Story by Kay Drew, 2013-14 Board Chairman
Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council
Head of School – Clarksville Academy
It doesn’t matter how many great things we have happening in Clarksville-Montgomery County if it doesn’t get shared with the people who want to make a move. And a catalyst for the people who want to make that move is the local Economic Development Council (EDC).
As companies across the country begin searching for a community to locate their next facility, Clarksville-Montgomery County, Tenn. wants to be in consideration. There is a list of wants and needs that accompanies those researching new cities. On this list, we are incredibly competitive. We have an award-winning education system with public and private school options, as well as higher education opportunities available in our own back yard. These systems produce a ready and qualified workforce, and when coupled with the separating military and their spouses, make a labor force that is second to none. The city and county also went to great efforts to ensure that we have available land and infrastructure that is accessible by interstate, rail and water. Each of these aspects was obtained through hard work, goal setting and a vision.
In today’s competitive market, cities must present a unified message. This is where our EDC becomes of utmost importance. The Clarksville-Montgomery County EDC is made up of our Industrial Development Board (IDB), Chamber of Commerce, and Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB), with a percentage of their funding coming from the privately funded Aspire Clarksville Foundation.
The formation of Aspire was instrumental in allowing the EDC and its partners to think outside the box in regard to marketing and recruitment strategies. The grants awarded by Aspire to the partner agencies have allowed them leeway to move forward on initiatives that they may not have had opportunities to in the past.
Eighteen years ago, through the foresight of some forward-thinking citizens, their County Executive and County Commissioners, the three agencies joined together to enable Clarksville-Montgomery County to be marketed in a unified front. Can you imagine the impression that a potential prospect would get if the three member entities all gave a different picture of Clarksville-Montgomery County?
The question has been asked, what has this unified organization done for our community? The results speak for themselves. The EDC has played a key role in creating thousands of additional jobs, fostering and expanding existing businesses, and increasing our annual per capita income to over $43,000; the 4th highest in the State. A prime example of industrial growth is the expansion of Bridgestone-Metalpha USA and Jostens in our Corporate Business Park. These companies alone supply over 1,100 jobs. Akebono Brake also announced their current facility’s expansion following the EDC’s trip to Japan to meet with their global executives. This trip, funded by Aspire, also served as an opportunity for the EDC to build global relationships with companies that may be looking in the North American Market, and ideally the Southeastern region, to locate their next project. Additionally, tourism dollars play an important role in our local economy. When we recruit high impact events, visitors will spend an average of $100 per person for each night they stay in a hotel. For example, the 2015 and 2016 AAU Basketball tournaments will create a combined economic impact of over $6 million for our community.
So, how is information about communities accessed today? Most often it starts with a digital search, which is quick and economical. What are the hot search words; chamber, tourism and industry. And where do all these link back to; the EDC. Once a site selector completes their initial research, and it is favorable, the next steps are a request for information and an on-site visit, which is generally accommodated though the EDC. Our EDC coordinates with the Mayors, as well as our city, county, business, education and community leaders to present a factual, yet hospitable, picture of the community. Without the EDC weaving together this collective presentation of our community and its assets, there would be a fractured and incomplete representation of what we can offer.
The next time you hear someone ask what the importance of an EDC is, you can share the facts. We have a great community, but we don’t want to stop here. We want to continue our growth and improvements and in order to do that, we must be marketed in a current, unified and progressive way.