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development. His presentation will cover the economic impact of tourism in each county as well as looking at the four counties and the potential benefits of regional tourism development.

The event serves as the start of a Regional Tourism Development Initiative that will conduct a series of activities over a one year period to create, expand and retain small businesses in connection with tourism development in the four-county area.

The initiative is facilitated by the Buffalo/Duck River Resource Conservation and Development Council in cooperation with USDA Rural Development, area local governments, chambers of commerce, economic and community development councils, the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development and other state and federal agencies, and non-profit organizations.

The Buffalo/Duck River RC&D Council encourages anyone interested in improving our local economies to attend this important event. Please RSVP to the Buffalo/Duck River RC&D Council at: 931/729-2686 EXT.110, FAX 931/729-5786
Or Email sharon.englett@tn.usda.gov

Local Sales Tax Revenues Increase

According to the Tennessee Dept. of Revenue's tax collections website, local sales tax collections over the past 12 month period (Sept. 2007 to August 2008) have increased 4.7% over the previous 12 month period (Sept. 2006 to August 2007.) A direct indicator of retail sales, maintaining growth is a good sign of a resilient local economy.

TVA Named to Top Ten Utilities List

Site Selection Magazine has named Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as one of the nation's top ten utilities. TVA, through distributors MLEC and Dickson Electric, provides reliable electricity to Hickman County.

Site Selection begins its description of TVA's economic development efforts, "Once again, one of the paragons of utility economic development practice had a successful year. It helped create 45,000 jobs (down from 53,000 in 2006), but the investment total was up to a record $5.6 billion from $4.2 billion the year before." (more...)

In addition to being a great partner in helping to attract, retain and expand industry in the area, TVA provides help to their customers in maximizing energy efficiency and minimizing energy costs. Their programs are listed on our energy page on our new business website, www.business.hickmantn.org/energy.htm .

Local McDonald's Website

While doing some research, I stumbled across the website for the local McDonald's Restaurant. McDonald's is appreciated in our community as an employer, as an active member of our business community, and as another restaurant with great food and service.

Leadership Hickman Program

The twelfth Leadership Hickman class completed their retreat today. Like the many people in the eleven classes before them, they will attend a day-long session each month until May, learning more about Hickman County, networking with people in the community, and developing personal leadership skills.
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New Website With Business Information

As part of HCECDA's new and improved economic development website that I am building, the Hickman County Business Information website is up (let's call it a work-in-process, 'beta' version for the moment). It includes starting, operating, and growing a business information specifically relevant to Hickman County. From where to go for a business license to zeroing in on energy cost minimization, I hope there is something on the site that will make operating a profitable business in Hickman County just a little bit easier. Check it out at www.business.hickmantn.org.

On a somewhat related note, I am considering participating in Global Entrepreneurship Week, which is November 17-23, 2008. A unified effort to promote entrepreneurship across the globe, we would like to do our part in recognizing that most economic development begins with one or two people, an idea, and a lot of work. Check back to see what we can put together.
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Grinders Switch Music & Arts Festival

It is 4:30 on Saturday afternoon and I had to pull myself away to work on a project, but the music will continue until about midnight tonight at the Grinders Switch Music & Arts Festival. From bluegrass to the blues, the Centerville Public Square will be filled with music and the visitors will be filled with funnel cakes, ribeye sandwiches, barbeque, and homemade pie. If you miss it, check out the calendar of other events at http://www.hickmanco.org/ .

Who is our County?

A little further along in my reading of Richard Florida's Who’s Your City?, I thought about Hickman County and the area:

"There is a growing movement in cities around the world to invest in culture as a way of improving their reputations and spurring economic growth. The Place and Happiness Survey found that while not quite as important as physical beauty and sociability, culture and nightlife do play a significant role in place satisfaction."
"People today have a broader view of culture than what I’ve affectionately termed the SOB – symphony, opera, and ballet. While those cultural forms remain appealing to many, the most vibrant artistic and cultural communities combine traditional high-culture institutions with street-level art, music, and theater scenes. In a society where many people have little control over their own schedules, time has become one of our scarcest resources. Previous generations seemingly had more time for regular extracurricular activities. Today, it’s virtually impossible to plan in advance. Still, even if we lack the flexibility or freedom to fill our schedules with fun events, people like knowing they could go out and do something if they wanted to. The fact that such opportunities are there for the taking – when inspiration strikes or when family and friends come for a visit – is sufficient for many of us." Dr. Richard Florida, Who's Your City?

Middle Tennessee has the physical beauty and sociability, no doubt. Nashville has the SOB -- Nashville Symphony, Nashville Opera, and Nashville Ballet -- as well as Vanderbilt Opera Theatre (my wife is its director), Tennessee Repertory Theatre (Equity theater), Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Grand Ole Opry, Frist Center for the Visual Arts, etc. Hickman County has the Grinders Switch Music & Arts Festival, Clay Harris Theatre, Grinders Switch Radio Hour, as well as other music, arts, cultural, and street festivals. Come enjoy Hickman County's community investment in arts, music, and cultural events.
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"It's Good to Be in Tennessee"

In my newly renewed quest to have a place for everything and everything in its place in the HCECDA office, I have been taking a little extra time in the afternoon and some occasional weekend time to further organize to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Something that I found in my files was a list of "seven things every employer should know about Tennessee Employment Law" presented by Luther Wright, Jr. of the law offices of Boult Cummings at the TIDC (now Tennessee Economic Development Council [TEDC]) 2007 Fall Conference:

1. Tennessee Law views the employment-at-will doctrine as a "bedrock principle."
2. Workers' Compensation has undergone recent corrective changes.
3. Tennessee is a Right-to-Work State.
4. Tennessee has great Non-Competition Law.
5. Tennessee juries are historically conservative.
6. Tennessee has favorable employer drug testing laws.
7. Tennessee laws are favorable toward relocation and expansion.

Though I am tossing a lot of the old stuff that was packed in drawers and boxes, I am going to save and file away Mr. Wright's list. Not as a momento of a past presentation, but because Tennessee will still be a great place to do business for these same reasons when the next HCECDA executive director marvels at our color-coded file folders and ace alphabetization.