Hickman Community Hospital

Hickman Community Hospital, a member of Saint Thomas Health Services, is one of Hickman County's community assets. In the process of expanding its physical plant and services, including emergency room facilities, Hickman Community Hospital provides chest pain, rehabilitation, and other health services at a level rarely seen in a rural community. Health services is an important asset in economic development in that our business and industry community minimize worker compensation costs and have a healthier labor force. And as a guy in his forties fast approaching fifty, having a quality emergency room in the middle of town... well, it is hard to put an economic value on that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hickman County Economic & Community Development Association wishes all of our blog readers a ....



Happy Thanksgiving!

Quilt Warmth from Quality Workers

My 2007 Hickman County Quilt Show Book was delivered recently. I had not had a chance to look at it until last night, but my wife and I enjoyed looking at the art in the work and all the family history literally woven into those quilt's fabric. The pride in workmanship and the intelligence in design created by Hickman Countians in those quilts not just in the past but also in new works are skillfully documented in this book. I applaud the Hickman County Quilt Committee with support from the Hickman County Chamber of Commerce for their work in publishing this entertaining showcase of the work of area quilters.

Tennessee Business Environment Cultivates Winners

I was reading my latest copy of Inc. magazine, which featured the Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing private companies in America. As more evidence of our great business climate, Tennessee was one of the states with the highest average three-year growth rates (among those states with five or more Inc. 500 companies). Click here for the map and numbers. Congratulations to the diverse group of Tennessee companies that earned a spot on the Inc. 500 and Inc. 5000 lists!

Hickman County Economic Development Mentioned for its Community Culture Support

Hickman County Economic & Community Development Association received a mention in the program for Vanderbilt University Opera Theatre's production of Kurt Weill's Street Scene last weekend. Supporting arts and culture is important to a community, whether - as Richard Florida calls it - the 'sob' (symphony, opera, ballet), the Grinders Switch Radio Hour, the annual quilt show, or preserving historical resources.

Business Information Available at East Hickman Library

The Hickman County Chamber of Commerce placed an informational kiosk in the East Hickman branch of the Hickman County Public Library. My organization, Hickman County Economic & Community Development Association participated by supplying informational brochures on starting a business, entrepreneurship support, assistance resources for business, and accessing higher education to improve job skills.

East Hickman (Lyles, Wrigley, and Bon Aqua communities) will continue to grow as a community and Hickman County Economic & Community Development Association is happy to participate in this project as a small part of our support of the East Hickman business and industrial community.

Entrepreneurship in Tennessee: Striving for Success

University of Tennessee Department of Agricultural Economics with assistance from University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service, Tennessee Dept. of Economic & Community Development Business Enterprise Resource Office (BERO), and UT Extension introduced the study, Entrepreneurship in Tennessee: Striving for Success this week.

Developing entrepreneurship, though not as headline producing as attraction of large employers, remains an important component of Hickman County's and our partners' economic development focus.

Tennessee Governor's Housing Summit

Yesterday, I registered for the Governor’s Housing Summit Dec. 1-2. The agenda is posted at http://www.thda.org/. Speakers include U.S. Congressman Jim Cooper on the federal intervention in the financial markets, Commissioner Gonzales from the Department of Financial Institutions on foreclosure prevention initiatives, green building, boomer housing and more.

As any economic development expert will tell you, housing is an important component of community and economic development. Site selection decision makers demand quality housing near industrial sites. A quality workforce needs adequate housing. Retiree recruitment requires ready residential resources.

Even though Hickman County has an adequate supply of affordable housing for many income levels, planning for where our workforce will live tomorrow retains our focus today.

Great Advice for a Happier New Year for Economic Development

Bob Ady of Ady International posted a blog entry, Take a Deep Breath and Get Ready for the New Year, that reminds us of the importance of focusing on the fundamentals of business retention and expansion and a disciplined attraction strategy during these challenging economic times.

Upcoming Workshop Focuses on Customer Service

Dr. Dale Henry of Your Best Unlimited will be conducting a workshop on Customer Service December 4, at the Perry County Community Development Center in Linden from 1-3PM. Dr. Henry is a native of Tennessee and has been a teacher, businessman, author, speaker and trainer. He has been in customer service over half his life. This workshop offers a perspective on customer service like no other. Dr. Henry blends humor and insight to explore how to serve and care for the customers needs and leave understanding the difference between service and attitude. Small and large businesses, organizations and local governments are encouraged to attend.

The workshop is sponsored and funded by the Buffalo/Duck River RC&D Council, USDA Rural Development and the South Central Tennessee Workforce Development Board as a partnership project to improve the area business economies through small business development and tourism.

The Perry County Community Development Center is located on Factory Street in Linden. Those interested in attending may call the Buffalo/Duck River RC&D Council at 931/729-2686 EXT110; FAX 931/729-5786 or email, sharon.englett@tn.usda.gov or larry.lofton@tn.usda.gov. Please RSVP by December 3rd.

Taking Notes

I just ran across an article posted on a blog designed to make one a note-taking expert. Economic development is dependant on higher education and the labor force gaining new skills to become somewhat of an expert. Economic development should support higher education with things like our Hickman County higher education focused website, www.highereducation.hickmantn.org (from which I found that article.) The great thing is that the next time I am listening to an economic development expert, I'll be able to take better notes!

www.economicdevelopmentexpert.com/contact.htm

Another Resource for Business Information for Hickman County Area

Hickman County Economic & Community Development is a member of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce (and the Hickman County Chamber of Commerce, of course.) The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce has a new resource, called Expert Edge, for growing your business and warding off the economic downturn. Expert Edge at http://www.nashvillechamber.tv is a series of weekly webcasts conducted by experts in business and industry. The webcasts will be archived on the website and can be viewed at a time that fits a site on your busy schedule. For example, this week's webcast featured a discussion about employer-based health benefits with a panel of local industry experts.

Quality Education, Achieving Students

The new Tennessee Department of Education Report Cards are out for the school systems. Hickman County' composite ACT scores are up 0.8, only 0.2 below the state average. The graduation rate is also up! For all of the education progress data, check out Hickman County's Report Card.

MTSU Business and Economic Research Center Study Includes Hickman County

Hickman County is a part of the Middle Tennessee Marketing Group (MTM) for which MTSU's Business and Economic Research Center recently completed a study titled Increasing Competitiveness through Strengthening Regional Industrial Clusters: Middle Tennessee Marketing Region. MTM is an initiative of Hickman County and other local economic development organizations and Middle Tennessee Industrial Development Association (MTIDA), an economic development organization that provides complete, confidential assistance for locating a site or expanding a business in Middle Tennessee.

From the executive summary of the study:
"Strategically located between Nashville (MSA), TN, and Huntsville (MSA), AL, the Middle Tennessee Marketing Region (MTM), which consists of 14 counties (Bedford, Coffee, Franklin, Giles, Hickman, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Perry, Warren, and Wayne), presents tremendous business opportunities with its diverse economic structure and strong industrial base, according to a study conducted by the Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) at the Jennings A. Jones College of Business at Middle Tennessee State University. The study’s findings highlight the necessity of regional level leadership in leveraging existing regional assets to create a cluster-based competitive regional economy through regional-level marketing, increasing synergies between industries in target clusters and their suppliers and customers, strengthening the cluster supply-chain by diversifying target clusters, and investing in human resources."

The entire 475 page report may be accessed by clicking here.

Beneficial Bits for Busy Businesspeople

It's tough to find the time to learn how to start a business, discover new things to take your business to the next level, or in my case at the moment, how to increase efficiency and effectiveness of a small non-profit corporation. In the previous post, I mentioned a great workshop -- but, it is only great if you were able to attend. However, there are other resources out there to help busy people succeed in business. The Small Business Administration (SBA) online training offers video courses. In addition, SBA offers podcasts that you can listen to on your computer or download to your MP3 player or iPod. Apple's iTunes offers free and for purchase downloads of business information for your iPod. Some of the podcasts to which I subscribe (for free!) is a Internet business marketing podcast and BusinessWeek's entrepreneurship article. Since I spend a lot of time in the car, it is great to have these resources to make time on the road productive.

For more business resources, click on http://www.business.hickmantn.org/ .

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Increasing Sales & Profits as a Destination Business

Today, approximately 80 people from the Hickman, Lewis, Perry, and Wayne County area attended a workshop, Increasing Sales & Profits as a Destination Business, facilitated by nationally-known business consultant Jon Schallert of the The Schallert Group, Inc. headquartered in Longmont, Colorado.

Sponsored by the Buffalo/Duck River RC&D Council with assistance from USDA Rural Development, this workshop was just the latest endeavor by our area economic development organizations in our local small business retention and expansion efforts.

A West Tennessee business owner who had attended an earlier session by Mr. Schallert in Dyersburg reported that she had used the techniques taught by Mr. Schallert and increased sales by approximately 200%.

I am sure that those local business people who attended gained knowledge that will help them become a destination to more customers. Stay tuned for more information on small business workshops in the area sponsored by Hickman County Economic & Community Development Association and/or our economic development partners. Until then, check out our business website, http://www.business.hickmantn.org/ or contact me.

Online Small Business Assistance

Starting a new business or looking to grow your existing small business? The U.S. Small Business Administration has free, online business training. The courses are taken at your speed, but usually take an average of 30 minutes. Topics include "Starting Your Small Business", "How to Start a Business on a Shoestring Budget", "How to Find Start-up Funding", and "How to Write a Business Plan".To check out the courses, visit www.sba.gov/services/training/onlinecourses/index.html .

There is also business information on our website, http://www.business.hickmantn.org/ .

Thanks, Dad!

On this morning after a national election, I would like to thank my father, who after a long, hard day of work, would always take my brother and I to the polls with him to cast his vote. He lived the hardships of the depression, served our country during WWII, and built a home with his own hands for our family. Through his deeds and words, he taught me that I was better than no one, but as good as any one, and that doing your job - whether as a welder, as a husband, or as a citizen of this great country - is the one thing that makes you and your community better.

Tennessee Business Climate ranked 2nd (and moving up!)

Tennessee Business Climate was ranked 2nd in the United States by Site Selection magazine. And as we say around Nashville, it was number 2 with a bullet as Tennessee moved up 4 positions from last year's ranking.

The state of Tennessee has been ranked as having the second-best business climate in the country by a trade publication, based on the views of corporate site seekers and the state's track record of attracting new investments.
Site Selection, an Atlanta-based magazine that annually ranks states' attractiveness to investors, placed Tennessee behind only North Carolina. Tennessee moved up four notches from last year's rankings. (for full article, click here) -- The Tennesseean, November 4, 2008

Hickman County contributes to this superlative business environment. We have a great labor force with a rural work ethic, Tier III Tennessee ROI Jobs Tax Credit incentive, Interstate 40, and available industrial buildings and greenfield sites.

Canadian ReportonBusiness.com Article on Tennessee's Attractive Business Environment

Canadian ReportonBusiness.com Article on Tennessee's Attractive Business Environment

"How is it that Tennessee and other southern U.S. states can be opening new plants in the midst of a global financial crisis and plummeting vehicle sales, while Michigan, the cradle of the industry, has lost five assembly plants in 20 years, and Ontario--the No. 2 auto-making jurisdiction in North America--is struggling to hang on to the 11 it has? Spend a day or two in Nashville and Spring Hill, and the economic advantages (including a few you might not have thought of) become apparent. And there's another factor: Folks down here want it more--a lot more--and they know how to get it." - ReportonBusiness.com

Chattanooga Area Prepares for Volkswagen

Tennessee Department of Economic Development and Chattanooga are moving fast in making Chattanooga ready for Volkswagen. For smaller companies in the site selection process, Hickman County has industrial buildings available in the 50,000 to 150,000 square feet range. Tier III ROI Jobs Tax Credit eligible, Interstate highway access, and near Nashville, Spring Hill, and Memphis.