Being prepared and having big plans typically pays off with big news. A case in point:  Agero, a global leader in driver assistance services and vehicle connectivity innovation, has announced plans to create a state-of-the-art call center in Clarksville (Montgomery County), Tenn. By 2013, this $8 million company investment will create more than 500 new jobs. Continue Reading

In Chief Executive magazine’s most recent survey of business leaders across the country, four of the seven states served by TVA ranked among the top 10 Best States for Business.

Tennessee ranked No. 4 and North Carolina ranked No. 3 among the top 10. Virginia at No. 6 and Georgia at No. 8 rounded out the states in the region recognized by CEOs as leaders in creation of the conditions needed for business to thrive. Continue Reading

Someone once said about writing:  ”If at first you don’t succeed, hide all evidence that you tried.” Reverse-thinking about this could be: “If you don’t ever try, how will you know if you might succeed?”

Sometimes we get stuck doing things the same way at the same time every day.  In other words, we begin functioning by rote. To innovate, differentiate and ultimately succeed, you have to feel the freedom to try new things.

Whet your creativity by considering some of the following personal and business … Continue Reading

We’re proud and happy to report that John Bradley, TVA’s senior vice president of Economic Development, has again been named one of the “Top ten people who made a difference” in the South by Southern Business and Development magazine. Bradley was honored for the successes he and his team accomplished in 2011. He previously made the list in 2006.

Mike Randle, editor and publisher of the magazine, said, “I have followed John Bradley’s career for over 20 years, and John has always been a visionary when it comes to economic development in the South.” Continue Reading

The latest advance in solar energy in Tennessee is the West Tennessee Solar Farm in Stanton. Located 45 miles northeast of Memphis, the solar array is capable of generating 5 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 500 homes and offset 250 tons of coal each month.

The installation is owned and operated by the University of Tennessee. TVA and Chickasaw Electric Cooperative distribute power generated at the farm, which is now the largest solar energy array feeding power to the TVA grid. Continue Reading

People in the Valley are used to getting up early and hitting the ground running, and right now, the economic numbers are bearing that out.

Continue Reading

An interesting report from Pew Research Center this month revealed that “46 percent of Americans are now smartphone owners.” Smartphone owners outnumber the 41 percent of adults who own a basic mobile phone. Of all cellphone owners:

• 20 percent own an Android device
• 19 percent own an iPhone
• 6 percent own a Blackberry Continue Reading
  

There is some vital annual data recently published by Area Development magazine that economic developers/marketers should definitely study for the insights available. Area Development has released their 26^th Annual Corporate Executive and 8^th Annual Site Selection Consultants survey results for 2011.

Area Development concludes that the “survey results reflect a sense of cautious optimism for longer-range economic recovery, an awareness of the need to address the nation’s work force skills gap, as well as increased plans for relocation in order to alleviate onerous tax and regulatory burdens.”

The data reveal answers to the following questions and much more. Continue Reading

TVA has an affiliation with the Professional Learning Laboratory, a network of professional economic development trainers and their guests, who offer webinars on topics specifically designed for the economic development practitioner, their staff, and supporters. The webinars are offered at a discount for individuals or groups through the TVA registration link below.

Webinar: Blogs – An Integral Part of an Economic Development Marketing Strategy

Presented by:  Becky McCray, Social Media Artist, Entrepreneur, Economic Developer and David McFadden, President & CEO, Yakima County Development Association

Date:  Tuesday, March 22, 2012

Time:  1:00 … Continue Reading